I never thought I'd see the day that Fremont Street would become a locals hotspot, but I've parked my car in the Neonopolis parking garage more in the last month than I have in the preceding five years. Why? Well, that quiet stretch of Fremont Street on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard—which used to look forbidding even in daylight—has now become the ideal destination for bar-hopping.
You can start out at the raucous Beauty Bar before heading west to a comfortable booth in the Downtown Cocktail Room, or if you prefer to start out mellow, you can run east-to-west instead. Either way, you can ease the transition from one to the other by stopping at the Griffin.
After a visit to the Downtown Cocktail Room, my friends and I proceed to the Griffin and make our way through its heavy curtains to the cavernous interior. With its stony architecture and vaulted ceilings, the bar looks like a cross between a sturdy winter lodge and a medieval castle.
"I think the place has sort of a Jewish-catacombs feel," says local comedian Dave Greek, one of several familiar faces I find already there. The bar's only been open for a few weeks, but clearly the word's gotten out. The place is packed.
The Griffin has one of those great jukeboxes that frequently calls attention to itself, whether it incites your friend to rave about that obscure band that he alone recognizes or whether it gets you absentmindedly singing along with the Jackson 5. (I'm a sucker for Motown.)
Our growing party gathers around a table beside one of the room's two fireplaces, which not only add to the cozy lodge feeling of the bar, but also help to dry any party fouls that may have dampened your outfit.
The rest of the evening is given to socializing. And that's what's great about the Griffin. It's quiet enough to hold a conversation (whereas Beauty Bar tends to get deafening), but busy enough to give you plenty to converse about (whereas Downtown is a bit more private and intimate). And with its unique, refreshingly anti-Vegas aesthetic, it adds some nice variety to Fremont East.
I'm just thankful to have something for locals Downtown. The next time out-of-town friends insist I take them to Fremont Street, I'll sneak away to the Griffin while they're distracted by the light canopy or the invading aliens.