Seen from the Gold Diggers balcony overlooking the Fremont Street Experience: a half-dozen or so tourists drunkenly belting out “We Are the Champions” in their best faux-Freddie Mercury. That—not the blackjack dealers by the bar, not the packed dancefloor and not even the guy in the mirror-covered sport coat—will be the mental snapshot I’m saving from my visit last weekend, thank you very much.
Approaching its sixth year in operation, Gold Diggers remains a charming nightspot with a one-of-a-kind view, an unpretentious vibe and relatively affordable bottle service ($200 gets you a table and a bottle of Grey Goose).
There’s a decent-sized dance area inside and an elevated DJ booth behind the bar. Outside—where the Drake song being played by the DJ may occasionally be superseded by an FSE show, hence the Queen moment—there’s a second bar, patio seating and a decidedly less clubby gathering that is, nonetheless, having a blast.
Recently, the venue upgraded its sound and lighting systems, and it even hosted an official Life Is Beautiful afterparty with Jurassic 5’s Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark. The party deviated from the usual open-format DJ sets (Top 40, hip-hop, trap and older favorites) and demonstrated that five-plus years on, Gold Diggers can still surprise.
Gold Diggers Wednesday-Sunday, doors at 9 p.m. Golden Nugget, 395-7111.
