Imbibe and have a great time at these Las Vegas bars
As far as unique experiences go, Las Vegas has a surplus. After walking out of the hotel lobby, it doesn’t take long to run into something you’ll find interesting. Beyond the endless entertainment and insanely vast guest room selection along The Strip or even just outside of it, the options for bars are seemingly bottomless, with themes that cover a broad spectrum, from sports bar to speakeasy, dive to tiki and more.
With such an array of different bars, it can be tough to know where to go and what kind of experiences there are for groups. Well, “search and ye shall find,” as the saying goes…although in this case, to find one need only keep reading.
The Cabinet of Curiosities
If you like to have your curiosity itch scratched, as well as indulge in delicious cocktails, The Cabinet of Curiosities is the place where the two meet. When stepping into The Cabinet, located in the rebranded Horseshoe Las Vegas on The Strip, guests will be met with shelves of obscure and intriguing items, for example, a typewriter and a copy of Gray’s Anatomy on one shelf or a Chinese dragon mask on another, and that’s not even close to the end of it.
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These interesting items flank the seating area that sits across the bar. And as you head deeper into the bar, beyond the cabinets and lounge area, visitors will eventually come face-to-face with a vault, next to which sits a telephone. This may be part of the bar’s aesthetic but it’s also the entrance to The Lock, a speakeasy that hides inside The Cabinet.
The telephone puts visitors in contact with the speakeasy’s locksmith, who will grant access to the safe room. Once in the safe room, visitors will have to solve one of two puzzles to gain entry. Once in, guests can relax and take their pick from one of the Prohibition-era cocktails or have mixologists create a personal concoction based on their personality, mood and flavor profile.
The Cabinet and The Lock can host whiskey tastings and mixology classes for team-building activities. For groups, the stories found around The Cabinet can be personalized to create a scavenger hunt.
The Cabinet and The Lock can be rented out, with a capacity of 76 and 46, respectively. Beyond this, The Lock houses a private (so private you’ll miss it if you’re not perceptive enough) VIP room for groups of up to 11. With walls lined by framed TVs, planners can display anything they’d like in this room. The Cabinet and The Lock could also offer a 10% commission on bookings that encompass both venues.
The Laundry Room
To offer an exceptional experience from its mixologists, only 22 guests are allowed at a time in The Laundry Room. This speakeasy, which once served as a laundry room for El Cortez casino across the street, sits under the stairs of Commonwealth, a bar on downtown Las Vegas’ Fremont Street. In addition to carefully crafted cocktails, The Laundry Room is also a place where mixologists can whip up custom libations based on your mood and the flavor you’re looking for.
This incredibly intimate speakeasy is true to its classy atmosphere, not allowing photography or the use of cellphones. Although you could get lucky if you just show up at its entrance on 6th and Fremont, you’re better off making a reservation.
Royal Crawl
Royal Crawl takes the pub crawl tradition and gives it a modern, technological spin. Half poker game-half bar hopping experience, this type of bar crawl is as engaging as it gets.
Kyle Markman, owner of Royal Crawl and Sound Off Vegas, a silent disco experience perfect for large groups, says Royal Crawl was challenging to get off the ground and didn’t see success until post-pandemic when bars and casinos began to reopen. “We started with a daily crawl on Fremont Street Experience and due to the huge success and amount of people doing the crawl, we then expanded to The LINQ Promenade,” he says. The company launched the crawl in the promenade November 2022 and Markman says it has grown significantly in only a few months.
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It works like this: Royal Crawl takes players to five different bars. On each bar visit, players check in via smartphone at each to receive a virtual playing card. At the end of the night, after receiving five cards, the winner is revealed and will receive a prize, as will second and third place, which varies depending on the day. For groups, Royal Crawl can offer up to 40% off their normal ticket price by using code GROUP40.
Markman says Royal Crawl is looking to expand beyond The LINQ Promenade and Fremont Street and is currently looking at a few new locations in the Las Vegas area.
