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For a city that prides itself on spectacle and excess, Las Vegas has developed a remarkably good underground bar scene — intimate, craft-focused spaces that require either knowledge or exploration to find.
The Best Hidden Bars
- Velveteen Rabbit (Arts District) — Behind an inconspicuous door, one of the best craft cocktail bars in the city. Get the tasting menu.
- Secret Pizza at the Cosmopolitan — Not technically a bar, but the hidden 3rd-floor pizza spot is a Las Vegas treasure. No signage. Legendary.
- The Laundry Room at the Downtown Cocktail Room — Reservations only, in the back of another bar. Some of the best cocktails in Vegas.
- 1923 Prohibition Bar at Mandalay Bay — Designed as a 1920s speakeasy. The 'secret' is openly marketed but the atmosphere is excellent.
- PDT (Please Don't Tell) at the Hard Rock — Enter through a fake phone booth in a hot dog shop. The NYC original's Vegas outpost.
The Arts District Bar Scene
The 18b Arts District and Fremont East area has the best independent bar concentration in Las Vegas. The Downtown Cocktail Room, Commonwealth, Frankie's Tiki Room, and the Griffin are all within walking distance of each other and represent a genuinely excellent bar crawl away from Strip prices.