Where to Eat, Drink, and Snack in Downtown Vegas: A Local’s Guide

Demian Becerra

Neighborhood recommendations for tri-color curries, puffy arepas, carrot-spiked cocktails, and more, each from the DTLV locals who cognize it best

If the Strip is the amusement epicenter for visitors to Vegas, past Downtown Las Vegas is the amusement epicenter for locals. In caller years, improvement Downtown has made the vicinity a hub for large dining, particularly for diners looking for a somewhat much chill vibe than what’s disposable connected the Strip. To get to cognize the neighborhood, we asked 3 in-the-know Las Vegans wherever they bent out.

Chelsea McManus Sheridan Su

Sheridan Su, restaurateur

Sheridan Su has been moving restaurants successful and astir downtown Vegas since helium archetypal started Every Bao successful 2011. He present runs Fat Choy, a modern diner wrong the Eureka Casino that serves Asian and American comfortableness foods, and Every Grain, a Taiwanese spot and Eater favourite that is presently closed but promises to instrumentality to soon.

Why helium loves downtown

“[My household and I] started surviving downtown successful 2007. I was conscionable truly attracted to the area. I was ever conscionable intrigued by it. I mean, this is wherever Vegas started. I truly liked the vigor and the originative radical successful the area. Plus, erstwhile I archetypal moved there, it felt similar I was capable to lend to it. When I archetypal moved to Vegas and I told immoderate of my cook friends that I was looking to get a spot downtown, they would ever look astatine maine with that face, like, ‘Why would you bash that?’ But astatine that time, I saw however successful different cities the mode they were rebuilding their downtowns. I felt similar that aforesaid vigor would beryllium successful Las Vegas arsenic well. And I was right.”

His vicinity favorites

PublicUs
“I emotion coffee, and I emotion PublicUS connected Fremont Street. Their beverage programme is already amazing, but the magnitude of large nutrient that they’re capable to enactment out, from cooked foods to their baked items. It’s truly amazing. They bash a truly bully job. I get a portion called the Death Cream, which is similar an iced latte but ace strong. So I’ll get that and a cocoa spot cooky oregon a blueberry scone.”

Viva Las Arepas
“It’s a Venezuelan edifice connected Las Vegas Boulevard. And they’re astir apt 1 of the lone possibly 2 1 oregon 2 restaurants that service arepa present successful Vegas. I ever get their acceptable called reina pepiada. It’s fundamentally shredded chickenhearted with avocado, peas, and mint stuffed wrong their arepa. It’s 1 of the champion lunches you tin get and it’s similar 5 bucks.”

Le Thai
“This is benignant of the archetypal edifice that benignant of kick-started making downtown the chill spot to be. I usually instrumentality with their curries: I get the three-color curry wherever they premix their yellowish curry with greenish curry and reddish curry and it’s ace fun.”

Soul Belly Barbecue
“I deliberation this is person to Texas-style — it’s hard to find truly bully brisket present successful Vegas but they bash it right. It’s close connected Main Street and adjacent a mile distant you tin odor their smokers, which are close successful beforehand of the restaurant. They person indoor and outdoor seating, and they bash unrecorded music.”

Linda Brookins

Brookins has spent her vocation successful hospitality and nightclubs, including her existent presumption arsenic the manager of income for the Tao Group. But the pandemic gave her and her hubby the accidental to prosecute with their different large interest: mid-century modern antiques. They present tally a stall successful the Antique Alley Mall, wherever they merchantability nether the sanction Desert Vintage Chic.

Why she loves downtown:

“I americium a New York transplant to Las Vegas — I moved present successful 2005. I emotion the diverseness and kinetic vigor of downtown and the DTLV arts district. I emotion to beryllium capable to locomotion betwixt places, beryllium surrounded by creation — each the murals and galleries — and conscionable halt successful determination for a wound oregon a drink. I chose to person my concern determination due to the fact that of the radical who visit: a premix of tourists and locals each inspired by uncovering thing unsocial and blessed to effort thing different.”

Her vicinity favorites

ReBar
“Rebar is similar the cheers to anyone who hangs retired Downtown. It’s truly unsocial successful that determination are antiques successful the abstraction that you tin purchase; it’s a precise eclectic location. There’s an outdoor area: they person large beers and precise affable staff. They person blistery dogs and sausages from Roadkill Grill, which is truly fun. And they usually person benignant of a brew of the day. And helium serves it to you successful a insubstantial bag. So you don’t cognize what it is. But it’s astatine a peculiar reduced price. And they’re ever large beers.”

Davies
“Davies is the different Cheers benignant of place. They person this astonishing carrot foodstuff cocktail. So if you privation to unreal to beryllium healthy, this has mezcal and fresh-squeezed carrot juice, and it’s delicious.”

Garagiste
“They’re amazing. Just the vino selections that they have, you can’t truly find anyplace other successful the city. And if you go a subordinate of their vino club, which truly conscionable means that you go a subordinate of their email list, they connection opportunities to acquisition a specialty vino astatine a somewhat discounted terms point. And it mightiness beryllium a vino that you wouldn’t find anyplace else. So that’s truly unsocial and fun. And past connected Sundays, they bash 50 percent disconnected champagne. So you tin spell successful and bid a vessel and bask it there.”

Jessica Scott

Courtesy of 50 Eggs Hospitality Jessica Scott

Jessica Scott is the firm enforcement pastry cook for 50 Eggs Hospitality, which operates 7 restaurants successful Vegas and galore much globally. Her enactment has taken her each implicit the state and the world, but since moving to Vegas, she’s lived Downtown.

Why she loves downtown:

“I’ve lived successful a fistful of cities crossed the U.S. and this is my archetypal clip surviving successful a downtown ambiance and I emotion it! Las Vegas is truthful afloat of life, food, activities, and euphony — and it has been astonishing getting to research each that it has to offer, being introduced to truthful galore large individuals that tally the metropolis from down the scenes.”

Her vicinity favorites

Esther’s Kitchen
“Esther’s has created rather a pursuing successful Las Vegas by locals, and is my all-time favourite spot for cocktails and insanely legit food. My favourite crockery is the 1 that sounds the simplest: sourdough breadstuff and spreads. They marque the breadstuff in-house, with a large crisp crust, and a brushed and flavorful inside. To apical it disconnected they brace your breadstuff with respective seasonal spreads that tin see things similar anchovy butter, bluish food and honey, oregon strawberry balsamic vinegar.”

Corduroy
“Corduroy is ace adjacent to Fremont Street, and to the untrained oculus could beryllium seen arsenic conscionable different bar. They marque each their ginger brew in-house — each of their ginger beer-based drinks scope caller heights that you won’t find anyplace else. Order the Smash Midnight.”

PublicUs
“PublicUs ever has a agelong enactment connected the weekends but you tin astir ever inactive get a seat. I emotion this spot due to the fact that the employees are chill and sincerely attraction astir your experience, and the nutrient successful its simplicity is ever perfect. They person the cleanable meal burrito.”