Las Vegas Downtown Bars
Bars at Freemont Street Experience
Banger Brewing
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Fremont Street's only brewery is also one of Vegas' most highly rated. They serve their offbeat take on craft beer, including unique renditions of barrel-aged ales and stouts, a jalapeño Hefeweizen, and a coffee-infused Kolsch.
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Fremont Street's only brewery is also one of Vegas' most highly rated. They serve their offbeat take on craft beer, including unique renditions of barrel-aged ales and stouts, a jalapeño Hefeweizen, and a coffee-infused Kolsch.
Rush Lounge
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Decked out in red and gold with a circular bar and signature cocktails, Rush adds a contemporary flair to the otherwise vintage Golden Nugget. This Fremont Experience favorite also offers live music and is a great place to people watch at one of Vegas' most classic resorts.
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Decked out in red and gold with a circular bar and signature cocktails, Rush adds a contemporary flair to the otherwise vintage Golden Nugget. This Fremont Experience favorite also offers live music and is a great place to people watch at one of Vegas' most classic resorts.
Beer Garden
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This indoor/outdoor pub pairs house-made sausages with some of the West's most recognizable microbrews. With a rotating selection of seasonals and IPAs, there something sure to please in the most discriminating craft-brew connoisseurs.
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This indoor/outdoor pub pairs house-made sausages with some of the West's most recognizable microbrews. With a rotating selection of seasonals and IPAs, there something sure to please in the most discriminating craft-brew connoisseurs.
Bar 46 (Golden Nugget)
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Bar 46 offers revelers the best of both worlds: the rare comfortable Vegas chair inside or out, with some the best views of the Fremont freaks. Try the raspberry lipstick and kiss us later.
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Bar 46 offers revelers the best of both worlds: the rare comfortable Vegas chair inside or out, with some the best views of the Fremont freaks. Try the raspberry lipstick and kiss us later.
Wayfarer Bar
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Decorated like a midcentury classic from the height of America's cocktail obsession, Wayfarer is banking on the spirit scene's recent rejuvenation. Don your favorite skinny tie and order an old fashioned. Cigarettes are optional.
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Decorated like a midcentury classic from the height of America's cocktail obsession, Wayfarer is banking on the spirit scene's recent rejuvenation. Don your favorite skinny tie and order an old fashioned. Cigarettes are optional.
The Longbar
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Measuring in at over 100 feet long, the Longbar at the D takes the title for Nevada's longest bar. And with more TVs than barkeeps, it makes a great place to watch sports, but it's a bit tough to socialize.
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Measuring in at over 100 feet long, the Longbar at the D takes the title for Nevada's longest bar. And with more TVs than barkeeps, it makes a great place to watch sports, but it's a bit tough to socialize.
Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar
$$$
Few libations quench the thirst of walking up and down Fremont in the Vegas heat faster than a massive margarita or 80-ounce beer tower. Toss in 70+ boutique tequilas, and you've got yourself a Fremont fiesta. Best time to visit this Golden Nugget casita? Happy Hour (Monday - Friday 4-7pm and 11pm-2am).
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Few libations quench the thirst of walking up and down Fremont in the Vegas heat faster than a massive margarita or 80-ounce beer tower. Toss in 70+ boutique tequilas, and you've got yourself a Fremont fiesta. Best time to visit this Golden Nugget casita? Happy Hour (Monday - Friday 4-7pm and 11pm-2am).
Gold Diggers
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Located inside The Golden Nugget on the 2nd floor, like an inversion of Cinderella's magic pumpkin, this bar turns into a small nightclub around midnight. Expect to hear the latest top 40 and hip hop tracks.
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Located inside The Golden Nugget on the 2nd floor, like an inversion of Cinderella's magic pumpkin, this bar turns into a small nightclub around midnight. Expect to hear the latest top 40 and hip hop tracks.
Mermaid’s Casino
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Apart from frozen drinks and daiquiris, Mermaid's is the perfect spot to grab a snack during a bad case of the alcohol-induced munchies. Vacationers and locals alike rave about the deep fried oreos and Twinkies. The only downside: It's standing room only to eat.
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Apart from frozen drinks and daiquiris, Mermaid's is the perfect spot to grab a snack during a bad case of the alcohol-induced munchies. Vacationers and locals alike rave about the deep fried oreos and Twinkies. The only downside: It's standing room only to eat.
Benny’s Smokin' BBQ & Brews
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Formerly Benny's Bullpen, this rebranded, rebooted barbecue joint inside Binion's serves slow-cooked American classics and affordable microbrews. While Benny's is hardly the place to be, if you need a quick bite to eat and are tired of frozen vodka concoctions and tequila shots, look no further.
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Formerly Benny's Bullpen, this rebranded, rebooted barbecue joint inside Binion's serves slow-cooked American classics and affordable microbrews. While Benny's is hardly the place to be, if you need a quick bite to eat and are tired of frozen vodka concoctions and tequila shots, look no further.
Chicago Brewing Co.
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Look for this cozy, social brewpub and cigar lounge at Four Queens. They pair Chicago-style deep-dish pizza and other bar classics with award-winning handcrafted microbrews.
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Look for this cozy, social brewpub and cigar lounge at Four Queens. They pair Chicago-style deep-dish pizza and other bar classics with award-winning handcrafted microbrews.
Hennessey’s Tavern
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Home to the world's largest pint, this place feels like the typical displaced Irish pub, except on an industrial scale. Just don't eat the food.
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Home to the world's largest pint, this place feels like the typical displaced Irish pub, except on an industrial scale. Just don't eat the food.
Mickie Finnz
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Located next to Hennessey's, Mickie Finnz looks like an Irish pub and a tiki bar united to spawn a fish house that can't quite figure out it's niche. Food comes out of the same kitchen as its Irish brethren and is rarely good. But bar staff are friendly. The atmosphere is relaxed, and like their neighbors, they feature live entertainment.
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Located next to Hennessey's, Mickie Finnz looks like an Irish pub and a tiki bar united to spawn a fish house that can't quite figure out it's niche. Food comes out of the same kitchen as its Irish brethren and is rarely good. But bar staff are friendly. The atmosphere is relaxed, and like their neighbors, they feature live entertainment.
Brass Lounge
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Located above Hennessey's, the Brass lives and dies on live entertainment. When it's there, it can be fun. When it's not, it's a bore. But if nothing else, its balcony is offers some of the better views on Fremont—especially during one of Las Vegas' many over-the-top holiday celebrations.
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Located above Hennessey's, the Brass lives and dies on live entertainment. When it's there, it can be fun. When it's not, it's a bore. But if nothing else, its balcony is offers some of the better views on Fremont—especially during one of Las Vegas' many over-the-top holiday celebrations.
Bars North of Freemont Street
Picnic
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Located at the Grand Hotel and Casino, this normally quiet roof-top pool lounge with a 1950s retro twist allows you to enjoy a drink with friends in the Vegas sun and astroturf.
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Located at the Grand Hotel and Casino, this normally quiet roof-top pool lounge with a 1950s retro twist allows you to enjoy a drink with friends in the Vegas sun and astroturf.
Gold Spike
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A unique lounge that used to be wall to wall gambling now offers a variety of games, such as shuffle board, corn hole, life-size jenga, billiards, beer pong, foosball, and more. This hip bar-club hybrid features live entertainment outside and a DJ inside and caters to a twenty-something crowd at night and all ages during the daytime.
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A unique lounge that used to be wall to wall gambling now offers a variety of games, such as shuffle board, corn hole, life-size jenga, billiards, beer pong, foosball, and more. This hip bar-club hybrid features live entertainment outside and a DJ inside and caters to a twenty-something crowd at night and all ages during the daytime.
Mob Bar
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Characterizing itself as 1920s supper club, this bar features dueling pianos every Friday and Saturday and serves cocktails engineered with the finest classic ingredients by some of Vegas' most renowned mixologists.
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Characterizing itself as 1920s supper club, this bar features dueling pianos every Friday and Saturday and serves cocktails engineered with the finest classic ingredients by some of Vegas' most renowned mixologists.
Oddfellows
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Located in the Ogden building this spot caters to an outlandish crowd. Play some Ouija boards and soak in the curiosity.
$$ Located in the Ogden building this spot caters to an outlandish crowd. Play some Ouija boards and soak in the curiosity.
Art Bar
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Located in the lobby of the Grand hotel, this small, quiet bar offers vacationers the rare upscale feel in the heart of the downtown madness. Grab a cocktail, maybe two as you checkout the ceiling full of replica masterworks spanning the last century and a half.
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Located in the lobby of the Grand hotel, this small, quiet bar offers vacationers the rare upscale feel in the heart of the downtown madness. Grab a cocktail, maybe two as you checkout the ceiling full of replica masterworks spanning the last century and a half.
Hogs and Heifers
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Founded by a self-described functioning alcoholics, Hogs and Heifers Saloon has become famous as one of America's best dive bars. Its owners also claim it served as the inspiration for Coyote Ugly and hundreds of other copycats across the nation. Be prepared for a biker crowd, country music, karaoke, of course, and people dancing on the bar next to a pile of more than 18,000 celebrity bras.
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Founded by a self-described functioning alcoholics, Hogs and Heifers Saloon has become famous as one of America's best dive bars. Its owners also claim it served as the inspiration for Coyote Ugly and hundreds of other copycats across the nation. Be prepared for a biker crowd, country music, karaoke, of course, and people dancing on the bar next to a pile of more than 18,000 celebrity bras.
Bars East of Freemont Street
Inspire Rooftop
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Located on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Fremont is a small, albeit successful cosmopolitan hot spot with seating and dance area offering fantastic views of East Fremont. Be forewarned: cover is a bit steep for the experience.
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Located on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Fremont is a small, albeit successful cosmopolitan hot spot with seating and dance area offering fantastic views of East Fremont. Be forewarned: cover is a bit steep for the experience.
Downtown Cocktail Room
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This swanky establishment's claim to fine is as Las Vegas' mixology Mecca, and with a local reputation and custom cocktail menu to match its boasting, it's hard to argue. Come yourself and try one of their peerless signature drinks or invite your friends and take turns sipping from a shared punch bowl.
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This swanky establishment's claim to fine is as Las Vegas' mixology Mecca, and with a local reputation and custom cocktail menu to match its boasting, it's hard to argue. Come yourself and try one of their peerless signature drinks or invite your friends and take turns sipping from a shared punch bowl.
The Laundry Room
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Hidden within the Commonwealth, you will need the secret password to get into this watering hole. Once inside, bartenders at this speakeasy serve premium whiskies and rums as you listen to a variety of tunes played by on the piano.
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Hidden within the Commonwealth, you will need the secret password to get into this watering hole. Once inside, bartenders at this speakeasy serve premium whiskies and rums as you listen to a variety of tunes played by on the piano.
Atomic Liquor Store and Bar
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A pub-crawl and local favorite, Atomic holds the oldest liquor license in Vegas and is worth a trip just to use the men's room, which features videos of atomic bomb tests above the urinals, and artwork on the bars walls that harkens back to Nevada's nuclear past. Unlike some of Vegas's other kitchy watering holes, the music isn't too loud to have a conversation and the craft brews are not only drinkable, but memorable.
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A pub-crawl and local favorite, Atomic holds the oldest liquor license in Vegas and is worth a trip just to use the men's room, which features videos of atomic bomb tests above the urinals, and artwork on the bars walls that harkens back to Nevada's nuclear past. Unlike some of Vegas's other kitchy watering holes, the music isn't too loud to have a conversation and the craft brews are not only drinkable, but memorable.
Backstage Bar & Billiards
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This 4,000-square-foot pool hall showcases musicians' gold records and touring cases, but all the same, has a neighborhood-bar feel to it that make it a comfortable alternative to the usual Las Vegas pretension.
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This 4,000-square-foot pool hall showcases musicians' gold records and touring cases, but all the same, has a neighborhood-bar feel to it that make it a comfortable alternative to the usual Las Vegas pretension.
Don’t Tell Mama
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Don't Tell Mama is a piano bar who other reviewers claim is different from the others. To us, that remains to be seen, as you can expect the usual piano-bar show-tunes (Elton John, anyone?), takes on top 40 tunes of the past four decades, and bachelorette party-eqsue fare.
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Don't Tell Mama is a piano bar who other reviewers claim is different from the others. To us, that remains to be seen, as you can expect the usual piano-bar show-tunes (Elton John, anyone?), takes on top 40 tunes of the past four decades, and bachelorette party-eqsue fare.
Vanguard Lounge
$$
Vanguard Lounge's avant-garde take on a concrete-and-steel interior works surprisingly well. And with great cocktails and one of East Fremont's only ground-level patios, it draws a lot of young socialites. Its downfall, however, is it simply doesn't have enough room to accommodate groups of people on a crowded Saturday night.
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Vanguard Lounge's avant-garde take on a concrete-and-steel interior works surprisingly well. And with great cocktails and one of East Fremont's only ground-level patios, it draws a lot of young socialites. Its downfall, however, is it simply doesn't have enough room to accommodate groups of people on a crowded Saturday night.
The Griffin
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One of Las Vegas' most unique bars, the Griffin is a whiskey and beer joint ensconced in what looks like a cross between a Viking longhouse and a medieval dungeon. While the atmosphere is remarkable, the crowd, on weekends, is not. Full of rowdy men who feel at home next to torches and firepits, women frequently walk out as fast as they walk in, leaving men to joust with each other for a chance to use the loo.
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One of Las Vegas' most unique bars, the Griffin is a whiskey and beer joint ensconced in what looks like a cross between a Viking longhouse and a medieval dungeon. While the atmosphere is remarkable, the crowd, on weekends, is not. Full of rowdy men who feel at home next to torches and firepits, women frequently walk out as fast as they walk in, leaving men to joust with each other for a chance to use the loo.
Park on Fremont
$$
While the food is great and the patio one of Fremont's best, we never got over the bizarre interior, which looks like one of our grandmothers dropped acid before redoing her dining room. Retro may be in, but there's tasteful—see the Cosmopolitan—and there's downright gaudy: this.
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While the food is great and the patio one of Fremont's best, we never got over the bizarre interior, which looks like one of our grandmothers dropped acid before redoing her dining room. Retro may be in, but there's tasteful—see the Cosmopolitan—and there's downright gaudy: this.
La Comida
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Operated by the man behind N9NE, Ghostbar, Rain, and Nove Italiano, this Mexican kitchen is more restaurant than hangout. But if your trip to the Southwest has you gourmet tacos, burritos, margaritas, and a host of other south-of-the-border specialties, you'll be impressed.
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Operated by the man behind N9NE, Ghostbar, Rain, and Nove Italiano, this Mexican kitchen is more restaurant than hangout. But if your trip to the Southwest has you gourmet tacos, burritos, margaritas, and a host of other south-of-the-border specialties, you'll be impressed.
Commonwealth
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Commonwealth's main floor features a stylish pre-prohibition design that attracts ladies and gents in their late 20s to early 40s. But the real secret behind this bars two-story success is its roof-top patio (and its hidden speakeasy) that offer much better socializing opportunities than almost anywhere else downtown.
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Commonwealth's main floor features a stylish pre-prohibition design that attracts ladies and gents in their late 20s to early 40s. But the real secret behind this bars two-story success is its roof-top patio (and its hidden speakeasy) that offer much better socializing opportunities than almost anywhere else downtown.
Beauty Bar
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Part of a national chain, Beauty Bar owes its success to its retro-mod furniture, in-house manicurists, live music, and specialty martinis. The Vegas version, however, has a bit of a reputation as a dance house for desperate hipsters. If you're into that scene, this is the place for you.
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Part of a national chain, Beauty Bar owes its success to its retro-mod furniture, in-house manicurists, live music, and specialty martinis. The Vegas version, however, has a bit of a reputation as a dance house for desperate hipsters. If you're into that scene, this is the place for you.
Bars at the Container's Park
Oak & Ivy
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Nestled among what looks like the adult version of the now-defunct Discovery Zone, this spirit house specializes in American craft whiskeys and barrel-aged cocktails, all of which are sure to satisfy even the snobbiest palettes.
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Nestled among what looks like the adult version of the now-defunct Discovery Zone, this spirit house specializes in American craft whiskeys and barrel-aged cocktails, all of which are sure to satisfy even the snobbiest palettes.
bin 702
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As one of Vegas' only true wine bars, this container-bounded cafe and charcuterie won awards from Wine Spectator for its food and its on-tap wine selection. Connoisseurs be warned: you won't find much beyond California staples and Veuve Clicquot.
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As one of Vegas' only true wine bars, this container-bounded cafe and charcuterie won awards from Wine Spectator for its food and its on-tap wine selection. Connoisseurs be warned: you won't find much beyond California staples and Veuve Clicquot.
Bars in the Art District
OG Gentlemen’s Club
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Located on the outskirts of downtown close to the Vegas strip, OG's is one of Vegas' many world-famous strip clubs. Check out our mini review and virtual tour here and to find out how to book a free limo and pay no cover.
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Located on the outskirts of downtown close to the Vegas strip, OG's is one of Vegas' many world-famous strip clubs. Check out our mini review and virtual tour here and to find out how to book a free limo and pay no cover.
The Downtown Crown@ The Arts Factory
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Like its Vegas sisters, this pub serves great British food as you watch live soccer games on the tele or live entertainment on its massive patio. For you blokes from the other side of the pound, the Crown is not to be missed.
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Like its Vegas sisters, this pub serves great British food as you watch live soccer games on the tele or live entertainment on its massive patio. For you blokes from the other side of the pound, the Crown is not to be missed.
Mingo Kitchen & Lounge
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Mingo is a trend restaurant that pairs gourmet takes on American comfort food with Twitter hashtags. While social media may not be for everyone, their food is.
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Mingo is a trend restaurant that pairs gourmet takes on American comfort food with Twitter hashtags. While social media may not be for everyone, their food is.
Artifice
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The centerpiece of Vegas' rather small arts district, Artifice is a funky urban lounge offering live entertainment and a diverse crowd that is almost never short of characters and unsurprisingly, local artists.
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The centerpiece of Vegas' rather small arts district, Artifice is a funky urban lounge offering live entertainment and a diverse crowd that is almost never short of characters and unsurprisingly, local artists.
Velveteen Rabbit
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Victorian-styled chic meets exceptional craft cocktails and indie music, creating a comfortable place to ignite a conversation or even to bring a date.
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Victorian-styled chic meets exceptional craft cocktails and indie music, creating a comfortable place to ignite a conversation or even to bring a date.
