Beyond the Strip: The Las Vegas Locals Actually Know
Jonathan Barlow
The Real Vegas
The Strip is a theme park. A spectacular, world-class, billion-dollar theme park — but a theme park nonetheless. The city that the 600,000 people who actually live here experience is different, and in many ways better.
Lotus of Siam — Off Strip
The Thai restaurant that every chef in America insists you visit. James Beard Award winner. The northern Thai dishes — particularly the sausages and the khao soi — are unlike anything on the Strip. The wine list is bizarrely excellent.
Herbs & Rye — Off Strip
Pre-Prohibition cocktails in a space that feels like it's been here since the Rat Pack era (it hasn't, but that's the point). The bartenders are serious craftspeople. Happy hour is one of the best deals in the city.
Frankie's Tiki Room — Off Strip
24-hour tiki bar. No windows. No clocks. Lethal rum drinks with names you shouldn't repeat. This is Vegas at its most unapologetically weird.
Esther's Kitchen — Arts District
Italian-American in the growing Arts District. The meatballs are the best in the city. The patio on a cool evening is a reminder that Vegas has a real neighborhood scene.
The Strip has the spectacle. Off-Strip has the soul.
