Brunch, Happy Hour and A Date: The Las Vegas Strip
I don't proclaim these three places to be the best in Las Vegas, but they're pretty awesome to me.
Brunch, Happy Hour and A Date is a recurring series where I journal the locales that I visit in a particular city. I chose the three functions because they are a particular type of experience that you can likely relate to and they can help you plan accordingly should you ever come visit.
This time, my travels took me to Las Vegas on a bit of a work + personal trip. It’s my goal to visit Vegas every year for NBA Summer League. Why? Because it’s relatively affordable (NBA SL tickets go for ~$40 for an all-day pass), there’s always a good deal on traveling to Sin City and I was doing what I could to go see Victor Wembanyama. That, and the gig encouraging me to go to UFC 290 for arguably the best card in the history of MMA, well…a good time was had.
Here are a few places I’d encourage you to go, and if you have some places you vouch for in Las Vegas — PLEASE — drop them in the comments. Thank you.
Brunch: Primrose, Park MGM
I’ll be real. Brunch might be the biggest crapshoot (pun) you could gun for in Vegas. Plus, I honestly prefer a “late breakfast with optional boozy beverages” vs. “bougie brunch while wearing Chelsea boots and bootleg mimosas”. I know I might’ve lost a few of you with that last sentence. I’m sorry.
I go to Primrose because the wait is not usually too crazy, they have coffee cocktails (major bonus) and the deep dish pancake is worth that wait, but share it because it is dense AF…unless you’re a savage. (I was a savage once.)
As for what you should order:
To drink: Irish Coffee (the fact that they make it with Teeling is telling) and/or the Spiced Pear Sidecar (with St. George’s pear liqueur, the best spirit maker in California)
To eat: The Traditional Special (this is essentially a basic American breakfast but comes with the Deep Dish Pancake. Order this, because you need fuel to survive a booze-filled escapade of a weekend while dealing with the outdoor sauna of Vegas)
To eat: Homemade Jumbo Biscuit (get it with the gravy and egg. It has no business being that good)
Happy Hour (at 10 p.m.): Beauty & Essex, Cosmopolitan
Here’s the thing about happy hour in Las Vegas, no one cares about drinking at a specific time. Happy hour is whenever you wake up. What I’ve come to find is that around 10 p.m. is usually that time after dinner but before you go to the club/show/miscellany you find yourself wanting to post up, vibe and sip. B&E always works for me when I’m in that mood.
As for what you should order:
To drink: The Woodsman. It’s a perfect cocktail. I can’t not order it whenever I go in there. Muddled pears in a drink just works.
To drink: The White Whale. A smoky, beautiful punch in the mouth. Order this, twice.
To eat: Grilled Cheese Smoked Bacon & Tomato Soup Dumplings. It’s a long ass name for something that’s admittedly small. Five soup spoons hold these divine dumplings. I could eat 20 of these.
Dinner: Allē Lounge on 66, Resorts World
My only disclaimer here is that this is a stunt mode date, not a get-full date. You should technically be still good from brunch and that deep dish pancake, but whatever. You’re coming here for vibes, views and vivaciousness. (3x)
As for what you should order:
To drink: The Perfect Blend. I believe this is a riff off of Death and Company’s iconic old fashioned, with the use of coffee beans for a rum-based old fashioned, minus the bourbon.
To drink: Hibiscus Paloma. Paloma’s are an underrated gem. This version levels up with the infused syrup and fresh ingredients. Also, I can’t prove it, but I’d wager the second drink in the photo is this cocktail.
To eat: Order the Brown Butter Lobster Rolls. Twice. Bring me some back on the way home.
Let me know if this is something you’d like to see more of in other cities around the country and the globe. Also, if you have any recommendations I missed, please drop them in the comments section!