"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean..." --Raymond Chandler. A celebration of film noir, dangerous women, night owls, and dark temptations. Side blog for journeymanhobo.tumblr.com. I do not own any of these images unless otherwise stated. I will gladly remove any image at the owner's request.
Atomic Liquors at dawn in 1993. Photo by Valentin Wuebben.
Tracking the oldest standalone bars in Las Vegas is a complicated by the matter of a few of them changing names, locations, or having fuzzy math in their own history. This list is not carved in stone but as far as I can tell the standalone bars 50 years and older are ....
ATOMIC LIQUORS (917 Fremont) – opened 4/17/54. We have a longer piece covering Atomic’s history and sources for this date.
DINO’S LOUNGE (1516 S Las Vegas Blvd) – They’ve had this name since ’69, but the bar dates back to this location as Ringside Liquors since ’53, and at a previous location since the late 40s. (The last 4 digits of Dino's phone number date back to the 40s.) Their motto “Getting Vegas Drunk Since ’62” refers specifically to the business’s incorporation date. '53, '62, '69 are all correct dates depending on the details.
HUNTRIDGE TAVERN (1116 E Charleston Blvd) – circa ’62, after starting at a nearby location, 1320 E Charleston, in ’54. Founder W.L. “Buzz” Holst and family opened several drug stores and bars including the next one on this list.
DECATUR LIQUORS (546 S Decatur Blvd) – ’63
4 MILE BAR (3650 Boulder Hwy) – ’63
TAP HOUSE (5589 W Charleston Blvd) – opened as Wild Bill’s Bar in '65. It went through a few names in the 70s and has been known as Tap House since ’85.
CHAMPAGNE’S CAFE (3557 S Maryland Pkwy) – opened under a different name in ’66; Champagne’s Cafe since ‘96. It was originally Sundown Liquors and Cocktail Lounge opened in ’66, a liquor store up front and a lounge in the back. It was combined into one room that exists today and was previously known as Jerry’s Inner Circle (’68), Huey’s Saloon (’77), Jerry’s Saloon (’87), Ole Inner Circle (’93), and Champagne Charlie’s.
FRANKIE’S (1712 W Charleston Blvd) – Frank August opened Frankie’s Cocktails in '68. It’s been known as Frankie’s Tiki Lounge since 2009.
HARD HAT LOUNGE (1675 S Industrial Rd) – ’70. Their “Est. '62” motto makes sense as a reference to their ’62 building and the beloved ’62 mural in the bar which came from its previous location under the name Bourbon Street Lounge. The building was home to The Coffee Pot and Squaw's Corner, until the owners of Bourbon Street Lounge moved here and opened Hard Hat Lounge.
STARBOARD TACK (2601 Atlantic St) – also opened in ’70 according to some records, or ‘71 at the latest. Their website says “since ’72.”
Honorable and/or controversial mentions ...
Pioneer Saloon (Goodsprings NV) – Not in the City of Las Vegas, but without a doubt the oldest bar in Clark County, Nevada.
Gold Mine (Henderson NV) – Also not in the City of Las Vegas, "Hendertucky's Oldest Tavern," was licensed to Henderson councilman Giles L. Franklin in Sep. ’65.
The Hideaway Tavern (3369 Thom Blvd) - since the '90s. “Friendliest bar in town since ’62,” is their motto, and some have gone further to say the building itself dates back to the 1800s, having been relocated from the ranch house at today’s Old Mormon Fort State Park. There was a building relocated from the old ranch, but it was built in the 50s. In ’63 (not ’62) the old ranch house was demolished, and a newer portion built for a restaurant was relocated to Thom Blvd, where it reopened as Lorenzo’s under ownership of Larry Lapenta. Through the 60s-90s it was also known as Old Ranch House Supper Club, and Larry’s Old Ranch House – then it was demolished. Larry’s Hideaway opened in the 90s in a new building, with another new addition in 2000. The changes can be seen in USGS aerial photos. Clark County Assessor dates Hideaway to ’93.
Double Down Salooon (4640 Paradise Rd) - ’92. There was a bar here called John John’s Cocktail Lounge here in ’74, then it was called Dreamworld, The Advertiser, and Omar Khayyan. Throughout the 80s it was an Italian restaurant.
Sand Dollar Lounge (3355 Spring Mountain Rd) – The motto “Est. ’76” may refer to the building complex. Sand Dollar Lounge opened in ’83.
Missing any?
This started as a post on Vintage Las Vegas Instagram. Thanks to CityCast Las Vegas: An Inside Look at the Oldest Dive Bars in Vegas.
4 Mile Bar, '86. Photo by Chelsea Miller. Neon in Nevada Photograph Collection (PH-00225), UNLV Special Collections.
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