16 Best Bars in South Strip, Las Vegas

The 80,000-square-foot Vegas haunt is one of the iterations of the nightclub brand that started in London. The space is one part nightclub, one part modern Cantonese restaurant—five floors in all, with three dedicated to nightlife. To fill this space, the venue has booked some of the biggest DJs in the world, including Lil Jon, Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki, and Tiësto. For a more casual experience, head to the third-level Ling Ling Club.

This nightclub–concert hall hybrid at Mandalay Bay was the seventh entry in this chain of successful, intimate music clubs. As if the electric roster of performers taking the stage almost nightly wasn't enough (past acts include Carlos Santana, Billy Idol, Social Distortion, Joe Walsh, Slash, Dropkick Murphys, and Seal), the decor is lusciously imaginative. (Our favorite decoration isn't inside, though—it's the Voodoo Mama statue greeting you outside.) The Gospel Brunch on Sunday is on an irregular schedule, so check the HoB web site for dates. Buy music, books, hot sauce, and T-shirts at the souvenir shop, where an expansive, remarkable collection of colorful folk art decorates the walls.

As the name suggests, the nightclub at Park MGM is all about sound. The brainchild of L.A.'s Houston brothers brings in live DJs and offers three hidden karaoke rooms, as well as a hidden vinyl bar in the middle of the club. Perhaps the coolest detail is the hallway lined with cassette tapes. Don't miss the double-decker bus in the open-air courtyard either; it's like nothing at any other club in town. On the Record is open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

It's in a shopping mall eight minutes from the Strip (by taxi), but we won't hold that against the Blue Martini, because it's still pretty cool. The cream of local bands plays here, an attractive blue interior curves from room to room, and the cocktail menu is impressive (the signature martinis are served in the shaker). Also, there's a legendary happy hour from 5 to 8 pm Wednesday through Sunday. Best of all, hordes of the kind of people you'll want to meet (that is, sexy non-tourists of all genders) keep pouring in.

Brad Garrett, he of Everybody Loves Raymond and Single Parents fame, has returned to his stand-up roots in a classic comedy-club setting—a bar with plenty of photos of . . . well, Brad Garrett on the walls. He handpicks the comedians and headlines almost monthly himself: "It was either this or Jews on Ice at the Stratosphere," he likes to tell audiences. There's usually a hefty cover charge of at least $65.

Barmaids in tight clothes break into choreographed bar-top dances intended to make Hooters look like a church picnic at this noisy tourist trap, a reincarnation of the 2000 movie's title nightspot (which is, fittingly, in New York). If you want to gaze at galvanized aluminum siding, old license plates, and an impressive bra collection, who are we to stop you?

Ancient statues, tapestry-covered walls, pirated Mississippi road signs—the Foundation Room gets high marks for eclectic aesthetic appeal. Though membership is encouraged and comes with perks, this secluded subsidiary of the House of Blues is open to everyone seven nights a week, provided you're willing to wait in line. Reserve in advance for a reduced cover charge. The venue itself is a series of rooms, each with its own set of design themes and type of music that could range from Top 40 hits to house, depending on the night.  A main attraction is the view of the Strip; because the club is on the 43rd floor, it provides some of the best panoramic vistas of the entire town, but the views come with a hefty cover charge.

The W Las Vegas gives its classy lobby lounge a moniker that goes with its theme: the 32nd president. Bourbons, whiskeys, and barrel-aged drinks are specialties here, so belly up, let the soft music and tiny twinkling lights help you relax, and ask the bartender to prep you a little something, maybe from the Woodford Reserve barrel service (and yes, you can keep the barrel). What's more, since it's a lobby lounge, there's no cover.

Gin is the specialty of the house at Juniper, which is named after one of the berries used to flavor the spirit; in fact, it has the largest selection of gin in Las Vegas. But thirsty patrons can get just about any craft cocktail they wish at this Park MGM lounge. The menu features a curated cocktail program using house-made juices and syrups alongside an expertly selected spirits menu, and there's a special game-day cocktail menu, too.

Head to the Silverton's frontier-themed, salt-of-the-earth casino (or its sensational, museum-like hunting-fishing Bass Pro Shops), where it's well worth stopping by for a drink and taking a long look at the gigantic, sharks 'n' all aquarium. The aquarium holds 117,000 gallons of salt water and is home to more than 4,000 fish and as many as eight mermaids at a time (yes, really). There's live music spanning a variety of genres on Friday and Saturday, with no cover.

Did you ever think you'd be wearing a winter parka in the Las Vegas desert? If not, then you've underestimated just how creative these 21st-century bars can be. Don the parka provided by minus5°, pay attention to your orientation speech, buy those drink tickets, and step into the Ice Bar, where the temperature is always 5 below zero Celsius (23 Fahrenheit). This frosty clime ensures that you'll have a "cool" time here, but it also keeps the walls, bar, cocktail glasses, chairs, couches, and decorative sculpture in their frozen-solid state. Expensive fun for the sheer weirdness of it? Definitely! The drinks are tasty, too. Kids 7 to 12 are welcome before 9 pm, as long as they come with an adult. Additional locations are at The Venetian ( 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S) and The LINQ Promenade ( 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S).

Don't be surprised to see patrons break into impromptu bouts of step-dancing at this authentic Irish pub inside New York–New York. It's so authentic that the place was built in Ireland, shipped over, and reassembled in Vegas. Today, barkeeps pour Guinness, Harp Lager, Smithwick's, and all sorts of Irish whiskeys, while cooks crank out traditional Irish dishes. Live Irish music rounds out the sing-along entertainment here. Live entertainment begins nightly at 9 pm; go before then if you want a table for dinner. Brunch is served Thursday through Monday from 11 am to 2 pm.

The very swanky but very inviting indoor-outdoor Press features firepits with seating overlooking the private pool at the Four Seasons, cooled off by misters in the hotter months—and it's open until 11 pm (midnight on weekends). Like everything at the upscale resort, the libations and accompanying bites are near perfection. Live music is offered during Press Play from 5 to 8 pm Thursdays. Free high-speed Internet and access to digital newspapers and magazines from 100 countries highlight the complimentary services at this lobby bar that doubles as a coffee shop by day.

This lounge right off restaurant row at Mandalay Bay is the perfect place for people-watching, as a flood of humanity goes by to dine or to attend a concert or conference at the sprawling Mandalay Bay Convention Center. There’s even more energy thanks to the live music, which is performed from 10 pm to 2 am Thursday through Monday. The lounge is open 24/7, serving a small selection of bar food, drafts, and classic cocktails like mojitos, Negronis, and the current darling of Las Vegas, the Aperol spritz.

Like the Statue of Liberty, this pub was constructed in Europe, then shipped over piecemeal and reassembled in The Shoppes at Mandalay Place (yes, Lady Liberty is in New York; you know what we mean). Highlights include the music—which regularly comprises Irish sessions—and the menu, which boasts enough sausage rolls and fish-and-chips to make you feel like you've flown to Dublin. Another authentic touch: many of the wait staff are from Ireland. Live music is performed Tuesday through Sunday.

What do you get when you fill a country-theme Texas saloon with slick dance-music-crazed nightclubbers? Madness—10-gallon-hat madness. Behind the Texas-shape neon sign, Stoney's Rockin' Country has all the glam hot-spot fixings: one of the largest dance floors in Nevada, private tables, a VIP lounge, bottle service, and music that can segue from Merle Haggard to Jay-Z. You can't beat the prices either. The location in Town Square makes the club convenient to visit from casinos on the Strip. The smaller Stoney's North Forty is at Santa Fe Station in the northern 'burbs.