Downtown
Yes, Virginia, winter happens in Las Vegas. Which means right now in southern Nevada, spring is actually a thing, and it’s in full swing (according to our allergies). But mulberries and olive trees aren’t the only things blooming, especially not in downtown Las Vegas, where another batch of new businesses are competing for attention like flowers preening for a honeybee’s landing.
One such spot where things are literally brewing is Vesta Coffee Roasters, the latest addition to the Las Vegas Arts District’s burgeoning culinary scene. Located on a stretch of Casino Center Boulevard that seems to be growing new buildings like weeds, Vesta is all about fresh-roasting sustainably sourced coffee from such global locales as Colombia, Costa Rica and Ethiopia. This Roasters Guild member also serves up sandwiches and snacks for breakfast and lunch, all in a chic industrial space replete with roll-up garage door.
A few blocks northeast, downtown’s only first-run movie house, Eclipse Theaters, has finally opened its doors. But this three-story, eight-screen cineplex isn’t the place to bring the kids for the latest “Ice Age” sequel on a Saturday afternoon. Nope, Eclipse Theaters is a fully 21-and-over venue, offering an experience a step up from even the recliner-filled luxury cinemas that have become all the rage. Eclipse wants to be your one-stop date night solution, with in-theater food and beverage service, a full bar (with craft cocktails) and a lounge that spills out onto an elevated patio offering terrific views of downtown.
Eclipse isn’t alone in bringing more entertainment and dining options to the previously sleepy corridor between the Arts District and the Fremont Street Experience. A cluster of bars, restaurants and shops recently opened on the first floor of luxury apartment complex Juhl, collectively known as the Promenade. Some of the newest additions include classic men’s barbershop Get a Haircut, jewelry boutique Jaeci and the first downtown location of popular local healthy food purveyor Greens & Proteins. With all this going on, no one is going to be hungry or bored when visiting downtown Las Vegas anytime soon.
