Vegas's Old-School Haunts—From Historic Casinos to Retro Restaurants

Livia Caligor
·8 min read

Page Light Studios/Getty

“Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas”—the peculiar kingdom of extravagance, decadence, and reinvention. Th iconic signage that boasts this message was erected in 1959 during Vegas’s golden years, and has since become both a tourist magnet and a rare trace of the city’s storied roots.

As someone who visits Las Vegas several times a year, I’ve spent my trips scouting the city's vast array of indulgences, growing increasingly entranced by its unapologetically and distinctly evolving landscape. But with every visit, I often find beloved establishments either decimated, or refurnished with more captivating interiors, the newest celebrity it-chef dining spots, and marquee residencies. The city’s kaleidoscope of change can be both exhilarating and bittersweet. Vegas’s cycle of demolition and redesign is a fascinating canon: a microcosm for a culture dictated by an insatiable demand for novelty and spectacle, whether that be fantastical and aspirational to some, or disillusioning and profligate to others.

So in this world where yesterday’s freshest attraction is today’s demolition project, finding traces of Vegas’s historic roots feels like uncovering buried treasure. Beneath the city’s ever-evolving facade, Vegas’s distinct brand of culture endures—and there are places that have withstood the city’s penchant for reinvention, over decades and despite the Strip's evolution. From restaurants and bars to casinos and museums, below are 10 of the spots that have kept Vegas heritage intact. In the rarest cases, what happens in Vegas actually stays in Vegas.

The Golden Steer steakhouse dates back to 1958.
The Golden Steer steakhouse dates back to 1958.
Chris Wesseling/Golden Steer Steakhouse

Golden Steer Steakhouse

I owe much of my Vegas history education to the Golden Steer, Las Vegas’s oldest continuously operating steakhouse. Opened in 1958, the Golden Steer is a relic of Vegas’s Golden Age (which spanned from the 1930s to the 1960s), tracing the city’s transformation from a frontier settlement to an entertainment capital. The walls of the main room, The Armory, for example, are adorned with old menus listing game meat like rattlesnake, and loyal patrons’ rifles beneath an original popcorn-style ceiling. Booths commemorate celebrity regulars—Sinatra, Elvis, Monroe, and the Rat Pack, to name a few. The restaurant even lived through the city’s mob-era heyday: In addition to the Gambler’s Room, one of my favorite rooms is the Mob Room, a trusted, secluded desert gem where mob families would once convene and hold business discussions away from crowded casinos and entertainment venues. The room is still decked with mafia literature and portraiture.

The tuxedoed servers, flaming desserts (don’t miss the bananas foster), and a wide range of beef cuts honor the finest Vegas-style dining. For seafood lovers, there's also an impressive selection of market-fresh catches like king crab legs and salmon. The best part, though, is sitting in the Marilyn Monroe booth, which is effectively a shrine adorned with her favorite bottles and memorabilia. Heads up: the booth is so coveted that reservations are sometimes booked up a year in advance.

El Cortez Hotel & Casino

Opened in 1941, the El Cortez Hotel & Casino is one of the most iconic Fremont Street treasures. As the longest continuously operating casino in Vegas, it’s the only one listed on the National Register of Historic Places featuring its original Spanish ranch-themed facade and neon signage that are downtown landmarks to this day. The casino’s original barber shop, Speakeasy Barbershop LV, still resides behind a sprawling floor of craps tables and sports books on the second floor. But my favorite speakeasy in the building is by far The Laundry Room. Accessed through Commonwealth, a swanky two-story cocktail bar with a rooftop dance floor overlooking downtown Vegas, this ambient reservation-only bar is hidden in the hotel’s former titular facilities room. It's a nostalgic haunt embracing a pre-prohibition era-theme and a highly-exclusive admission process, offering an artistic selection of cocktails to less than two dozen guests a night. My favorite “mother cocktail” is Foreshadowing, a spicy reinterpretation of an Old Fashioned.

At the Mob Museum, Vegas's grittier history takes the spotlight.
At the Mob Museum, Vegas's grittier history takes the spotlight.
Courtesy Mob Museum

Mob Museum

To understand the inextricable link between Vegas and mafia culture, a trip to The Mob Museum (officially the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement) is essential. It's situated in the city’s first federal courthouse, built in 1933, and the museum traces organized crime’s historical influence on Vegas and American society at large. Interactive exhibits and real-life artifacts shed light on the figures who shaped the city. Don’t miss the Underground speakeasy and distillery in the basement, which nods to Vegas's bootlegging roots.

Neon Museum

After your Mob Museum learnings, visit The Neon Museum, which’ll bring the complete history of Vegas’s formation to light (literally). Displaying neon signs from Vegas’s earliest casinos, shows, and landmarks, the museum traces the evolution of the city’s flashy identity. Highlights include a 1959 Moulin Rouge sign designed by Betty Willis (who was also responsible for the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign), and an 82-foot-tall Hard Rock guitar from the '90s. The Neon Boneyard is my favorite part, especially after dark when the signs glow in a neon kaleidoscope.

Find vintage neon signs at the Neon museum.

Neon Museum Las Vegas lit at night

Find vintage neon signs at the Neon museum.
Amy Sparwasser/Getty

Le Cirque

Le Cirque at the Bellagio is a grand throwback to the era when fine dining and whimsical opulence were just becoming hallmarks of the strip. Originally hailing from New York, Le Cirque’s Vegas outpost, which was part of the Bellagio’s inception in 1998, offers even more indulgence, with jewel-toned tents and striped booths that feel fit for royalty. The food is superb, but it’s the atmosphere—and the sense of eating beneath a grand circus big top—that makes Le Cirque unforgettable. It’s not the most vintage of Vegas eateries, but it’s one of my favorite spots to soak in the city’s grandeur.

Peppermill

For a more nostalgic Vegas bite to kick off your night, you can’t go wrong with the celebrity hotspot Peppermill. If you’re an Adam Lambert fan, you might recognize it from his ‘Another Lonely Night’ music video. The classic Strip haunt has been the backdrop for numerous films, from Martin Scorsese’s Casino to Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club, and TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. It feels like a ‘90s club with its velvet booths, neon lights, and 24-hour fireside where you can enjoy retro offerings like French toast ambrosia with a Bloody Mary and cocktails with names almost as adventurous as their flavors. (Dare you to try the Scorpion, a 64-ounce house speciality infused with some of the spiciest peppers on earth.)

The Golden Gate Hotel has been around for over 100 years.

Las Vegas Fremont Street Experience

The Golden Gate Hotel has been around for over 100 years.
George Rose/Getty

Golden Gate Hotel and Casino

Fremont Street is now home to a massive zipline extruding from the world’s largest slot machine. Prior to boasting this accolade, it was known as the first street to be paved in Las Vegas in 1925. The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, which opened as the Hotel Nevada in 1905, is considered the birthplace of modern Las Vegas. It was here that the city’s first telephone was installed, its first neon sign was designed, and the legendary shrimp cocktail was born. The hotel still maintains much of its historic charm—its art deco-inspired rooms with tributes to their celebrity clientele remain mostly unchanged from the early 1900s.

Vickie’s Diner

Vickie’s Diner is the latest incarnation of Tiffany’s, Vegas’s first-ever diner. Founded in 1955, Tiffany’s resided inside of White Cross Drugs, a legendary café-drugstore where regulars like Elvis Presley enjoyed some bargain-deal steak and eggs while waiting for a prescription refill. (Presley supposedly visited four times a week…) In 2021, Tiffany’s founder Pete Kelesis’s niece Vickie relocated to Sahara Avenue in the Commercial Center, where the vintage hotspot continues serving classic diner fare that rarely breaks the $10 mark, despite its modern address and re-designed pink interiors. Between my proclivity for red-eye flights and appetite for heaping portions of scrambled eggs, this accessible late-night joint is always my first stop—it’s become a Vegas ritual.

Hugo’s Cellar

For a more elegant experience, Hugo’s Cellar—founded in 1973, and nestled beneath the Four Queens Resort & Casino—offers retro glamour at its finest. Long-stemmed roses are given to every woman at dinner, before an elaborate multi-course evening commences. While the menu is pricey, each main course comes with Hugo’s Famous Tableside Salad—an eccentric concoction of fresh and marinated veggies, sweet and crunchy toppings, and bay shrimp—a side of veggies with mashed or roasted potatoes, and an assortment of chocolate-dipped strawberries, apricots, and figs. Be sure to save room for dessert, because the flaming bananas foster and cherries jubilee dessert presentations (plus a sumptuous dessert cart) are to die for. All of this to say, Hugo’s still evokes the romance of old Vegas. The timeless rituals and old-world charm make it a standout for anyone craving an old-timey dinner experience. Reservations are recommended to secure a table.

Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler

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