Las Vegas' Best Bars & Restaurants Off The Strip

For locals and travelers staying longer than 36 hours, the typically lavish Las Vegas itinerary proves hard to maintain.

The answer: Downtown. This burgeoning epicenter of restaurants and bars is showing a new side of Sin City. So after you've gone to buzzy new Strip openings–Nobu Matsuhisa's new hotel, or É bar, the new experience from José Andrés–head here:

Eat: Nurse your hangover at this daytime-only spot headed up by chef Natalie Young, a veteran of the city's most high-volume casino kitchens. Eat couldn't be more of a 180-degree turn for the chef: The intimate room serves breakfast burritos and muesli made with local ingredients, in a style that's more Portland than Playboy.

Commonwealth: No drinks in oversize plastic cups here. Head upstairs to the roof deck of this new corner bar, where you can take in panoramic views of the Vegas skyline while sipping on an expertly made Negroni or a glass of rye-based punch.

Le Thai: Just over one year old, this bantam spot serving spot-on Bangkok-style street food has set the tone for restaurants that have followed. Dishes like the impressively seasoned Awesome Noodles and shockingly affordable prices keep the restaurant consistently packed.

La Comida: This just-opened restaurant and bar, decked out in graffiti and colored Christmas lights, takes Mexico City as its muse, with a menu of dishes like pozole and carne de res a la parrilla (skirt steak with mushrooms and oven-roasted poblanos).