It's hard to stand out on the Las Vegas Strip.
In a world where towering buildings offer giant larger-than-life billboards for shows, big-name headliners. and exotic acts you won't see anywhere else, it's easy to get lost.
Every resort casino offers multiple bars, restaurants and entertainment venues, all vying for people's attention. In many cases, those bars and restaurants have a celebrity tie-in. That could mean a big-name chef like Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri or Gordon Ramsay, or it could be just someone famous opening a venue.
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Blake Shelton, for example, recently opened a country bar and concert venue, Ole Red Las Vegas, in front of Caesars Entertainment's (CZR) Horseshoe. He's joined at Caesars by the reality-TV star Lisa Vanderpump, who has multiple lounges at various resort casinos owned by the company, and Martha Stewart, who has a restaurant inside Caesars Paris Las Vegas.
MGM Resorts International (MGM) also has its share of celebrity chefs and the singer Bruno Mars recently opened his Pinky Ring lounge at the company's Bellagio resort casino.
Add in that legendary restaurant and bar names are all over the Strip and it makes getting attention very challenging. One bar operator has decided to take a fully different approach by hiding in plain sight and taking a speakeasy approach.
Image source: George Rose/Getty Images
A second Las Vegas Strip speakeasy opens
Speakeasies date back to the 1920s when Prohibition made alcohol illegal. Bars in those days had to hide and pretend to be something else.
"The word speakeasy came from 'speak-softly shops,' illegal drinking establishments in England and Ireland in the 19th century. The name referenced the need for secrecy; customers were asked to speak quietly while inside to avoid detection," Britannica.com shared.
With the end of Prohibition, the need for secret bars generally went away, but the spirit of the speakeasy has been kept alive. A number of bars around the country have kept the "secret" vibe with hidden doors and no signs.
In theory, those bars grow a customer base by word of mouth and people who know they exist feel a bit special. The 1923 Prohibition Bar, which operates at MGM's Mandalay Bay, pays tribute to the classic speakeasy, and the company behind it has now opened a second location.
A new Las Vegas Strip tradition
The 1923 and the new 1923 Live in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian want to build audiences by being a bit mysterious.
"A speakeasy that's taking you back to the 1920s. We're Las Vegas's hidden gem — a bourbon-centric Prohibition-era bar with two locations hidden among the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas Strip," the company shared on its website. "You can expect to find premium spirits and specialty cocktails served in a swanky secluded bar with live entertainment, piano players, burlesque dancers and more."
Just having a website that lists its locations means that these venues are only sort of hidden, but it's more about delivering the "in the know" speakeasy vibe where just being there is a little naughty or even dangerous.
The "1923 Prohibition Bar is open seven nights a week to the public and features live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to midnight. We operate on a first-come, first-served basis, but for those who would prefer, 1923 is pleased to offer distinctive VIP seating arrangements and experiences," the company added.
The new 1923 Live opens for private events in May.
"Two ticketed shows, open to the public, are launching tentatively on June 7. The '1923' is for the room’s 1920s-era décor. The 8,000-square-foot venue overlooks the Grand Canal gondoliers," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
