DOWNTOWN

5th Avenue Pub
906 S. Sixth St.
385-5000
Not far from the original Fifth Street itself -- nowadays known as Las Vegas Boulevard -- this neighborhood drinking spot is a respectable downtown draw, boasting enough amenities to keep its hardly-working-class crowd in a perpetual buzz. 5th Avenue's got Bud on tap, Mississippi Mud in bottles and a friendly crowd of regs.
Cheap Buzz: $1.50 domestic drafts

Atomic Liquor Store
917 Fremont St.
384-7371
Don't let its location in Lost Souls Central (i.e., East Fremont Street) fool you -- Atomic Liquor is, believe it or not, a warm, friendly place, all abubble with workfare-class folks out to get Ground Zero. Reputedly one of the oldest bars in Clark County at 64 years old (so says one chatty bartender), Atomic boasts package liquor, two pool tables and a much-used jukebox.
Cheap Buzz: $2 domestic bottles

The Back Door Lounge
1415 E. Charleston Blvd.
385-2018
This pleasantly ramshackle gay bar -- a fuzzy TV there, a decommissioned Pac Man game there -- is a nice loud place for some brews and chat with a low-pressure atmosphere and fair drink prices.
Happy Hour: Weekdays 5-7 p.m.: $2 beer and well drinks
Recommended or Specialty Drink: Evil Banana (99 Bananas and orange juice)

Frankie's Bar and Cocktail Lounge
1712 W. Charleston Blvd.
387-9256
If you're a spoiled imbiber with a yen for microbrews and fancy eats, Frankie's ain't the place for you: There are no beers on tap, and the most exotic bottled offering is Corona. But if you're hankering for a pleasantly homely, stand-alone bar in which to while away a few hours, Frankie's is worth a stop.
Cheap Buzz: Domestic bottles, $2.50

Huntridge Package Liquor & Cocktails
1122 E. Charleston Blvd.
384-7377
With a cast of characters right out of a Bukowski novel, the Huntridge is the downtown realm's premier neighborhood bar. On weekends, the bar bubbles with strange energy as punks, hipsters and the regular riffraff drink amicably side by side. Downtown may be getting hipper, but the Huntridge will always remain its dirty little secret.
Cheap Buzz: $1 domestic drafts
Happy Hour: "Our prices are so cheap, if we had a happy hour special we'd be paying customers to drink," quips a bartender.

Ice House Lounge
650 S. Main St.
315-2570
The newest and swankiest addition to downtown nightlife, the Ice House has quickly become a favored haunt of both hipsters and yuppies (and, in the process, has inadvertently created a need for terms like ³huppies² and ³yipsters²). Whether you fit into these categories, the Ice House is the ideal place to stretch out in a leather booth and bask in the warm glow of the retro-chic.
Happy Hour: Daily 4-7 p.m.: $2 domestics, $2 wells, $1 off calls

Larry's Villa
2401 W. Bonanza Road
647-2713
Larry's Villa is one of those rare and wonderful strip clubs where the most coveted spots at the bar are the ones that face away from the stage. With no cover charge and pitchers of domestic beer for under $10, it's also not a bad place to kick back and partake in the therapeutic power of the mammaries.
Cheap Buzz: Daily before 6 p.m., $8 pitchers; after 6 p.m., $9.50 pitchers

Philly Pub
2202 W. Charleston Blvd.
384-8836
It's still not clear if the Philly Pub has any affiliation with the city of Philadelphia, but it does have a pretty bitchin' fish tank, which is fun to watch while getting tanked up on $1.25 drafts. As an added bonus, late-night carousers can stumble across the parking lot to the Omelet House as soon as the sun comes up.
Cheap Buzz: $1.25 drafts

The Saloon
inside Neonopolis
450 Fremont St.
388-4116
At first glance, the Saloon offers an unusual blend of Old West motifs and modern design, but after a few ³Bright Lights, Big Margaritas,² it'll feel just like a home away from home on the range.
Happy Hour: Daily 4-8 p.m.: $2 domestic drafts, $2.50 import drafts, $3 house wines, $3 wells (including margaritas, pina coladas and daiquiris)

Triple 7 Brewpub
inside Main Street Station
200 N. Main St.
387-1896
The Triple 7 offers a family of brews oh-so-cleverly named after gambling terms: royal this, chip that, high roller this, jackpot that. At the dark end of the rainbow is the Blackchip Porter, a hearty meal of a brew with a strong alcoholic tang that might put off connoisseurs or frighten novices. In that case, the top of the barrel produces some tasty choices, chief among them the High Roller Pale Ale, a golden lightweight with all the tang and flavor of any competitor.
Happy Hour: Weekdays 3-6 p.m.: $1 house wine, $1 well drinks, $2 16-ounce microbrew; $3.75 for a dozen chicken wings, fried mushrooms, 20-pc. peel and eat shrimp, sirloin chili black bean quesadillas, calamari, California rolls or cheesy garlic bread
Recommended or Specialty Drink: Specialty brew changes monthly