Cin-Cin isn't a cocktail bar or a wine bar. Here's where the real cocktail and wine scene in the Arts District actually is, and where we fit into the night.
Fair warning upfront: Cin-Cin isn't a cocktail bar or a wine bar. We're a brewery with a raw bar and a $12 cocktail list that does the job, nothing more. If you want the real cocktail and wine scene in the 18b Arts District, here's where it actually is, and where we fit into the night if you're building one around it.
The Arts District has two distinct drinking lanes: a genuine wine bar cluster and a genuine cocktail bar cluster, both walkable from Main Street. They're not the same crowd or the same night. Here's the honest map.
Ada's, 1130 S Casino Center Dr. Chef James Trees' wine bar and restaurant, two-time winner of World's Most Original Wine List. This is the deep end of the pool if you actually care about wine, not just a glass with dinner. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday, 3 to 6PM.
Garagiste Wine Room, 197 E California Ave. Smaller, more casual, run by two accredited sommeliers who'll walk you through a flight if you tell them what you like. Best pick if you want to learn something, not just drink something. Happy hour Monday through Friday, 3 to 6PM, $3 off every glass.
The Wine Garden, 1600 S Commerce St. The most date-night of the three. Champagne and charcuterie in a sunken garden setting, plus wine and floral arrangement classes if you want an actual activity attached to the glass.
Velveteen Rabbit, Main Street. The bar that arguably started the district's nightlife scene. Craft cocktails, $2 off during happy hour, Monday through Friday, 4 to 7PM. Still the standard-bearer.
Petite Bohème, 1407 S Main St. Parisian-inspired cocktail lounge next door to Bar Boheme, the French restaurant. Open nightly from late afternoon to 2AM. If you want a proper Martini in a room that looks like it, this is it.
Liquid Diet, 1415 S Commerce St. Tucked in an alley off Commerce, savory house-made cocktails, genuinely a hidden gem in the literal sense: you'll probably need directions the first time. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 5PM to 1AM. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Doberman Drawing Room, 1025 S 1st St. Membership social club with a cocktail-forward lounge open to walk-ins as space allows. Dressy casual dress code, moody decor, a cocktail program built by Juyoung Kang. Happy hour Monday through Thursday, 5 to 8PM.
We're not competing with any of the above, and we're not going to pretend otherwise. What Cin-Cin does is the thing none of these seven spots do: fresh oysters and house-brewed beer, with a real cocktail on the menu if that's what you want instead. The move that works: start at Cin-Cin for the $1 oyster happy hour, Monday through Saturday, 2 to 6PM, then walk a few minutes to whichever of these fits your mood. Wine crowd heads to Ada's or Garagiste. Cocktail crowd heads to Velveteen Rabbit or Petite Bohème.
Date night: The Wine Garden or Petite Bohème. Both built for two people and a slow evening.
Learning something: Garagiste. The sommeliers want you to ask questions.
A hidden gem: Liquid Diet. Tucked in an alley, worth the search.
A proper dressed-up night: Doberman Drawing Room. Dressy casual, reservations help.
Groups: Cin-Cin first for the raw bar and shareable plates, then split off to whichever bar matches the group's mood. See the Arts District restaurant guide for more on what else is nearby.
Everything above sits within a few minutes' walk of Main Street, on or near California Avenue, Commerce Street, and 1st Street. Street parking is available throughout, tighter on First Friday when the whole neighborhood fills up. If you're coming from Fremont Street, it's a short rideshare south into the district.
Yes, several. Velveteen Rabbit, Petite Bohème, Liquid Diet, and Doberman Drawing Room are all real, standalone cocktail bars within a few blocks of Main Street.
Depends what you're drinking. Ada's and Garagiste both run wine happy hour Monday through Friday, 3 to 6PM. Velveteen Rabbit does cocktails, 4 to 7PM. Cin-Cin's $1 oyster happy hour runs Monday through Saturday, 2 to 6PM, the widest window of any of them.
See the full Arts District restaurant guide for the complete rundown. For seafood specifically, Cin-Cin's full menu covers the raw bar and beyond.
Honestly, this isn't really Strip territory. The real wine bar cluster in this part of town is downtown in the Arts District: Ada's, Garagiste, and The Wine Garden all outclass what you'll find in a casino wine lounge, and none of them charge resort pricing.
Yes, a real cocktail list alongside the house-brewed beer, though wine and craft cocktails aren't our specialty. If you want oysters and a beer or a cocktail before heading to a dedicated wine or cocktail bar, reserve a table or walk in at the bar.
Reserve a table or walk in at the bar. Full menu and tap list at cincinbrewerylv.com.
