Despite the recent rant about ongoing delays opening the place, we really hope D&D does well. No other bar in Downtown Las Vegas offers bowling, pool, darts, a Playstation 3 “gaymers’ room” and an all-drag queen staff (huh huh) under one roof.

So welcome to the neighborhood, Drink & Drag. May your alcohol flow freely and your junk remain discretely tucked.

Photos courtesy of @dribbleglass

Things have been pretty quiet at 525 Fremont Street since the announcement in February that classic cocktail bar Commonwealth would be taking over the former Hollywood Fashion building. That all changed in recent days as work has begun to renovate the space in preparation for a late summer opening, according to the Review Journal.

The latest report includes a couple new details:

• In addition to the previously mentioned indoor bar and rooftop garden bar, Commonwealth will include a Prohibition-era speakeasy-style room open only to guests with reservations.
• Plans to serve all drinks in tin cups have changed. The cups will now be pewter. We’re not sure what difference the tin-to-pewter change will make, but we’re hoping pewter doesn’t affect the taste of the drinks like tin likely would.

The article also mentioned that the former Lovo Cigars space at 510 Fremont St. (between Insert Coin(s) and Maharaja Hookah Cafe) will soon be home to Radio City Pizzeria, which will serve PBR draft for 50 cents.

This continues to be an exciting era of development on Fremont Street. Seeing all of these rundown storefronts fill up with new businesses is fantastic—especially when many of the new joints are bars.

For Commonwealth updates, keep an eye on the bar’s website, Facebook page and Twitter feed (and, of course, FremontStreetBars.com).

Planned for a lot on Fremont and Eighth, across from the closed Western Casino, 2007 plans for Venue of Vegas called for an event center for “corporate meetings and parties, proms and bar mitzvahs” as well as concerts, dancing and comedy shows.

The developer plans to open Venue of Vegas by the end of 2014, but we’re a tad skeptical about the concept’s potential to succeed for a few reasons:

1. The project plans seem too generic. Trying to act as a corporate event center, comedy club and nightclub will be confusing to potential patrons.
2. Given the amount of flexible space in Las Vegas hotels for corporate events, wedding receptions and parties, does a free-standing corporate event center in downtown fill a need?
3. Venue of Vegas is a horrible name. Calling your place “venue” tells me you’re too lazy or uncreative to come up with a real name, which doesn’t bode well for other aspects of the property. That said, the developer is expanding The Venue Scottsdale. So what do we know?
4. Plans for Venue of Vegas were announced five years ago and still haven’t taken root. Granted, the economy tanked, but plenty of other development has happened on Fremont Street since then.

East of El Cortez, Fremont Street needs some help. The sketchy motels, the closed Western casino and the abandoned lots make the whole area feel pretty bleak. Redevelopment by the Downtown Project will certainly help, and if Venue of Vegas turns out to actually be a viable plan, it’ll be nice to see the area cleaned up.

We hadn’t heard anything about Fremont Country Club and Backstage Billiards since “Big Daddy” Adley announced plans for the live music venue and pool hall last June. Because announced projects so frequently die on the planning table in Las Vegas, it seemed like this was a lost project. Not so.

Las Vegas Review Journal reports that construction inside of the former Sears store at 601 Fremont St. (across from El Cortez and the future home of Commonwealth) is underway. Both venues are expected to open by Labor Day. According to the article:

• Fremont Country Club will look like “Tex Mex swanky chic meets space cowboy.” Huh?
• Rock, blues and alternative bands will play at the 10,000-square-foot Fremont Country Club three or four nights a week.
• Backstage Billiards will fill 4,000 square feet, will feature booths made out of musicians’ tour cases and will serve microbrews.

One noteworthy omission in the article is any confirmation of rumors that “Big Daddy” Adley is close to opening a branch of his Velvet Margarita nightclub at Binion’s, which has recently been rumored. Although the Velvet Margarita website has promoted that a Las Vegas location is coming soon, it seems plans may not be so immediate after all.

Drink and Drag, the drag queen themed gay bar being constructed at Neonopolis, has announced yet another opening date, May 5. As you may recall, this place was supposed to open in December and then January and then April. In January, we predicted a late April opening. If the May 5 date holds up (don’t count on it), we’ll only be a few days off. Damn, we’re good.

We don’t wish failure on any Fremont Street bar, but if the clusterfuck of an opening is any indication how this place is going to operate, we give it nine months. Expect the doors to close in early 2013.

Based on this photo we stole from Golden Nugget’s Facebook page and the accompanying announcement, it appears to be an oval bar with easy access to the slot floor and a new table game pit that opens onto Fremont Street. Bar 46 is expected to open this summer.

Tony Hsieh is making things happen downtown. In addition to moving the Zappos headquarters, his Downtown Project is investing in startup business in the area. We can’t wait to see what goodness he has planned for his newly acquired storefront space.

The currently empty YouTube channel hosting the video offers a little insight into the new name/theme. It seems “D” stands for “Detroit” and “Downtown.”

UPDATE: On a special edition of Five Hundy by Midnight, the Original Las Vegas Podcast, Derek Stevens, co-owner of The D Las Vegas, provided insight into the new name, the role of Detroit in the new concept, whether negative feedback regarding the new name matters, plans for the Vue Bar and the return of Sigma Derby. Hear the interview here.

The bars of Fremont East will be getting a new neighbor this summer. Vegas Seven reports that Commonwealth, a bar specializing in classic cocktails will be opening in the long-vacant storefront at East Fremont and Sixth Street, next to Le Thai. The bar will include two bars—a long main bar on the first level and an outdoor bar on the roof.

We love a good cocktail bar and look forward to Commonwealth. Having a rooftop bar will be tons of fun. However, the plan to serve all drinks from tin cups is lame. Apparently glass is a no-no on the roof. But tin cups? Mmm… metallicy cocktails.

If Heart Attack Grill has a giant whiteboard proclaiming, “Number of Days Since Last Coronary:,” they had to reset it to zero earlier this week. Just a few months after opening, the Fremont Street restaurant claimed its first victim (if you don’t count everyone else who has eaten there). This amateur video shows the unidentified Heart Attack Grill customer/heart attack victim as paramedics wheeled him out of the restaurant.

Congratulations, Heart Attack Grill. You nearly killed a guy. I’m hope you’ll at least let him eat free for a year for all the free publicity he generated.

Fox 5 has all the fatty details.

After more than a decade of fundraising, planning and development, the National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement—better known as the Mob Museum—opens on Feb. 14. Located in the former U.S. post office and federal courthouse on Stewart Ave., in the Downtown 3rd neighborhood, the museum features an interactive look at the history of organized in America.

Exhibits cover every aspect of the mob, including law enforcement efforts to defeat organized crime, the role of Las Vegas in the mob’s history, how the mob changed the face of crime and, of course, stories of notable figures like Al Capone, Tony “The Ant” Spilotro, Bugsy Siegel and Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for children under 17 and $14 seniors. Nevada residents get in for just $10. The Mob Museum opens at 10 a.m. daily, closing at 7 p.m. on weeknights and 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

It seems Adley’s plans for a Las Vegas restaurant, bar and nightclub may be happening in a different way. Velvet Margarita Cantina, Adley’s Hollywood club for the past six years may be close to expanding with a Las Vegas location on Fremont Street. Our friends at 360 Vegas are reporting the Las Vegas outpost of Velvet Margarita is under construction in the space previously occupied by Binion’s Original Coffee Shop, which closed two years ago.

Related Update: Work is underway for a new whiskey bar at Binion’s called Whiskey Licker Bar. Thanks to Steven for the tip.

According to Stevens, work includes:

• Expansion of the Golden Gate casino floor and addition of 16 suites. The casino and lobby renovations and the first round of suites are expected to be ready on March 15 with the remainder of updates completed two months later.
• Construction of a new Fitzgeralds casino bar on the first level. This bar, which will open in mid-March, will be the primary focal point for the casino.
• Adding an exterior escalator that will carry guests directly to the Vue Bar space on the second level of The Fitz.
• Unique theming for each casino level at Fitzgeralds. The first level will include dancing dealers, loud music and a party vibe similar to the late-night environment at Golden Gate. The second level will have a quieter, vintage Vegas vibe, including classic casino games including the ever-popular Sigma Derby.
• Rebranding Fitzgeralds. Stevens didn’t confirm rumors that the new name will be The D Hotel and Casino but said the new name will be announced in mid-March.

Listen to the entire interview on episode #336 of our podcast, Five Hundy by Midnight.

Big ups to Pulse of Vegas, Caesars’ official Las Vegas blog, for showing Fremont Street some love. Check out today’s post—20 New Things in Downtown Las Vegas.

December came and went with no opening, and official comments on Facebook began touting mid-January (and later Jan. 17) as the new opening date. So, Jan. 17 arrived and Drink & Drag still isn’t open. According to a recent Facebook post, drag queen training begins in two weeks. Based on past updates, we can only assume two weeks actually means two months, and that Drink & Drag will finally open its doors sometime in late April.

So what’s the hold up, Drink & Drag? Tuck your junk, come up with a specialty drink menu containing several less-than-subtle dong puns and open your doors already.

Noteworthy developments in the coming months include:

• Drink & Drag: This drag-queen-staffed gay bar is slated to open in mid-January and provides yet another tenant for the long-dormant Neonopolis. This place, Heart Attack Grill and Denny’s may not be everyone’s idea of perfect additions to Fremont Street, but they do offer variety and could be just what Neonopolis needs to breath some life into the mall.

• Golden Gate: The oldest casino in Las Vegas is about to get a little larger. Work has already begun on an addition that will expand the otherwise tiny casino and add 16 suites. Golden Gate’s facelift is scheduled for completion this spring.

• Fitzgerald’s: With new owners eager to spruce up the joint, plans at The Fitz call for a new name (to be announced), updated rooms and a refreshed casino with different themes on each of the two floors.

• Mob Museum: The long-awaited National Museum of Organized Crime will finally open its doors on Feb. 14.

• Downtown 3rd Farmers Market Pavilion: The former bus terminal behind the Mob Museum will become home to dozens of unique vendors and food trucks every Friday morning when the new farmers market opens in February.

As downtown Las Vegas prepares for the second coming new Zappos headquarters, slated to open in 2013, additional development plans are likely to take shape this year. Fremont East still has several storefronts available for development; Binion’s is rumored to be preparing to reopen its hotel; steps to establish Downtown 3rd as a viable entertainment district are underway; and Neonopolis has plenty of open retail space.

After sputtering along for years, the Fremont Street area has a finally built some positive momentum. 2012 really could become The Year of Downtown.

Keep up with Oscar’s on Facebook and the restaurant’s website.

Mob Bar’s opening also marks the beginning of an eventful couple months of openings downtown with Oscar’s following on Dec. 15 and Drink & Drag by the middle of January. Merry Christmas, downtown Las Vegas bar aficionados.

On Monday, Nov. 21, Fifth Street Gaming CEO Seth Schorr spoke with us about Mob Bar, Downtown Grand and the company’s vision to create a new neighborhood dubbed Downtown 3rd.

According to Schorr, Fifth Street Gaming’s plans include:

• Opening Mob Bar on Dec. 5, the anniversary of Repeal Day. The bar will be modeled after a 1920s supper club where mobsters would have hung out. The design is focused on a 1920s atmosphere rather than a gangster theme. Glassware and menus will be authentic to the time period. Limited to evening hours at first, Mob Bar open for lunch in February, once the neighboring Mob Museum opens. Fifth Street is also planning to feature a new music style at Mob Bar one night weekly called “mobstep,” combining ragtime jazz with modern beats.
• Transforming Lady Luck into Downtown Grand with an opening goal of early 2013. Currently, the building is being resurfaced. Groups managing the property before Fifth Street Gaming took over the project gutted much of the hotel, stripping rooms down to their cement core and enabling construction work to proceed.
• Converting the former bus depot behind the Mob Museum into 100,000 square feet of retail space.
• Marketing the entire area from Fremont Street to Highway 95 between North Casino Center Blvd. and North 4th Street as Downtown 3rd, a cohesive neighborhood akin to Fremont East.
• Converting the closed Celebrity Theater into a restaurant, operated by Pizzarock, featuring a Mack Truck DJ booth and breakdancing pizza chefs.

Listen to the entire interview on episode #327 of our podcast, Five Hundy by Midnight.

You’re welcome. Smooch.

Food trucks this month will include:

• Slidin Thru
• Fukuburger
• Pop’s Truck
• Ichimas
• Haulin Balls
• WTF Pizza Truck
• Snow Ono
• Johnny McGuire’s
• Grouchy John’s

With the purchase now approved and official, the Stevens brothers have revealed their renovation plans for Fitzgeralds. Among the upgrades are two new bars. Woohoo! According to the Review Journal, other plans include:

• A new name. We recommend Drinky McDrunkerton’s Hotel, Casino and Boozery.
• Remodeled hotel rooms.
• Renovated casino.
• Separately themed first and second levels. Vintage Vegas upstairs and go-go dancers downstairs.

• The restaurant’s tagline is Beef, Booze and Broads. (Ignore reports that this has replaced Oscar’s as the actual name. Not true.)
• For the cost of drinks and/or dinner, guests can choose to be joined by a whore classy, intelligent and attractive dining companion.
• Featured cocktails will include the No-bama, a whiskey drink named in honor of former mayor and restaurant namesake Oscar Goodman’s verbal feud with President Obama.
• Goodman doesn’t have an ownership stake. He’s merely licensing his name. However, he is expected to make frequent appearances.
• The neighboring Italian restaurant will be called Simpatico.

Earlier this week, Fifth Street Gaming mentioned on its Facebook page that the Lady Luck signs are coming down. Today comes word that they will be transforming Lady Luck into the Downtown Grand. Although timelines for the project are still a tad sketchy, it’s good to see something finally happening.

The old Lady Luck signs are headed for the Neon Museum.

We can’t wait to see the names they come up with for the specialty cocktails. Anyone care for a Rusty Trombone?

No opening date is set, but you can track construction progress on Drink & Drag’s website and Facebook page.

Curious about the seating setup at Downtown Cocktail Room? We’ve got you covered.

Want to see the Girls of Glitter Gulch in action? Sorry. You’re on your own with that one.

In our never-ending quest to be the most comprehensive source of information about the bars on and around Fremont Street, we have added photo galleries to most of the bar pages. This is just the beginning. In the coming months, we plan to include even more images, filling in the gaps.

Sure, you’re shaking your head now, but after pounding down a few cold beers or cocktails on Fremont Street, this place will probably seem like a really good idea.

According to the report, plans call for relocation of the deli and hotel lobby, expansion of the casino and addition of 16 new hotel suites. No word on any new bars, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed. If all goes according to schedule, work will be completed by May 2012.

• Swingers Club: Brought to you by hypnotainer Anthony Cools, this joint features dueling pianos and mini-golf, plus a full bar.
• Lucky’s: Part of the race and sports book, Lucky’s features video poker at the bar and a bunch of TVs so you can watch the games you’re losing money on.
• Oscar’s (coming soon): Sure, this place includes a steakhouse and Italian restaurant, but most importantly, it includes a speakeasy-style lounge. Grab a cocktail and raise a glass with namesake Oscar Goodman.

Sept. 1 Update: El Cortez shared a photo of the the soon-to-open Parlour on Twitter and Facebook this evening.

Sept 2 Update: Another photo.

Las Vegas Weekly reports Le Thai restaurant will open next to Don’t Tell Mama next month. So if you’re in the mood for some curry or pad thai before or in the midst of your downtown boozing, you’re in luck.

Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is opening a steakhouse and lounge carrying his name. Oscar’s will feature meat and booze. Sounds like a winner.

We’re getting more excited about the renovated Plaza with each announcement.

Today’s Review Journal reports that this Dallas-based restaurant signed a 10-year-lease for a downtown Las Vegas location at good ol’ Neonopolis. Look for Heart Attack Grill to open by the end of the year. See you in the Emergency Room!

Known for its ridiculous portions of “twisted farm food,” Hash House has three other Las Vegas locations but none downtown. This seems like a great addition to Fremont Street and a welcome addition to the renovated Plaza. Look for Hash House a Go Go to open in early September.

The write-up also includes a welcome plug for this site, which makes our joysticks happy. Thanks, POV.

I can’t help but be a tad skeptical because the owner of Neonopolis has announced several tenants over the years that have either bailed after a few months or never panned out at all (Star Trek Experience). I remain hopeful. A thriving Neonopolis would certainly benefit the rest of downtown.