Technically, I live in a part of Las Vegas called Spring Valley. I’m one block away from Summerlin and pay less living here than I used to. It’s a nice enough area with plenty of places to visit. There’s even a man-made lake a couple of blocks away. Today I am sharing a bit about local life in Vegas.
I’m a creature of habit when I’m not exploring new places around Las Vegas. I visit the same bars, restaurants, and coffee shops often. There are plenty of neighborhoods like this around Las Vegas. Living in Las Vegas is the best of all worlds. I can enjoy life in a small town on one day. On another day I can still enjoy the touristy parts of Las Vegas like a tourist. Being able to enjoy life away from the Vegas Strip keeps it special.
Local Life in Vegas
You may have noticed that I try to highlight something I experience first hand each month. I tend to make these articles in more touristy destinations since most of you reading TravelZork are visiting for a short time. A trip 15-20 minutes away from the heart of Las Vegas for a cheap happy hour, great salad, or an amazing cup of coffee doesn’t fit every trip.
If you’re visiting for more than a few days there are places to visit all over town. I’ll highlight some of my current favorite places to eat, drink, and be merry. I visit more places in the area but these are some of my favorites.
Desert Wind Coffee Roasters
7772 W Sahara Ave
I’m actually writing this sitting inside Desert Winds Coffee Roasters today. Well, I’ll be here for at least this section. Maybe I’ll head to the bar below for Happy Hour. Anyway, Desert Winds is a great coffee shop. The focus here is on coffee. This isn’t a restaurant or a bakeshop. This is important to a person that likes coffee at a coffee shop. Get off my lawn!
This coffee shop is located in the back of a shopping plaza behind a gas station and auto shop. It’s next to a pet grooming place. I found this place because it’s down the street from me and I noticed a couple small signs that pointed me here when they first opened. Despite the odd location, there are always people here and it’s often crowded and the staff is always cool and calm.
They import coffee from all over the world and roast small batches of beans in house. I visit so frequently because the coffee is delicious. They have beans from about 15 countries. They feature a light and dark roast daily. Today, they happened to have my favorite coffee bean from Kenya brewing when I walked in. This is a dark, yet highly caffeinated bean. It’s the best. They’ll also do individual pourovers of any bean they have in stock.
The Heisenberg – Breaking Bad Menu
As I mentioned, I’m normally a coffee person – not a coffee drink person. Fancy coffee drinks typically aren’t my thing. That said, the Heisenberg from the Breaking Bad menu is amazing when I’m dragging. It’s a double espresso with chocolate and caramel syrup. It’s usually a hot drink but it will give more zoom zoom than most people can handle when it’s on ice.
The location, beans, service, fast wifi, and local ownership keep me coming back regularly. I recommend this place to locals all the time. Tourists might want to visit on the way to Red Rock Casino from the Vegas Strip.
Scenic Brewing Company
8410 W Desert Inn Rd
Scenic Brewing Company opened around the block from my house earlier this year. It replaced another brewery that didn’t last very long. The proximity was the first thing that drew me here. I drive by it almost every day. All beer is made on-site and they don’t serve any macro beers (Sorry, no Miller Lite). If there are any other beers on tap, they’re from another local brewery.
My first visit was for Happy Hour and that’s still when I visit most often. I actually do most of my Sunday Vegas News research here on Thursday or Friday afternoon. I ended up here yesterday afternoon to grab some nuggets for Quick Hits.
The beer I prefer, Vegas Sipper, is only $3 during Happy Hour. An order of wings is $7. I can enjoy an early dinner with two or three beers for under $20. It’s the right price and the right location for me.
As much as I enjoy Scenic, there are better beer bars in Las Vegas with a bigger selection. The reason I visit this brewery is that it’s a two-minute drive from my house. (A perfect example of convenient local life in Vegas.) The convenience, great service, and value keep me coming back. Oh yeah, they also have USB chargers so I can do research for a couple of hours without losing power on my phone or iPad.
Read More at TravelZork
Exploring Las Vegas | Summerlin
Downtown Las Vegas Breweries
A Long (Awesome) Night At Able Baker Brewing
Vegas Vacation Observations
Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza and Toasted Gastrobrunch
6500 W Sahara Ave (and more)
I’ve always loved a good salad and they’re difficult to find. Last year I was introduced to the Balsamic Chicken salad at Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza. The combination of freshly grilled chicken, feta (I replace the gorgonzola) cheese, walnuts, and balsamic is everything I want in a salad. It may not be the healthiest salad but it’s perfect for lunch or dinner.
Craving A Salad
When I’m craving a salad, I’ll visit or order this salad from Sammy’s. The salad ingredients aren’t unique but it’s always delicious. The owners recently replaced one of the Sammy’s locations with a new concept called Toasted Gastrobrunch. They kept this and another salad on the incredibly different menu. (Side note: Toasted serves a large chocolate covered apple with each order of eggs benedict.)
There aren’t too many restaurants around Las Vegas that have a salad so good that you can eat it as a meal. I’m not a pizza guy so I don’t experiment with too many different dishes at Sammy’s. I love a good brunch and will probably explore the menu at Toasted. I’ve already shared a smoked brisket sandwich and short rib sandwich. Both were very good but not something I’ll eat every day. This is a really nice aspect of local life in Vegas.
There are multiple locations in Las Vegas and California. I live about 3 minutes from one Sammy’s location and about 7 minutes from Toasted Gastrobrunch. I recommend this if you’re near one of the locations and crave a salad. This is just another nearby restaurant chain I enjoy more than others.
