Old-School Kitsch On The Strip

It's not off any lobby on the Strip, there's no VIP list, and there are definitely no celebrity sightings, but the Peppermill Fireside Lounge is quintessential Vegas.

It's a throwback to the old Vegas, with kitschy décor and Technicolor cocktails. The front is a greasy-spoon diner serving all the classics you'd expect to see, though I cannot vouch for them at all, having never eaten there. The main draw, for me at least, is the back-room bar — the Fireside Lounge, which is all kinds of semi-ironic '90s fabulousness, with flaming pools, plasma screens, deep purple lighting, and fake trees throughout.

The cocktails are bright, neon shades of blues and orange and taste nothing like the masterfully mixed cocktails you're probably used to. But they are part of the experience — a wildly fun and once swanky side of Vegas that's all but expired on the Strip's main drag.

You have to have a sense of humor to appreciate the Peppermill: Just sidle into a dark booth in the corner and people-watch, it'll be the perfect start to the night.