RANKED: What is the best Downtown Las Vegas Casino Resort

Let me tell you a story about my first trip to Las Vegas. I was staying on the Strip but wanted to see Downtown Las Vegas. So I went to the taxi queue at Aria, told the attendant I wanted to go to Fremont Street, and he replied: “Finally! Some people who know how to have fun!”

That story is absolutely true. And it really didn’t take me long to understand why he said what he did. I love the Las Vegas Strip, and all the wonderful resorts on it, but Downtown Las Vegas is a different vibe entirely.

It’s loud, it’s bright, it’s brash. If anything, it’s more like a street party with a few casinos lining the way than it is anything else. There are street entertainers, live bands, dazzling overhead LED displays, a zip-wire and a lot of very fun people.

In fact, I know many people who consider Downtown Las Vegas to be the real Las Vegas, and I certainly can’t imagine a trip without spending a little time there.

If you don’t know what it is, Downtown Las Vegas is essentially 12 casino resorts scattered around a pedestrianized Fremont Street under a hi-resolution video-canopy.

Let’s look closer at those 12 casinos and rank them from our least favorite to our absolute favorite. 

12. The California

Let’s start off by saying that I don’t think there is a bad casino resort in Downtown Las Vegas. It’s just an awesome place to be, and it’s that way because of the great casino resorts. So we are doing this in terms of a ‘least favorite’ kind of thing, and The California is definitely my least favorite.

There are things about it which are amazing. The neon, for example, is up there with the very best in Las Vegas, never mind just Downtown. It’s absolutely incredible and gives the place an entirely new lease of life at night. There are some nice little food shops there too, and the bridge connection to Main Street Station is pretty cool. In fact, I’d argue it is the way to arrive at Main Street Station given the elevated vantage point over the casino.

But, for me, The Cal just lacks some warmth. It lacks some… something. I can never really put my finger on it to be perfectly honest. I do have to accept, of course, that The Cal is not designed for me. It is a Hawaiian-themed resort that largely and deliberately targets Hawaiian visitors in package deals to get around the extremely strict gambling rules they have there. It does very well at that too.

That might explain the rather dismal pool too. ‘Dismal’ might be being kind too. It looks like an afterthought, just plonked on the roof to tick a box. However, if you are going on vacation from Hawaii, I’m guessing a pool isn’t really a priority.

Maybe it’s that I just don’t feel especially comfortable there because I feel a little intrusive and out of place? Who knows. All I really know is that of all the great casino resorts downtown, The California is the one I like visiting the least.

11. Four Queens

The Four Queens is okay. I do feel a little bad placing it so poorly on this list, but it is what it is. I just find the Four Queens very nondescript, and I can’t really see what I can get there that I can’t get somewhere else.

Four Queens does have one significant thing going for it: it doesn’t charge resort fees. For those unaware, resort fees are a highly controversial but seemingly necessary evil of Las Vegas tourism. Essentially, the room rate that is advertised isn’t what you pay as you also pay a nightly resort fee which supposedly covers stuff like WiFi, use of a gym, boarding pass printing services. To many, it’s just a junk fee and a bit of a scam. Others argue it allows casino resorts to appear more attractive and thrive more.

Anyway, whilst I certainly appreciate Four Queen’s no resort fee policy, sister property Binnion’s also has it, and a lot more too. So I am back to asking what does Four Queens offer me that I can’t get elsewhere. The answer, sadly, is nothing.

10. Golden Gate

I don’t really like placing Golden Gate so poorly on this list either. I don’t mind admitting that. The place is so historic that it feels like it demands more respect than this, and as a result of that it certainly commands affection that goes perhaps a little beyond its modern standing.

For those unaware, the Golden Gate is the oldest casino in town having opened in 1905, although admittedly it first operated under the name ‘Hotel Nevada’. It even survived through 21 years of gambling being illegal in Nevada, and it had the first ever phone line in Las Vegas.

So there is no question that Golden Gate is incredibly significant in Las Vegas’ casino landscape.

History is not really enough by itself, though. The modern Golden Gate is one of the smallest around, so small in fact that they no longer feel they have room for table games. The slot selection is good, and the atmosphere is always loud and lively like in all of the Derek Stevens properties.

Let’s face it though: Golden Gate is more defined by its relative limitations these days than anything else.

9. Downtown Grand

Oh how this pains me, because I used to love Downtown Grand. And I still like it, don’t get me wrong. In fact, a visit to Las Vegas rarely goes by without me popping into Downtown Grand. Unfortunately, though, nowadays it just feels like it is dying a slow death.

The places to eat are never open, the location isn’t the best, the casino floor is one of the smallest. Rumors of new owners are near constant without ever looking likely to come to fruition, and the place really needs them to.

It’s all just a little bit sad really. I mean, there is still stuff to like about it. Some of the rooms are lovely (if a little expensive), and the superb Pizza Rock is right on its doorstep. The casino floor is very reasonable too, with $1 tables usually operating and cool deals like $3 for a hotdog and beer. Unfortunately, it’s just not enough to bump its place on my list. 

8. The D

I have a complicated relationship with The D. Let’s start with the good stuff. I like the branding, I like the colours, I like the layout and the old-school games. I like that, just as with Golden Gate, if you stay there you get access to Circa’s amazing Stadium Swim.

There is a ‘but,’ though…

Basically, The D is great if you like quite specifically what it does. There is a certain atmosphere there which is loud and party-ish, and they have stuff like Dancing Dealers (basically scantily-clad women who dance on platforms in the table pit). For many, that kind of vibe will be exactly what they are looking for in a casino, especially Downtown.

However, if you like stuff like conversation and hearing yourself think and all that stuff, The D can be a frustrating place to play.

So I would describe The D as a bit of a Schrodinger’s Casino: It can be both considered brilliant and awful at the exact same time until it is observed (and who observes it).

7. Fremont

Full disclosure here: if this was from a few years ago, Fremont would be really struggling on my list. It was never all bad, of course. The neon is some of the most iconic in all of Las Vegas, never mind just Downtown. And it’s located on one of the party points on Fremont Street.

That was never really enough, though. Especially with a bland casino, distinctly ordinary accommodation, and a rewards club that doesn’t incentivize play like others.

However, in recent years, Fremont has invested in some really nice renovations. A casino extension was built, which is genuinely a lovely place to play. They also added a quite exceptional food court, which sounds a little dull but it gets me in the place on pretty much every trip.

6. Main Street Station

At this end of the list things start to get a lot more subjective, I’d say. That means it will come down simply to who likes what. Main Street Station does feel like it has been struggling for a while, but that could be down to location as much as anything given it is located away from Fremont Street.

It’s not the best resort either, for that reason. The rooms are okay, but no more. I suppose you could say that it is at least quieter than those on the Fremont Street Experience.

So why is a potentially struggling, poorly located resort with average rooms placing so impressively on this list? The answer to that is simple, yet it is something that rarely seems to get considered these days when judging casinos: personality.

Main Street Station is packed full of personality. It has a piece of the Berlin Wall in the toilets. It has Winston Churchill’s old snooker table upstairs. It has its own brewed beer on tap. It has golden pigs and stained glass. It’s just very unique and quirky and I sort of love it.

5. Binion’s

I kind of want to put Binion’s closer to the podium, but I am not sure I could really defend it if I did. It’s got a few things that I personally really like, but I can’t really put it above the remaining four in good conscience.

Because, let’s face it, Binion’s is a little plain by usual Vegas standards. Walk into the casino and you are not going to be particularly wowed. It’s ok, but that’s about all you can say for it.

On the other hand, it has Whiskey Licker Up, which is the absolute best people-watching spot in Las Vegas. It’s a saloon bar with an elevated rotating bar overlooking Fremont Street, good food, and Angry Orchard Cider on tap. That last one really is just a personal highlight, though.

Binnion’s also has a properly haunted hotel, which is super cool. Look it up, it’s called the Hotel Apache. It’s old, it’s spooky, and it has a legitimate long history of terrifying staff. Oh, and it has a really good top floor steak house, no resort fees, great neon, and a piece of another historic casino, The Mint, incorporated into its own walls.

4. Golden Nugget

Right, you remember when I said things can get a little subjective here? Well… sharks!

That’s right, the historic Golden Nugget has made our top four, and it is largely down to the fact they have sharks. And not just sharks you can look at from afar like Mandalay Bay, but sharks you can take a water slide through. How can you not love that?

In fact, the whole shark tank sits next to the swimming pool, so you can happily have a little swim whilst looking at a shark or two swimming past inside its own pool. That is all objectively cool.

Golden Nugget also has a few other cool stuff, like poolside live Blackjack tables, and it’s very big with a surprisingly impressive array of hotel rooms. For those interested, Golden Nugget was also once featured in a great fly-on-the-wall documentary series called The Casino. I highly recommend watching it if you can find it.

3. El Cortez

El Cortez used to be a bit of a footnote, Downtown Vegas wise not so long ago. It was out of the way, which means not far from the Fremont Street action but definitely far enough to make you question whether it’s worth the walk in the desert heat. El Cortez was also a bit run down and had a proper ‘last legs’ feel.

A few years ago, though, El Cortez got really smart. They leant heavily into welcoming influencers to play there and saw a real upturn in visitation as a result. Then they invested in a casino extension that has been done exceptionally well. Finally, they got themselves to the front of the queue to debut new slots too.

The upshot now is a resort that has maintained most of its ‘Vintage Vegas’ appeal, but married it with refreshed surroundings, new slots, and celebrity influencers to showcase them.

In other words, it’s now somewhere that is, unquestionably, worth the walk – even in the heat.

2. Plaza

Plaza is brilliant. In fact, Plaza is a legend. It’s also a movie star. If you have seen Back to the Future Part II, you will recognize Plaza immediately as Biff’s Pleasure Paradise.

There are flashier casino resorts around, but I would describe Plaza as a really solid all-rounder that ticks just about every box you’d want. Good casino? Tick. Good food options? Tick. Good rooms? Tick. Good amenities? Tick. Good location? Tick. Good look? Tick.

It literally does everything you want it to and all to a pretty good standard. Could it be better and swishier and flashier with it? Absolutely, and you only have to look across the road to see what that looks like. That said, Plaza also has some great history to counteract all that, and that shouldn’t be just dismissed either. Plus, Oscars Steakhouse is one of my favorite places to eat too.

1. Circa

What happens when you look across the street from Plaza? You see Circa. And your jaw drops a bit.

Circa is the most modern by far of the Downtown Las Vegas properties and it is, simply put, stunning. It wouldn’t look out of place on the Strip. In fact, it would be better than many of the casinos on the Strip. Circa is so large it actually took the footprint of three casinos: the Las Vegas Club, the Mermaids Casino, and the Glitter Gulch. The most distinctive feature of the latter, the enormous Vegas Vickie Neon sign, has been preserved and moved inside as a casino center piece. You just have to love the respect paid to history there.

I’d say that, like Plaza, Circa is largely flawless. It has everything you could possibly want. It just does everything better than Plaza. Including, especially, sports betting. Oh wow does Circa do sports betting brilliantly. It has the most incredible sportsbook in the world for a start, and then its pool complex is a giant sports watching and sports betting spectacular too.

Circa is another Derek Stevens property so, just as with Golden Gate and The D, some will not like the loud music etc. It is also an adults only resort, which is great in theory but the constant scanning of ID to get into it can become a little tiresome at times. But it’s a small price to pay for what you get in return. 

Do you agree with our list? Have we been too cruel to your favourite or too kind to your Downtown Las Vegas casino resort nemesis (we all have one)? What would you have done differently? Tell us in the comments.