Parlor Bar Happy Hour. Downtown

Parlor Bar inside El Cortez suits people already downtown who want a quick, no-fuss drink before they move on. Locals who play at the Cortez, visitors exploring the older end of Fremont, a couple ducking in for one before dinner. It is a stop along the way more than a destination you build an evening around. Find it at El Cortez, 600 E Fremont St.

Happy hour runs every day from 5 to 7pm. The drink deal is solid old-Vegas value: $5 draft beers, $6 well drinks, $7 house cocktails and wine, and a $6 drink of the month. On the food side, parmesan truffle fries and mozzarella sticks are $8, and a plate of chicken wings with fries runs $16. A couple of the $5 drafts and the truffle fries is an easy, cheap downtown sit.

Being inside El Cortez gives the place a connection to old-school downtown that the newer Fremont bars cannot fake. The casino is one of the longest-running in the city, and the bar carries some of that lived-in character. Expect a mixed crowd of regulars and curious tourists rather than a club scene.

Parking is the El Cortez garage, free and steps from the door, which beats hunting for a downtown street spot. Use it as a launch point for the rest of the area.