Pizza Rock at Downtown Grand Happy Hour. Downtown

If you are pulling a group together for an early dinner downtown, or just want a real meal before a Fremont Street night, Pizza Rock is an easy call. It anchors the dining at Downtown Grand on 3rd Street at 201 N 3rd St, a short walk from the Fremont Street Experience but far enough off it to feel calmer.

The pizza here has championship pedigree, with multiple styles made from scratch daily. Happy hour runs Monday through Thursday, 3 to 6pm, which lands right in that late-lunch-into-dinner gap. Note that Friday is out, so it is an early-week deal. The food specials are where the value sits: $8 personal pizzas, $7.50 garlic bread, $8 meatballs, and $7 Italian fries. On the drink side you get $2 off select beer and wine like Modelo and Sierra Nevada, a $5 24-ounce PBR, and $9 cocktails.

My order for two people: a personal pizza each or one to share, garlic bread in the middle, and a couple of the PBRs. That keeps the tab low while still tasting like the full dinner menu, because it is the same kitchen.

Come around 4pm and the dining room is relaxed and easy to grab a table. It fills out closer to 6 as the dinner crowd arrives. Locals know the weekday deal, tourists tend to wander in from the casino, so the room stays a fair mix.