“Atomic Liquor” by Tom Hilton is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Located at 917 Fremont St. in Las Vegas, NV, Atomic Liquors is Las Vegas’ oldest freestanding bar. It was originally opened in 1945 as Virginia’s Cafe, and its name was changed to Atomic Liquors in 1952 after it was discovered that the building’s rooftop offered the best view of Nevada Test Site’s atomic bomb tests.
The owners of the bar were a husband and wife team, Joe and Stella Sobchik. They obtained the very first liquor store license in Las Vegas and happily entertained many locals and celebrities passing through Las Vegas.
Atomic Liquors was known to be a Rat Pack hangout, with many of its members (like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop) frequenting the establishment (source). Other famous celebrities who liked to patron the bar included Barbra Streisand, Hunter S. Thompson, Clint Eastwood, Roy Rogers, and the Smothers Brothers. Streisand even had her own seat, which has since been restored and put on display (source). For even more prominent names attached to this bar, visit vegas.eater.com.
Joe and Stella continued to run Atomic Liquors until Joe passed away in October 2010. Stella passed away just three months later. In 2012, a group of investors purchased Atomic Liquors from Joe and Stella’s son, Ron, and began working on remodeling and restoring the bar to its original glory.
Atomic Liquors re-opened in June 2013. During the remodel, a floor safe was discovered, believed to have been sealed sometime around 1950. The safe turned out to contain purchasing receipts, and it remains in its original location and on display with a see-through glass cover.
“ATOMIC LIQUORS, Las Vegas’ Oldest Bar, Floor Safe Opened!” by VIFF.net
The Kitchen at Atomic is a new addition to Atomic Liquors, featuring New American fine dining and bar food. It just opened in April of 2017 and it is located inside the garage that was once used to film the backroom scenes in the movie, Casino (source).
Filming History
Atomic Liquors is a popular filming location for the television and movie industry. Some of the many productions that filmed here include:
- Casino (source)
- The Hangover (source)
- The Twilight Zone (source)
- The Gauntlet (source)
- Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain and CNN (source)
- The Shins’ music video “Name for You” (source)
If you are looking for a vintage-style bar filled with a rich filming history and unique stories about its famous patrons, be sure to check out Atomic Liquors. For more information, you can view the full Atomic Liquors location details here and don’t forget to register your project!