One of the best things about living in Las Vegas is the food! Some of the best restaurants in the world can be found here, many of them along The Strip.
Gordon Ramsay, Michael Mina, and Mario Batali are just a few of the celebrity chefs that have restaurants here. However, at times their food can be a bit stuffy, and I just want to eat some good food with no fluff. That’s where Double Barrel comes in!
Located right on Las Vegas Blvd., in front of the Monte Carlo, Double Barrel looks incredibly inviting to those who want to grab some food without worrying whether or not they are dressed nicely enough to walk through the doors. It has a Las Vegas meets roadhouse vibe to it, which is exactly what they are going for.
We were led up to the top section which gave us a great view of the entire restaurant. A large bar on the lower level, as well as one up top were centrally located, with the diners spread out at booths and tables along the sides and in between. A quick look around and it appeared the typical customers were there to have a bite, drink some adult beverages, and have a great time. We actually sat next to a large group visiting from Canada who we had an ongoing conversation with throughout the meal. They loved the place and mentioned they were at least halfway through the bar menu. Obviously this was their type of place!
However, as much as I can appreciate a great atmosphere, ultimately it is the food that is going to be what gets me to come back. So I was curious to see if they could deliver in that department as well.
Although I am from Panama, I have grown to love some good southern bar-b-que. And lucky for me, that is the specialty of Double Barrel!
We decided to order a large array of the items from the menu in order to get an idea of the things they offer here. Starting from the appetizers, we put a pretty big dent in the selections they offer.
First up, we were were delivered what they call “Pig Candy.” This is cornbread that is topped with a strip of apple smoked candied bacon. What a combination this was! Not too fancy, just the way I like it, but just a perfect combination of foods that I would have been happy to make a meal alone. We were off to a wonderful start!
Before we could finish the cornbread, they brought us some burnt ends and lettuce wraps. Burnt ends seem to be the new trend lately, and after taking a bite of these, it is easy to see why. You get the tastiest part of the rib without the messiness that comes with it. Again they hit a home run.
For me, the most surprising offering of the night were the lettuce wraps. A nice change of pace from the more heavy items we were enjoying, these wraps featured chicken with red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice. The smokiness of the chicken, accompanied by the light ingredients made this an odd combination to me, but in the most fabulous way! It was one of the best things I have eaten in a long time and I would come back based on this dish alone.
Already starting to get full, we decided to keep going. Next up were some St. Louis style ribs along with garlic fries. The ribs were as good as any you will find anywhere in the south. Covered in bar-b-que sauce, these were tender and juicy, and falling right off the bone. Accompanied by the fries, tey made an awesome combination. So far the only problem we were having was figuring out which thing we liked best.
By this point, no matter how much we were enjoying ourselves, there just wasn’t much room left for anything else. However, as they say, there is always room for dessert! We went with the Mississippi Mud Pie as well as some deep fried Twinkies.
The mud pie was very chocolatey, very rich, and very delicious! It was almost chocolate overload, but I have no problem with that.
The deep fried Twinkies were a fun touch to the menu. I am pretty sure this can’t be found anywhere else on The Strip, and that’s a shame. Served with a side of chocolate sauce, these were covered with some powdered sugar and had a raspberry flavor to them. These were great and a fun treat for kids or adults. They are definitely something you won’t find many other places, and a great way to have a fun ending to a great meal.
I have been to many great restaurants in the time I have had this blog, and Double Barrel stacks up to any of them. A great atmosphere and awesome food make it a must visit for any tourist to Las Vegas. For locals, it is even worth the hassle of dealing with The Strip to go to, and there are not a lot of place I will say that for! It is just a totally different and unique vibe from any other restaurants in the city.
For those liking it even more lively, they also offer what they call “Liquid Courage” Karaoke on Tuesdays, and live bands on Saturday nights. I definitely want to go back with a large group of friends soon and try those out.
I would like to give a special thank you to Rick Cruz, the General Manager, who made sure we had a great time and explained everything about Double Barrel to us. It is clear this is a labor of love for him, and in his hands this place has a bright future.
Also, Chef David Mangual was incredible. He took time out of his busy schedule to explain to us everything we were eating, as well as the ideas behind them. He has worked at a variety of top restaurants from around the world, and it shows in his cooking. Although this place is more casual and featured less exotic items, the food offered here takes a backseat to nobody. It was absolutely delicious!
Las Vegas has more places to eat than you could visit in a lifetime. However, you would be doing yourself a huge disservice if you didn’t make it a point to stop at Double Barrel. If you do, there is no doubt it will become one of your regular spots.
To check out the menu and all of the things going on at Double Barrel, you can check them out HERE.
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