Hard Rock Las Vegas Shows Off Pulsating New Center Bar

By Scott Roeben, on September 10 2015
2 min read 7 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Bars Las Vegas Casinos Las Vegas Hotels

In seemingly record time, Hard Rock Las Vegas resort has unveiled its renovated Center Bar.

With its substantial investment in the new bar, Hard Rock hopes to regain the glory of its former Center Bar, seen by many as a groundbreaking innovation in the world of casinos. And possibly bars.

Hard Rock Center Bar
Formerly enclosed and a tad claustrophobic, the overhauled Center Bar is open and congruent with the Hard Rock’s milieu. Oh, like you’re reading these photo captions, anyway.

The new Center Bar boasts an expanded lounge area (see below), as well as a new array of cocktails, which we didn’t try because we wanted at least a couple of our photos to be in focus.

The ceiling of the expanded lounge features “metal-trimmed, hexagon-shaped coves.”

Hard Rock Center Bar lounge
It goes without saying we’ve got dibs on The Hexagon-Shaped Coves as a future band name.

Hard Rock’s Center Bar is circular and raised, as was the former Center Bar.

Renovations included the installation of an LED light fixture over the bar’s domed ceiling. The lights pulse with the music and echo the movement of videos playing on surrounding TVs.

Hard Rock Center Bar
Many a rock star has hooked up at Hard Rock’s Center Bar. Because when it comes to hooking up, rock stars need all the help they can get. Or maybe we’re thinking of bloggers. We get those mixed up a lot.

Speaking of blogs, see more (including a list of signature cocktails) at the Hard Rock’s blog, which we didn’t entirely know existed until 12 minutes ago.

The new Center Bar at Hard Rock also has a mix of banquettes, stone-top cocktail tables and couches.

Here’s a look at the new Center Bar at Hard Rock.


Center Bar’s cocktail menu comes from employees who began working at the original Center Bar in 1995. Hey, if it ain’t broke, drink it.

Hard Rock Center Bar
The original Center Bar closed on June 28, 2015. We wept. Because it was a bar. That closed. For a minute.

Center Bar is an impressive new addition to the casino floor at Hard Rock, although, at a cost of $3.4 million, one can’t help but wonder if Hard Rock is going to get enough bang for its buck to justify the hefty expense.

Worth noting is the fact the new Center Bar at Hard Rock takes up considerably more casino floor space than the previous Center Bar, illustrative of the fact bars are often more lucrative for casinos than games of chance.

Because times are crazy, that’s why! The next thing you know, Las Vegas showgirls will be replaced by pharmacies, entire hotels will be dismantled before they ever welcome a single guest and machines will replace bartenders. Kidding. The times will never be that crazy. Presumably.