There are few hangover cures that are better in Las Vegas than lunch or brunch at Red Dwarf, the dive leaning tiki bar that serves Detroit-style Pizza. Our mid-day experience was stellar once again. The daytime vibe is chill and friendly, a mix of regulars and tiki tourists like us, with bartenders happy to work with you on drink and food orders. Eclectic media is shown on the TVs – 1922’s horror classic Nosferatu was showing this time.
The Detroit pizza is fabulous, with a sauce that isn’t too spicy and a crust that’s light and airy. There are several different options or you can call your ingredients.
The cocktail game at Red Dwarf is far better than you’d expect from a bar with a large selection of beer and an obvious focus on it (most of the locals were drinking beer). The standard Mai Tai is a blend of four rums and is fairly light in character; it isn’t the best Mai Tai in Vegas but at only $10 might be the best value. There are number of rums that are available and they can use them in a Mai Tai to elevate the cocktail if that’s your thing.
Meanwhile, I was totally blown away by the Pound Town cocktail that features Clarin Communal Haitian rum, Clement Blanc rhum from Martinique, falernum, lemon, coconut, orange bitters, and soda. This was a truly outstanding cocktail that combined the two sugar cane juice-based spirits and a light leaning blend of balanced supporting ingredients. It’s delicious.
We met Red Dwarf’s owner Russell Gardner and were happy to share our enthusiasm for the venue. pizza, and cocktails. He emphasized they do use fresh juices in the cocktails and they are adding seasonal menu items as well. Even though most of the cocktails are only $10, we think the drinks here are the most consistent and overall the highest quality of any tiki bar in Vegas.