Las Vegas has a long-standing culture of entertainment and indulgence, where smoking, including cigars, is seen as part of the casino experience. Casinos cater to it, since cigar smoking aligns nicely with the luxury and leisure image they work to promote. But it’s not just in the casino where one can light up a cigar. Type in “cigar lounge las vegas” into Google and you might be surprised at the number you’ll see.
When I arrived at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in August for a five-day respite, one of my first stops was the Montecristo Cigar Bar. As a cigar smoker, one of my favourite memories was staying at the Wynn just up the Las Vegas Strip for my honeymoon 15 years earlier, and being able to light up a cigar down by the pool area after dinner. No one said anything to me. Coming from Canada, a place where the smoking police hit you over the head at every turn, that was a culture shock.
Mark Keast, smoking a My Father at Montecristo Cigar Bar, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
Cigar Lounge Las Vegas
How civil, I said to myself – as long as you the smoker shows respect and courtesy as well. Don’t be an asshole. That means not crowding people with your cigar smoke in public places. And it also means seeking out lounges or bars where cigar smoking is welcomed, even celebrated, where cigar aficionados get together, enjoy some chatter, or just sit and enjoy a game in solitude, away from any judgement. So this time out I was looking for the same experience.
At Caesars Palace, that place is the Montecristo Cigar Bar. Cigar smoking is also allowed in the casino, especially the high roller areas. It’s in the Caesars Palace Race & Sportsbook too, a wondrous place, again, especially if you’re Canadian (you’ll never find a sports book lounge this grand in Canada). There you’ll find VIP seating, and giant TV screens showing live horse racing and every live sports event going, where you can lounge in comfort with your fellow sports bettors. And yes, have a smoke.
When I walked up to my chair, I made sure to ask the dude seated behind me if it was OK if I lit up the My Father Nicaraguan I had with me. He said no problem. So I did, and sat there for an hour, placing a moneyline wager on the Blue Jays and the Chicago Cubs.
Caesars Palace Race & Sports Book. Image by Mark Keast
Why Are Cuban Cigars Illegal?
You can’t buy Cuban cigars anywhere in the U.S., although I happened to have one in my travel humidor case (a Vegas Robaina, which I smoked in the Sports Book lounge).
Cuban cigars have been banned in the U.S. since the Fidel Castro revolution in that island country in 1962. President John F. Kennedy, himself a Cuban cigar smoker, imposed a full embargo on Cuba after Castro aligned with the Soviet Union. Kennedy banned imports of all Cuban goods. The country is best known for its hand-rolled cigars.
There was a bit of a break in 2014, when the Obama administration made moves to warm up the relationship with Cuba, and Americans were allowed to bring back limited amounts of Cuban cigars if they travelled there. But the administration of President Donald Trump slammed the door on that in 2020, and we are back where we started.
Certain Cuban cigars like Cohiba have gone up dramatically in price over the past few years, opening the door to other cigar-manufacturing nations like Nicaragua and Dominican Republic to fill the breach for people who don’t want to pay hundreds for a cigar. Those countries have upped their game, when it comes to cigar quality.
My Father Nicaraguan cigar, Montecristo Cigar Bar, Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Image by Mark Keast.
My Father Cigar
I visited the Montecristo Cigar Bar three nights out of the five. That’s how much I loved it. But after smoking the Robaina, I had to stock up. My go-to on the Nicaraguan cigar front is now My Father.
Montecristo had a great cigar store next to the lounge. I had smoked a My Father at a family wedding in July, so it sat on the front of my brain. The amiable guy working the humidor was smoking one when I walked in. So that’s what I went with – handcrafted in Nicaragua, $24 USD, billed back to my room.
Not a surprise, My Father has deep Cuban roots, founded by Don José “Pepín” García, a Cuban-born master blender who trained in Havana before emigrating. García is known for using Cuban-style rolling methods, including the entubado rolling technique (each filler leaf rolled into small tubes for perfect airflow), producing exceptional draw, consistency, and burn. And Nicaraguan tobacco is bold in its flavor, strength, and complexity, rivalling Cuban tobacco.
So price point and quality for your money more than hit the mark for me, as I continue my move over more from Cuban cigars to Nicaraguan. It was an hour-long smoke, with creamy smoothness, that signature Nicaraguan boldness, but not too bold, a nice balance of strength, refinement and sophistication.
Smoking a My Father Nicaraguan cigar, Montecristo Cigar Bar, Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Image by Mark Keast
Top Cigar Lounges Las Vegas
Eight Cigar Lounge, Resorts World, 3000 S Las Vegas Blvd., 702-676-7405
I loved Montecristo Cigar Bar, and it was obviously convenient since I was staying at Caesars Palace,, but if you are in Las Vegas, and you’re looking for a full-on luxury cigar lounge experience, you must visit the place Michael Jordan, Dana White, Floyd Mayweather, and Alex Rodriguez hang out – Eight Cigar Lounge.
Located in a luxury mall at Resorts World Las Vegas, maybe a 25-minute walk north from Caesars Palace, Eight, open for 4 years now, was a revelation for me. I wasn’t expecting much walking in off the mall entrance, but man was I blown away when I walked through its doors. The young, friendly guy at the front desk, Chaz, was enjoying a cigar, and welcomed us in. Chaz’s first job was as a garbage collector. Now he’s a host at the best cigar lounge in Las Vegas, and he gets to smoke a cigar during a shift.
There’s a humidor right by the main entrance – 300 or so Dominican and Nicaraguan cigars, all major brands.
It’s just the vibe of the place that struck me as we walked in out of the 112-degree desert heat – led by soothing background jazz, a female crooner I didn’t know, slow tempo, consonant harmony. Tranquility was what that music emoted. That’s why guys like Jordan and White come here, I am sure, because it’s a cool, upscale, chill haven from the outside noise, a place where privacy is respected. There would be no celebrity worship allowed here.
Eight hosts some of the go-to parties on the strip, but it’s also a welcoming, quiet space on a weekday afternoon to go do some work, have a smoke and relax. That’s what I found.
Image by Mark Keast.
Image by Mark Keast.
Members of Eight, like Jordan, White and Mayweather, pay USD $5,000 per year, and for that get a personal, secure humidor to store their favourite cigars for their next visit, a complimentary 5-pack of cigars when they sign up, 10% discount on all lounge and retail humidor purchases, first dibs on limited edition cigars, and VIP invitations to in-store events and cigar samplings.
The Chairman’s Lounge is ideal for private parties or stags, plush comfy leather couches and chairs, big marble tables, big ass ashtrays and lighters, big screens TVs, and a full selection of scotches and whiskys, like Macallan and Balvenie. The outdoor deck has water spritzers to help ward off the heat, TVs, large sitting areas to lounge outside.
Just a classic, big, bold, confident, brawny men’s club. I’ve never been in a place like this. It was glorious.
Michael Jordan’s personal humidor locker at Eight Cigar Lounge in Las Vegas. UFC CEO Dana White, MLB great Alex Rodriguez, and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather also have personal humidor lockers at Eight for when they visit. Image by Mark Keast.
Image by Mark Keast.
Chairman’s Lounge at Eight. Image by Mark Keast.
Davidoff of Geneva Cigar Bar, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd., 702-473-5001
Nestled on the Las Vegas Strip, south of Eight, and north of Montecristo, directly across from Wynn Resort, Davidoff of Geneva Cigar Bar is another premier haven for cigar enthusiasts if you’re visiting Sin City. The 1,500-square-foot, sleek, circular bar was well-populated when my wife and I checked it out. The walk-in humidor featured premium cigars, including Davidoff exclusives like the Las Vegas Edition, Winston Churchill series, and rare Fuente OpusX Angel’s Share.
Knowledgeable cigar sommeliers guide selections at Davidoff, while the menu spotlights rare scotches, bourbons, signature cocktails like the Old Fashioned, and bar bites such as charcuterie.
I really liked the vibe of the shaded, 50-seat patio area, under tropical palms, an ideal spot to have a cigar, and people watch along the bustling Las Vegas Blvd. Super-friendly staff, plush seating, comfortable vibe, great cigar selection, opened 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. – another must-stop.
Image by Mark Keast.
Image by Mark Keast.
Image by Mark Keast.
Casa Fuente Cigars, The Forum Shops, Caesars Palace, 702-731-5051
They only sell Arturo Fuente, the popular handmade Dominican Republic cigars, at Case Fuente. It’s just inside the Forum Shops north entrance, at Caesars Palace. Take the escalator down to the bottom level of the luxury mall. They have some outdoor seating, but most of your smoking experience is inside the pub-style lounge, which strikes you as more authentic, older school, classic, like something you’d find a in a non-touristy area of the Dominican Republic.
Charming, is a word I would use for Casa Fuente. The manager there, Greg, told me they are closing down this fall – “political”, he said, with a few of the other retailers complaining about the smoking. The business has been there 20 years. That would be a shame, if that were to happen.
Arturo Fuente Cigars
Arturo Fuente cigars, a renowned premium cigar brand founded in 1912, now based in the Dominican Republic, family-owned, offers up a diverse portfolio of cigar lines. Gran Reserve, the flagship line of mellow to medium-bodied cigars, the Hemingway Series, famous for its perfecto shapes, and Chateau Fuente, notable for creamy, woody and nutty profiles, iconic cedar-wrapped cigars in Natural (Connecticut Shade), Maduro (Connecticut Broadleaf), or Sun Grown (Ecuador) wrappers, are just a few of those.
The Fuente family grows much of their tobacco on their Chateau de la Fuente estate in the Dominican Republic.
Image by Mark Keast.
Image by Mark Keast.
Image by Mark Keast.
Image by Mark Keast.
Montecristo Cigar Bar, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, 1-866-227-5938
If you walk into a cigar lounge somewhere in the world, straight into a London fog of smoke, then they haven’t spent any money on ventilation and you need to leave. At Montecristo Cigar Bar, they clearly have spent money on ventilation. My wife, who isn’t a cigar smoker, even joined me one night.
All the cigar lounges I highlight here have specialized ventilization systems, keeping the air crisp amid the aromatic haze.
The sultry decor, the high leather back chairs, full scotch list, chill-time 1980s music (they clearly know the age of their clientele here) five TV screens showing live sports, and a selection of 1,000 cigars in the next-door humidor, made it a great place to relax, watch some sports, even do a little work.
A double 14-year-old Oban and the My Father cigar brought the tab with tip to around USD $70.
Image by Mark Keast
Image by Mark Keast.
Leather couch at Montecristo Cigar Bar. Image by Mark Keast.
Scotch selection at Montecristo Cigar Bar. Image by Mark Keast.
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
But I love writing about cars – check that, luxury cars, a level of superior, engineering sophistication, high performance and style, that transports you not just from one destination to another but also out of whatever you are going through on a particular day, whatever mood you are in, all to another head space. It’s complete and total exhilaration, head to toe.
Check out my stories, and email me direct at mkeast@regardingluxury.com
