Planning to visit Vegas? You’ll definitely want to check out the many exciting things to do at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas!
Part of the City Center complex, the Cosmopolitan is one of the swankiest resorts on the famed Las Vegas Boulevard.
Exploring everything there is to do at the Cosmopolitan (and other City Center properties) is one of the best things to do in Vegas.
Featuring cutting edge architecture and a sleek facade, the Cosmopolitan is known for its topnotch restaurants and bars, many shops, a droolworthy pool complex, and fine art displays.
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The Cosmopolitan is located right in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, easy to access and explore.
While it has an enormous casino, the Cosmopolitan offers plenty to do beyond gaming.
One of the fun things about the Cosmopolitan are the eateries and speakeasies “hidden in plain sight.” You’ll want to hunt some of them down when you visit!
By the way, if you are looking to explore more resorts on the Strip, we also have a guide to the best things to do at the Bellagio and an article on the best things to do at the Venetian.
And now, let’s get started discovering the best things to do at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas!
Best Things to Do at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
1. Have a drink at the Chandelier Bar
Enjoying a drink at the Chandelier Bar is hands down one of the top things to do in the Cosmopolitan.
Spanning three floors at the Cosmopolitan (with three unique experiences!), The Chandelier is one of the most well-known bars in Vegas.
Start by gawking at the gorgeous purple beaded curtain and the gigantic chandeliers that give the bar its name.
Then pick a level to enjoy your drink!
The lowest level is open 24 hours and has an electric “in the heart of all the action” vibe. The drink to try here is the Hotel California, featuring 818 Tequila and raspberry grenadine.
The middle level, known as “Inside the Chandelier,” is a little quieter and our favorite level to sip a handcrafted cocktail. We like the Grapefruit Guava Smash and Papa Loves Mango! #FeltCute is considered the cocktail to try here.
Level 1.5, the middle level, is open daily from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m.
The uppermost lounge level is also relatively quiet and intimate. On this level, we like the chai-infused concoctions.
The upper level is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. through 3 a.m. and Friday through Sunday 9 a.m. until 3 a.m.
Note that cocktail offerings can change from time to time.
The Verbena, likely the bar’s most popular cocktail ever, is no longer on the menu, but they will whip it up for you if you ask. This single drink has racked up several million dollars in sales!
There’s also a wine list on each level if that’s more your thing.
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2. Indulge in a Vegas-style buffet at Wicked Spoon
Food halls may be all the rage in Vegas right now, but the top Las Vegas buffets were still plenty crowded when we visited recently.
And Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan is right up there as one of the top Vegas buffets.
Offerings span many cuisines and the best part is that most dishes are set out in single serving containers and replenished often, so they aren’t sitting out for hours and drying up.
The Angry Mac and Cheese is a must try, and we liked the fresh salads, the ramen bar, the half-samosas, and the mussels.
They have crab, of course, with drawn butter, bone marrow, and various grilled meats.
The dessert options at the Wicked Spoon are delicious enough to warrant a visit in their own right. The ice cream was the creamiest we’ve had at any of the Vegas buffets, and the pastry selection expansive.
Hand-crafted beverages are pricey, whether you get drinks à la carte or plump for the bottomless beverage package.
The Wicked Spoon buffet is only open for brunch: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
3. Check out all the contemporary art!
Art lovers will want to keep their eyes open for the many works that are displayed in the hallways and lobbies of the Cosmopolitan.
Hundreds of works of contemporary art are showcased throughout the resort, and you’re never far from another piece of art to view.
From paintings and mixed-media works to sculptures, murals, and photography, there’s a lot to admire as you explore the Cosmopolitan.
The works are labeled, to help you identify each piece of art and its creator. And nothing is cordoned off, so you can get up close to appreciate details.
At the lobby, a digital art experience combines technology with contemporary art and architecture. A panel that spans the length of the front desk and multiple columns feature a changing library of digital art.
Art aficionados should text Rose, the digital concierge at the Cosmopolitan, for a guided art tour.
4. Try a slice of pizza at Secret Pizza…if you can find it!
One of the “secret” spots in the Cosmopolitan is Secret Pizza.
It’s located on the third floor of the Boulevard Tower, but there’s no sign and the location is very well hidden. Half the fun of this pizza place is finding it!
You have to look for a hallway lined with colorful album covers, from Sinatra to Elvis and more.
Follow the hallway and you’ll arrive at the tiny eatery, where you can choose pizza by the slice from familiar options like cheese, pepperoni, and veggie. You can also order a whole pizza to go, which will be made fresh as you wait.
You’ll have to stand at the counter to eat, or take your pizza outside to the lobby, where there are lots of comfy chairs. They offer a few varieties of beer and soft drinks.
Try the pinball machines if you have a few minutes, or you are waiting for your pizza.
Secret Pizza is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.: it’s the ideal place to go if you are looking for a low cost, tasty late night snack that hits the spot!
Psst! Look for the record-lined hallway between the Blue Ribbon and Jaleo restaurants, which do have signs!
If you visit before 11 a.m., you’ll find that a sliding door closes off the hallway.
5. Eat breakfast at Eggslut
If you want great egg dishes without waking up early, plan on getting breakfast at Eggslut.
The egg-y menu at Eggslut features innovative options if you are looking to try something unique, and familiar choices if you are craving comfort food you know and love.
Try Slut, which is potato puree topped with coddled egg, cooked in a glass jar and served with slices of chewy baguette. Delicious!
The Gaucho sandwich is a gourmet offering, with seared tri-tip and over medium egg. Chimichurri sauce adds loads of flavor, and a warm brioche bun encases it all.
You can choose to enjoy your meal at a bar stool right at the eatery, or get it to go if you are in a hurry.
It was pretty crowded when we visited at breakfast time so you’ll want to arrive early or later in the morning. The line moved fairly fast, though, because the menu is compact.
Eggslut is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
6. Have mezcal at the Ghost Donkey
Craving a bit of Mexico in Vegas?
Head to the Ghost Donkey, one of the bars hidden in plain sight at the Cosmopolitan.
Here you’ll find a vast selection of mezcal and tequila, plus a few handcrafted cocktails and a flight, if you want to taste. You can also opt for Mexican beer.
One of the best reasons to visit this tiny little bar, apart from the game of trying to find it, is the speakeasy vibe…and the nachos!
While the truffle nachos are the touted offering, we stuck to the steak and black bean nachos and loved them. The guacamole was flavorful as well.
If you plan to try a cocktail, we enjoyed the watermelon basil margarita and the lavender vida loca.
Oh, and if you need a clue to find the Ghost Donkey, look for the door that just has a colorful donkey painted on it, way in the back of Block 16, the food hall on the second floor of the Boulevard Tower.
We found the location early in the day on our last visit to Vegas and they let us snap a few photos of the bar without people!
The Ghost Donkey opens at 4 p.m. everyday and closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday, and at 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
7. Or enjoy cocktails at The Barbershop!
The Barbershop Cuts and Cocktails offers haircuts, yes, but behind the janitor’s door is a bar that takes you back to Prohibition times!
Enjoy entertainment in the evenings (live music, karaoke), along with an extensive menu of drinks that includes a variety of whiskies, including Scotch, American, Canadian, Japanese and more.
The cocktails are delightful as well, and they offer some non-alcoholic options for those in your group that prefer to abstain.
And if you are really here for a haircut, make sure you have an appointment with one of the pro barbers. They do take walk-ins, but they may be fully booked when you show up!
The barbershop is open from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The saloon is open from 8 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and from 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
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8. Book a Spa Day at the Sahra
We never visit Vegas without booking at least one spa treatment and at our last visit to Vegas we tried the spa at the Cosmopolitan.
Our verdict: for the ultimate in luxurious pampering, make sure to reserve time in your itinerary for the Sahra Spa, Salon, and Hammam.
The hammam, an ode to the ritualistic baths of yore, offers two whirlpools, steam rooms, a heated motherstone slab, and stone loungers.
Not quite the ambience of an Andalucian spa, but the Sahra Hammam is luxurious for sure.
The full service spa offers a menu of treatments, from massages to skin care. We tried the desert aromatherapy massage and it was such a wonderful soothing experience!
For a splurge couples experience, book a Sahra suite, designed for two.
The Sahra Spa is open for treatments from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
9. Have dinner at Beauty & Essex!
Yet another “hidden” experience at the Cosmopolitan!
Beauty & Essex is an eminently browsable pawn shop, but hidden behind the storefront is a trendy restaurant, similar to the original restaurant in New York.
Helmed by celebrity chef Chris Santos (judge on Food Network’s Chopped), the spectacular restaurant features several jewelry box rooms with glittering accents.
On the menu you’ll find innovative plates featuring a variety of cuisines, many of them shareable, as well as handcrafted cocktails and a selection of wines.
Try the grilled cheese and tomato soup dumplings, or the Thai style fried shrimp with tangy green papaya slaw.
We enjoyed the Mexican street corn ravioli and the scallops but we wanted to try the desserts so we skipped the meat mains.
Be sure to leave room for dessert: the strawberry shortcake “shots” were superb. We splurged on the dessert wheel!
The restaurant is open daily from 5 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. You can reserve ahead on Open Table.
10. Eat at Block 16
Food halls are the hottest new trend in Vegas, with many existing resorts transitioning over from buffets and new resorts opting for halls in place of buffets.
The Cosmopolitan’s food hall, Block 16, has a lively vibe and features a number of curated casual eateries, from breakfast to late night options.
If you haven’t yet tried a Vegas food hall experience, Block 16 is a good choice, although we though Proper Eats at the Aria (described below) was less crowded and therefore a more relaxed experience.
Bang Bar by Momofuku offers flatbread sandwiches and rice bowls. Hattie’s B Hot Chicken serves Nashville hot chicken. Lardo is a pork lover’s paradise.
Tekka Bar features made-to-order handrolls with fresh seafood and a signature spicy sauce. And District: Donuts. Sliders. Brew., the New Orleans icon, offers dozens of donut flavors.
Ghost Donkey, the Mexico-inspired speakeasy we described above, is part of Block 16 as well.
We suggest visiting at an off-meal time for a less crowded experience.
11. Skate at the ice rink in the winter
Come holiday season, you can actually enjoy ice skating in the desert at the Cosmopolitan!
The Boulevard Pool at the resort gets transformed into an ice rink in early December each year, making for a magical winter venue on the Las Vegas Strip.
The extravagant ice rink features 4,200 square feet of real ice. Enjoy skating, roasting s’mores by the fire, and seasonal food and drink rinkside at The Chalet, which features a large fire pit and festive decor.
You may even experience snow showers at select times throughout the season!
You can enter the ice rink area for free if you just want to look around, but skating requires payment of a day fee. Skate rentals are offered.
12. enjoy the pools in the summer
The Cosmopolitan features three distinct pools, each with its own vibe.
The Boulevard Pool is a large multilevel pool with gorgeous views over the Las Vegas Strip. It is located on Level 4 of the Boulevard Tower. The vibe here is lively, geared toward socializing.
Rent a cabana or a day bed, and enjoy the poolside bar and bites.
The resort hosts lots of fun events at the Boulevard Pool, from brunches to concerts and movie screenings (the Strip’s only Dive In Movie venue!). There’s also a recreation area with billiards, foosball, and the like.
The Chelsea Pool is located on Level 14 of the Chelsea Tower. It’s a more relaxed vibe, like an oasis in the desert, and you can rent cabanas and daybeds here as well.
You’ll find secluded nooks and crannies for quiet conversations, and spots to relax on your own, away from the noise and hubbub.
The Boulevard and Chelsea Pools are only open to guests of the Cosmopolitan Resort, while the Mayfair Club (see below) is open to the public. Events at the Boulevard Pool are open to the public for a fee.
Note that the open air pools are closed in the winter.
13. Party the night (or day) away at the Mayfair Club
The Marquee Dayclub and Nightclub is the place to party poolside at the Cosmopolitan!
Whether you are planning a night out with friends or your special someone, or you are planning a bachelorette party, the Marquee Dayclub / Nightclub should be on your radar!
The 60,000-square-foot space is billed as the ultimate Vegas club experience, and you’ll see why when you go!
Hang out by the pool during the day, noshing on great bites, sipping a specialty cocktail, and enjoying the sunshine and great music.
They offer a raw bar, sushi, and several sandwich, salad, or bowl options for lunch.
Dayclub hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. until sunset, and reservations are recommended.
At night, the Marquee Nightclub is the place to go for throbbing music, light, and a very Vegas nightlife experience.
Dance the night away, and enjoy the food, drinks, vibe, and music.
Nightclub hours are 10.30 p.m. until late, on Wednesday and Friday through Sunday. Reservations are encouraged.
14. Admire the fine art at the Aria
Also part of the City Center complex, the Aria is a must-visit for art lovers.
Aria’s fine art collection features striking pieces by acclaimed artists and it’s worth walking through the property (and outside) to seek them out.
You’ll find large paintings, mixed-media works, sculptures, and digital installations to admire. Download a brochure and take a self-guided tour!
Right outside, in the traffic island between the Aria and the Vdara is a large sculpture by Nancy Rubins named Big Edge. It features lots of colorful canoes sculpted together. A great photo op!
Inside, admire Silver River by Maya Lin in the main lobby, Hoto by Tatsuo Miyajima featuring lots of LED counters, and many other masterpieces.
15. And Zip into the Vdara for the art as well
Just across from the Aria, the Vdara is a non-gaming tower that merits consideration if you are looking for a centrally-located place to stay on the Strip.
But we mention it here because there are a few pieces of art in the lobby to view.
Behind the front desk, we saw the colorful Damascus Gate Variation I by Frank Stella, and in the concierge lobby are two really tall pieces: Day for Night, Night for Day. They look amazing!
16. Try a Vegas food hall experience at Proper Eats at the Aria
Want to try a Vegas food hall experience? Check out Proper Eats at the Aria.
Like Cosmopolitan’s Block 16, Aria’s Proper Eats offers several curated choices when it comes to food vendors.
Look for Mediterranean favorites at Shalom Y’all, pizza at Pizzaoki, Seoul Bird (the Korean street food icon from London), Wexler’s Deli from LA, and Egghead for breakfast.
Easy Donuts hides a speakeasy offering cocktails and live music, and Proper Bar offers drinks in plain sight.
We ate a couple of times at Proper Eats on our most recent visit to Vegas. The hummus at Shalom Y’All was tasty, as was the shawarma cauliflower. And the chicken from Seoul Bird was superb!
Menus are compact but service was good when we visited and it was not super crowded.
17. Shop (or Window Shop) at The Crystals
Between the Aria and the Cosmopolitan you’ll find The Shops at Crystals, an upscale shopping center that’s worth strolling.
Shopping here requires a very deep pocketbook, but window shopping is fun as well.
Look for brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and the like.
Apart from the shops, The Shops at Crystals has some nice art and architecture to admire.
The Halo water feature is a group of transparent cylinders with water dancing within. The display is accentuated with lights and makes for a great photo stop.
The Treehouse is a huge wood sculpture that spans all three levels of the shopping center. The Grand Staircase is another nice photo op, with lovely colors and effects.
Also look for Shards of Light, a mixed media work that you can see at several places throughout the center.
And for more art, on the top level, you’ll find the Van Gogh immersive experience.
MORE INFORMATION FOR YOUR TRIP TO LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas makes for one of the most exciting USA weekend trips, no matter what time of the year you go.
Check out our guide to the best things to do in Las Vegas, with activities on and off The Strip (besides gambling), plus places to explore near the city, like Red Rock Canyon and the spectacular Valley of Fire State Park.
We also have an article on the best things to do on the Las Vegas Strip, the heart of the city and the place where you’ll likely spend quite a bit of your time on your first visit.
And if it’s your first time in Sin City, we have an article on the best Vegas travel tips that you’ll want to bookmark and reference as you plan!
If you will spend a few days in Las Vegas, check out our round-up of the best day trips from Vegas you can take. We also have a guide to the most amazing weekend getaways from Las Vegas!
Also discover how to visit Valley of Fire from Vegas, and read about all the best things to do in the park. In our opinion, Valley of Fire is one of the top state parks not just in Nevada but in the US.
Love the outdoors? You’ll want to check out all the US national parks near Vegas you can visit, from the Grand Canyon in Arizona to Zion and Bryce in Utah.
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