Las Vegas Weekly

Cannery’s got it upstairs

One Six: up, up and far away the sexiest thing on Boulder Highway

One Six will offer stellar Strip views.

Breathtaking views, gorgeous design elements … and it’s nowhere near Las Vegas Boulevard. Or anything like it, for that matter, which is exactly why One Six will be a welcome addition for Las Vegans that live on a side of town often ignored by the majority of Sin City.

“Would you expect this on Boulder Highway?” asks Luc Akellino, corporate vice president of food and beverage for Cannery Casino Resorts, during the Weekly’s exclusive first glimpse of the One Six lounge. Honestly, we didn’t, and the venue easily could have been designed for any upscale property on the Strip. Akellino and his team have painstaking researched and combined the most successful elements of Vegas’ most successful venues into one space catering to the virtually untapped market of the southeast valley.

On the top floor of the new Eastside Cannery (5255 Boulder Highway), the casino’s theme of retro Vargas girls abruptly ends as soon as patrons enter One Six’s elevator alcove. Guests are greeted by a sleek, modern design at the hostess stand downstairs, then ascend one of two dedicated elevators to Floor 16 of the property (hence the name One Six).

Beautiful wood flooring, deep red- and cranberry-hued wall panels, and three contrasting ice-blue columns lit from within will have guests pause in awe. An immense attention to detail by design firm Yates-Silverman draws all of the elements together with mesmerizing cohesiveness.

Then there’s the view.

Likely to be a top contender in a “best view in Las Vegas” contest, One Six has soaring windows that surround it with one of the last unobstructed sight lines in the Valley.

“It is more like an ultralounge, concentrating on the beverage and cocktails,” says Akellino, though a tapas-style shared-plates menu is also available. One Six will open at 5 p.m. for the after-work crowd Fridays and Saturdays at first, and will likely remain open until around 1 a.m. In addition, Wine Down Wednesdays will move from Marilyn’s Lounge downstairs to the more appropriate One Six. Nightlife industry veteran and icon Frankie Anobile recently joined the team as program director and promoter for the club, set to open early-to-mid-December.

“A lot of us are just tired of being taken advantage of on the Strip,” says Mark Carrillo, Eastside Cannery’s food and beverage director. One Six will cater to employees from nearby properties, surrounding residents and denizens of Green Valley. But the lack of cover charge and lower-than-average drink prices don’t mean the integrity of One Six will be compromised; the venue will strive to maintain an air of class and implement an appropriate dress code for the ultralounge.

Two levels of the lounge area provide a combination of comfortable chairs and chaises crafted from assorted fabrics and textures that only enhance the upscale feeling of One Six. Yet the seating remains open to all guests; no “bottle service only” real estate here. However, to cater to those with a need for exclusivity, One Six’s banquet room is versatile enough to accommodate private dining, weddings or a VIP’s birthday soirée.

Wine cabinets with about 900 bottles of vino lead guests over to the main bar, which is large enough to allow guests to order cocktails without fighting a massive horde of 2-for-1 happy hour martini-seekers. Additional high-top seating is also available near the non-gaming bar, where hand-blown glass pendants are suspended from the dramatic vaulted ceiling. Weather permitting, the entire wall of windows facing the Strip can be opened so patrons can enjoy the patio. “There’s nothing on this side of town that even comes close to [One Six],” Carrillo says. “We’ve definitely raised the bar on Boulder Highway.”