Hogs & Heifers Opens at Plaza, Brash and Bawdy as Ever
Hogs & Heifers Outpost, a temporary pop-up bar (at least that’s the plan), opened at the Plaza in downtown Las Vegas on Jan. 14, 2026.
This marks the first chance fans of the unapologetically loud-and-proud venue have had to enjoy its over-the-top energy since Hogs & Heifers closed at Downtown Grand on July 6, 2025.
A new Hogs & Heifers location is in the works nearby, but in the meantime, guests can enjoy the bar’s signature drinks, dancing bartenders and off-color attitude at Plaza in the former Sand Dollar space. Let’s take a gander inside, shan’t we?
The Sand Dollar Lounge closed quietly at Plaza on December 14, 2025, after a three year run. It closed quietly because nobody was there. Awkward.
Opinions vary about why Sand Dollar didn’t succeed at Plaza. It did fine, but operators of Plaza saw more potential for the space. Our take is it’s hard for a live entertainment venue to thrive several feet from Fremont Street Experience, where there’s free, live entertainment every night of the year.
Here’s a quick walkthrough of Hogs & Heifers at Plaza.
So, as long-term plans for the space were being firmed up, Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel and Hogs & Heifer’s self-described “Bad Ass Boss” Michelle Dell dreamed up a temporary location for the displaced bar.
We bumped into Michelle Dell at Hogs & Heifers and she is a handful. She has seen things the rest of us can only imagine. She has more ambition and energy on her worst day than we have ever mustered on our best. Dell is sort of the embodiment of Hogs & Heifers in human form, and she exudes that audacious, rebellious vibe in every interaction.
Dell famously battled with the operators of the previous Hogs & Heifers location, Downtown Grand (owned by CIM Group and operated by Fifth Street Gaming, although, the casino is being repossessed by the bank as we write this, so that information is fluid). Dell prevailed in a lawsuit that attempted to boot the bar from its longtime home, but ultimately was undone when the lease ran out.
Dell purchased a new site for the bar, not far from Plaza, 307-319 Main Street (former Old Lincoln Hotel site). The building is being fabricated elsewhere. She explained the whole thing, but we weren’t really paying attention because there were attractive women dancing on the bar nearby.
Anyway, the new official and permanent Hogs & Heifers is expected to open this summer.
Hogs & Heifers fans didn’t want to wait. Also, Dell and Jossel both saw an opportunity for revenue generation in the meantime, which tends to facilitate things in Las Vegas.
Adjustments to the Sand Dollar space were relatively minor, but that’s mostly because we didn’t have to execute them.
A big change was the removal of video poker machines from the bartop. As mentioned, women dance there at Hogs & Heifers. It’s non-negotiable.
The machines have been moved elsewhere in the venue, where the pool tables used to be at Sand Dollar.
Some of the details related to gambling are still being sorted out. Plaza operates the gaming, so they’d typically offer players comped drinks. But Hogs & Heifers is a tenant, so comped drinks for players isn’t a thing yet. It would be weird for Plaza cocktail servers to come into Hogs & Heifers to take drink orders.
Another detail being worked out: There’s a private parking area for bikes near the former bus station, but it hasn’t opened yet. Bikers apparently like to keep their machines close. Some are parking outside the entrance to Hogs & Heifers on Main Street, but that’s not going to be a thing anymore.
Some Hogs & Heifers traditions continue, others are in the works: For example, you won’t find bras over the bar yet. Patrons (typically women) are invited onto the bar to dance with the bartenders, and they often donate their bras. The bras were previously hung on a shark replica, but that is too heavy to hang at the pop-up location. Dell says they’re getting antlers from which the bras can be hung.
Another tradition: The unabashedly loud music comes from an old-school jukebox. Customers tip the bartenders, the bartenders operate the jukebox.
Overall, Hogs & Heifers feels like it hasn’t skipped a beat.
Plaza is happy with the new energy, and doesn’t appear concerned by some of the challenges that caused friction between Dell and Downtown Grand. It was mostly noise-related. Plaza, for example, built windows between Sand Dollar and the casino so the music would spill out, enticing customers. For Hogs & Heifers, those windows were closed off with glass (or whatever the kids are using now), to muffle the sound.
There were some fisticuffs the night we visited, but Plaza doesn’t seem to think that will be an issue.
Hogs & Heifers might have a reputation as a biker bar, but we’ve been informed that’s not really the case. The bar is frequented by tourists, like most places downtown. The scene is raw and rowdy, but it’s mostly visitors just out to have a good time. Bikers tend to gather when there are special events in town, like Las Vegas BikeFest.
We were surprised to learn Hogs & Heifers doesn’t allow “cuts or colors.” Cuts are vests and jackets that hold “colors,” colors are club insignias, patches about which some motorcycle enthusiasts fight, apparently.
Another fun fact: Hogs & Heifers is a Pepsi house, because Plaza is.
Hogs & Heifers has already accomplished a number of its goals, along with several goals of Plaza: Get the place opened, get some energy (and money) flowing and see what’s possible.
While the Hogs & Heifers deal at Plaza is expected to last six months, we’ve heard rumblings it could be extended to nine months and beyond, if all goes well.
For those who miss the pizza at Sand Dollar, please note it can now be ordered at Plaza’s Pop-Up Pizza.
Hogs & Heifers might not be for everybody, but it’s a unique departure from many bars that just kind of blur together. There’s no mistaking Hogs & Heifers for anywhere else. Yes, there’s Coyote Ugly Saloon at New York-New York, but it’s no Hogs & Heifers. This is a sometimes delicate subject, by the way. Fun fact: “Both Coyote Ugly and Hogs & Heifers got their inspiration from a New York landmark, a bar called The Village Idiot, which specializes in rude bartenders.” The original Village Idiot has since closed.
There’s copious T&A at Hogs & Heifers, but the clientele doesn’t skew particularly male. Hogs & Heifers is unfiltered and unpretentious, a respite from political correctness and a spot where you can drink at a value, get berated by a feisty bartender through a megaphone and play a little video poker if you’re into that kind of thing.
The Hogs & Heifers spirit is alive and already thriving at Plaza.
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