Road Runner Saloon, Las Vegas, Bella Ladies V-Neck Tee

Venue History

Tucked into the heart of East Las Vegas, the Road Runner Saloon at 4425 E. Stewart Avenue represented the kind of homegrown nightlife that helped define the everyday rhythm of Southern Nevada. While the Strip dazzled tourists with colossal neon resorts, Road Runner Saloon gave locals a more comfortable perch—a place where the video poker machines chimed nearby, familiar faces gathered over cocktails, and a hearty meal didn’t require a reservation. The building that housed the saloon dates to 1979, part of a wave of neighborhood expansion as Las Vegas stretched outward from Fremont Street and The Strip. By the 1980s and into the 1990s, the Road Runner name became synonymous with the classic locals’ gaming tavern: casual, approachable, and proudly unpretentious. Its playful matchbooks featuring a colorful cartoon roadrunner advertised exactly what customers could expect—cocktails, food, and slots—the holy trinity of Las Vegas pub culture. Unlike the mega-resorts built for spectacle, Road Runner Saloon thrived on routine. Patrons stopped in after work for a drink or pulled up a barstool on the weekends, hoping the slot machines tucked into the walls might throw out a few well-timed jackpots. The saloon maintained a restricted gaming license, allowing it to operate slot machines while functioning primarily as a bar and restaurant—a format that would later explode in popularity across the valley. As Las Vegas evolved, many original neighborhood taverns disappeared, overshadowed by modern gaming bars and corporate operators. That gives the Stewart Avenue Road Runner Saloon its lasting charm—a slice of real local life, where memories were made not under the glare of Strip marquees, but over laughter, late-night food, and spinning reels only steps from home. Today, little evidence remains of the original venue, but its matchbooks and fond recollections keep alive the story of a true Vegas locals’ hangout—fast, fun, and full of character, just like its namesake bird. The property is now home to Fred’s Tavern.