No, Oscar’s at the Plaza is still the only view of the Fremont Street Experience Viva Vision light show. It’s not as good as it used to be, either; now it’s somewhat obstructed by the back of the Slotzilla zipline operation. The rear end of the zipline cables are attached to the top of a two-story wall, which is right at eye level as seen from the seating in the restaurant dome. You still have a view of the show on the canopy, though the wall blocks 90% of the view of the ground-level promenade.
(Incidentally, in front of the wall, facing Fremont Street, is a big stage where a DJ-slash-go-go dancer spins the tunes and comes out front to bust a move from time to time. Good music, good dancing, and next to it are the dancers atop the bar right outside the Golden Gate.)
There are a few street-level places where you can sit and watch the show, though they’re not restaurants. The closest you’ll come to eating something while you view is from the outdoor seating of the Starbucks at the Golden Nugget. It has a dozen tables and around 300 seats, including a cushioned booth facing out; from the seats up against the railing, you get a very good view of the canopy and it’s pretty close to the center of the four-block show.
Just down from that, still at the GN, is the Stage Bar, also a good place to sit and watch, on stools facing out and right under the canopy. Nearby is another small bar Bar 46 (named after the date when the casino opened, 1946), with 12 booth-like seats. They face mostly in toward the building, so you’d have to practice your yoga and do a spinal twist to see the show.
The Golden Nugget has one more bar option: Gold Digger on a second-floor balcony. It’s OK, but not optimal; you’re too close to the canopy and above the speakers.
Across the promenade from there is the Whisky Licker Bar at Binion’s. Most of the seating here isn’t quite as good as at the Golden Nugget, a little set back along the corner of the building, though the few front seats will give you a good view.
Finally, there’s the Vue Bar at the D. The balcony outside the bar used to have a sitting area, but no longer. Now that an outside escalator runs up to it, it’s just a tiled patio. Like the Gold Digger bar at the Golden Nugget, you’re too close to the canopy, a speaker is right there blasting right in your face, and the D is at the far eastern edge of the Viva Vision canopy.
To sum up, Oscar’s is your restaurant play. You have various seating options at the bars and Starbucks, though you might have to claim a prime seat early and sit there while you wait for the show.
Otherwise, the performance is only five minutes, and the undisputed best view of it is from the middle of the promenade, right under the middle of the canopy, right in the middle of the four-block show at Casino Center Blvd. between the Four Queens and Golden Nugget or Binion’s and the Fremont.
