Before you get that first icy mug of beer to your lips or get a glimpse of a menu full of spiced-up Southern comfort fare, you’ll know you’ve found something different as soon as you set foot inside Double Barrel Roadhouse.

This rollicking new restaurant and bar is unlike any other spot on the Las Vegas Strip, feeling more like a come-as-you-are party in a country barn than a typical casino dining experience. A warm and welcoming vibe takes over as soon as you arrive, almost as powerful as the thick, smoky aroma of classic American barbecue. Going casual is a full-blown trend up and down today’s Strip, but hitting the right spot is easier said than done. Double Barrel is not messing around. It’s shooting straight for the heart of fun.

If you want a healthy side of people-watching with your hearty meal, grab a table on Double Barrel’s Stripside patio. Just need a shot and a beer? There are several different bars where speedy, friendly service awaits. Or gather your group and cozy up in one of the sturdy communal tables located on the restaurant’s elevated rear level, right next to another bar flanked by a stage where rock ’n’ roll could break out at any moment. Every spot here is a comfortable one, with ample space and clear sight lines of several huge video screens blasting the day’s big games.

Buffalo chicken sliders and barbecue beef sliders

Buffalo chicken sliders and barbecue beef sliders

Double Barrel’s snack selection is a blissful list of greatest hits, from “county fair-approved” mini corn dogs and deviled eggs to spicy chicken wings and piled-high nachos. But there are some creatively tasty twists, too, such as breaded and fried crispy meat loaf, served with bacon-studded ketchup, and “spring rolls” packed with cheddar mashed potatoes and a barbecue beef and pork mixture. The flavors are as big as the venue. Continue your munch mission with shareable sliders, orders of three mini sandwiches stuffed with barbecue beef, Buffalo-style spicy chicken, fried chicken with grilled peppers and onions, juicy pulled pork or wood-grilled portobello mushrooms. Of course, full-size versions of these sandwiches are also available, flanked by the aptly named “kick-ass grilled cheese” with tomato, bacon and five types of cheese, and the Double Barrel burger, stacked with two patties, extra cheese, and all the fixings.

You’re gonna want to get to that barbecue, tempted by that seductive smell of wood smoke. Double Barrel offers meaty slabs of St. Louis-style pork ribs, generously coated with a spicy dry rub and finished with sticky-sweet sauce. Wonderful beef brisket is also available, a perfect match for Southern sides of coleslaw, mac and cheese, baked beans and braised collard greens. Wood-grilled chicken breast, shrimp or swordfish round out the entrées, with the added bonus of fried chicken, which can be ordered family-style as a seven- or 15-piece meal with sides.

There’s a lot to like here. It’s just easy to have a good time at Double Barrel Roadhouse, which makes it a perfect (if unlikely) fit for the Strip.

Monte Carlo 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Sun.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-4 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 702.222.7735