Major Mob Museum Upgrade Includes ‘Mob Cafe’

With self-guided tours taking as long as two to three hours, visitors to downtown’s Mob Museum can be forgiven for departing the former federal courthouse with an appetite.

A series of major renovations hope to capitalize on that hunger, with the museum creating a cafe of light dining options inside the retail shop so guests can snack and head back to the exhibits.

Already an essential stop during any extended Las Vegas trip, the estimated $6.5 million in upgrades will take over the museum’s currently unoccupied basement and add attractions to the ground floor. The changes will not affect ongoing day to day operations.

New sections will include a look at "Organized Crime Today," take guests inside a "Crime Lab" and a "Firearms Training Simulator" will let visitors experience the split second decisions made when faced with an armed assailant.

The current retail store will be expanded in size and the currently dubbed "Mob Cafe" will offer "light fare, including items like paninis and salads, as well as coffee beverages." A rendering of the new space includes artwork referencing the famous line from 1972’s The Godfather, "leave the gun — take the cannoli."

Construction work will begin this summer with a projected "first quarter of 2018" finish date. When the Mob Museum first opened in 2012, the lobby hosted a very tiny snack option, The Verdict Inn, most notable for its very large wooden gavel signage looming over the counter.