‘Hospitality as the main product’: The story behind Latino-owned Nocturno

Nocturno, Latino-owned cocktail bar in Las Vegas, opened in the Arts District in May.

Have you ever had a vision for something big in your life, and tried so hard to make it happen but couldn’t? And then, just when you’re not expecting it, all of the pieces fall into place, like maybe what was missing all along had to do with timing? 

That’s how it played out for Nocturno co-owners and chefs DJ Flores and Arron Capello. After years of it just being an idea, their cocktail bar in the Las Vegas Arts District celebrated its grand opening last month. 

“We were nervous at first, because we were trying so hard to find the space. But it’s one of those things where you kind of figure out when you try to force things, it’s usually not the best way to do it,” Capello told The Nevadan. “And then once we kind of stepped back and we’re like, ‘Let’s let it do its thing. Let’s put all the pieces together one by one and just make sure everything is cohesive and works.’ And then it turned into this … it evolved.” 

The pair founded Nivel Hospitality Group and partnered with mixologist Lu Lopez to make Nocturno happen. They envisioned bringing a different experience to the Arts District, a classic cocktail bar inspired by those found in Mexico City and New York City.

Walking into Nocturno, you’re greeted by dim lighting that sets a moody tone and good music that uplifts the lounge atmosphere. 

“Nocturno was meant to be a love song to those intimate moments. The creatures of the night, like the black pumas, and the kind of stars that you see in a lot of our art and the menus and the glassware are reminiscent of that environment,” Lopez said. “I think the thing that we love is the interaction between a bartender and a guest, where the guest is introduced to the bartender when they sit, and then a conversation happens.”

 

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How Nocturno came to be

Flores and Capello met in 2014 as cooks at restaurants on the Strip, and “created a friendship just based off of turmoil and stress, with dreams of wanting to do our own thing one day,” Capello said. 

By 2021, Flores opened Milpa, a Mexican coffee shop that has since garnered the community’s love and earned national recognition after Flores was named a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2024 and 2025. When Flores called Capello with the idea to launch something new together, Capello had spent a couple of years in the private sector. 

“So we spent a year developing different projects and restaurants and trying to find the perfect locations for them. We would find one location and be like, ‘Okay, well the original idea wouldn’t fit here. Let’s create something new.’ But then that would fall through,” Cappello said. “And finally at that last one, we were like, ‘You know what, maybe we’re approaching it wrong, or maybe it’s not the right time. Maybe we should look in a different city.’ So we kind of pulled back from it.”

Then they got the call about a spot at 1017 S. 1st St. next to the Arts Factory. 

“We never really imagined we’d be in such a good part of the Arts District,” Capello said. “There’s no cocktail bars out here that offer the cocktail program that we search for when we go to, like New York and Mexico City and San Diego and places like that.” 

Roots

While not intentionally but by destiny, much of the team behind Nocturno ended up being Latino.

Capello’s mom and Flores’ parents are from Mexico, and Lopez was born in Medellín, Colombia — his family moved to Las Vegas when he was a young child. 

“It’s like an accident. We’re not doing it on purpose, but everybody that we’re working with is Latino. So like our branding team is from Mexico City, our design team is a Latino husband and wife,” Capello said. “It just kind of kept falling into that and we’re like, ‘Oh, that’s really cool. That it’s just happening. We’re not like making it happen.’ And now we’ve built a little community.”

Lopez said he brings Colombia’s hospitality to his work — where a bar or restaurant feels “like you’re at home.”

“When somebody that’s Colombian sits at the bar, I do have a bottle of Aguardiente sitting in the back over there — to just add a little splash,” Lopez said. “I think that that’s very common in Latin America to be able to have hospitality as the main product rather than the food or the beverage, but making people feel like everything’s just a vehicle to how they can feel.”

The menu at Nocturno offers a list of cocktails ranging from citrusy to refreshing and even dessert; they also offer beer and nonalcoholic drinks. 

But the list goes on. The pictured drinks—created with juices and syrups made in house—are just the start. Past the first couple of pages, you’ll find a brief history of each drink and its possible variations — the choices are endless.

“With a really expansive menu we’re able to really deep dive into different palates and kind of pinpoint what people might enjoy that night. So that’s our style and the environment that we want to curate,” Lopez said. “You can have a different experience with each drink … You could order from a menu, but I think when someone asks you questions and leads you to the right cocktail, it’s a little bit more special.”

To Lopez, spaces like Nocturno are not just buildings—they are meant to enrich the community. 

“We’re creatures of community and I think as a species, we grow in those environments and any spaces that add value that tend to thrive. With Nocturno we want to continue developing spaces that add value to the communities, especially in the Arts District,” Lopez said. “Growing up here, I love this little strip of bars and restaurants and stores and being able to be here in such a cool community. And a community that’s been so warm and welcoming to us.”