Where do you eat in Las Vegas?
Where do you NOT eat in Las Vegas?
We just came back from a little 3 day jaunt to Las Vegas. We stayed at the high end Bellagio,
which we could never afford. Three nights would have cost us a whopping $1,500 plus resort
fees and parking! God love people who can afford to pay that but that just isn’t us.
We did not eat at the Bellagio for a couple of reasons. The main reason was $17 for a bowl of tomato basil soup!!! Bellagio hosts restaurants like Spaggo’s by Wolfgang Puck. That would be fantastic had we budgeted for a splurge like that but since we didn’t we looked for places to eat on a budget.
Las Vegas is a plethora of not only sights and sounds but of tastes. There are a TON of places to eat. Every resort has no less than 3 restaurants. I will give you the don’ts first and not spend much time on them before I get to the best Irish restaurant in which I have had the pleasure of dining.
Our first night was spent down on Fremont Street, the heart of Old Vegas. All the marquees are still lit by thousands of individual bulbs and the street performers are everywhere! Everyone says Fremont is where you spend your money for food. You can still get the $11.99
buffet or, in our case, the $11.99 steak and lobster special. In the Fremont hotel is a restaurant called Tony Roma’s. It is a chain I have heard of but never tried. DON’T! At least don’t try this one. We both ordered the steak and lobster special, which we were told about by numerous people before our trip. The lobsters were cold and the steaks we ordered medium came out mostly medium rare and tough as boot leather. How do you get a medium rare steak that tough? We saw our waiter exactly twice; once when we ordered and once to take the money for the check. The hostess brought our drinks, a food runner brought the food, and we flagged down another server to bring us the check. Terrible terrible terrible service. To top if off, on our way out I explained to the manager what happened and her response was we were not the 1st people of the night to complain about the steaks being tough and we should have brought it to her attention before we paid our bill so she could have discounted it. Really? You are telling me you can’t process a refund? Sure, ok.
The other don’t came in Planet Hollywood. We had waited way too long to eat that evening and needed something pretty quick. Johnny Rockets was somewhere we had eaten before with a great 50’s diner vibe and decent burgers and shakes. It was directly across the street from the Belaggio so off we went. We get there and it is in the equivalent of a mall food court. The 50’s diner vibe was sadly lacking. $37 later we had 2 burgers, an order of fries, and 1 large drink, not even a shake! All was adequate but for that price, I could have eaten a
Gordon Ramsey burger! No joke, I looked at his menu. Never again will we do that.
You have to try these!
Our 2nd night involved taking a Lyft from our ritzy hotel to one of the surrounding RV parks
where my father-in-law had brought his camper from Iowa for a bowling tournament. Luckily for us, we had a local in our shared ride and the driver was quite knowledgeable about the
surrounding area. We relayed our horror story of Tony Roma’s and neither were surprised.
They both recommended for a great steak at an even better price we should stay in actual Las Vegas proper and go to a little dive casino called Ellis Island. This place looked like a bowling alley arcade complete with a concession stand. Then you are directed to a restaurant tucked in the back.
That restaurant gave you a steak, choice of potato, and salad for $11.99. If anyone at the table got a player’s card it went down to $9.99 for everyone. If you wanted another $2.00 off you could play $5 on your player’s card and get a printed coupon from the kiosk. My husband and I both got player’s cards, played $5 in a slot machine and paid $7.99 for a nice steak dinner, left full and ready to walk it all off. Ellis Island is nothing fancy but a very well done little local joint!
Now to the main event!
Nine fine Irishmen at New York New York is mouth watering! I ordered a simple shepherd's pie. It was served in a metal bucket to keep it warm no matter how long it might take you to get to the bottom. The gravy was a beer based mushroom and was chock full of ground beef, carrots, and onions. A yummy thick layer of potato and you have the choice to top it off with melty cheddar cheese or not. Why would anyone say not? The Irish cheese steak with potato salad was a hearty helping sure to keep you full while walking the strip.
Sitting on the patio is a dream. There are permanent umbrellas to protect you from the harsh Nevada sun, beautiful wrought iron detailing and even cute little green misters for when it really starts to heat up. Music from an xm station is piped in but not so loud you can’t hear the people you are dining with. It is the perfect place to eat and enjoy a beautiful view of the cobblestone sidewalk lined with trees. Great for people watching too, which is always entertaining in Las Vegas.
Address: 4178 Koval Ln, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: (702) 733-8901
Open 24 hours
Address: 3790 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: (866) 815-4365
Hours: Open for dinner at 4pm on Thurs & Friday
Open for lunch & dinner at 10am Sat & Sun
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