Ellis Island Cafe

Hands down the worst food around. I mean if ur starved and need to eat I get it but other then that, the food and service is horrible!!! Its like a truck stop or something. The food is as if they threw it in the microwave! The service ohhh the service… Our server was Cindy. I told her that my potatoes were cold. She said, OK well I have to take someone’s order 1^st. I’m like what!!! I’m in the hospitality indrusty and from the food to the service I will never ever come back here again. When I told Cindy that they might want to do something about the potatoes she then said yeah I don’t like them either! So Waite if you won’t eat them why the heck are you recommending the food! Listen I take my food seriously. I mean look the lady Cindy seems like she might be nice outside of work just not feeling the service and how things were handled

For unbeatable prices and very good food, this vintage «Old School Vegas» establishment doesn’t disappoint. We discovered Ellis Island two years ago by word of mouth. And after the previous day’s food poisoning fiasco at IHOP, we were ready to eat again.
My son and I came seeking orders of the $ 6.99 Southern Fried Chicken; 4 pieces with sides of Steak Fries and Cole Slaw. That’s half a chicken. Delicious fried chicken as well as the fries and coleslaw. I gave my wife the wing and she enjoyed it as well. Jackie ordered a Vegetable Omelette with Breakfast Potatoes and Toast. And unlike her IHOP omelette, this one was fresh, tasty and satisfying. 3 happy diners all around.

It is all about the steak special here! The service is slow, but their microbrews are good (especially Hefeweizen and stout).
Anyway if you are new to their players club and play $ 5 win or lose you get the deal for $ 7.99. If you don’t want to play you can just join the club and print off a $ 9.99 steak deal.
The steak is really quite good. About an 8 oz sirloin. Not a bit of gristle or fat on it unlike many steaks. It was cooked perfectly with a huge plate of garlicky green beans (which I don’t eat but my friends liked). And it comes with baked potato and green beans! And their microbrew 20 oz beer are like $ 2.25. Amazing deal and good food!

One of the best kept secret’s in all of Las Vegas! The dinner steak is huge and always perfectly cooked! Baked potato salad and green beans are amazing! Breakfast steak and eggs are also a treat! They even make poached eggs to perfection!
I cannot complete my review without mentioning the greatest addition to this café! Suzy is friendly, energetic and goes out of her way to make your experience amazing! Her manager Wendy also appreciate her hard work!
Microbrew is cheap and delicious!

A prime rib dinner with a salad or soup and two sides for only $ 14.99?!? Count me in! I was surprised to arrive with a 45 minute wait on a Saturday night since this was not exactly the prettiest place in town. It’s a café with a lot of casually dressed, possibly older crowd.
While not on par with Mastro’s, Ruth’s Chris, or Morton’s by any means, for this price point, I would say the prime rib was pretty damn good and tender too. They said it was only 12 oz, but I’ve worked at a steakhouse and it looked more like 16 oz to me. It was a big cut of prime rib for sure! If you’re super hungry they have a double cut of 24 oz for $ 26.99! It comes with your choice of salad or soup, sauteed garlic green beans, and a baked potato, fries, or mashed potatoes. I opted for double green beans. I was so full from this meal I could barely eat the next day. My brother got a steak and eggs for only $ 10.49 which is also good, and the rest of our party got the prime rib dinner and could barely finish, so being the garbage disposal that I am, ate part of their steak. I definitely hit my protein macros for the day! Katie, our server, was super quick and on top of it, knowing that we were on a time constraint and was unaware the wait would be so long. She was incredible, so I’m not sure what these other people ragging on the service was talking about. Everything came out in a timely manner. The bill came out to $ 60 with tax.
Not the best ambiance, and it’s in an old, unassuming casino behind the strip, but if you’re looking for some good, cheap steak, this is THE place to hit up!

$ 15 prime rib meal is my favorite ! Nice, thick, and juicy! I always come back and bring new people here and they all enjoy it

Truly deserved 5 stars. Open 24 hours!
Ordered the $ 6 steak and eggs and was completely blown away by how good it was. It also came with house potatoes and bread.
I was expecting a cheap average steak, but the steak was huge and it was delicious! This is definitely a must go after a long night in Vegas!

Great great food and service! Hidden gem, worth the trip. You won’t be disappointed.
Not to mention that it is ²⁴⁄₇ and the beer is delicious (and cheap!).

$ 9.99 steak special. You must have a players card and play at least $ 5 in a slot. Go back to the kiosk, slide your card and select promotions. Select the steak special and it’ll spit out your voucher. That’s it. Very good 10oz filet. Mine was butterflied to facilitate cooking to medium well.

Heads up, this spot is popular and always has a wait. I mean always. Like even at 2AM you’ll be told something absurd like 45 minutes. Call ahead or go to their website, there’s a way to hold your spot in line ahead of time.
But the reason this spot is always busy is their low prices, huge portions, and good food. It’s not high-​end dining but they put out good prime rib ($ 15) and Southern specials like chicken fried steak or chicken ($ 10?), both of which come with an awesome white gravy. Most meals come with a potato/​rice and soup or salad, and you’ll get filled up.
Other menu options include burgers, sandwiches, and daily dinner specials (meatloaf, pot roast, etc). The small special shrimp cocktail ($ 4) and French Onion Soup ($ 5) are decent add ons if that somehow isn’t enough food for you.
NOTE: You cannot order their chicken and ribs here, you must go to their separate BBQ restaurant space around the corner. Whichever one you go to, make sure you get a root beer!

The best prime rib anywhere I want it rare they cook it rare.
So juicy and i think it is about 1lb for $ 14.99 and fresh brew and light larger is only $ 2.50!
You can not beat this price and taste anywhere!!!

Another hidden gem! Balling on a budget.
It was a Tuesday night on my anniversary and my boyfriend and I wanted to do something fun/​different but not spend a ton of money. If you know us we like alcohol, occasional gambling and local deals.
I could not believe there was a 40 minute wait at 11pm at night to eat at this little ol restaurant at Ellis island. My boyfriend raved about it and I could see others thought the same.
We sat down and got the steaks. Honey got steak and eggs. I got steak, potato and greens. Both came with a salad. The blue cheese was super tasty. Dressing came on the side which is good for those picky people. I love mine drenched and it was enough to do so. They were amazing portions. I couldn’t even finish my food. The best part was the service. Our waiter was an older man with a Russian accent? I don’t know but damn was he fast. Whipped in to take our order. Whipped out. I swear I could have blinked and our drinks were refilled. It was the best. I cannot explain how amazing the food, service and ambiance was. Now I’m NOT talking romantic, quiet, dimmed. I’m talking every individual in the place was chowing down and laughing. It was a good time and that’s where I want to be! Another positive point was price. Food is ridiculously cheap, I don’t even see how they can make a profit. Our bill came to Less than 20 bucks with two salads and two entrees. Whew! The rest of our money then was able to be spent on booze and gambling. Score! It gets old going to super classy restaurants where I have to
Get all dressed up in a dress I can’t breathin and heels I can’t walk in year after year. This was a perfect change. Best anniversary yet haha.

I’m a fan now. Ellis Island home of cheap craft beer and diverse crowd. The café has some decent food specials like burgers, sandwiches and thick cuts of prime rib. Local prices right off the strip where for the same food you will pay twice as much on LVB. The portions are filling and priced fairly.
This visit I had the Philly steak sandwich which came out quickly even with a full dining room. Thick chucks of steak, green pepper and onion topped with gooey melted provolone a meal like this will most definitely sober you up. Expect a wait because this place can get busy but it’s well worth it. I did not see one unsatisfied customer. I will be back often.

Food was average and service was SLOW.
Came here for dinner on a Saturday. We were told the wait would be 45min — they asked for our phone # and said they would text us when we were up. Fortunately, the wait was only about 20min. BUT, this inaccurate time estimate might NOT be ideal for those who wander off to gamble in the casino while they wait.
After we were seated, it took FOREVER for the waiter (an older man) to come to our table and take our orders. Just waiting for the water probably took around 15min. Our food took around 45min since ordering to arrive!
I got the Penne Al Forno (~$ 9), a pasta with tomato cream sauce & lots of cheese. It was a small sized portion that was satisfying but I definitely could have eaten more. Taste-​wise, it was good but not amazing. Definitely not something I would seek out or return to eat. Also, it came with a choice of salad or soup, but I got the salad which was just bits of lettuce and croutons.
My friends got the Fish and Chips & Prime Rib, which they both liked.
Overall, this place is an ok place to eat some all American comfort food. But expect to wait wait WAIT.

My boyfriend and I came here for a late lunch before heading back home. I did read a few reviews that mentioned the wait even though more than half of the dining room is open, and that’s exactly what happened to us yet i was still surprised. Okay. No big deal, not enough staff to have a full house. I can understand. They text you when your table is ready so that makes up for it — you can roam a little, gamble a little (which is probably what they want you to do during the wait.), and grab free drinks
Anyway, we waited about half an hour which went by pretty fast.
I do wish they had a drink menu but there’s an open bar and they have craft beer at $ 2.50 a glass! It’s on their chalkboard walls but it’s not always so convenient looking for it.
My boyfriend and I wanted to try both the chicken fried steak and the prime rib so we shared the two dishes. He started with their soup (which is delicious btw) and I just had a salad. We chose fries and mashed potatoes as our sides. Being a potato lover, I was disappointed. Neither of it was freshly made and the mashed potatoes were kind of hard/​tasted old. The chicken fried steak was really salty, and that’s what got me to eat the fries. My boyfriend really likes it tho! I haven’t had prime rib anywhere else so I can’t compare but I quite enjoyed it here. We left STUFFED with plenty of leftovers for like $ 30!
We originally heard about this place for their steak and eggs specials and were unclear on the details so we made sure to ask our waitress before leaving. They do still have the $ 6.99 special and it runs from 11pm to 11am (extended to 2pm on weekends i believe).
Our waitress was really nice and friendly!

Oh yeah! Been here a handful of times and it keeps making it back on the list of breakfast/​brunch destinations. Just can’t beat good ol tasty diner breakfast. Not your typical diner though, they do it right! Perfect for the Vegas morning recovery meal.
I normally opt for the corned beef hash. They make it crispy which just takes the hash to the next level.
Another favorite is the chicken fried steak. Juicy and crispy all at the same time. Wonderful!
This time I tried something new. The chicken fried chicken. Basically just like the chicken fried steak but with chicken. Wow! Same juicy result, different meat. Loved it. Of course anything greasy probably tastes good after a night of drinking, games, and whatever, but this place is now permanently etched in as the default for breakfast. Do it!

Unilocaling is about sharing cool places. I am writing this review to share a cool restaurant in the shadow of the Las Vegas Strip that charges old school prices for good food. It is the Ellis Island Café in the Ellis Island Casino.
Sometimes I wonder if they call Las Vegas Boulevard the Strip because the inflated prices of the restaurants strip your wallet. Maybe I am exaggerating but the prices are high. Take the Nathan’s in the Bally’s food court. A fast food hot dog, medium drink, and fries is around $ 17. A block east of the Bally’s food court Nathan’s is the Ellis Island Café where you can have a chicken parmesain with pasta and marinara sauce dinner including cup of soup or salad plus beverage for less than $ 15. This was the kind of deal I appreciate when I am on the Las Vegas Strip.
Ellis Island Café is one of those restaurants where locals and tourists mingle. It really is a short walk along the south sidewalk of Flamingo Road from the Bally’s food court doors into the Ellis Island doors. The upshot is there are a sundry of tourists sharing the full service café with the locals. Being a local, the restaurant is familiar. Ellis Island Café is the flagship of the Village Pub chain that is a popular restaurant /​casino lounge chain across the valley. Although I was dining in the shadow of the Las Vegas Strip, I was truly in a Village Pub.
There were two omens that Ellis Island Café is a great deal. The first omen is «People love us on Unilocal» and the second omen is the hour wait. Upon placing my name, the friendly woman at the podium informed me that there was an hour wait when she presented me with a beeper. I was free to roam the smoky casino or enjoy an Ellis Island draft beer at the bar. After tiring of walking the second hand smoke clogged casino, I took to waiting on one of the comfortable plush benches in the dimly lit restaurant.
If I wasn’t decided on the chicken parmesain, there was so many choices to choose from. If it were any day instead of Saturday, there was a weekday special. And this was one major difference from the Village Pub. I recall the Village Pub offering a prime rib special on Saturday. Then again I could of opted for a steak special or several deals on the sprawling menu that I am sure included prime rib. Then again I could of ordered the delicious fish and chips, shrimp, or meatloaf that I have enjoyed at previous Village Pub visits.
Subsequential to the buzzer illuminating, I sat at a table in the dimly illuminated dining area. The waiter took my order. The waiter was a nice guy who volunteerily charged me for a coffee in lieu of a Coke to lower my check; however I would have liked to seen more of him. After placing the chicken parmesain on the table, if I’d seen him again I would have kindly asked for grated cheese because it does make pasta taste better. And I’d ask for a soda refill. From all my Village Pub there is usually a flaw with service. It reminds me of a Diner serving decent food at a reasonable price with a quirk in service.
For $ 9.99 off the Las Vegas Strip the food was a jackpot. We are talking chicken parmesain with pasta and soup for $ 9.99 that is a 777 a roll of the dice from the crossroads of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road. This time I had a cup of cream of broccoli soup. Tasty and good! Last time I had salad with ranch dressing. Good! Both times the chicken parmesain topped with that melting cheese and delectable sauce complimented by pasta was satisfying and filling.
Just a roll of the dice away from Bally’s value lives on at the Ellis Island Café. Thank you for taking the time to read this review. It’s been a pleasure to share with you on Unilocal the outstanding deals that Ellis Island Café offers in the shadow of the Las Vegas Strip.

The night before, we asked our Über driver to take us to the best Steak & Eggs restaurant (thinking he would take us to the famous Marilyn’s Café in Tuscany) but he said Ellis Island! Due to that, I dragged my girlfriends the following night to try out Ellis Island.
Steak & Eggs $ 12.99, served with Potatoes & Toast — I order my steak to be medium & to my dismay, it was bloody! It was tender but the idea of eating more of it made my skin curl so I just ate the sides which were less bloody…

My boyfriend and I were exhausted on our last day in Vegas and I was getting HANGRY. Everywhere that sounded good was too far and my poor feet were too tired. As we sat at Paris trying to decide where to eat, my boyfriend found this place on Unilocal and said that prime rib sounded good. I had actually bookmarked this place previously for their steak and eggs — so off we went!
This place is off the strip, but literally just the street behind Paris/​Bally. Not too far at all. As we were walking other pedestrians were headed that way as well. The area definitely looked a little sketchy, so I probably wouldn’t walk there too late at night. It was around 5pm so still plenty of sun.
The place is pretty small for a «casino» — the parking lot is in the front — but we were there just to eat anyway. The restaurant is straight back and to the left when you enter.
The restaurant was busy! I took this as a good sign. Seems like a lot of locals, but also people who discovered this place from Unilocal.We decided to share the prime rib special which came with a salad, prime rib, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a pint of beer. We don’t drink so we asked our waiter if we could substitute it for something else — she said root beer — which we don’t like either. She said «that’s the special — take it or leave it» so we just opted out. Would’ve been nice if we could just have Sprite or Coke, but oh well. Still a fair deal. The menu said to «ask your server about the double cut» so we ended up getting that. And BOY did we f— up hahahah.
So as we’re waiting for our food, the table next to us gets theirs. The gentleman gets a HUGE slice of prime rib, and we’re thinking — «that must be the double cut.» Then the waiter comes over and says, «see, that’s the regular size.» OHH. if we had known the regular was THAT big, we wouldn’t of got the double cut. Hahah oh well — when in Vegas…
The salad was a standard green salad and we got ranch. Lettuce was clean and cold, croutons were crunchy — what else can you ask for.
When the prime rib came it WAS huge and every one stared at us lmao. After we took the necessary Unilocal/​Instagram pictures, we dove in! The meat was juicy and flavorful — I expect if we got the regular size it would’ve been more tender, but it was still good! Mashed potatoes and gravy were tasty and green beans were good. They were fresh green beans too, not the weird grey canned kind.
Overall, very funny experience and tasty. I would return because everything is priced very reasonably and it’s only a short distance from the strip! If you’re looking for a local spot, try this!

4 ½ stars. Arrived for breakfast on a weekday morning. Parking was directly located in front of the casino and I was seated immediately. I was greeted by my older Eastern block waitress who took my beverage order.
I went with the steak and egg breakfast which was priced at a locals rate. The steak was cooked perfectly and was generously sized, tender and included potatoes, toast and two eggs.
For the price of a breakfast sammie and latte at Starbucks I received a full sit down breakfast with a hot tea. What a score! Heck yeah I’ll be returning. BTW complimentary wifi is offered here too

We had a great meal for a reasonable price. The place was not fancy, it looked like a vintage casino and an american dinner. Food was very good, we ate meat and chicken with fries and mashed potatoes.
Walking distance from the strip.