Fun Vegas Restaurant

January 14, 2008 7:37 PM

Need help finding a fun restaurant in Las Vegas, preferably off the strip.

I’m meeting for a family reunion in Las Vegas and am looking for a fun restaurant to take a group of 10 to 12 people. Ages of the group range from 16 to 80. We have made numerous trips to Vegas before, so we might be out of new places to try.

I’m looking for something like Batista’s Hole in the Wall, Buca di Beppo or the Hofbrahaus. I’d really prefer it to be somewhere off the strip but near the strip is fine. Something with a fun atmosphere where we would feel comfortable staying a while.

Hope you can help. Thanks!

posted by GregWithLime to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

I Love Sushi in Henderson? Very tasty indeed.
posted by Madamina at 8:03 PM on January 14, 2008

Macayo's Mexican Restaurant has been a family favorite since the 80s, when we we lived in Vegas for a few years. It's a little chainy, but they've got tasty food, and a fun but relaxed atmosphere off the strip. It's been a couple of years since I've been back, so locals may have better advice, but it might be worth a shot if you haven't been before.
posted by KatlaDragon at 9:15 PM on January 14, 2008

I hear the Vegas location for Hash House A Go Go (a local San Diego favorite) is pretty damn good.
posted by miss lynnster at 10:34 PM on January 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

I see you're not getting a lot of answers, so I'll tell you mine - it may or may not fit the bill. When we went to Quark's Bar & Restaurant for my daughter's 21st birthday we nearly died laughing. Cheesy in a good way, great drinks - to the point where I don't really remember the food. Definitely a fun atmosphere and we were there most of the night. Good luck!
posted by Space Kitty at 10:37 PM on January 14, 2008

Vaguely similar to Bucca de Beppo is Lawry's Prime Rib. It's festive without being silly, and the food certainly holds up. It's a bit old-fashioned, with the server uniforms and the enormous prime rib carts, but I think it only gets TOO into itself around Christmas.

Quarks is a great time. The food isn't spectacular, but it's often been described as "surprisingly good".
posted by Doctor Suarez at 6:15 AM on January 15, 2008

Macayo's is a great idea, especially if you like margaritas -- they have fun & ridiculous ceramic margarita glasses you can get.

Next to Macayo's on Tropicana is Metro Pizza, another long-time Vegas favorite. They have the best stuffed crust smothered pizza I've ever had.

Both of these are off the strip, but not far, so it'll be easy to get there.

Johnny Mac's is in Henderson, so it's a bit of a drive, but they have excellent, as in famous, hot wings. The suicide sauce is to die for. It's a sports bar, so it might work if you like that sort of boisterous, dark, beery sports-bar atmosphere.
posted by vorfeed at 8:47 AM on January 15, 2008

Metro Pizza and Hash House A Go Go are both great. My sister had her birthday dinner at Firefly and it was great as well. A little more of a bar atmosphere than the others, if that's what you're looking for.

I'd say Hash House, though. The food is excellent and it'll work really well for the entire age range.
posted by atomly at 8:59 AM on January 15, 2008

Excellent ideas, thanks! I'm going to look into them. If anyone has any other suggestions, pelase add them to this thread.
posted by GregWithLime at 2:58 PM on January 15, 2008

For future reference, I wanted to add information to this thread regarding the restaurants we did visit. One of the places we went was Maggiano's. It reminds you of Buca but I felt the quality of food at Maggiano's was better.

Their version of family style is pretty cool. You pick two appetizers, two salads, two meat dishes, two pasta dishes, two side dishes and two desserts. You pay a flat fee per-person and they bring you as much as you want of all the items. Basically, you get your own custom buffet. The meal is delievered slowly. Be ready to spend more than two hours there. Everyone in our group really liked the food and the experience.

We also tried Metro Pizza. We ordered to go so I can't comment on the restaurant. The pizza was OK. It has a solid non-chain crust. The cheese, sauce and toppings were good but not spectacular.

Lastly, if you are a runner and like to get away from the strip as I do for your runs, I want to share with you a very nice paved trail I found in Henderson. The trail is quiet, peaceful and follows an arroyo. It twists through parks and subdivisions. Fellow runners are friendly but crowded at all. The trail is about 4.5 miles long, each way. You can get on it by taking the 215 to Eastern. Go north and take the first right on Pebble. One block further is a park where you can park. Take the trail north-east along the arroyo from there.
posted by GregWithLime at 7:21 PM on February 19, 2008