The days of $1.99 buffets may be over, but there are still plenty of good greasy deals to be found in Las Vegas. Ellis Island Casino and Brewery is located just a few blocks off the strip, right on the corner of Flamingo and Koval Lane (the same intersection where Tupac was shot). It’s a small older casino that is popular with the Vegas locals. My main reason for stopping here was for the $6.99 steak special that is off the menu but widely known.
Looking over the menu, this place has some smokin deals: they have a wide menu and everything is reasonably priced, they serve breakfast 24/7, they have $2 draft 
beers and $3 mixed drinks… and of course the $6.99 steak special, which includes a 10 ounce steak, potato, vegetable, soup or salad, and a beer. I ordered the steak cooked medium, it was cooked perfectly and was tender and juicy. The potatoes were decent (the brown gravy was very good), and the green beans were… well, they were green beans. So what’s the problem?
Here’s the bad. The service is awful. No, it’s really AWFUL. You wait 30-40 minutes to get a table, even when it doesn’t seem that busy… you wait another 15
minutes for the server to take your drink order after you do finally get seated…. and then you wait another 20 minutes to get your check after you have finished your meal… hence the reason that the initial seating takes so long in the first place, everybody is waiting for their check! The only thing that didn’t take long was the food.
Oh yes, there’s more.
Saturday night is karaoke night. It’s god awful but to the point that it’s funny. I don’t know how many times Bonny Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart can be attempted during one karaoke night but apparently there is no limit. I think I’ve heard cats screeching with more harmony than the karaoke night at Ellis Island. Another thing I noticed about Ellis Island: it must be the hangout for the local derelicts of Las Vegas. It’s no big deal, derelicts have to eat and gamble too. I met an interesting Irish man at the bar there; I didn’t catch his name but I just called him Desmond. Desmond had lots of interesting stories about the potato famine of Ireland and how his parents would kill him if they knew he was living in Vegas and getting sauced every night. Nice fellow.
Hey, you get what you pay for!
Pros: $6.99 steak that is pretty good.
$2 drafts and $3 dollar mixed drinks.
Cons:Lousy service
God awful karaoke
eating among derelicts
Ellis Island Casino & Brewery
4178 Koval Lane
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 733-8901
http://www.ellisislandcasino.com
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