Jonathan L.
Yelp
Summary for the busy executive: Prices all over the map, pretty good diner food, good service, former 1950s cafe now turned generic.
My daughter wanted to go to a 1950s cafe, and we found this place through a Google search. We happened to be near the North Strip, so we decided to check it out.
Unfortunately, this is no longer a '50s cafe. This resort has been trying to improve its reputation and image, and so nearly everything has been renovated in its transformation from "The Statosphere" to "The Strat." (It really is overall a whole lot nicer than it was just a few years ago!) The checkered tiles are still on the floor, and the food is probably pretty much the same as when it was a nostalgia place. But the rest of the decor is generic, trying really hard to be cool, and failing (it appears that the designers shopped at IKEA). It doesn't work. The restaurant's recent redesign needs a total redesign.
The food retains vestiges of the old restaurant. Burgers, fries, blue plate specials, and the like. Everyone around us -- and I literally mean everyone -- had ordered the breakfast burrito. And it wasn't difficult to see why: the thing is HUGE, and definitely sharable. It looked delicious, and I was jealous.
We went for a burger, which was really expensive for a diner burger, and a bowl of chicken soup, which was huge and cheap. Both were delicious; we were in the mood for a greasy spoon, and we got food that hit the spot.
The service was excellent. It was all men working in the restaurant that day, and they were gentlemen without exception. They served us quickly, were warm and polite, and made us feel taken care of, despite the fact that the restaurant was packed on a Saturday at lunch. I can hardly speak more highly of the staff that day.
So: The atmosphere is bleh; I wish that they would return to the 1950s nostalgia approach. The food is exactly what you expect from a diner: nothing to write home about, but satisfying in an American comfort food sort of way. The servers were great, and working extremely hard for those Strip tourists. Prices are on the high side for what the restaurant is (though on the low side for the Strip), but the portions are large, and you can share or find some good deals like the big bowl of delicious chicken soup that I enjoyed. Not a bad place for lunch at the Strat(osphere).