I made my first trip to Las Vegas when I was 22 and have now lived here for 8 years. I can honestly say in that 32-year time frame I have been to Ellis Island Casino twice and the second was just last week.
After my findings I will be stopping in more often. I had heard from several different people about how good the barbecue was. It was a Friday and I was in the mood for some ribs, but considering it was 110 outside I really didn’t feel like standing over a hot grill for hours. I figured what better time to try out Ellis Island than a day when it was too hot to cook for myself.
The Ellis Island BBQ is very simple, they have two items on the menu: barbecue chicken and barbecue ribs. I’ll admit I was quite skeptical about trying the barbecue but glad I did. You can get a full rack of ribs along with baked beans, corn on the cob, coleslaw and garlic bread for $16.99.
That price in itself is amazing but it gets better. If you are a Players Club member at the casino and have played that day you can get the meal for $14.99. You can do a half rack for $12.99 or $10.99 with the player’s card.
For $4 more it would be just silly not to get the full rack. When it comes to BBQ ribs I can be a little bit of a snob because I like making my own ribs at home, except when it’s scorching hot outside. Everything I had heard about the BBQ at Ellis Island was true. Spectacular.
You can get a half BBQ chicken with all the fixings for $12.99 or $10.99 with the card. If you can’t decide which way to go then make the sure bet and get the Combo, which gets you a half a rack of ribs, a half BBQ chicken and all the fixings for $12.99 or $10.99 with the card.
The restaurant doesn’t open till 4 p.m. and stays open till 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. All patrons must be 21 or over to dine in the restaurant. Also remember the chicken and ribs are slow cooked so once they run out they are out for the day.
Be sure to check out the Brewery, which has several of their own beers and their own old fashioned Root Beer. The other thing I found to be very popular at Ellis Island is the nightly karaoke, which attracts a lot of locals who just want to hang out and have fun.
The karaoke goes to 3 a.m. nightly, 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Kick back, have a few cold ones and belt out some tunes on stage or just have fun watching everyone else.
The food at Ellis Island BBQ was great. The portions were big and the service was good. They get your order out pretty quick given the menu is just chicken or ribs. I give Ellis Island BBQ a rating of 3.75 Forks.
You can find Marco at WagerTalk.com and by following him on twitter: @MarcoInVegas.