As young adults, my friends and I would often meet for dinner at a casino on Boulder Highway, somewhere between Sam’s Town and Henderson, where the nightly dinner special for prime rib was $4.99.
Dinner came with dinner roll (an important tool used to sop up au jus), green beans, and some form of potato. Add an extra two dollars and you received a bowl of vegetable beef soup, made with yesterday’s prime rib.
We took full advantage of the cheap food specials which used to exist all over town. Sadly, that was twenty years ago and those specials are virtually nonexistent. I dunno about you, but I’d be wary of $4.99 prime rib these days anyhow.
Somehow prime rib became a Las Vegas staple food, as you can find it nearly everywhere around the city from as far back as I can recall. Prime rib is one of my favorite cuts of beef. I love to saturate prime rib with au jus, then slather it with creamy horseradish and fresh cracked black pepper before I devour it.
During my time in Vegas, I’ve dined on prime rib at many eateries and have a select few to share with you based on my own great experiences. No matter how you enjoy prime rib, the restaurants listed here will certainly provide you with tasty tales to tell your friends.
1. Market Street Cafe at the California Hotel & Casino
If you are looking for the best “value for the dollar” prime rib special in Vegas, it can be found downtown on Ogden street at the Cal.
Never been to the California? Lots of folks seem to pass up the opportunity to visit this awesome little joint one street north of the famous Fremont Street Experience. Market Street cafe is on the bottom floor by the escalators.
Between 3 pm and 6 pm, $9.99 gets you an 8 to 10 oz cut of prime rib, endless salad bar (the broccoli salad is yummy), and dessert (a warm cherry compote, a scoop of ice cream and a triangle-shaped cookie).
The menu price for the same prime rib dinner is $11.99, so don’t despair if you arrive outside of the three-hour window. Also worth mentioning is their famous oxtail soup, which is served nightly from 11 pm to 8 am.
2. Golden Steer
If you would like to experience classic Las Vegas-style, service, and class, then consider adding the Golden Steer steakhouse to your must-do list. It’s been nearly twenty years ago since my first visit and I can still taste every tender and savory morsel of the Diamond Jim cut of prime rib that I tackled that evening.
Located about one block west of the Sahara Hotel & Casino on Sahara blvd, the Golden Steer is in the same spot where it opened in 1958. This is Las Vegas’ oldest steak house – genuine vintage!!
The staff wears sport coats and slacks, but the dress code for guests is casual. Perhaps you’ll be seated at Wayne Newton’s table, or maybe Sammy Davis Jr.’s…even Frank Sinatra and Elvis have booths here because they, like many other celebrities, have been regular customers over the years. Enjoy a glass of wine while you marvel at the timeless decor.
Order the house Caesar salad! Your server will prepare the dressing from scratch and prepare your salad tableside. Once you have finished with that amazing prime-aged beef, have your server come back tableside to flambee up their house specialty bananas foster. You just had dinner and two shows!!
Locals bring their friends and families because the Golden Steer is a stellar place to celebrate anything. I go because the prime rib is addicting!
3. Bob Taylor’s Original Ranch House
Have you ever had smoked prime rib? Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? Bob Taylor’s has been around since 1955 and is known for mesquite wood-smoked steaks, seafood, and prime rib.
The Ranch House is located 11 miles northwest of the downtown area. Back in the day, 11 miles was a long drive for dinner, but the Ranch House Supper Club (as it was originally named) was the premier steakhouse and restaurant back then. Elvis Presley and Ann Margaret can be seen shooting clay targets on the restaurant property in the movie Viva Las Vegas.
There is a lot of rich history involved with this steakhouse. The city has now grown around the restaurant, but the stained hardwood and the stone and “Old Western” antiques and memorabilia can still be found throughout the interior. For being more than 60 years old, the place is immaculately clean.
Their Monday prime rib special is $1.25 per ounce ala carte ($15 for a 12-ounce cut) otherwise the normal price starts at $28 for the complete meal. Let me tell you that smoked prime rib is a game-changer, and you will want to visit the Original Ranch House if you haven’t already.
Locals love this restaurant as it provides an excellent environment for family get-togethers, as well as romantic dinners for two. Also worth mentioning are the sauteed chicken livers. What is that you ask? Lightly breaded, fried, then sauteed in butter, onions, and their marsala wine sauce. They are “melt in your mouth” tender and had the same smokiness as the prime rib.
The service here is fantastic. During my last visit, our server confessed that she had been working at the ranch house for 11 years and there was very little turnover. There are so many reasons to love this piece of Las Vegas history. Go experience it for yourself!
4. The Steak House at the Circus Circus Hotel & Casino
When you think Circus Circus, you tend to think of the older, slightly run-down property on the north edge of the Las Vegas Strip. The giant weathered clown sign out front might scare a few people away, but it’s one of the most family-friendly tourist spots in all of Las Vegas.
Nestled inside the casino is a classic Las Vegas gem that was voted the best steakhouse in Las Vegas for more than 20 years. As you walk inside the dimly lit hallway, you will see many awards and accolades which they have received over the years. To the left, you may notice a room encased in glass where all of the dry-aged meats are tagged and on display for you to drool over before being seated.
There are two options for prime rib available on the menu. The petite cut for $58 or the bone-in cut for $69. Included with dinner is a choice of black bean soup or house salad, and baked potato, garlic mashed potatoes or a wild rice blend. For an extra $6, you may upgrade to french onion soup or one of their specialty salads.
The steakhouse wedge is awesome! The service is stellar at the Steak House. Ron has been managing the restaurant since 1985 and will stop by your table to ensure you are having a great experience. There are more than 200 restaurants, steak houses, and eateries offering prime rib throughout the Las Vegas area.
The four restaurants mentioned above are, in my opinion, the best spots for prime rib that I have enjoyed in this city that I call home. Do you have an awesome prime rib experience to share? Please tell us all about it in the comments section below! Thanks for reading 🙂 Toodles!
Shaun Marcus leads the Downtown Delights Foodie Tour which takes participants to visit local favorite spots in downtown Las Vegas.
Try out some of the city’s local eats from the smaller, off-the-beaten-path venues that most tourists walk right on by. Combined with attractions and tidbits of history, this casual, walking food tour is a great way to discover “the original” Las Vegas.
