Cafe Cortez

This café had some great food. I enjoyed every meal here and am sad it has closed. The service wasnt always up to par, but the food always left me satisfied in every way.

I’ve stayed at El Cortez a few times and they always give me a coupon for $ 5 dining. They used to have a $ 5 burger and beer special at Café Cortez but now it’s $ 6. Still a decent deal.
Customer service is nonexistent here, but this is old Vegas diner vibe so that’s expected. Today when I walked in they started rattling off everything they were out of, almost like they didn’t want me to come in.
Food is nothing special, but it fits the need for cheap diner food. As long as they keep giving me $ 5 dining vouchers, I’ll keep eating here.

Too bad they do not allow half star rating’s on Unilocal.I have had both good and bad experiences at the Café Cortez. Occasionally it is hit or miss for service sometimes at this casino café, but the food is decent quality and comes out within a reasonable time from the kitchen. Sandwiches are a decent portion and priced fairly.
One of my go to meals for a quick late night booze soaking meals is the «Jackie Special». This is a Quarter Pound burger served with chips pickle and draft beer. This special runs all day and night. My only issue is that I am trying to sober up and they go and serve me another beer. My fault, not theirs I guess.
The burger was named after the former owner of this classic Las Vegas institution of gaming inside the El Cortez. Jackie Gaughan was the former operator of the El Cortez who has the honor of this namesake burger special.
Check out the El Cortez Café when you are in the area. They also have other daily specials throughout the week such as fish n chips and Prime Rib.

My mom was looking for a place for prime rib, and this place had a prime rib special for $ 10.95 so we were starving so we ate here. I had the NY strip w/​baked potato, veggies, and salad. I enjoyed it, cost around $ 16. Everyone enjoyed their meals, although mom said her prime rib was overcooked and wasn’t thrilled with it. I would definitely come back here next time in downtown.

Diner quality food at diner prices. Not the kind of place you plan your evening around but if you’re Downtown and looking for a quick sit-​down meal that’s a step above fast food and won’t put a dent into your drinking/​gambling budget then Café Cortez is the place to go!
Been here a few times and usually get the $ 10.95 Prime Rib Special. It’s not on the menu you just have to ask for it (same as the $ 6 burger and beer special.) It’s easy to overcook a prime rib, and they usually do, so be sure to ask for it rare!

Biggest disappointment EVER!!! ordered the fried chicken asked for all dark meat (waiters name was desory) he said ok once bringing all the plates of food except the fried chicken plate he tells me if I get all dark meat I can only have one leg and they don’t have thighs I then asked how are you going to bring everyone else’s food and then ask me if I want the one chicken leg or something else he then said it only takes ten seconds to cook the chicken I then asked if the chicken was pretty made he said well if it was fresh it would take an hour to cook I said bull I’m a cook there is no way it takes an hour to fry chicken he should have brought that to my attention long before he brought my friends their food and should have never lied about how long it takes to fry chicken

Random choice on a random night, but they are open 24 hours. The service is not great, but the food was good quality. I ordered the prime rib, which was excellent. They seemed to have a good selection. I will definitely come back.

First time this year! No more daily specials!
Completely new menu! Very limited! Most items left on the menu is now priced 2 to 3 dollars more. First impression of the new menu is eggs and burgers. As a local for convenience I used to go there 2 to 3 times per week!
They used to have Swiss steak on Monday it was good. No longer!
When I arrived, the cashier yelled for me to sit where I wanted. After 10 minutes I finally got a menu, and ordered a patty melt medium rare and coffee with cream.
A busser brought me the coffee but forgot to bring the cup. Finally got the cup then had to send her back for the cream.
Server brought the patty melt which was just south of being cremated! Then they had a power failure! This is getting to be the norm there! Last year I was there for several. When that happens it takes about 45 minutes to an hour for the kitchen to get back up to speed.
Like the new very limited menu so will be my visits back!

My single meal here started off well with a Shrimp Cocktail composed of very good plump and large shrimps, followed by a bowl of excellent Matzo Ball Soup filled with lots of chicken. In fact, the soup was more like an entrée than an opener. An Iceberg Wedge was also of superior quality with creamy and rich Bleu Cheese Dressing adorning the edible green edifice. Fries were also good.
But after this fine buildup, alas my entrée of Chopped Steak that was suitably covered in onions, and accompanied on the plate by good Mashed Potatoes along with lip-​smackin’ tasty Brown Gravy in a small dish, arrived cooked medium well rather than medium rare as ordered. And if the entrée is subpar the whole experience is brought down a peg, as occurred on this night.
A better cooked entrée or perhaps a different choice of entrée could have sustained the momentum begun with the promising initial courses. So I will give Café Cortez another chance.

Cortez café at the El Cortez is good a good bang for your buck. Ate breakfast there. Bacon was crispy as requested and their whole wheat toast top notch. The forgotten fruit plate grand.

Stayed at El Cortez and ended up eating here a few times. They have a special for a burger and beer for $ 5. Yes, thank you! The burger was a huge ½ pound and was great! The breakfast I had was also very good and the biscuits and gravy were yummy! I did seem to get forgotten for breakfast and had to get up and walk to the register to get my bill. The ladies said that my waitress had to cover another shit, no prob, just let me know. But the $ 5 burger and beer are like the good old days in Vegas, cant beat it!

We’ve eaten here many times — usually for the $ 5.00 burger/​chips/​beer special.
The burger is great, and if you like dark beer, the EXCELLENT Tenaya Creek (TC) is worth the $ 5 by itself! Unfortunately TC is not always available and then you are stuck with a sucky domestic beer like Coors Lite.
The service is always a crap shoot — leaning more towards the crappy side. Expect to wait a long time for your food and a wait staff that is over-​worked and burned out.
Tip: If you are planning to go there, call first, as our waitress last month said they will be shutting down to make way for the new restaurant that is also replacing the Flame Steakhouse

I sure miss the good old days of when it used to be Careful Kitty’s café years ago. In this case it seems that all good things must come to an end.
A friend of mine had a free night with dining comps at the El Cortez so we had a stay-​cation for the night. We gambled and had drinks so we decided at 1am to stop in for some grub.
I was in the mood for breakfast so I ordered a Denver omelet, hashed browns and bagel w/​cream cheese. My guy ordered a chicken Caesar salad. His salad greens were limp and soggy and the chicken was that of what comes out of a container of lunch meat.
The service sucks, the staff is clearly burned out and make it clear that they are in no mood to be friendly.
The food is not good, I could have made the same food at my condo in my kitchen way better than what they presented as meals.
My omelet was dry and brown, hashed browns were soggy and my bagel was toasted to oblivion!
I will never make the mistake of eating here again, I don’t care how late it is or how convenient it is, it will NOT happen.
We only ate here because it was free using his free dining comps.
Café Cortez, you bent me over this time, however never again!

I want to keep this short and sweet. The only reason you would ever want to eat here is if you’re really damn hungry or you’re drunk and need to satisfy your munchies… The service is terrible, there is no team work, Co — workers pointing the finger at each other for lack of service… My advice, just don’t, there are alot of other places in down town that are better than this place.
Lol I even forgot that I was reviewing this place… that’s how bad it was.

We came here on a Friday night and ordered their specials
1. Burger and Beer, 5
— Extra cheese, 50c
2. Prime rib, 9.95
$ 19.
— A bit of a wait time to be seated. Expected for a Friday night.
— shallow whisper… strawsssss? huh? haha. uh, yes please.
— Reminds me of Grand Café but worse.
— Burger was good. Made medium not extra for grilled onions. Definitely get the cheese. Made it juicy.
— Choice of Tenaya Creek or Bud Light.
— Prime rib was chewy. Very similar to the taste of a Station Casino buffet. Decent enough to clean the plate after a few too many
— Fries were thin.
— Drunk? Come here for a cheap eat! Sober? Get inebriated then come back here to eat.

Everything is really good, but the burgers are exceptional. The fish and chips are excellent for the price, especially being in this neighborhood.
Breakfast is always timely and hot, and they do not seem to mind us being a little picky! I like my corned beef hash crispy on the edges, and it always comes out perfect when I order it as such. Eggs are always correct as well! That has been a hangup in other breakfast joints downtown, but not here.
I ordered a Rueben to go last week and it not only survived the transport but was sizable enough to feed me twice.
Overall, this is a great value. too bad they are closing this old school location in the coming months and combining with the old steakhouse location for a more modern concept. on the other hand, we can hope they carry over the best parts of both locations in the merge.

Slow service and the hostess wasn’t very nice. But the food was decent for a casino café. Burger special was 5 bucks and was pretty good for the price. You get a beer chips and a burger for 5 bucks.
The place is pretty busy and they don’t staff no where what the need, but I am sure it is a hit or miss business with the flow of the business. No harm no foul

Located inside of the El Cortez Hotel and Casino, Café Cortez is a good place for reasonably priced food late along East Fremont.
Obviously the only reason I’ll be here is cause I was partying downtown and was craving some prime rib. Passing the El Cortez it’s hard to avoid the advertisements for a prime rib that will only cost you about $ 10. It’s actually a pretty decent prime rib for the price, not amazing but satisfies the stomach like when I need to induldge in some super nachos at the end of a night of drinking. When ordering make sure you mention that you want the prime rib special for $ 10 cause if you don’t they’ll try to pull a fast one on you and charge $ 15 for it, which happened to a group of us once.
I’ve only had their prime rib but I’ve seen other’s order steak and eggs and some other dishes which were all about $ 10 and they were satisfied. They also advertise this $ 5 beer and burger special which sounds pretty good. I’ll need to take them up on the offer next time.

What does five bucks get you these days? The answer is: not very much. Perhaps a box of Girl Scout cookies or maybe a crappy watered-​down well drink at your grandpa’s favorite dive…
Well, I have some great news, my friends. Rather than throwing your last Lincoln on black and hoping for the best, save that last fiver and have that dead president treat you to a burger and a beer at Café Cortez. I cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle, in my eye. This is no lie, folks.
Is it a great burger? We don’t ask that question here. Instead we ask something like, is it a bad burger, or is it edible? Yes! Cooked well, served will all the standard fixin’s and delivered with a side of sass and guilt from an «overworked» waitress.
So the beer must be awful right? Nuh-​uh! You’ll be sippin’ in style when you wash that beef bomb down with an ice cold Tanaya Creek — one of Vegas’ finest craft brews.
Good on ya, Café Cortez.

$ 5 beer and a burger. Annnnd scene.
Seriously, that’s a hell of a deal. Sure, you’re going into a crappy, smokey, hole in the wall café where people are coming to die, but still…$ 5 beer and a burger. The burger wasn’t bad either! Wasn’t great, but was totally edible. The beer? Tanaya Creek. Again, not too shabby for my $ 5.
Would I come here for a casual meal? Nope. Would I enjoy this special again while having a few drinks on Fremont East? You bet your arse I will.