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A long-standing Las Vegas family tradition, the Bootlegger Bistro serves classic Italian fare around the clock, with breakfast served daily from 6 a.m.-11 p.m. and a "Night Owl" menu of graveyard specials from 11 p.m.-6 a.m. Features nightly live entertainment, including impromptu performances from veteran Las Vegas performers, and offers video poker at the bar. Located about 5 miles south of the Strip on Las Vegas Blvd. at the southern I-215 beltway. Dine in or take out.
Carry-Out: 702/736-7080
This restaurant was reviewed in the August 2003 LVA; some of the information contained in the review may no longer be accurate. You can get a good plate of pasta at the Bootlegger, but that’s not what sets this place apart. This is one of Las Vegas’ truly in night-spots—a place where showpeople from all over the city gather to relax, and sometimes jam. One of the Bootlegger’s proprietors is Nevada’s current lieutenant governor Lorraine Hunt, who sang professionally in Las Vegas lounges, and on any given night, the L-Gov is liable to get up and belt out a song or two. There’s live entertainment nightly except Tuesdays, but the hot nights are Fridays and Saturdays when Lorraine’s husband Blackie teams up with long-time comedian Sonny King for a show called “Off the Cuff.” Beginning at 9:30 pm, the two take the stage in the lounge and it’s a free-for-all from there, usually with showpeople in the audience getting up to take their turns at the mic till well past midnight. The Bootlegger serves food around the clock, with a discounted late-night menu (11 p.m.-6 a.m.) that includes pasta dinners for as little as $5.48. Regular-hours prices run $11 to $16 for pastas and under $25 for veal and steaks. Note that the original Bootlegger restaurant, opened in 1972 at Eastern and Tropicana, is gone; the new location is next door to the Belz Outlet Mall.
