There are two Peppermills per se, not counting the Peppermill Coffee Shop & Lounge on the Las Vegas Strip, which is a "restricted" gaming location, meaning that it has a slot route, in this case the legal maximum of 15 machines. (Anything more than 15 and you’re a casino.) A block south of the soon-to-be-demolished Riviera hotel-casino, this Peppermill is actually better known than its much-bigger siblings, of which more in a minute. Quentin Tarantino has been known to patronize it and Martin Scorcese filmed parts of Casino at the Peppermill. The movie’s first glimpse of Sharon Stone shows her perched aside the fire pit in the ‘Mill’s dark and cozy lounge, which has also been seen in Showgirls and "CSI".
The flagship of the Peppermill chain is in Reno, south of downtown, where 1,635 hotel rooms await you. The casino has 1,915 slots as well as 64 table games, which run the gamut from standards like blackjack to more specialized fare such as Pai Gow tiles. There’s a Fireside Lounge here, too, much as in Vegas. It’s one of 14 bars on property. There are also four fine-dining restaurants, four casual ones, and a quartet of fast-food venues. With a couple of exceptions, the fine-dining and casual restaurants uphold the Peppermill tradition of borderline-outrageous interior décor. It’s a world seen through very rose-colored spectacles.
With their four-poster beds and in-room bathtubs, the hotel rooms are a somewhat overstuffed attempt at luxury, although the Adventure Suite and Roman Opulence Suite have to be seen to be believed. The North and West wings are home to more standard-hotel fare, although they’re nothing to sneeze at. Regardless of your room preference, the "All You Need is Love Package" comes with a pair of 50-minute massages, while active and retired military members are entitled to 15 percent discounts on their stay.
The Wendover incarnation of The Peppermill is, as you might expect, a smaller and more value-oriented version of the Reno property (although it has its own concert hall), sharing some of the same playful outrageousness in its décor. The casino isn’t exactly intimate but is definitely Reno’s little sister: 920 slots and 27 table games. If you can’t find a game of poker there, try the Montego Bay casino-hotel, which is owned by Peppermill sister company Wendover Casinos and shares the same management team. Peppermill also owns the Rainbow Hotel & Casino -- 945 slots and 46 tables -- and which marketed in tandem with the other two casinos.
Closer to Reno, Peppermill also owns the Western Village Inn & Casino, in Sparks (831 slots, nine tables), for those who like a more sedate casino experience and don’t mind hotel rooms that are decidedly plain. Finally, for a hybrid of the Strip restaurant experience with casino gambling, try the Rainbow Club in Henderson, with its 330 slots. The décor is somewhat more subdued here but the food is just as good as you’ll find at the Peppermill on the Strip.
So, you see, the Peppermill brand embraces far more dining, gambling, and hotel product than might seem evident at a casual glance.
P.S. The unanticipated Part IX conclusion to our "History of Las Vegas Attractions" series will follow shortly, but it's too cool to short-change and we need more time to bring that baby home, not least because we keep finding more cool stuff we have to include! Stay tuned...
