What Was The Pirate-Themed Restaurant in Leaving Las Vegas?

What was the pirate-themed restaurant in Leaving Las Vegas?

There is no straightforward answer to this question.

Most of the movie Leaving Las Vegas was actually shot in Laughlin, with a few scenes — such as the one in which Elizabeth Shue is picked up by college kids in front of Excalibur — shot guerilla-style, without permits. It was produced on such a minimal budget, $4 million, that it was shot with a super 16mm camera, much smaller and less obvious and intrusive than the usual 35mm, in order to avoid too much scrutiny, since the filmmakers didn't bother with getting permissions from Las Vegas authorities or casinos.

Casino interiors were mainly shot at Laughlin’s River Palms resort.

The Internet Movie Database lists the Cock & Bull Pub in Santa Monica as the site of the movie’s opening scene. The pirate restaurant isn't identified. It could have been a regular restaurant re-dressed with a pirate theme. It's not one that we recognized, even at the time (1995). It might've been shot on a sound stage in Burbank.

Former Mirage Resorts spokesman Alan Feldman does offer one interesting theory about the pirate eatery. “There definitely was [one at Treasure Island]. It was on the mezzanine level and overlooked the pirate battle. It was quite nice, actually. It was called the Buccaneer Bay Club. Just to be clear, it wasn’t pirate-themed in the sense of costumed characters roaming the restaurant. It was simply designed in keeping with the theme of the hotel. The restaurant felt as though you were dining in the fanciest part of a ship with a fairly traditional steak-and-seafood menu. Everything was beautifully presented with terrific service. It really was one of my favorite places in the early years.”

According to the lore, director Mike Figgis probably didn't ask for permission to shoot in Treasure Island. Then again, maybe he did. But for now and perhaps always, the pirate restaurant in Leaving Las Vegas remains a mystery.

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David Mar-09-2021

A great restaurant

My wife, parents, and I ate at BBC and thought it was outstanding. To this day it remains one of the five best restaurant experiences in my life and my best meal ever in LV. Treaure Island (and the pirate theme) was fantastic. The de-theming is just another mail in the coffin for me as it relates to Las Vegas.

Kevin Lewis Mar-09-2021

What a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful movie

That $4 million they spent on the film includes the ten bucks and a six-pack of Bud that they paid to the script writer. He was overpaid.

The two leads are/were very talented actors--as in, totally wasted (and I don't refer to the fact that the goal of Cage's character was, in fact, to get totally wasted). The compelling story of a loser who wants to drink himself to death and finds a hooker to help (?) him do that--I mean, comedy gold, right?

The guy who wrote the book on which the screenplay was based committed suicide after selling the film rights--he never saw the movie. So, a depressing story all around! Whee!

Question of the Day - 09 March 2021

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