the bootlegger italian bistro

excellentserviceand wonderful food. we came in at 5:15pm on a saturday with a party of 6 and they managed to seat us within 10 minutes. it was because we were so early but still, without reservations on a saturday we were expecting longer.

we ate veal, salmon, chicken, eggplant, and pasta dishes. everyone said theirs was the best. i tried several and truthfully they were all good. the grilled salmon was probably the best.

and oh my goodness, the desserts were fantastic. the cannoli were perfect.

the only thing i did not like was that it was far, far too loud. really, we were having to raise our voices to almost shouting to be heard by anyone other than our immediate neighbor (and we each had to lean in to hear the person next to us). i'm not sure if it was the area we were in, they packed us in, or the piano player or what but the noise level detracted from all the wonderful things. i will go back but maybe for a 3pm dinner.

location perfect for a just-off-the-plane breakfast. flew into town and hadn't researched anything -- where to get a good breakfast? the bootlegger's 24/7 sign was exactly what we needed to see! enjoyed a frittata maria and a beer (gotta love vacation). enjoyed the side of panini -- a small touch, but a nice changeup from boring toast. very friendlyservicein the (rather dark) bar (i believe that was the only room open at the time). nice to know it is there, so close to the airport but far enough away from the insanity of the strip.

worst experience ever. worst customerserviceexperience of my life

i have been going to the bootlegger for over 30 years since it was on trop and reno. i love their pizza. my husband and i wanted to take his mother and brother out for pizza. so we went and the main dining room was empty. a group of 6 was walking out telling us as we sat there for our table that the place is empty but they wont sit anyone. finally, the gen manager went to sit us in the lounge, next to the door. i said im not sitting here. he said well i can sit you in another room but it is empty and we will be the only ones in there. i said that's fine. when we got there, i said can we have a pizza menu. he said well we only sit those people in the lounge, but ill let it slide?!?! then the waiter comes up and says so i guess everyone is just having water? so i guess if you are ordering pizza you must not be entitled to a wine list or a drink from the bar. he then said well pizza takes at least 30 minutes, i think in an attempt to detour us from ordering pizza. when the pizza came 10 minutes later, he put it on the small bread plates, where the pizza was bigger than the plate. completely rude and distasteful.

i have never in my life been treated so poorly, not only by a waiter or a general manager. my biggest regret is that we didn't leave at the first smart ass comment.

i strongly believe we were treated like this because my husband and his family are mexican. no one around us received the same treatment.

i told the general manager at the end and basically he could care less. bootlegger just lost a loyal customer of over 30 years who at least once a week bought a pizza. btw, i spent $40 for the pizza, which compared to their competitors, is overpriced.

beware when going there. its dark,serviceis rude from the ho9st, to wait staff, and to the manager. if you have a problem they wont care. a business shuld only care abo0ut one color and that is green for money. i guess ours wasnt green enough.

gem off strip. my girlfriend and i like to get away from the strip and we decided to give bootleggers a shot. short drive from downtown and strip, and well worth the trip. the food was excellent,servicewas great, and there was a gent playing the piano which made for a wonderful dinner. the shrimp linguine and wedge for a starter were the highlights.

cheers bootleggers, we will be back most definitely.

great itallian. we visit las vegas 3-4 times a year and we eat here every time we are in town. they have wonderful food, geatserviceand it has been consistantly the same great flavor for the past 15 years that we have been going to vegas. portions are large and there is always extra to take back with you.

wonderful old-world style. fantastic veal marsala and piccata. amazing little bread things that come before dinner and you dip in a wonderful creation of theirs with tomato and garlic and many other yummy ingredients. the servers are fantastic. old-world, elegant decor. the french saute (steak) recipe seems to have changed when they changed locations?? it's just not quite as creamy and delicious.


-----07 nov, 2009-----

a worthwhile indulgence. pretty pricey, but wonderfulserviceand very good food. they have a dish called the french saute which is a new york steak in a delicious wine/peppercorn sauce. the bread they serve you beforehand to dip in a delicious tomato/pepper/garlic sauce is very greasy, but still good.

goodserviceand food...will come again next time we are in vegas.

wonderful!. the staff were wonderful assuring the bestserviceand the food was amazing. i had the "lite" lunch starting with ministrone soup full of fresh 'just right' cooked veggies, then eggplant parmasian which was perfectly crisp and had just the right amount of acidity. we ended the meal with the best cannoli's i've ever had. these cannoli's are still made by hand by mama maria at home and the filling includes hints of fresh orange rind, grand mariner and rum which compliments the dark chocolate pieces perfectly! and with all of that deliciousness, it ended up being the least expensive meal we ate while in vegas! this was a big hit!

if you know real italian food, you'll love the bootlegger. the food there is abselutely great! mama maria is the real deal. her sauces are the perfect complement to this italian food. theserviceis great, the people are friendly, and this is a great place to have dinner with family or friends!