The Bootlegger Italian Bistro

Slater was our server, he was awesome! Great stories. Great suspenders! So much food! We had the Chicken Parmigiana and the Pappardelle with Bolognese, Minestrone, Caesar salad and a nice Chianti. Finished off with some homemade Tiramisu. Would definitely come here again.

24 hours of Italian deliciousness! Love love love this spot! If you haven’t been here yet, this will become favorite spot to hit as soon as you get into Vegas. It’s definitely ours! Everything is great here. ENJOY!

Probably one of the best Italian meals I have had in years! Great wait staff, cool music, and the food was simply to die for. This place is tucked away a few miles west of Mandalay Bay, and is a hidden gem in Las Vegas. You wont be dissapointed with this place — guaranteed!

Very good Italian food, a bit on the pricey side, but what I didn’t like is the slow service (I was there for a late lunch), and a five minute wait in the front without anyone greeting us or telling us to wait or that they’ll be right with us. I think the setting is outdated and the service is slow, however the food was delicious.

The infamous bootlegger! We came here on a Thursday looking for drink and entertainment. It was a slow night steady crowd dimly lit bar. We sat at the bar and were instantly greeted by a sweet bartender but the kind you can tell doesn’t take no bs. We ordered a Bella Donna martini and lemon drop martini and both drinks were delicious! As for the entertainment I don’t know what I was expecting or if there was but I didn’t really get to see anything. It’s okay our drinks made up for it.

This place was just down the road from where we were staying. We arrived in Las Vegas around lunch time. They bring these little warm garlic bread pieces with a delicious marinara dipping sauce. They were gone in no time! I ordered the lite lunch of house salad and meat lasagne. It was delicious. The salad was crisp & cold. It had tomatoes, cucumbers, and garbanzo beans. My lasagne was hot, cheesy & yummy. The tomato sauce was so good. My SO had the chicken parm sandwich with French fries. We both cleaned our plates! The server was quick and efficient!

The best Italian food I’ve ever had to date! Great service and the price was so reasonable!

FANTASTICO!!! The paparedelle was awesome!
Dinner, four drinks, dessert for three, it was $ 130.
Ate in the bar/​lounge and it was acceptable.

I really loved everything about this place! My fiancé came here on a whim after trying other restaurants on a Saturday night that had long wait times. We walked in and were sat immediately. Our server told us about the history of the restaurant and showed us some of the house’s best dishes! We watched a couple different singers perform while we ate our garlic bread (delicious) and enjoyed our cocktails (also delicious).
We started with the calamari and both of us thought it was better than most! I had Maria’s Saltimbocca. Very rich but very delicious! My fiancé had chicken parmesan and really liked his as well.
It was a little pricier than we anticipated, but definitely worth every penny! We will be back!

Came on a Monday night which happens to be open mic. Hosted by wife of Clint Holmes. Spectacular show.
Had the chicken breast with the fettuccine alfredo. Couldn’t finish the chicken. Wrapped with bacon, mushroom, and cheese.

With its dark, heavy and old school décor this is an authentic old-​fashioned Las Vegas restaurant. You instantly feel like in a detective thriller from the 1950’s. It’s quite fascinating.
Although the overall dining experience was exciting, the food didn’t convince. Everything was soaked in oil and very heavy. The portion size could be called generous and the taste was OK, but nothing more than ordinary.
The major drawback, however, was the very limited assortment of vegetarian dishes — despite a very large menu. Even the Minestrone is cooked with a bacon broth and has sausage included. Amazingly, when I asked about the origin of the broth, the server claimed the Minestrone to be vegetarian because the bacon could be removed after the broth was cooked.
To add insult to injury, there is almost nothing a vegan could order. I totally argue that a restaurant in this day and age (in the western world) should be inclusive and also cater to vegetarians and vegans.

One of the best Italian joints in all Vegas. If you go please ask for Aaron to be your server. He and his staff are top notch and make it feel like your at their home for a good old Italian dinner. Tip well. They work hard to make sure your dining experience is second to none.

Delicious, fresh and authentic! The minestrone soup was the best made with fresh vegetables and lots of pasta… The best I have had. We orderD the lunch lasagna and the portions were huge it was cheesy and delicious. The four of us shared a tiramisu…, I had a small bite but it was to die for! I could of had the whole thing. They are open ²⁴⁄₇!

Came here last night for the first time. We were sick of casino food and we wanted to do a mom and pop restaurant. First off the guy at the piano was awesome. He really set the tone for the evening. Our waiter was very attentive and super friendly. Now for the food. We started off with the bread which was very yummy and the marinara sauce complimented it. We ordered the escargot di Maria. This was very delicious! I would order it again.
Ok now for the entrees. On the plus side the portions are very big. My husband ordered the Spinach Alfredo primavera. He was disappointed. It really didn’t look very appetizing. The noodles were undercooked and it tasted like it was sitting out for a while and reheated. I had better luck with my Baked Penne. Very cheesy and yummy but I felt that it was a little bland.
We will come back to try other dishes. We felt that the environment was fun and welcoming.

Old Italian, dark and outdated, but has an old charm to it. I love sitting in the main room where the live music is playing. It’s delightfully pleasant, and the music with the singers makes me feel good. They play anywhere from Sinatra to Mario Lanza and just classic melodies paired with decent Italian dishes. 5 stars all the way– tip them if you enjoy it music.
I’ve been here a few times, sometimes to host, sometimes just to have a meal to satisfy the big appetite. Think American portions with a flare of Italian to it. Here’s an example, the little bread knots that come out is drenched in butter, a bit of garlic, but still eat them.
The pappardelle bolognese, thick egg noodles, filled with ground beef, thick red sauce and a very filling dish. If you’re feeling up to you, add a side of meatballs, it’s overload, but I’ve devoured that meal on a hungry night. This is my favorite dish. 4 stars.
Other times, I have ordered the lasagna, a little different than you traditional layers of pasta. Individual sized dish, with the lasagna baked into every dish, a massive amounts of cheese and meat. Can be a bit salty, with a overload of carbs, fats and protein. 3 stars.
I don’t recommend their white pinot noir house wine, because didn’t go well with my food. I couldn’t finish the glass. To each’s own. 1 star.
Come with great company, enjoy massive amounts of food, not the most authentic Italian taste, but still decent. If you want to sit in the main room, make sure you make reservations, because it can get pretty packed. Read their history on their menu, it’s a pretty interesting one.

I had to update my review after a terrible experience the other night. Our group of 6 walked in and said hello to the two people at the desk (The tall skinny kid and a blond lady). They literally looked at me, didn’t say a word and began talking to each other. No hello, no Ill be right with you, just completely ignored.
We were finally seated after they were done with their conversation. There was a large party of 20 – 25 people right in the middle of the restaurant. This group was very loud and disturbing the entertainment of the singer and piano player. They should have been sat in the back room so not to disturb the other diners.
Out of our group of 6 only 1 liked their dinner. We had a large pizza, veal parm, NY steak (2) and osso bucco. The pizza was terrible, the osso bucco was like none I had seen before. Very small over cooked pieces of meat instead of a large veal shank. Neither person cared for their steak either. The lava cake for dessert was super rich and not enjoyable.
Not sure what happened to this place. Just a bad night? I hope so but for the prices they charge the food and hospitality did not come close. Will be taking a break from here for a while.

The food was just as good as the New York Italian restaurants! Waiter was very attentive.

This was an absolutely horrible experience. I got a pizza with a hard glob of what appeared to be microwaved cheese on top, and instead of sauce, I got awkward pockets of herbs under the oppressive glob that were awkwardly distributed, keeping me constantly on the edge of my seat: «Will this bite be cardboard and cheese? Or will I get 20 flavors at once in one hidden clump?» I went a couple days ago, and I still get a bit sick to my stomach when I think about it.
The marinara they dropped off with the sad-​looking bread pieces at the start of the meal was also completely watery. The ambiance was nice and the service was attentive, but I could never, ever return for that food. So disappointed.

Our first visit to the Bootlegger was a mixed bag of really good and really disappointing. Our first impression was a little rough. We arrived early for our reservation, and the host and bar waiter were somewhat discourteous, which made us feel not necessarily welcomed. The host partially made up for his dicourteousness by seating us in a booth near the live entertainment.
Once seated, our waiter, who was a sommelier, was five star! He made great food recommendations and paired a perfect wine for us. The live entertainment, Frank Bugati, was a Sinatra style vocalist/​keyboardist who was great and what you would expect a Vegas lounge act to be. The food was four star and traditional Italian.

First time here and oh my goodness it was great! My husband made reservations for us to eat here because he said they get busy around 7:30pm and when we got there, they were packed! The atmosphere was nice, dimly lit, some dressed up and others went in jeans. There’s a pianist playing as well and he sounds dang close to frank Sinatra!
The service there was outstanding! They took our drink orders and orders quickly and the meals were prepared in a timely manner. The portions of the food were great too, I got a pasta dish with clams and it was enough to feed 2 people. Food was delicious!!! It was hot but not enough to burn you and the amount of clams they placed on my plate was plenty! They also start you off with garlic squares and a marinara dip as well. I didn’t care too much for the dip because I couldn’t get the tomatoes on there, it was more like you had to scoop out the pieces on your garlic square.
The reason why I’m giving this place a 5 star is because of the service. The waiter was great but I have to commend the runner that tended to our table. This gentleman was working his buns off from one table to another and was constantly helping others as well. He refilled our drinks quickly and was asking what else we needed. I didn’t get a chance to catch his name but he was great and for that reason, the restaurant earned another star.

I’ve had this place bookmarked for almost 4 years and we finally went to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Made reservations through Open table and they called the day of to confirm. The restaurant itself is dark with a bit of an old school décor. Huge bar area separate from the main dining room. I loved all the old photos, of whom I assume are all family members. There’s a piano in the main dining room but we were too early for the live music.
Loved the garlic bread and sauce to start. I ate wayyyy too much of it and they happily brought us more. We chose the cheese ravioli and lasagna, both of which were delicious and tasted homemade and not frozen. Enjoyed the house salad, and had a delicious lava cake for dessert.
I did mention my husband’s birthday on the reservation and no one acknowledged it, but they did give us the dessert for free — it was taken off the check as «Birthday dessert.» I feel like fewer places are doing that these days.
They have what seems like great specials between 3 and 5 daily. They include a salad, lighter fare portion, and dessert, I think (not to mention that delicious bread) for $ 19. We’ll be back to try it for a late lunch/​early dinner!

(3.5 stars) Came here for a dinner on New Year’s Eve and had a really lovely meal. The restaurant is gigantic and although it was crowded, really wasn’t too loud. The service was slow but in a relaxing way because we weren’t in a rush and it meant all of the food was fresh. The food wasn’t spectacular but it was very good and above average for sure. It was a nice option for a meal off the strip.
As much as I enjoyed my dish, I will say the lasagna was the way to go. I can definitely see why they call it their house specialty. I ordered the pollo Francese which came with a side of fettuccini Alfredo. Really enjoyed the light white wine sauce and the chicken was a thicker cut of breast than usual but sautéed well. The fettuccini was thankfully on the lighter side of takes on pasta with Alfredo sauce. Not the most memorable meal we had but surely one we enjoyed.

From the snippets of conversation we caught around us, we gathered that this 50’s-era Italian lounge attracts locals. The night we went, a live crooner entertained & impressed, his voice a perfect copy of Sinatra’s.
Between inhaling mass quantities of complimentary garlic bread (if only to sop up every delicious bit of marinara) & polishing off an appetizer of beef/​pork raviolis (with yet more marinara), it was difficult to take more than a few bites of my entrée: eggplant parmesan.
Positive comments all around for his shrimp cocktail & flavorful ribeye, its sauce & accompanying mashed potatoes, in particular, garnering praise.
I remember feeling indifferent about dessert, probably because 1) im not usually a chocolate cake fan & 2) I was too full to appreciate sweets right then.
I’d venture out to the south end of Las Vegas Blvd for another go at tasty Italian fare in a cozy setting.

I would give 3 stars for unnecessary sass from the bartender. She acted as though a party of 7 ordering drinks at an empty bar was a nuisance. She seemed irritated if someone wasn’t sure what they wanted immediately.
The food was the saving grace. My Seafood Diavolo was so divine. Packed with seafood and it came extra spicy– like I asked. My main gripe with Italian restaurants is that the rarely do spicy. Also the shrimp were huge and really tasty. Cooked perfectly.
The Sinatra-​esque singer was delightful in the background. All in all a great place to dine if you stay away from the bar.

I love this restaurant!
The atmosphere, the service, the food! All incredible! The service is so beyond excellent!
We started out with the house side salad and it was absolutely delicious. I tried the house Italian and the blue cheese and oh my! Both were absolutely delicious. Especially with the small garlic knots ;-)
I ordered the chicken scalopini piccata and asked for linguini with extra sauce instead of the fettuccini Alfredo. My husband ordered the osso buco and our friends had the eggplant Parmesan.
The piccata was very tasty and the portion was very large. I tend to prefer my piccata a bit more lemony, but the sauce was layered while subtle. The linguini was sadly not al dente; while I did not ask for it to be, I expect good Italian restaurants to automatically serve pasta al dente. That’s the only reason I gave this restaurant four stars instead of five.
The osso buco was absolutely outstanding! The risotto was slightly crispy and the intricate flavour very nicely accompanied the robustness of the meat. The heavy dark sauce exploded with flavour.
The eggplant Parmesan was traditional prepared and served with one of the best marinara I have ever tasted. Absolutely outstanding!
We ended the meal with tiramisu and hot molten chocolate cake. The tiramisu was light and delicious, but the lava cake was the clear winner — wow!!! Foodgasmic!
So if you want a delicious dinner in a great setting with fantastic service, come here!

Erm, I wanted to love this place, but to say I did would be a lie.
It’s open 24/​7, so maybe it’s crazy to expect fresh fresh food. However, the prices on the menu fooled me into thinking I would be getting something amazing. I ordered the spinach alfredo primavera and my husband ordered the lasagna. Because of allergies, I asked the waiter to exclude pine nuts from my pasta, but this request was not granted.
It only took about 5 minutes from the time we ordered to get our food. Although this is usually it good thing, it was evident that it was already made and just put on a plate. This is exactly how it tasted. We truly expected to wait a bit and enjoy the music from the harpist, but we had no wait. When the food is delivered, I instantly noticed the pine nuts and didn’t bother complaining. I took a bite without devouring a pine nut and I was interested in correcting my order because it tasted bland and old. I feel like that plate is a joke, just offered in case a vegetarian shows up. It came with vegetables that were soggy and candied red peppers. These candied peppers actually made me chuckle because I never expected to see them in the pasta.
Alright, alright, I will calm down. Now onto the lasagna. There was nothing really terrible about the lasagna. It was pre-​prepared and tasted like «mom’s» left overs. They cut a really thin slice and laid it on it’s side, similar to how a cake wedge on it’s side would be. Each bit contained a different bite of the lasagna, either all ricotta or beef. I don’t agree with the presentation of the dish, but it was definitely the delicious.
My husband and I ended up sharing the lasagna and did not touch the spinach alfredo anymore. We were still hungry and finally got to my favorite portion of the meal. Tiramisu!!! This was delicious, moist, and just the perfect amount of coffee flavor. The display was beautiful and I am craving it now as we speak. We ate dessert and listened to the most amazing harpist I have ever heard, Mariano!
I will be back, but I will come for desserts and awesome music. I’ll be skipping the overprice pre-​prepared main course.

Four of us met for late breakfast/​early lunch items. We ordered:
Eggplant Benny
French toast
House stack pancakes
Fried ravioli with marinara
Lasagna
Basilico pizza with artichoke
Panetti breads and marinara
Cannoli
I used to go to the Bootlegger as a tourist when it was at its previous location of Trop and Eastern. This was the second time I’ve been to this location.
Meeting at 10:30 so we could try some breakfast items before breakfast service starts, the best of the three items we tried was the eggplant Benny. This was a unique take on eggs Benedict with the base being eggplant. I am not a big pancake person but I did try some of this and found it to be light and of good flavor especially with the imported (from the Northeast) pure maple syrup one of the group carries with them for breakfasts just in case a place serves syrup made by someone’s aunt.
Of the lunch dishes we ordered, the ravioli were very good. The menu says it’s a light breading and it was. The pizza with artichoke was adequate. The crust was not crisp but this is their style.
For dessert, the cannoli were standard except for the fact that they had and orange zest flavor to the filling which unusual to find at most Italian restaurants. It gave a fresh taste to some rather standard, crispy shell cannoli.
The panetti breads with marinara was a bit of a disappointment for me. They were too doughy for my taste.
This is a solid place for either breakfast or lunch although I’d go for lunch more than the breakfast selections. It’s a 24 hour place with video poker at the bar and it’s a step up from the normal 24 hour places that dot the Las Vegas Valley.

3.5 stars. My husband and I were really hoping to like this place but it fell short for us. Let’s get to it…
Pros
1) the history of the place makes it interesting and unique.
2) nice big bar area
3) enjoyed our booth seating to enjoy the piano but also able to sit next to each other
4) open 24 hours
Cons
1) dirty martinis very inconsistent
2) value — 3 small shrimp scampi app not prawns for $ 15. $ 5 for each shrimp.
3) mushroom app the sizes of the mushrooms inconsistent
4) location for us
In the middle
1) baked penne good but missing something maybe more seasoning or ricotta cheese
2) lasagna good not the best but not the worst again missing something
Overall decent experience but prob won’t go back due to far away and our favorite Italian mastronis is within 2 miles to our home. Recommend to give it a try and judge for yourself.

Love this place! So good! So old school! You never quite know what experience you will have. Well tonight was one of those nights yet again. It was open mic night… What does not mean? Well not some crappy amateur crap show that is for sure. Amazing entertainers throughout town come to bless us with their amazing talents along with the house band on Monday nights. We were lucky enough to hear professional singers belting out any and everything from Sinatra, Jackson 5 and… Yes… Even a little Pink Floyd action. You can sit in the bar and have an amazing and attentive service or if you prefer sit at a table for a full dinner experience… Oh the food
So the food… Yum!!! First… I LOVE the garlic knots with sundries pesto they serve upon seating. Next, I am a ridiculous lasagna snob and this one sure fits the bill! However, I also highly recommend the stuffed mushroom appetizer. Takes a little longer but so worth it since they are made to order as opposed to sitting around all day. And believe it or not… The ribeye is amaze balls! I recently took my dad to a celebrity chef’s steakhouse and practically needed a chainsaw to cut the meat. And two days later pops ordered a ribeye from Bootlegger that was amazingly tender and juicy… And for half the price even!!! Also good to note, they are open ²⁴⁄₇. Although I have never had breakfast there, I have heard it’s pretty damn good!

Bootlegger has been on my to do list for quite a while and I finally came by for lunch with my mom.
The restaurant is so large, but still feels very intimate. I ordered the eggplant parmigiana and my mom ordered the meatball sandwich. My lunch special came with a very generous sized side salad. The house dressing was great. My entrée was excellent and I enjoyed everything about our meal as well as the friendly and attentive service.
I look forward to coming back again soon.

Old Vegas without the Strip? YES! My friend who lives in town took me here for dinner before a night out. She told me she saw it on Anthony Bourdain, so I was very much sold. We walked in to the red leather booths and wrap around bar. We were seated immediately (as it was 6:30 on a Thursday) and ordered drinks.
I ordered a cocktail from the drink menu (one which I cannot remember — it was the first on the menu) and did not like it. To the point where I could not drink it. I decided I had to tell my server to take it back. I. HATE. COMPLAINING. TO. SERVERS. So I panicked for a bit and then flagged down my server. He was SO NICE about it. He brought me a dirty martini instead, which was the ticket! I enjoyed my martini and the former was taken off the bill. Thanks, buddy!
I ordered the Baked Penne because according to Unilocal it is the bomb. And Unilocal was right. So much cheese to top the wonderful pasta sauce and penne. It was a large serving so I had lunch for the next day. My friend had the vegetarian lasagna with the white sauce and OH MY GOD. It was absolutely delicious. If we head back here (which we must) I want to try the Fettuccine Alfredo!
I can’t forget the lovely piano player who started his set halfway through dinner. He took requests and played all genres of music. What a classy touch, Bootlegger!