Trader Vic’s

The lay-​out was so-​so. The Mai Tai was really good. Our bartender was very lovely and very nice, she put up with me and Charlie C getting smashed at the bar. Hopefully she lined up another job after this. :/

I was in Vegas with my girl friend and decided that I was going to roam about on my own for awhile. I have been to the Trader Vic’s in LA at the Beverly Hills Hotel several times, but had yet to have one of their famous Mai Tais.
I had spoken to a friend earlier that day and he had told me that a Mai Tai was a must have at Trader Vics. I had just lost several hundred dollars at the Planet Hollywood Casino (attached to Trader Vics) and was thumbing through the «Players Club» book and found that they had a two for one deal. SWEET!
I walked in and the place was completely dead… there were like 3 people in the whole place. I made my way to the bar and had a seat. I sat there for 10 MINUTES until the MANANGER came up and started friendly conversation. The sweetest little man I have ever met. After about 5 or so minutes of chatting about LA and the Queen Mary in Long Beach, I asked him if he could get the bartender so I could order a drink. He was shocked that I had yet to be served. He gave me his card so that I could call him personally to set up a reservation when I come up for my birthday in October.
There, before me, sat the most incredible drink. The first sip was a heavenly burst of fruity rum that made my tongue do things x rated in my mouth! Before I could set the glass down, it was gone. Not to worry, the second Mai Tai was already waiting for me!
Thanks to my friend in VA for insisting on my trying a Trader Vics Mai Tai. It was definately a highlight of my trip!

Went here late at night for a cocktail and was sorely disappointed. No one was at the hostess area leaving us to find our own way to go. The restaurant was a ghost town and the patio has a few groups. We decided to sit at the bar where we proceeded to wait for a bartender for well over 5 minutes, being the only patrons of the bar this was ridiculous. Their Mai Tai was made from a mix, which didn’t taste quite like the one at the LA location used to and when I asked for a sweet drink the waiter replied «do you like cocoa?» and said sure… little did I know he meant COCONUT! Ew! $ 22 later with more then half a glass of coconut sludge left on the counter I was not impressed.
I am not saying anything about the food as I didn’t have any, but the cheesy décor and slow bartender didn’t have us eager to come back anytime soon.

When I walked into Trader Vic’s, I was struck with visions of a cross between the luau from Saved By The Bell’s summer series and Legends of the Hidden Temple.
Vic’s décor is a gimmicky island-​beach theme but it somehow passes as slightly modern at the same time.
It’s technically located in Planet Hollywood but their doors are right by the Miracle Mile entrances and moving walkways.
My girlfriend and I went in for lunch and it was pretty empty — save a few groups out on the patio. It was almost eerie to walk into a cooly-​ventilated, low-​key place playing Jimmy Buffett music after the barely-​contained chaos of the Strip.
The food was okay. All of the menu items have an «island twist» to them; a lot of them sounded tempting. The service was really good. The bartender even came over and gave us some extra margaritas from the batch he had made us. All-​in-​all, it was a nice meal but nothing really hit me with «WOW.» One odd thing though: they only have a couple types of margaritas. Isn’t that weird for an island-​y place?

I’ve been to the Trader Vic’s in L.A. many times and love it so I had to try it out in Vegas. Came here for lunch and sat in the cool AC part, next to the outdoor patio and people watched while we waited a short wait for our drinks and meal. The wait staff was friendly and the food was very good. I had a salad and my husband had a burger. I’ll be honest, I really came here for their tropical drinks. Isn’t drinking your lunch in Vegas acceptable?
I will be back.

We went here for Mother’s Day with some friends for lunch. Should have gone somewhere else.
It’s located nicely on the strip, inside Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino. We sat on the patio where you can people watch and see the Bellagio fountains doing their thing. It was nice… ’till the «music» started. First of all it was way too loud and you could barely hold a conversation, but what was even worse was that the guy was horrible! It would have been ok if he didn’t sing. He was decent when jamming out on the keyboard and drum machine, but then he opened his mouth. Ugh. We all just looked at each other and laughed. Since we had already had apps and ordered food, there wasn’t much else we could do.
The waiter was cool, and it wasn’t his fault that the food was completely tasteless. We had rock shrimp for an appetizer which was ok, then I had a salad with chicken which had no flavor whatsoever and it cost $ 19. I tried the curry and the fried rice from the others in the party and it was more of the same: no flavor and way overpriced. I make better fried rice at home!
Total bummer that the place turned out to be a rip off. Anywhere else would have been better. Live and Learn I guess.

My friend and I hit up Trader Vics on Saturday afternoon while we were in Vegas. We sat outside and had a few drinks each — it was a great time! The drinks were strong, the music was good and our server, though busy, was very nice. We even got a tip from one of the bussers of where we should go out for the night. He even called his girlfriend up to ask her advice for us. We really had a wonderful time and if you have a lazy afternoon in Vegas this place is a good time!
Mixed Drinks $ 9 – 12

Yeah, I had no idea this place had an Asian inspired menu. Trader Vic’s? Sounds American to me. I think there’s one back home but I never tried it and now I never will. Everything «looked» good on the menu.
Nice place and good service but poor food and a bit pricey.
Lobster Potstickers — Recommended by our server over the Crab Rangoon. Ok, for $ 10, this piece of crap only had 4 potstickers! I could barely taste the lobster so the meat was probably was probably the size of my pink nail. And it was over drenched in soy sauce.
Sea Bass — Not bad but a little too rich in flavor. I think it’s the truffle oil which I’m not a big fan of. I’ve had high expectations of sea bass after having the best one in South Beach, FL. Nothing compares.
Filet Mignon — Just ok. Not too much flavor, a little dry and overcooked. The wasabi mash potatoes had too much wasabi for me. Mushroom side wasn’t bad.
So all that for about $ 90 including tip? No thanks! I enjoyed my cup noodle and funyuns in my hotel room a lot more. Stop with the fake Asian inspired menus. Go for the real thing.

Dude! Save your money!!! If you know anything about Trader Vic’s history and you are expecting anything like what you have heard you will be very very disappointed like I was.
I went there with money to burn! I wanted to buy all the ceramic mugs and bowls that they had to sell (because that is what they were famous for)…I asked the waitress ‘which of the drinks from the bar come with glasses you can buy’ She looked confused. Are you effin kidding me? She didn’t even know what I was talking about. I felt stupid and said uhhhh ok, never mind.
When you walk in the only thing that even looks Polynesian is a giant Totem pole in the center of the room… that’s it. Literally. That’s it.
I am normally a very picky eater but I decided to live a little on the wild side and order some Mango stir fry. I took about two bites and I was done. I can’t tell if it was just me living toooo much on the wild side for my taste or if it really tasted like shit.
Anywho, the waitress realized I wasn’t feelin it and took it off the bill which I definitely appreciated.
The pineapple chicken tender appetizer was good. That’s about all I can say… save your money and time.

We went here simply because I had read two things: 1) in some guide to Vegas it was mentioned that it had a great view of the strip and of the Bellagio fountains from the outdoor dining patio and 2) an article about Polynesian food in Saveur magazine a few months ago talked about Trade Vics and how they invented mai tais and possibly crab rangoons (one of my favorite Chinese restaurant appetizers).
It went beyond expectations all around — it was a gorgeous night out, perfect for sitting out on the patio. We had a great view of the fountains and a great little band with a keyboardist and steel drummer was a perfect touch. Service was good and the mai tai was quite good — very powerful. Like many times you go to the «original» of any food item, but was a little different than what I’ve come to expect from a Mai Tai.
Food was excellent — I would put more details of what we had on here, but their stupid web site doesn’t have a menu on it. Stupid! Anyway, we put together a Polynesian smörgåsbord with crab rangoons, short ribs and some lobster thing paired with an order of their «all-​in fried rice.» Everything was great — the rangoons had a little bit of spice to them which was different and good. The sauce on the short ribs (I think that was it) was great. The fried rice was possibly my favorite though — filled with shrimp, pork, beef and fried scallions while not overloaded with a heavy soy flavor, you could literally taste the heat of the wok in the rice as it was all seared together perfectly and just delicious.
Highly recommended for a casual night out with a great view and good food — the finger foods and starters aren’t big so what we ordered was actually fine for two of us (we were hungry though) but you could go with a bunch of people and order a bunch of apps and some fried rice and go to town.

I’ve been there on two occasions — awhile back to check out their happy hour and another time to grab some lunch with some visiting friends.
Their happy hour didn’t offer much in terms of food, mostly just alcohol. (Which I guess is a good thing, depending on what you’re looking for.) We shared the Kahlua Pork Sliders (braised in plum sauce on Hawaiian sweet rolls) and they were okay, nothing special. They tasted more like a char siu bao than Kahlua pork if that makes any sense to you. The drinks we ordered ended up not being part of their happy hour special, we were disappointed when we saw the bill. (Shouldn’t they tell you what’s included when you ask?)
The second time I went, I had the Hawaiian Poke for $ 11.50. (Duo of Ahi and Hamachi Garnished with Avocado and Taro Chips.) It was pretty good and a light meal. My friends seem satisfied with their various dishes: Thai Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Wok Hay Shu ($ 17.95) and their Thai Red Curry with Tofu ($ 17.95). They also had a couple of drinks too that they enjoyed, although they didn’t think there was much alcohol in them.
Service was just okay both times I went. Happy hour service was just average since the bartender mostly helped us as we were sitting at the bar. It took awhile for our orders to be taken and the check to come when we came for lunch on that Friday afternoon. (They had just opened, so you’d think they would be on top of it all.)
Overall, Trader Vic’s isn’t the kind of place I would normally choose to eat at. Their prime location overlooking the strip is what makes you want to grab a drink and hang out by the edge for some great people-​watching. But other than that, it’s okay in the food department and depending on who is making your drink, it can be better.
(And can someone please tell me how to find the menu part on their website! It’s missing! Blah!)
(Pics posted!)

Ok they still owe me 400 bucks and they’re closing… just great. I’m gonna have to earn it by pushing porn out on the patio. So several GMs and complete staff turnovers later. Plus an eviction notice… I was right. Thank you everyone for supporting my blackballing TV. I wanna thank Sysco, and Deluca… Also Coors, Nevada Beverage, and surprisingly Southern Wine and Spirits.

I have always wanted to go to Trader Vic’s, even before the «Werewolf of London» whether in San Francisco or Beverly Hills. Leave it to Las Vegas to make my dream come true. And it did not disappoint. The food was fantastic — mouthwatering so – and so we went three times during a short stay, breakfast, lunch and dinner. The portions are large but not overwhelming, nor are the Polynesian flavors that add spice to the yummy fish. It’s open late, and you can sit outside and listen to music, or avoid the Vegas heat at a cozy table. The service was great, and while a bit pricey, well worth the visit.

STAY AWAY!
There are thousands of better places on the strip!
We really looked forward to dinner here on our first night in Vegas.
What a waste of time and money.
The food was quite average. and that was their only good point.
The service was disgusting! We were seated and waited for 15mins while the dumbarse serving staff decided who was assigned to our table. Then once they figured this out (played ‘rocks and scissors’? I don’t know!) we then spent another 10 mins waiting for someone to take our drinks order… it all went downhill from there.
This was surprising since there were about 8 wait staff standing around the walls picking their arses as it was still early and only about 10 diners in house.
We were in a section with us (2 people) and another large table of about 8. The waiter pretty much said f*ck them, Im just going to wait on the big table. So we were left sitting there for one of the shyttest dining experiences in Vegas. Their food is rather overpriced for the style quality, and their wine list is very average.
If you want great food and great service at a good price — avoid Trader Vics and try Hawaiian Tropics on the other side of PH.
(oh, and don’t take an Opentable voucher there. as they don’t know what it is and make a HUGE drama abou cashing it)

NO.
That would be my answer if you asked me, «Should I eat at Trader Vic’s?»
1. Food is overpriced.
2. Food is stupidly bad tasting.
3. Wait staff is slug brained.
4. Ambiance is lazy.
5. Menu is pitiable.
6. «Fusion» is completely overrated.
7. Drink menu is enticing and drinks are okay, but still.
THE FOOD SUCKS.
What we ordered:
POPCORN SHRIMP (8.50) — extremely shrimpy taste, weak batter, even weaker dipping sauce.
MANGO CHILI BEEF (25.95) — beef was cut into little kibble-​sized pieces and wasn’t tender — tough and tendony, sauce was okay, but overall, not a good eating experience because the rice was not cooked.
PINK PEPPERCORN CRUSTED AHI (26.95) — ahi was alright, but the accompanying sauce and crispy rice roll (aka super nasty rice eggroll) were disappointing at best. The crispy rice roll made me want to throw things. How can you tell me that this is something that people WANT to eat?!
This place does not deserve even 1 star.

DO NOT EVERRRRR GO TO TRADER VIC’S.
DON’T WORK THERE EITHER!
my experience is not with their food, or their music. it’s their owner, and their inability TO PAY THEIR EMPLOYEES. Doc Weiner is just that. he is a weiner. he likes to commission artists (like myself and 4 of my very closest friends) to do a huge amount of custom work on their facility and NOT PAY ANYONE. I know a bartender and several waitstaff who were delayed on being paid by OVER A MONTH.
the bastard still owes me about 1300 dollars.

I ended up coming here three times in a row while staying at Planet Hollywood next door. The outside has a great view of the strip and a sometimes loud band. I had drinks and late night munchies outside my first visit. The duck tacos were really good. I had breakfast the next day there but can’t remember what I had but I remember the pommagranite juice was really good. My third visit I had fish inside. The inside seems a little more formal than the roof deck and more quiet. It has very high ceilings and lots of light but a very pleasing elegance with a Hawain twist.
United is serving entrees from Trader Vic’s in first Class to and from Hawaii now to advertise the opening of their new restaurant in Las Vegas. They also are making Mai Tai’s to make that 4 to 9 hour flight more pleasent. Bravo to United and Trader Vic’s.
I had the prawns both times and the polynesian dressing on my salad and the Mai Tai’s were excellent too!

Food is sub par, but the drinks and patio are perfect. Even on a semi-​chilly March afternoon, being outdoors and out of the casinos is a much needed change of pace.
Four of us stopped in for an afternoon intermission that led to the remaining day and night’s chaos. If you don’t want something too sweet, try the Honi Honi, a mix of bourbon and juices served in a cup illustrating some pretty interesting «positions».
If you want front row people watching, grab a seat at the edge of the patio and you can watch «America» walk right by.

The food is just «eh» here. We weren’t super hungry so we went with the lobster potstickers ($ 10 for 4), pork sliders ($ 10 for 3) and the miso glazed sea bass ($ 34). It was all just ok. There wasn’t much flavor on the fish.
We ordered the tiki bowl which consisted of rum, OJ and ice which was ok along with a planters punch and a mai tai (strong!). The bill came to a little over a $ 100 but neither of us were very satisfied by the whole meal.
I prob will never eat here again with so many other options for Asianesque food in Vegas but this would be a great place to hang out and split a scorpion bowl in summer with a group.

They had a pre opening party for Trader Vic’s at Planet Hollywood last week .
Tikipug had this to say about the party.
We ate like Kings. Lobster, shrimp, duck. It was awesome. They took us up to a banquet room in the hotel. They had hula dancers, mai tais, and free mugs. We got to meet Eve, Trader Vic’s granddaughter and tour the unfinished restaurant.
Executive chef Rick Giffen, previously at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris next door did the cooking. That’s not your average Pu Pu platter.
The three stars so far is based on their the food and drinks. The décor one star. Maybe they should offer VR (visual reality) helmets
I love Trader Vic’s where ever they may be including the Polynesio in Havanna (thats another story) but this is a Trader Vic’s Lounge like the new one in Beverly Hill’s.
.