Drink Service

What is everybody's opinion on drink service downtown? Looking for good drinks and quick service (primarily cocktails) know the normal, tip well and play the games - I have no problem with either.

Best VP bar?

Best Table game service?

Slot service? (La Bayou??)

Also wondering if anyone has tips, I plan on gambling quite a bit so I want to get my monies worth on liquor!

 

Don't play VP of slots often enough to advise but for table service the Golden Gate and D have always been good for me. $5 on first drink and a $1 thereafter seems to get me lightening fast service.

 

what type of drinks are you able to get if you tip well? just normal whiskey coke or could you get a nice brand of liquor or nicer drinks ie. Long Island, Vegas bomb....

 

I dont think tips get you better brands just quicker service. That said if you're drinking something like a long island I would guess you're not to worried about quality of ingredients?

Usually for me its Tito's and oj in the am and then Makers on the rocks in the evening {i hate makers but thats usually the best they have at the 2 locations i listed above}.

 

If you want to get the liquor in you in quick order Le Bayou and Mermaids are great choices. Dunno about anything top shelf I just take the Captain and diet and once those are stacked about 4 deep they start bringing shots. I can't stay longer than an hour before I start to worry about too much booze, which is not a problem for me usually. I've always gotten good service downtown about anywhere.

 

I regularly order Tanqueray & Tonic at Godlen Gate...and they actually serve that... and any gin drinker will tell you that good gin & well gin are easily distinguishable.
...the Nugget, on the other hand...I've never once been served an actual Tanqueray there (but the CW has told me it was when I mentioned it)... but then, I'm usually only a red-chip player, so that might be why.

 

What cocktails are available? Stuff like long islands?

 

Sure. Basically anything is fair game except very high end brands. Standard cocktails like a LIT, Bloody Mary, Daiquiri, Pina Coloda etc. shouldn't be a problem anywhere.

 

Never had problems anywhere, but agree that Mermaids & Golden Gate seem to be the quickest.

Only from hazy memory, mind.

 

For a fun bar/VP combo I like Long Bar. Don't ask me about paytables, though. I usually just pay for one drink and then play a bit until the bartender comes around again. Worst drink service at a VP bar was at the Plaza. Golden Nugget is hit or miss, but anywhere downtown is waaaay better for cocktail service at slots than anywhere on the Strip.

 

Just back from five days slowest drink service we have ever encountered. Four Q, The D, Fremont, MSS, Cal, Gold Coast, Orleans, Harrahs, Flamingo, Casino Royal, Linq. Mermaids met at door by young lady who we were approached by frequently for drinks. If we would have stayed there for long they would have had to helped me back to our room.

 

The D up at the Sigma Derby table is always fast on drinks. That place usually comes around faster than I can drink one. I'll try again next week.

Sigma Derby is the best game to play low-roller and suck up free drinks! A few quarters every few minutes and all of the drinks you can handle!

 

I would suggest the Vue bar, upstairs at the D casino; a combination of good VP pay tables and friendly bartenders.

 

Here is a good thread on what drinks people are ordering at casinos:
https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?83619-What-drink-do-you-get-comped-exactly

When it comes to ordering mixed drinks there are some things you can't get, but for the most part its pretty wide open on what they will bring you... the big thing is that if they can't then the waitress will just say no, she can't or direct you to a bar if you have to order it there.

You can also ask the waitress for suggestions if you don't know what you want, like asking "can you suggest a drink that is kind of fruity flavored with pineapple?"

If you go looking for ideas for drinks you want to try, like hitting a bartender website and looking up recipes, bear in mind that the waitress probably knows quite a few of them but won't know them all. If you need to give her the ingredients you should say what alcohol it uses first and then what the mix is. But note that drinks with multiple shots of alcohol in it are less likely to be available... so if you find something online thats "mix 3 shots of _____ with 2 shots of ____ and 1 shot of ____ and 1 shot of ____ with..." thats probably not going to happen anywhere on the casino floor. You can probably order it at the bar, but then you can expect to pay for each one of those shots.

 

For paytables he should be looking at my sticky in the casino gaming section! Best for Long Bar and Golden Gate are both 8/6 Boner Deluxe (98.49%).

Sucks to hear Plaza service sucked for you. The paytables are good!

 

I play mostly at the Boyd properties Downtown. I found that the best drink service is found playing at the tables. The CW's come around frequently, even noting what you are drinking and asking if you want another of the same.

I'm not sure if you can order the more exotic and high end drinks though, but I wouldn't hesitate to ask. It just seems like the clientele are happy with beers and well drinks, or maybe the casino just offers the more common drinks (sorry, I'm a beer drinker and an occasional screwdriver junkie).

But for sure the service is great when playing the tables. Machines, not so much in my opinion, but I do notice the service is a whole lot better at Main Street Station when playing the machines.

 

Best table service this trip was Downtown Grand, though several have commented that the casino was pretty dead. Consistently bad table service at El Cortez, same waitresses for the last ten years. Had a session at 4Q were there was an ongoing discussion as to whether they actually had a cocktail waitress, this couple was berating the bosses about a twenty minute wait. They were accurate about the time but could've used some drying out. I just ask the pit boss, "What is this, a craps game or an intervention?"

 

That's not what I want to hear since I am planning on staying at the El Cortez. $110 everything included for a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.

 

When El Cor is busy, all you will see after twenty minutes is a short woman with a tray full of drinks saying she will be back. Twenty minutes later she will take your order. Twenty minutes later you will get a drink. Hope you have better luck, but definitely show up to the table with a drink.

 

Agree completely on the Vue. One of my lucky spots. Great VP and the drinks keep comin'.