“What’s for breakfast?”
In Las Vegas, you have so many options. You could raid any number of stand-alone restaurants. Coffee shops at casinos, those oriented toward locals and those in the resort corridor, typically offer breakfast 24/7. For that matter, even the Golden Arches will schlep up their version of scrambled eggs and hotcakes and prepackaged syrup. Of course, if you’re not ready to venture out, you could always pour yourself a bowl of Wheaties dusted off with sugar.
But if you head out for breakfast, keep one thing in mind: Breakfast “specials” still exist. But bargains and loss-leaders are a thing of the past. Make that the distant past. Those who remember Las Vegas of the 20th century may recall a breakfast special at Arizona Charlie’s that offered eggs, sausage or bacon and toast for 59 cents between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. More recently, prior to the pandemic, the coffee shop at Red Rock Resort served a massive ham steak almost the size of a blackjack layout along with eggs for seven bucks. It could have sustained a small family.
But no more. If you want to eat breakfast out, grab folding money, plastic or be prepared to use your loyalty points. Because prices have gone up. Oh, have they gone up.
A typical stand-alone restaurant or coffee shop breakfast might set you back anywhere from $15 to $20. And that doesn’t include orange juice or coffee.
We’ve been to a few locales across the Las Vegas Valley over the years. We tend to favor diners and coffee shops vs. upscale locations. But a recent excursion to the western Las Vegas Valley reunited us with a personal favorite — Hash House A Go Go.
We’ve always been a fan of the joint’s generous portions. And service is typically friendly and efficient. On our last visit, the hostess flashed a winning smile and even the busboy was amiable as he tried to take away our plate (we fended him off so we could finish the last morsels.)
This time, we settled on the basic two-egg breakfast priced at $10.99. We splurged and added cheese to the eggs for an extra buck. Then came a very pleasant surprise — the choice of potatoes was crispy fried or griddled mashed. We went with griddled mashed and, of course, ended up with leftovers like our previous forays to the restaurant. For flair, a stalk of rosemary spiked the biscuit.
For the more adventurous — or is that gluttonous? — sage-fried chicken and waffles is $23.99.
Johnny Rivera and Andy Beardslee launched Hash House a Go Go in San Diego in 2000. It now has several locations across the Las Valley, including West Sahara Avenue, West Charleston Boulevard, North Stephanie Street in Henderson, the Linq Hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard and the Plaza in downtown Las Vegas.
The portions are generous. You won’t have to refinance your home or car to eat there. And we’ll bet you that you will have leftovers to bring home.
