Get off the curb and enter the El Cortez Hotel & Casino, and the rich history and authenticity immediately stimulate all your senses.
The iconic neon sign has remained the same since 1952, making it look like a prototype set for a mob movie. The scent of the interior screams “Old School,” and so does the smell of golden ribs flowing through the air of the signature restaurant. The actual sound of coins falling on the tray of slot machines is rare in reality, not only among vintage Vegas, but also among the nearby properties on Fremont Street and the casinos on the Streep, three miles south. Upstairs, the renovated designer suite features the so-called “Mobster Chic, 1950s Glam” design with a retro layout and aesthetics. And not only will a walk through the casino at any time of the day find generations of customers, but one of the proud owners or department heads who work on the floor is interacting with them.
No, there are no dancing fountains or erupting volcanoes outside El Cortez. And inside, you won’t see restaurants with the names of food network celebrities or nightclubs in the midst of techno music charging exorbitant cover fees. 온라인경마
Since El Cortez was built for $245,000 in a Spanish colonial revival feel, it opened in 1941 as one of Vegas’ first properties to include hotel rooms and dining options. The property officially celebrated Diamond Day last month, and if it remains the longest continuously operating casino in the city for the next 75 years, you can safely bet on a few classic slot coins of the way that remains.
“This is why I love working here every day,” says Adam Wiesberg, a marketing director who started out at a casino that handles blackjacks and roulette. “It’s really like walking through a time capsule. It’s family owned, and they’re all very hands-on. They know the customer base very well. So it creates a very friendly and welcoming environment.”
The building is 75 years old and may be the only casino listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but the owners emphasized continuing to update El Cortez’s look and feel, providing unique promotions, rare and valuable gaming possibilities, and a vibrant atmosphere.
A case in point is the new beverage service that takes place on Thursday nights and weekends in the Table Game Zone. Owner Kenny Epstein, who bought the property in 2008 from iconic Las Vegas casino operator Jackie Cohen, came up with the idea of hauling a giant ice-cold beer to the game floor while each server was managing each one.
Wiesberg added, “There’s literally no time difference with our table’s beverage service. All you do is make eye contact with one of our servers and the next free drink is yours.”
Right above the table at El Cortez is Siegel’s 1941 $10.95 rib, with the lure of an advantageous odds. The signature restaurant opened last year and pays homage to the infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel, who owned the property in the 1940s and used the sale to fund the construction of Flamingo Las Vegas. The special comes with vegetables and potatoes and is available 24 hours a day, so it’s no surprise that more than 2,000 units are ordered per month. And now that it’s stone-iron, the “never-frozen” Merceria, which flies fresh weekly from Florida, is a great alternative for non-meat eaters.
At the fabulous Paru Bar right next door, you’ll find live music, $5 appetizers, drink specials for two, as well as a popular $5 margarita that tastes like a new theme every month.
The Race and Sports Book offers $2 beers and hot dogs on Monday nights, and even the $9 Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar every day is a huge success that won’t hurt gambling money.
Siegel’s 1941 and the Parlour Bar are prime examples of improvements made by Epstein’s in recent years, along with boutiques, no-games, and non-smoking cabana suites located across the street, with more changes underway.
According to Wiesberg, the stadium will be expanded and reconstructed to what it was decades ago. There are also plans to remodel the main bar and create a sports bar-type viewing area near the current Keno bar, which owners hope will continue to attract the younger generation to attract local customers, which is what casinos typically paint as a core.
“It’s great to have this historic, 75-year-old building here with 20, 30, even 40-year-old merchants and bartenders. And there they are serving this new generation of customers, sometimes half their age,” Wiesberg marvels. “To me it’s simply like El Cortez. The older generation is meeting new people and everyone is having a great time. It’s not something you’ll see in many other places.”
