Pantry at The Mirage

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At a Glance

Full Review

Just like everything else in Vegas, the 24 hour coffee shop has evolved from its humble roots as a purveyor of cheap eats, all-day breakfasts, and hangover food into something more like a restaurant you would choose to go to instead of having no other options. The Pantry at The Mirage definitely fits into that category with an upscale design and interesting menu that might make it worth paying attention to even if it’s not 4am and you are craving a pancake.

The dining room, located off the main casino near the shopping promenade and guest room elevators, is done like a homey kitchen (or maybe a cafeteria) with white wood walls adorned with simple art and knickknacks, tile floors, and tables, booths, a bar, and an open food prep area. It’s nice but loud with noise from the casino, the kitchen, and your fellow diners all bouncing around the hard services like ping pong balls. “What?” was uttered during our dinner conversation more than once.

The menu is eclectic but mostly fits into a country farmhouse kind of feeling only with an upscale foodie vibe. Breakfast is served 24 hours and includes items like a sandwich with scrambled eggs, ham, truffled mushrooms, and smoked Gouda; corned beef hash; chicken and waffles; omelets; steak and eggs; and a variety of pancakes from buttermilk to blueberry to milk chocolate.

Visit between 11am and 11pm and you can go for non-breakfast items and here’s where that eclecticism really comes into play. There are a variety of salads and soups; burgers and sandwiches like slow-smoked pork sliders on Hawaiian buns and grilled cheese; tacos; fried chicken; fish and chips; ribs; and more.

We visited for dinner and although I was tempted by the white chocolate brioche French toast, we all ultimately veered away from breakfast and started with their homemade potato chips served with a parmesan and truffle dip. They were delicious and found ourselves snacking on the yummy treats throughout the meal.

The main courses call came from the sandwiches and burgers section with their Backyard Burger covered in caramelized onions and cheddar, the meatball sub with melted provolone, and the turkey club served with avocado on a ciabatta roll. Nothing on the table made us want to post pictures to Facebook but it was all very good, fresh, flavorful, and way too much food for one sitting, which is also like everything else in Vegas.

Prices are where you’ll see the primary difference in the modern 24 hour Vegas eatery. In the old days this is the kind of place where you might find the $2.99 steak and eggs or $7.99 prime rib. Now you have pretty much everything on the menu, from breakfast items to burgers to dinner main courses, in the $15-20 range. That means with a beverage, tax, tip you’ll probably be putting in about $25 per person. It’s all good food and I didn’t feel like we had overpaid, but there are definitely better meals for less money in this town.

Having said that, I walked away impressed with The Pantry. It felt more substantial than the coffee shops of yore and so I guess it isn’t surprising that it comes with a more substantial check.