Margaritaville is a chain of restaurants and bars owned by country legend, Jimmy Buffet. I previously visited one in Mexico and, when I discovered another location recently in Las Vegas, I had to drag my husband in to show him how much fun it was/get him drunk on tequila.
Margaritaville in Las Vegas is part of The Flamingo Hotel and Casino and the location is smack bang in the centre of all the action on South Las Vegas Boulevard.
We managed to escape the crowded walkways and heat of the sun, for a quick bite to eat and some signature margaritas, and took a spot near the window so that we could watch everyone filing by. I might not like being *in* crowds, but I do like watching them from afar, silently working out the names and occupations of whoever takes my eye. Yes, this is my idea of fun. It always starts off quite innocently and then, by my third drink, everyone's buried their first wife under a patio and is on the run from the law or secretly cooking blue meth in a Winnebago in the New Mexico desert. Note to self: stop watching re-runs of Breaking Bad.
Anyway....
Our server was bright and chirpy, as seems to be in the job description for everyone who works in hospitality in the US, and we placed an order for a house margarita for hubby and, with my love of anything alcoholic and anything that smells like fruit, I combined my two favourites and went for a non-frozen blackberry. We also pondered the menu and decided to snack on something vastly unhealthy and deep fried, which consisted of chicken strips with hot sauce, fries and sweet potato fries (because one kind is never enough, right?)
So much fat..so little time
One of the things I loved about Margaritaville in Cozumel, Mexico, was its atmosphere. It's all very tropical, breezy and very relaxed (that *may* have something to do with the tequila) and it's always a very chilled out space. This location was no different. Despite the hoards of people wandering by, and within the city limits in general, it seems to manage to be closed off from this, while still portraying all the Las Vegas hallmarks you'd expect.
The decor is fabulously wooden panelled, with so many summery embellishments and lots of flat screen TVs so that you can watch and listen to Mr Buffet while you kick back with your margarita. It has the sense of being a beach side bar, despite it being nowhere near a beach. Vegas does have a lot of sand, though, what with it being a desert and all, but that's not really the vibe it gives off. It's more of a laid back 'island time' place where no one has to run off to pick up the kids or get back home to put the dinner on. It may have been full of people who needed to do exactly that, but they certainly weren't showing it, and for that I'd like to thank them for not spoiling my chill with their daily stresses. Cheers!
all very chilled out...with lots of boats
It's difficult to argue with bars that have actual palm trees inside them
The menu is fairly extensive, with a mix of South Western cooking, burgers, seafood and steaks. It does LOTS of deep fried options, including coconut shrimp, and a range of tacos and other folded options. It does also offer salads and sandwiches, but the salads were generally topped with something else that was deep fried, so perhaps not quite the healthy option that you might have expected. It also does vegetarian and gluten free options. These may also have been deep fried; I'm not really sure.
The drinks menu is also extensive, with a range of different flavoured margaritas making up the backbone of the offerings. My Blackberry Moonshine Margarita, of which I had two, was made with Blackberry Moonshine (yes, really), so was fairly potent. There was also the option of Watermelon, Mango and Tropical Fruit Margaritas. If you're really brave, you can try out the Hot, Hot, Hot, which is made with tequila and house-made habanero mix. I love spicy food, but I like my drinks to balance this out, not make it worse, so I stuck, quite happily, with my fruity concoction.
Come to Mama...
We paid around $48 for 3 Margaritas (around $12 each) and a couple of entrees, so it wasn't too steep. Obviously, not ordering margaritas would have made this even cheaper, but that's just not the way I like to do business.
