Ellis Island Hotel, Casino & Brewery

Name: Ellis Island Hotel, Casino & Brewery
Address: 4178 Koval Ln, Las Vegas, NV 89109, Las Vegas, NV, US
Price range: $40+

Reviewed by the Las Vegas Guide editorial team · Updated July 2026

Family-owned off-Strip institution on Koval Lane, a 10-minute walk from the mid-Strip, known for its off-menu steak special, house-brewed beer and root beer, nightly karaoke at The Front Yard, and some of the cheapest solid rooms near the Strip.

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Is Ellis Island Hotel, Casino & Brewery Worth It? Honest Review, Rooms & Rates

Ellis Island has been run by the Ellis family since 1968, when it opened as the Village Pub on the corner of Koval Lane and Flamingo Road; the casino followed in 1989, and the hotel is a fully renovated former Super 8 sitting directly behind it. The property is about 0.4 miles east of the mid-Strip — a roughly 10-minute walk to the Horseshoe and Paris — which puts real Strip access on a genuinely budget rate. Among locals and repeat visitors it is less a hotel than an institution: people come for the cheap steak, the house beer and the karaoke, and the room upstairs is almost an afterthought.

The food and drink are the draw. Village Pub & Cafe serves American comfort food around the clock and is home to the famous off-menu steak special — it is not printed on the menu, so diners have to ask the server for it. The Front Yard, a two-story indoor-outdoor beer garden that opened in 2021, runs karaoke nightly from 10 p.m. (21 and over, a 50,000-plus song catalog) under 25 TVs and an 18-foot screen; Ellis Island BBQ handles ribs and chicken, Metro Pizza covers the slices, and Via Focaccia makes Sicilian-style sandwiches on focaccia baked in house. The house beers — light, amber, Weiss, porter and IPA, plus a genuinely brewed root beer — still pour at the Village Pub and The Front Yard, though brewing now happens at the family’s own Silver Reef facility in St. George, Utah, after the original on-site brewhouse was removed for a casino expansion. Newest of all is The Deck, a rooftop bar with open views from Mandalay Bay to Resorts World, and hotel guests get a seasonal outdoor pool and hot tub.

The trade-offs are real. The rooms live in a converted motel building: clean and current after the renovation, but small, simply furnished and short on extras — there is no spa, and the pool is modest and closed in winter. The casino floor is compact and smoky in the way locals’ joints tend to be, weekend nights at the Village Pub and the karaoke bar run loud and late, and the nightly resort fee is a meaningful markup on rates this low. None of that changes the math: as a cheap, walkable base with some of the best-value food and drink in the city, Ellis Island earns its cult following.

Insider tipFor real elbow room over the motel-scale standard rooms, book the Double Queen Suite: it adds a separate living area with a Tempur-Pedic pull-out sofa and a private outdoor patio, and sleeps up to six — the most space Ellis Island offers short of its themed Elvis Suite.

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Rooms

King Room

One king bed in a freshly remodeled, nonsmoking room in the hotel building behind the casino. 42-inch flat-screen with cable, mini fridge, coffee maker, in-room safe, iron and a tub/shower bathroom; free Wi-Fi and a small workspace. Compact and simply finished — a clean place to sleep rather than a place to hang out.

Queen Room

Two queen beds sleep up to four, the practical pick for groups splitting the bill. Same renovated finish as the king rooms: 42-inch cable TV, refrigerator, coffee maker, safe and a tub/shower combination. Expect motel-scale square footage; the payoff is the price.

Double Queen Suite

Two queen beds plus a queen Tempur-Pedic pull-out sofa in a separate living area, with an attached outdoor patio. Two 49-inch cable TVs, a walk-in shower, refrigerator, coffee maker and safe. The most space Ellis Island offers short of its themed Elvis Suite, at budget-suite money.

Location

4178 Koval Ln, Las Vegas, NV 89109

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Frequently asked questions

Does Ellis Island charge a resort fee?

Yes — $34.99 plus tax a night, which lands close to $40 all-in. It covers Wi-Fi and use of the seasonal guest pool and hot tub, but it's a real markup on rates this low, so add it to the headline price before you compare Ellis Island with other budget hotels.

Is parking free at Ellis Island?

Yes — and unusually, it's free for visitors as well as overnight guests, in both the garage and the surface lots. That means you can park free just to eat at the Village Pub, sing karaoke or ride up to The Deck without booking a room. There's no valet service.

How far is Ellis Island from the Las Vegas Strip?

About 0.4 miles. It sits on Koval Lane directly behind the Horseshoe and Paris, so it's a roughly 10-minute walk to the center-Strip casinos along Flamingo Road — close enough to walk over, far enough to dodge Strip parking.

What is the Ellis Island steak special?

A cut-price steak dinner at the 24-hour Village Pub & Cafe and one of the best-known cheap-eats deals in town. The catch: it's deliberately kept off the printed menu, so you have to ask your server for it by name. The price and sides shift over time, so confirm the current deal when you order.

Does Ellis Island still brew its own beer?

Yes, but no longer on the property. The house lineup — light, amber, Weiss, porter, IPA and a brewed root beer — is still an Ellis family product, but the original on-site brewhouse was pulled out for a casino expansion, so brewing moved to the family's Silver Reef facility in St. George, Utah. It still pours at the Village Pub and The Front Yard.

Does Ellis Island have a pool?

Yes — a modest outdoor pool with a hot tub, open only to registered hotel guests. It runs seasonally and closes for the colder months, so don't count on a swim from roughly October into mid-March. Note there's no spa on site.

Rating

3.9

Number of roomsAbout 300 rooms and suites in the renovated hotel building behind the casino (a former Super 8, overhauled in a $20 million renovation).

CasinoYes — a compact locals-style casino with slots, video poker and table games; the floor was recently expanded into the space left by the old on-site brewhouse.

RestaurantsVillage Pub & Cafe - 24-hour American diner, home of the off-menu steak special The Front Yard - two-story restaurant and beer garden (opened 2021) Ellis Island BBQ - barbecue ribs and chicken Metro Pizza - on-site outpost of the Las Vegas pizza institution Via Focaccia - Sicilian sandwich counter on house-baked focaccia

BreweryHouse brand since 1998: light, amber, Weiss, porter and IPA plus a brewed root beer, poured at the Village Pub and The Front Yard. Brewing now happens at the family's Silver Reef facility in St. George, Utah — the original on-site brewhouse was removed during the casino expansion.

NightlifeKaraoke nightly from 10 p.m. at The Front Yard bar (21+, 50,000+ song catalog) The Deck - rooftop bar with Strip views and reservable VIP booths Bar 1968 - casino bar named for the year the original Village Pub opened

PoolOutdoor pool and hot tub reserved for hotel guests; open seasonally (closed in winter).

SpaNo.

Pets allowedNo — pets are not allowed; service animals are exempt.

In-room Internet accessFree Wi-Fi (included in the resort fee).

Hotel amenitiesIn-room safe, mini fridge, coffee maker and free bottled water in all rooms; name-brand toiletries.

Parking garageFree self-parking for guests and visitors (garage plus surface lots). No valet service.

Wheelchair accessible roomsYes — accessible king rooms are a bookable category.

Check-in time3 p.m.

Check-out time11 a.m.

Minimum age to reserve a room18 years; guests under 21 must check in with a parent or legal guardian.

Incidental chargesA credit card is required at check-in for incidental charges.

Prices From$40

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