Market Street Cafe

Two words: Oxtail soup. Enough said.

I have such happy memoriea of dining here with my mom and aunties…
First of all, it’s convenient. When we get off of the plane, we eat here right away since our rooms are upstairs in the California Hotel and Casino. We meet here in the morning every day of our vacation and make our daily plans, talk about our wins from the night before, and discuss family happenings (such as new babies, upcoming wedding, and the old days when my grandparents were alive).
Because this restaurant is open 24/​7, sometimes there are long lines while it’s empty at other times. It’s all timing. .
We get free meals here, three times a day with coupons that come with the Vacations Hawaii package.
Some favorites:
Oxtail soup plus $ 3
Breakfast buffet with oatmeal (ask for the oatmeal)
Prime rib dinner with salad bar
Miso butterfish plus $ 2
The Daily Specials like the Braised Short ribs
Besides the great service, we enjoy seeing people from Hawaii. The other customers are usually people from home! It’s such a fun and lively place. .If you want a funny story, ask me about the baked potatoes.. hahaha!

So far the service is quite slow. Took about 20 mins till someone asked me what I wanted to drink. Ordered the Oriental Soup Combo.

So the last couple of times we have been to Vegas I have wanted to come by and try the Ox Tail soup. I am glad I did. After standing in a line about 50 yards deep I was surprised how fast we got to the front and were seated. There are a lot of great items on the menu from Eggs Benedict for under $ 8, to the Lau Lau, short ribss and much more but I came for one reason and one reason only. I had been told that my Mom has made this for us when I was younger but I honestly dont remember.
The large bowl of broth had plenty of bones with meat coming off the bones. The soup is seasoned very well and I would compare it to a Mexican/​Hispanic dish Cocido which uses a different meat but still has a similar taste and texture. If there was one complaint is that a couple of bones had a lot of fat on it but again, I have the same issue on even some of my favorite cocido restaurants. Its going to happen.
My wife tried the Wanton soup but I must explain that she is a very picky eater and does not like vegetables so the bowl of Oriental Soup Combo that the very nice waitress suggested was out of the picture. She ate some of her soup but said it had a strong odor. I tried it and could not pick up any unusual or bad smell.
We also ordered the banana fritters. This was a little deceiving but still very tasty. They give you about 3 – 4 wanton wrappers with a nut medley inside. It is very good. They also give you a bowl of ice crean and about a half a banana cut into 3/​8″ slices. Half is being generous.
The service was fast and they filled our water glasses often. The waitress was very nice and patient with me when I asked her dumb questions like «do most people put the rice into the broth?». She suggested not to and I didn’t; what do you think.
I would love to come back and try something else but I dont think my wife is going to come with me.

The food is average, but they do have some items that are pretty good. Service can be slow but that doesn’t deter the late night crowd from gathering for the infamous oxtail soup.
After recovering from a nasty cold, I decided to drop in for, of course, the oxtail soup. To be real, its not that outstanding. The broth is very simple with a skimpy addition of some veggies, but the oxtail bones are so soft and meaty which is all I really care about.
Here’s where things went wrong. Let me first mention that the soup was warm, not hot. There was also a black hair in my soup but I couldn’t be sure where it came from. It could’ve been mine for all I know, so I didn’t complain. By the time I got home, I was feeling a bit queasy but attempted to sleep it off. I woke up a couple hours later because I was feeling really nauseous and ended up puking 5 times!!!
Officially scarred for life. Never going back.

This restaurant is inside of California hotel and casino in old downtown Las Vegas. My favorite place to eat oxtail soup late at night. For $ 9.99 you get three big oxtails in your soup. They are so tender that they just fall off the bone. Seasoned perfect in a big bowl. Great value. The best in Las Vegas. Too bad they don’t serve it all day. Only from 11pm to 9am.

We were thankful to find this 24-​hour operation after a heavy gambling sesh.
The name is deceiving, though it does offer all day breakfast — there are many Hawaiian items on the menu. Most likely because, being located in the California Hotel, it caters to the heavy Hawaiian tourist clientele.
Upon arrival, we were dismayed that there was a long line wrapped along the entire corridor and our hopes were dwindling as the staff was counting off how many parties in each group and it seemed so out of reach that we’d be able to eat in this century.
Alas, we saw the light at the end of the tunnel and was able to get seating right by the entryway.
Not everything on the menu is offered at all times. However, they have this lovely section on the menu, labeled under «Graveyard Specials» (11 pm to 9 am) where we got a NY Steak for $ 6.99! I ordered the Oriental Soup Combo ($ 7.29).
Now, I know you’re probably wondering what quality of meat do you get for $ 6.99. Turns out, something overcooked and tough, with texture resembling muscle fibers.
In hindsight, we should have probably ask for it to be prepared Medium instead of Medium well, tis’ bad 3 am judgement.
But looking on the bright side, it came with a side of fries and warmed frozen green beans, so it was salvageable (?).
I had high hopes for the Saimin wonton soup. The noodles were slurpy and cooked perfectly, the broth was savory and warmed my soul, having sold it to the blackjack dealer earlier. The wontons were tasty morsels with hearty filling, however the wrapper had been soaked too long and fell apart in my bowl. The char sui was gummy, and inedible. The medium sized shrimp was appealing, but unsure if I could trust the crustacean, I passed on consuming it. Loved the fresh spinach in the soup, and ate some of the fish cake, but I’ve never been a fan of the artificial coloring of the fish cakes, even when I lived in Japan so, left some of those too.
I think I’d come back and maybe try their other menu items as I do love Hawaiian food.

After eating so much fatty food on the strip sometimes it’s nice to eat something that resembles a nice home-​cooked meal. That is exactly what the oxtail soup reminded me of: my grandma’s cooking. I liked it a lot, just like i enjoy my grandma’s home cooking, but I guess since my grandma’s spoils me so much the soup wasn’t as spectacular as others have made it out to be. They only serve it late night, so make sure you don’t come here before 11pm if you want the oxtail soup. The line, it seems, is usually long… but if you are not in a group you can request to be seated at the bar for little to no wait. They don’t serve drank at the bar, but you can grab one on the way and take it inside no problem. That’s what my girl and I did, grabbed a couple vodka tonics and sat at the bar around 10:45pm. The minute it hit 11 we had two giant bowls of oxtail soup in front of us.
If I’m in the area I might go for it again, but honestly I don’t think I would make the drive out just to eat. The whole place has this feeling of melancholy and lost dreams. It makes me think of people spending sleepless nights playing chasing those 3 bars smoking cigs til 4am on penny slots. A lingering of a Vegas that used to be great, but is slowly becoming outdated. It is something like traveling back in time, and while I like Fremont Street every time I visit it seems less and less interesting. But great food and good times.

Located at Downtown Las Vegas in the California Hotel and Casino.
Arrived here on a Sunday afternoon and there was a bit of a wait. My friend and I waited for about 10 — 15 minutes to be seated which was not too bad because it was Easter Sunday.
I ordered the Steak and Eggs served with brown rice and toast. Keep in mind that the steak takes a bit of a wait because they cook accordingly to order. My friend ordered the two large grade AA eggs breakfast, served with hash brown, toast, and spam.
Our bill came out to around $ 20 excluding tip, which was pretty darn cheap. However, the portions were pretty small.
BTW oxtail soup is served between 11:00PM — 9:00AM ;(
As for staff they were really friendly, informative, and attentive.

We came here for the oxtail soup, and we were not disappointed!
The delicious comfort food is a graveyard special $ 9.99, serve only 11pm-​9am. The soup is clear and tasty, and the oxtail was big and generous. Cilantro and minced ginger are served on the side to add additional flavors. With a bowl of rice, this soup is satisfying and filling. Will try other Hawaiian dish next time.
Parking: $ 3 at the Casino parking structure, can get reimbursement at the Casino cashier with dining receipt.

This restaurant never changes, still the same 80’s look from way back then.
Actually, don’t know when they opened, but I do recall this restaurant from 20+ years ago, and it’s funny, I think even some of the workers are there from that long ago?
Another thing I remember is how long they take to seat you, and today still the same.
I’m from Hawaii, and obviously this place caters to Hawaiians given their menu choices are those you can find on this islands. Food is okay if you are hungry, but nothing really to boast about. I recall years back ordering different dishes and didn’t quite care for it and thought I wouldn’t care to return. This time around, heard they sell Zippy’s famous chili, given I do like Zippy’s chili, this is all I ever order from here. Outrageously GIANT PORTION of Zippy’s chili served for one person, I believe is enough for 2 people to get full from. The Zippy’s chili is one of the items available at no charge if using your meal coupon given with the Boyd’s Travel Packages.
One of many restaurants that does honor the Boyd’s travel meal coupon. Oh, and open ²⁴⁄₇!

I’ve always passed up coming here because I usually dined at Aloha Specialties upstairs (Loco Moco, Teri plates, beef stew, musubi) but I was informed they had the best oxtail soup so I had to give it a try.
Tip: Oxtail Soup is only served from 11pm to 9am! $ 9.99
You get a generous bowl of broth and I had at least 6 giant pieces of ox tail. Served with fresh crushed ginger, cilantro and 2 scoops of rice. I agree: best oxtail soup!
Also recommend their lau lau special (served after 11am on Saturday) that comes with chicken long rice (glass noodles in ginger chicken broth), 2 scoops rice and mac salad.
Cheap breakfast buffet for $ 6.25 that comes with scrambled eggs, ham, portugese sausage, french toast, fruits, cottage cheese and coffee.
My dilemma is now choosing between my old favorite Aloha Specialties and oxtail soup at Market street café!!!
Free parking if you mention you are dining.

Market Street Café is within the «California Hotel» so it was nice having a variety of restaurants to choose from while staying here at this hotel. Main Street Café offers lots to choose from, a variety of breakfast dishes, comfort foods, your usual eggs and pancakes, steaks, toast, and they even have filipino breakfast, say whaaattt. They have late night/​early morning specials (the ox-​tail soup which everyone loves), which cannot be ordered to-​go, and some of them get sold out so you have to wait until the next day to try again.
We stayed at this hotel for 4 days and I’m pretty sure we could have eaten here every single day, if we wanted to, because there is such a vast selection of many different items to choose from without getting tired of eating the same thing. The breakfast buffet is delicious and reminiscent of a breakfast buffet at your typical Waikiki boutique hotel. Soft scrambled eggs, portugese sausage, white steamed rice, bacon, fruit, biscuits and gravy, and I love that their beverage choices include pineapple juice (although it is the teeny can that I can drink and finish in 2.5 seconds and makes me feel awkward when asking for another one… and another. and another).
Plus everything on the menu is soooo affordable. Even the breakfast buffet. Any buffet below $ 9 automatically gets 5 stars because I love affordable food PLUS the food is actually good, which is a bonus at cheap buffet’s, lol.
Love the food, love the affordability, love the casualness, love the look-​and-​feel of this place. Minus 1 star because their limited-​time specials get sold out and I didn’t get any ox-​tail soup last time I visited. *sad face*

Unilocal 100 REVIEW CHALLENGE — ¹¹⁄₁₀₀
Couldn’t wait to try this place out because everyone kept raving about the ox tail soup. The only thing is, they actually don’t offer it until after 11:00 pm. Everyone in my party was disappointed because we went to downtown for that particular reason.
The place was kind of hard to find if you’re not familiar with the California Hotel. Because of all the renovations, the entrance is actually blocked by a large tarp. The wait for our large group took a long time, and when we were finally seated we saw at least half of the place empty.
The staff on the other hand was very helpful and tried to accommodate everyone.
I ordered the Philippine breakfast which did not disappoint. It came with tocino, rice and eggs.
I also ordered a side of macaroni salad which tasted really bland. I was excited because it is after all a Hawaiian themed hotel so I figured they would at least have good macaroni salad.
I will probably come back for the ox tail soup because everyone can’t stop talking about it.

I’m sure if we had a chance to try the famous ox tail soup, we would’ve had a 4 or 5 star experience, but we were dining a la normal hours, so it wasn’t available.
As far as Hawaiian specialties, there weren’t that many. Instead, there were lots of traditional American dishes, which were good. Just not exactly what I was looking for. I got the hamburger steak patty with gravy, thinking it was more like a loco moco, but it was pretty much a salisbury steak. I chose rice, and it was all pretty good. However, the green beans I could’ve done without.
The kiddo got the braised short ribs, and again, good, not great. Could’ve been cooked a bit longer because they were a tad tough. The hubby got the chicken fried steak, and it was, as you guessed it, good. I’d think it would be pretty hard to mess up chicken fried steak.
Service was efficient and friendly. It was like my Lola was serving me dinner. I actually felt pretty bad for asking for refills. I had the urge to get up and get my own Pepsi, like a good grand daughter does for her grandma. She was sweet.
3 decent dinners for around $ 30. I’ll take it.

I am a fan of the casino café (or Diner as they call them in New York). Sadly, the casinos are gradually replacing them with newer restaurants. In downtown Las Vegas, we recently lost the El Cortez Café to Pizza Lotto and the Golden Nugget Café to Claim Jumper. I believe that the old school casino cafes compliment the casino experience along with good food at reasonable prices. And so, when I met up with my brother on the Fremont Street East District, we’d walk to the Cali where I’d take advantage of some good old school café food.
The Market Street Café is both the Cali café and a restaurant serving Hawaiian food. Their oxtail soup has become a Las Vegas legend. This is no accident. The Cali caters to the Hawaii market and is the epicenter of the Ninth Island casino scene. Market Street Café also features a diverse menu with a range of reasonably priced comfort food and daily specials. I usually order the $ 9.99 prime rib special. This includes the soup and salad bar; a choice of baked potato with sour cream and butter, rice, or mashed potatoes; with cherry jubilee a vanilla ice cream based dessert.
Market Street Café is a popular dining spot along the Fremont Street Corridor. Just like the last few times I dined here (including before I became Daniel. S Unilocaler), a long line is the admission to this dining experience. The long line is the prelude to a restaurant that fills to capacity. The line usually moves along.
Immediately after ordering, I headed to the soup and salad bar, which is usually included with the dinners. The only flaw with the soup and salad bar is that the soup was nonexistent. I was satisfied with the salad. The salad bar also featured corn salad and pasta salad.
The impersonal waitress soon delivered the prime rib dinner. It was a nice cut of beef with the exception of a couple of fat spots. Overall it was flavorful. With the prime rib, a jus sauce added an additional layer of taste. Complimenting the prime rib was a baked potato that I flavored with butter and sour cream. This was nothing like the baked potato that I recently dug into in the Triple 7 Restaurant in Cali’s sister property Main Street Station. It also included green beans that they can keep for the pigs in the North Las Vegas pig farm. It was halfway into festing on the prime rib that the waitress added an additional item onto the table. It was my dessert. Placing dessert on a guest’s table when they are half way into the meal is an ABSOLUTE NO NO. Talk about hurrying somebody! Talk about unprofessional service. And let me talk more about poor service. The unprofessional waitress failed to ask me if I wanted a Pepsi refill. So following the cordial rule of dining, I tasted the cherry jubilee that is really vanilla ice cream after finishing the prime rib and baked potato. I just made it to the ice cream because it started melting.
After paying around $ 13 to the cashier and showing the casino cashier my receipt for the parking validation, I walked past the banks of Cali slot machines filled up yet slightly annoyed. As I waited for the light to turn green at Ogden Street, it was clear to me that I will be dining at and Unilocaling at least nine Fremont Street restaurants before and if I do go to Market Street Café.
Pictures of the $ 9.99 Prime rib dinner meal experience:

$ 6.25 for breakfast buffet?! Count me in! Price can’t be beat with that. There’s your typical American breakfast line up of decent food such as eggs, sausages, ham, hash brown, corn beef hash, bacon, biscuits, pastries, etc. Breakfast is served from 6am to 11am so go as early as you can for some affordable breakfast fuel for the day.

Man oh man. I’ve had some fond memories here at Market Street Café… but I’ll get back to those.
A solid choice for local/​Hawaiian food that makes me feel right at home. For those not in the know, the California Hotel or ‘the Cal’ is a hot zone for people from Hawaii when they visit Hawaii. It’s the laws of Hawaiian physics. We all flock here for some reason. Either the cheap food, the low rolling gambling or just being around other people from Hawaii has everyone coming back for more.
Ahh yes, back to those fond memories. After a night of drinking, gambling and good olé Vegas debauchery in downtown, stumbling into Market Street Café at 1am and saying those two magical words, ‘oxtail soup,’ is a blessing. The order comes with a side of rice as well. The soup is delightful and the meat (if you can get it off the bones) is tender. Adding ginger and cilantro to the soup give it even more flavor!
Besides the oxtail soup, there are many local favorites on their very extensive menu. One of the better deals for dinner is their prime rib + unlimited salad bar + dessert for only $ 9.99. It’s quite a steal and the prime rib is decent. There are daily specials that are written on the board out by the cashier.
Depending on the day and time of year, the line for this joint can be pretty long but hang in there. It moves pretty quickly and we’re always seated in no time.

The typical late-​night casino dining you crave after a long night of gambling or drinking.
FOOD:
Oxtail Soup of course! A type of comfort food for me that pleases the taste buds and soothes the stomach. This dish is so popular here that the servers usually ask how many your table is ordering before they ask if you want anything else.
They have a pretty large menu that includes your typical diner food but also has a section that includes Hawaiian and Filipino dishes. Aside from the Oxtail Soup, everything else I’ve tried here has been pretty mediocre. I’ve tried the Steak & Eggs, Tocino & Eggs, Prime Rib, and Corned Beef Hash. All these dishes are nothing special and a little overpriced for what you’re getting.
AMBIANCE:
Good olé’ old-​school Vegas casino diner. the only thing missing is the Keno screens. You’ll find a lot of Hawaiian people taking breaks from gambling. usually a quiet buzz from these zombies needing to refuel.
SERVICE:
Pretty quick service, you’re usually right in & out of there. A lot of times you’ll run into a long line to get in but it usually goes by fast. The servers are always very friendly. no matter how late into the night it is, they never lack politeness.
TIPS:
Oxtail Soup!
If you’re dining at the Cal during the day, you’ll find far better choices upstairs at Aloha Specialties. but during after-​hours, this spot is solid.

Not a bad place to go and get some late night grub… especially when all the buffets had shut down, and you’re a bit hungry from flying back from the bay area.
While in Vegas, I made a side trip to the bay area to visit da ohana, and upon flying back to Las Vegas, it was rather late and way past dinner time.
Lucky for me, inside the California Hotel, there is a restaurant called the — Market Street Café!
I’ve been here a few times… mostly to get my late night grub on.
It’s a great place to visit if you’re needing something to eat late at night, or something to dilute all that beer you drank from the late night outing (that was the old me), and of course, when hungry — at least this place is open ²⁴⁄₇! Food quality is just average, but it’s edible, and cheap!
This place is known for the oxtail soup, but I felt like some steak & eggs!
For what you pay (dirt cheap) & what you get… it’s a real good bargain! I ordered the steak & eggs (they make the eggs anyway you like it), you get a choice of rice or potatoes, and toast on the side.
Service is fast… got in & filled my big belly, and was was outta there in no time!