Gold Ranch

We just stopped for gas and a potty break
Negatives:
— Convoluted approach fromEastbound I-​80
— Too many stupid divers. We were cut off twice to get to a pump and then were almost T-​boned trying to get out.
— To get to the restrooms, you have to walk through the very smokey very icky casino.
Positives:
–Bathrooms were clean
— There are lots of pumps
— Gas prices are compatible to prices in town
— Had Squeegees and water at the pumps for window washing
So, it is OK. GAs is cheaper here than in California, so if traveling West, it might make sense.

This is a review for the conveniences at Gold Ranch and not the casino or restaurant.
This is the bathroom/​energy drink/​gas stop before all road trips. The bathrooms are always clean and stocked. The convenience store is typical but very large so they do stock itemds not found at others. Seemingly their wine selection actually seems to be decent and they have quite a bit of souvenir merch if you failed to grab presents while you were in town.
Oh, there’s lotto in the back of the parking lot but I’ve never actually been to that building.
**If you play Ingress there are 2 portals in the parking lot!

The bathroom stop we made inside Gold Ranch in Verdi was successful. Nice, clean restrooms.
After visiting the facilities, our trio walked around a little bit and found a giant teddy bear: awesome. There was a young man conducting some sort of player’s club game over a loudspeaker as he walked around. He was good-​looking and really enthusiastic about whatever loyalty game they were playing. Most of the rest of the people we saw were much less enthusiastic and sat expressionlessly staring at screens while pushing buttons with cigarettes in hand.
A sports bar sat off the front gambling room and looked a little more lively and happy than the area we first walked into. We didn’t stay long, didn’t even have a drink, but it was a cool stop. I like small casinos like this place — they’re all unique in their own way — and it’s a huge plus when they’re convenient and bathrooms are clean.

This is a great small casino location. For a local Reno dweller, it may be a drive, but their players club perks are nice. Comp points can be exchanged at their yummy on site restaurant, and their loyalty points quickly accumulate. The location caters to mostly people using the gas station or as a site to explore from the camping next door, but if you take time to gamble or eat you find many friendly employees. Their ventilation is pretty good, game selection decent and really nice late at night because it’s quiet.

I always come here (last chance) before I hit the road for a 4 hour drive back. there slots are loose and for some reason I always win there .I just hope they have a few tables black jack /​baccart/​or paigow. but overall 5 star

We LOVE this little casino. It has been a 20 year ritual for us to stop off on our way home from Reno to get gas, eat at Sierra Café, and gamble for an hour. A trip would not be complete without stopping by. The place is very small (maybe 150 slots?) but quaint and has a nice selection of slots to play. Its nice to see some older slots along with new ones. Employees are always friendly and even has a cocktail waitress serving free drinks. They did finally get a cash ticket out machine within the last 3 – 4 years where you always had to cash out at the cash cage before. They have a players club too. There are no card tables. The bathrooms are surprisingly nicer than you would expect and clean.

So happy I tried this! Stopped with the kids on our way back to Truckee. Quick, good food. I took the extra couple minutes to get a Players Card and the kids got 2 eggs, 2 sausages and 2 pancakes for $ 2.99. They both gave it thumbs up and cleared their plates. I had the garden omelette, it came with a side of hollandaise. Very good! We will definitely be stopping here more in the future!

This is not a review of the casino itself but only of the use of the restroom as a rest stop between Reno and Lake Tahoe.
We parked easily. Found the bathrooms immediately. They were clean and plentiful. Despite the stench from the cigarette smoke, the bathroom was clean and smelled nice.
It was convenient to enter into the main casino doors and find the restroom within a short walk.
I didn’t eat or gamble, but the restroom was great.

Stopped in late night for a potty break. A much needed break. There are zero rest stops once you get into the mountains. Pulled into GR and was pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness of the casino and bathroom. As with any casino now a days, the smoking section is large. I didn’t smell the smoke residue as with many others. I did note that in addition to their main air system, there were air purifiers on the floor.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Just over the stateline on I-​80 is a small town called Verdi and their apparent shining star is Gold Ranch. I didn’t walk into the casino but I did stop at their Chevron for some petrol and contemplated an Ultimate Cheeseburger at Jack in the Crack however I refrained because a girl must keep her figure (if lumpy and clumpy is worth saving!).
While I was gassing up I took a look at my surroundings. Some were like me stopping in for gas and gas alone while others were shimmying into Gold Ranch for a dance with lady luck. Patrons included some Harley guys with tattoos practically all over even the whites of their eyes and this one lady who looks like she may have fed the world from her «ladies» with a cig hanging out of her mouth that looked like it closed with a drawstring.
In any case it was a quick visit and possibly my last but when you need it, sometimes you have to lump it.

PLEASE bring back the $ 5.99 T-​Bone Tuesdays. This was superb. Then you’d get a 6 STAR rating!

We stopped in here because we were hungry, I like breakfast foods, and 3 $ was a bargainnnnn. But, alas, I needed to be a «player» and a member of the «players club» for such a bargain. So I shelled out 6 $ for a different breakfast that did not include bacon. Huff. I like bacon.
My food was ok, but my partner got a chicken wrap thing that was atrocious. Stick to the breakfast, folks.
She also went outside to take a call and I thought she had paid until we were in the car — we easily could have dined and dashed but I guess I am too old for that now, so I went back in and paid. A pretty good indicator of the staff’s attentiveness.

This review is of the Sierra Café inside of the Gold Ranch establishment.
Sierra Café is located inside of the Gold Ranch casino. It is clearly visible near the entrance, and a neon sign highlights the name of the restaurant. The food is pretty good; over the course of more than a few visits, as a family, we have eaten here for both breakfast and dinner. Only today have we tried breakfast. Many healthy choices are offered, the food is flavorful, and the portions are sizeable. I have found dinner to be superior to breakfast; still, both are somewhat recommendable. The service was as expected, though on one instance, my father had complained about a rather brusque server. The atmosphere was good, but not spectacular; the whole restaurant was surrounded by windows that corresponded to some nice views. The establishment was comfortable to be in as a whole.
Food quality: The food was mainly four-​star quality, though breakfast for me leans closer to 3.5 stars. For breakfast, I had the «Four Deuces», which was a platter of scrambled eggs (which I did not like in general, and thus did not eat), two slices of bacon, two sausage links, and two pieces of French toast. I cannot speak for the scrambled eggs, but I can say that the bacon slices and sausage links were flavorful, and of high quality. The French Toast was the lowest-​quality portion of the meal; towards the end of the experience, the toast became decreasingly flavorful. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal as a whole. The dish only cost $ 6.49 to boot; low prices raise this restaurant’s rating.
Food quantity: Portions served are reasonably large for the price, especially breakfast (the Four Deuces dish cost but $ 6.49). As for dinner, four large pieces of Fish & Chips with fries cost only about $ 11 or $ 12. Quality considered, the quantity is a great deal for the price.
Service: One occasion aside, service has been good. Our waiters and waitresses have visited us periodically, and refilled our drinks whenever they were empty or near empty. They come at just the right times; not too often, yet not too rarely. The aforementioned one occasion of brusqueness by a server was still not too significant, and did not impact my overall impression of the café.
Atmosphere: The atmosphere was good, yet not anything especially noteworthy. I didn’t see any colorful or high quality paintings on the walls, although windows allowed for some nice views while eating. The whole café possessed an air of rusticity, which lent some authenticity to it and its theme.
Overall: Sierra Café is a nice restaurant to visit if you need to satisfy a fix for some traditional American food. This establishment is better than most of its kind, with nice views, good service, and tasty, healthful dining options. It isn’t quite worth making the only American restaurant/​diner you visit, but for what it intends to be, and for what it actually is, it deserves quite a lot of credit.
⁴⁄₅ stars
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: 3.75÷5
Atmosphere: 3.75÷5

Alright older casino off the beaten path.
Charging for a sprite when someone is gambling… Mehhh

Hey, you can’t beat $ 2.99 for a breakfast that isn’t any worse than your typical Denny’s. That’s 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, and 2 bacon or sausage. We saw the big billboard sign on our way up to Reno. Its great for people on a budget coming back home; gas up and have breakfast here. Just sign up for their players card to avail the breakfast special. I wish I did get their country fried steak instead, it does look good too. Oh well next time I guess.

This casino sucks! It is strictly slot machines, let alone it is small and seems more like a place for the Truckee locals to come racing down to grab a couple of beers and play slots for a while.
Definitely not my idea of fun.
The place is fairly warm (yes year round) and the bathroom is kinda clean. There is ample parking as well. It is also connected to several other places, a convenience store and a jack in the crack…

There was something about this seedy little cheap breakfast place that lured us in, it may have been the smoking casino with old people everywhere or it could have been the $ 2.99 eggs, bacon and pancake breakfast on the GIANT billboard out front, either way, we were there.
We sat down quickly in the nearly empty establishment and were immediately greeted by a younger lady who wanted to let us know the specials and see if we wanted beverages. I ordered a coffee, water and mimosa. WIN! The mimosa is actually a glass of orange juice and split of champagne that you combine yourself in a glass for $ 5. Definitely a big win there. We learned quickly that you had to get a players card to get the cheap breakfast, but it didn’t matter, the entire menu was decently priced for what you were getting. I ordered the ham and eggs and the boyfriend got the chicken fried steak. We were both impressed with the timeliness it came out (and i mean freaking quick!) and the amount of food we received.
We both enjoyed everything we had, but the kicker was when we left. We paid our bill to the overly surly old lady at the register and signed for our tip ($ 6 on a $ 30 tab) and when we checked the bank statement later on, they entered the tip in for $ 9 instead. What is that about??? How shady and assuming. You didn’t serve us, the 6 didn’t look like a 9 and $ 9 on a $ 30 meal? You didn’t serve me with gold laced anything nor did I win a million dollars.
Just saying… a little shady in my book — definitely would have received a higher rating otherwise.

Ok we have been here three times over a couple of years, the last time a week ago.
Each time we say we will not be back but figure oh what the heck give it another shot.
No shots left in this gun.
The place is fine as far as a standard coffee shop goes in regards to décor.
The service is always friendly, but achingly slow. This last time was not busy yet it took 24 minutes to get two burgers.
The burgers were not good, simple as that. Over cooked is the standard no matter how one orders them. I ate half and left the rest to posterity.
We have not had one good meal so I guess it is truly time to give up.
Oh yeah and the old lady taking the money said hi to the folks in front of us and as were being rung up said hi to the folks behind us but not once did she look at us or say a single word. I guess we are just too beautiful and her aw overtook her ability to converse with us.

Signed up for their players card, got a great breakfast for $ 2.99. Can’t beat eggs, bacon and pancakes for that price. Worth the little drive from Reno on a Saturday morning.

What in tarnation is this place? A Jack-​n-​the-​Box? Convenience store? Gas Station? Casino? Restaurant? Bar? Bonnie & Clyde museum? Yes, yes it is.
It was about 1 am and the Oldman got a wild hair to stop off at this spot after a long day of carousing in the Reno area. I really just wanted to get back to good ol’ Sac town, and put my mac down.
Wasn’t none too thrilled as we drove up to what looked to be a gas station/​Jack-​in-​the-​Box. Good thing he put the car keys in his pocket, because I was ready to turn around and burn rubber outta there! But, where would I be without my Clyde (my shotgun partner on our frequent little road trips)?
I humored him and thought we just run in, check it out and leave. But, it was I who got all a-​flutter and a had to be goaded back to the car. As we walked in past the empty restaurant to the right and the little empty casino to the left, way in the back I spotted an old car (Ford V8) that looked like Swiss cheese! The sign read «Bonnie & Clyde Death Car». Another sign read «Please do not touch the Death Car, it’s considered Unlucky» — Nice way to put «keep your grubby hands off».
There were other artifacts such as a beaded necklace and embellished mirror that Clyde made for his dear sister and Bonnie, respectively (to show his gentle, artistic side), newspaper articles, and the bullet-​riddled shirt Clyde was wearing in the «Death Car». Sad. Too bad they were bad guys… I was hoping for more of a non-​violent Beyonce & Jay-​Z happy road-​trip-​into-​the-​sunset ending. Anyway that was a cool little bright spot to this place.
Oh, and the convenience store was well-​stocked with just about anything one could need for the ride home… me — I grabbed and chugged down a nice big Monster Coffee Light energy drink — pushed the button to START, threw the car into gear and told my Clyde, «hold on, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!»