Q: Upon arrival we were greeted by a very friendly hostess and told we would be sat right away. As we were waiting another couple came in and asked if there was availability for 2 people. It was 5:45pm on Thursday June 19th. The hostess told them without a reservation, there was nothing she could do. Having spent 20+ years in the restaurant business, I could not believe my ears. First of all, there were 4 open tables (at least) and spots at the bar that she could have directed them towards or at the very least explained that the tables that were open were being held for other reservations, but that they were welcome to wait to see if the parties showed up. Instead they were just told no, and turned away. As an owner, I would have fired my manager at the very least over something like this, but as I have come to learn through speaking with prominent government officials and judges that know the owner personally and have frequented this restaurant in the past, he simply does not care how inept his staff is or how his restaurant is run. In addition I should expect him to reply to this complaint on YELP by him denying this ever happened or finding excuses for it as opposed to apologizing for a horrible experience. If you don't believe me, go look at every one or two star review of this place and you will see a common theme, he responds and blasts the reviewer as being non-truthful, a competitor or a miserable person. I suppose every person that has left a bad review is a liar and yet we all have the same complaints. Weird how that works, it must be one hell of a conspiracy. Now, you may be asking yourself, how could this be? This restaurant survives because of its location and the lack of this type of cuisine in the immediate area. It is supported during the day by The World Market Center and at night by The Smith Center and unassuming tourists that do not know any better. Onto my meal. After being sat for nearly 10 minutes, we were finally approached by our server (that barely spoke English) and asked if we would like a drink. After our drinks were delivered and our order was finally taken, this would be the last time we would be visited by our server until our plates were cleared by the busboy and our server dropped the check without asking if we would like desert or anything else for that matter. We sat there for a minute dumbfounded by our experience and since we had another 15 minutes to kill before needing to leave to see our show, we asked the busboy for another drink. I could literally write 10 pages on all the things wrong with the service in this restaurant but you should have a general feel for what to expect when dining in this establishment. As we were leaving the restaurant, I stopped at the hostess desk to ask if there was a manager on duty and was informed that it was actually one of the servers acting as the manager and he was in back, busy at the moment. This was extremely fitting and explained at least in part why this restaurant is run so poorly. Obviously the owner is more concerned with operating expenses like having enough servers on the floor to handle the number of tables in the restaurant and paying for a manager on duty to handle customer problems like the ones I have explained here. I will spread the word through my social media pages to avoid this place at all costs.

A: negative

Q: The ambiance and service at the restaurant were very good. Appetizers were good (sun choke velour and beet salad), however the pork chop entree (ordered medium well per server recommendation) came out charred and tough. I was long finished my entree (duck) before the new pork chop was brought to the table. I was a little disappointed that we were offered dessert wine (not great) instead of having the entree taken off the bill. Once the new pork chop was presented, it was cooked well, but we were both underwhelmed with our meal and would suggest that there are other restaurants in Arizona that have better food at cheaper prices.

A: positive

Q: Beer is a 5! Food is what made it a little lower. Service was great. All the beer was great. Pale was my favorite. Belgium IPA was different and really good!

A: positive

Q: How the mighty have fallen. This was once the reliable place that one would visit in old Downtown. We would regularly see local businesspeople dining here for lunch as it was the only decent meal in Downtown. It is odd that as Downtown has added a number of good and even great dining experiences, the CARSON STREET CAFE has nosedived. The food has gone from excellent to average while the service has disappeared. The Nugget is the Vegas capitol of Zombie Employees. Just about everyone working at the Nugget has a dazed look and detached manner and the CARSON STREET CAFE has the most stupor-induced employees in this sad vortex. If you had told me twelve years ago that the El Cortez Coffee Shop would be superior to the Golden Nugget's I would have laughed. My oh my how times change.

A:
negative