Four Queens

Four Queens review

Fresh off a 40th anniversary, the Four Queens are still ladies in waiting; specifically, waiting for a genuine Fremont resurgence. But for visitors who like their gambling vacations cheap and to the point, this is a prime location for a taste of old-school Vegas.

Accommodation
The hotel's 690 guestrooms (including 45 suites) have been remodelled, but keep your hopes down. Still, the new flat-screen TVs are a nice touch.

Eating & drinking
The best of Downtown's bunch might be Hugo's Cellar, a romantic, quintessentially old-school restaurant: long-stem roses handed out at the door, salad cart, steak and lobster, and, of course, the flaming table-side cherries jubilee. Magnolia's Veranda is a standard Downtown 24-hour café (complete with the standard prime rib dinner), while the Chicago Brewery features microbrews, pizza and a cigar lounge. There's also a deli.

Entertainment
The Canyon Club, run by House of Blues expats, is a 600-capacity music venue that opened in 2007.

Gambling
Cramped and crowded, for some reason the Four Queens packs 'em in nightly. It's not that the gambling here is any stronger than next door or across the street, though the beers are better thanks to the presence of a brewpub. The roulette chips are dollars, with a $5 minimum. A $5 toke to the cocktail waitresses earns a huge smile and frequent service.