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Tonopah Restaurant – Good Eats in the Middle of The Desert
Banc Club Restaurant
Tonopah, NV
(directions below)
This review was thoughtfully provided by my good friend Louis. We used to work together, and he is a regular reader of this site. Thanks for the review, Louis, and if anyone else is interested in writing for the site, please get in touch.
It’s not often that one finds a restaurant that makes you take a second look. But I found one.
It’s at the Banc Club and it’s in Tonopah. Where in the heck is Tonopah? Tonopah is the approximate half-way point between Reno and Las Vegas. On 95N @ Craig Rd. it’s 200 miles to Tonopah or about 3.5 hours drive.
Now, what could catch my attention in such a desolate town? If you travel, then you are well aware of the blah type of cardboard that is used for burgers. It nearly seems mandatory that if you live in no-man’s land, you must pass on your high school food experience to your customers. The Banc Club breaks that mold (no pun intended).
I was there a few weeks ago, not expecting much, due to the fact that the time previous, I was unimpressed. The food was not much more than blah. Since then, the restaurant has gone through a management and ownership change.
So, the list of events went like this. I arrived late for dinner. Around 10:00 PM. We were seated nearly immediately. The two high school students gave us menus and got us some fresh brewed coffee (it was good timing). After that, the service was only okay until the owner took over. I ordered a burger and was fully expecting cardboard. My girl ordered a chicken sandwich and wasn’t expecting too much either.
When the food arrived, I was shocked. The burger was large, the patty was thick. There was a slice of onion that impressed me! My girl’s sandwich was very large and it smelled great. I eagerly anticipated the juiciness of the burger and had to wait until the brought the bottle of ketchup. I loaded it with my normal dollop and voila, my sandwich was done. The first bite is always the one that tells me what the rest of the burger will be like. The bite of burger I had bit into was not dry. It was cooked medium and appeared to be about 1/2 pound patty. I don’t know what they used for seasoning, but it was good. My girl was very impressed with her sandwich and didn’t finish it because it was so large.
Their menu consisted of a variety of food, from burgers to elegant food. Pricing ranged from around $6 for burgers on up for the fancier dishes.
There are very few restaurants in Tonopah and I strongly suggest this place.
In fact, this summer, take a trip to Tonopah, visit the mining tour, and eat at that great restaurant.
Published Wed 12/21/05 at 9:51pm
Categorized in Food & Drink, Friends & Family, Full Service Restaurants
LarsVargas said on Wed 12/21/05 at 10:00pm
Louis, I can’t thank you enough for the review! I also can’t wait to take Mrs. Vargas on an expedition for one of those great burgers.
lmednick said on Tue 12/27/05 at 12:58pm
**2nd review**
Now, you would think that one review on this cafe would be enough. Well, this is a followup review and I’m sure you will be glad to read it.
I had the pleasure of driving up to Reno for the holidays. It was a nice un-eventful drive. I stopped by my favorite food source in Tonopah at the Banc Club and had their burger. I almost ordered their turkey, but you know, I had my fill and wanted to save a dollar or two. Their turkey dinner is about $9.00.
The burger came out good. Though the menu did state swiss and there was american cheese on it. I thought it was a bit unusual that the dish washer was also the cook, but what the hay, this place is open 24 hours per day and I did arrive at 10:30 PM.
Service was good.
On my way back to Vegas, I stopped by the Banc Club again for dinner. This time, it was a lot earlier. About 9:30 PM.
When I arrived I saw someone waiting tables. Or, I should say, I waited while he talked to some locals. Finally, after 6 minutes, he comes by and asks if I want a menu. I felt like saying no, I’m here for the scenery! I knew what I wanted to eat, but I wanted him to work for the tip at this point.
I put my burger order in and within a short period of time, it came out.
The beef patty was cooked properly and was the same as before. The bun was chared beyond recognition and I was hungry had a headach and didn’t feel like asking for another one.
So, I thanked the waiter by docking him a buck off his tip and away I went.
Now, I will still suggest this place because out of 3 times to have one bad experience isn’t all that bad. I also take into account the fact of the location and the quality of employee pool that Tonopah has to offer.
Yes, I will try them one more trip before I write them off.
Stay tuned for one more review.