Tonight's dinner came from The Hush Puppy on West Charleston, past Rainbow. It has been a Las Vegas tradition for almost 40 years. If you ever drove to Red Rock Canyon in the 90s, it was hard to miss. Today, it's hard to find unless you see the sign out front with the dog on it.

This place is heart attack central. 90 percent of everything is deep fried. It is a place that you go to for all you can eat specials. The basic plan is AYCE catfish, shrimp, oysters, hush puppies, fries, and salad bar for $12.95. On Mondays, you can add crab legs. On Wednesdays you can add BBQ ribs for $5.00. There are other specials on different days of the week.

The place has several small dining rooms with maybe 10 small tables in each. The decor is not bad. It's a little worn though. Service is very fast and efficient. There is one small room with a salad bar. The salad bar is weak at best. It is where they keep the tarter sauce and cocktail sauce, and that's the only reason to go there.

The catfish can come whole or filets. I thought the catfish was pretty good. I think the corn meal was bland and could use some seasoning. The shrimp were almost okay. They were better than buffet fried shrimp and worse than if you bought frozen shrimp ready for quick fry at home. The oysters were not bad. I'm not a fan of fried oysters. I did eat one. The BBQ ribs were cooked well and tasted okay. They were a little fatty though. The french fries may have been fresh cut. The hush puppies were soft and came with a honey butter.

The good service, good catfish, and reasonable price make this AYCE a deal. Don't plan this meal around the salad bar or shrimp or even the ribs. If you happen to be there on rib night, an extra $5 for AYCE ribs is fair.

I have not tried the crab legs so I can not comment on them. I have heard good things about them. Also, I saw a NY steak that looked so yummy I had to ask the lady about it who said it was as good as it looked.

The Hush Puppy has another location in a lesser side of town on North Nellis. The location I went to has a few video poker machines. They appeared to be bills in, coins out, although I'm not sure. 3 of the machines were very old JOB, and 2 were Game Kings with penny to dollar denominations. I saw someone with a pitcher of beer, so I guess they have a liquor license. There is also a drive through that seems to do pretty good business.

Catfish made right is a wonderful meal. I don't know if you remember Joe, but it's (catfish) one of my favorite meals. However where I live is not the best place to order it out. I would have never really given Vegas a thought for this meal. Always thought of this a a southern style meal thing.
Aprox how far from the strip is this place???

I love southern cooking - this place sounds great!

This place is not fancy at all. I don't want you to get your expectations too high in the wrong areas. The fried catfish is pretty good. Service is fast because they cook in large volumes and the waitress prepares your plate as if it were a fast food order.

Lee, put this in your GPS, it will be about 6 miles from the strip.

Hush Puppy
7185 W Charleston Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89117

This truly IS a locals place, and as Joe says, it's REALLY not fancy! The food is pretty good, though. Most of our friends go there for the catfish, but as a non fish eater, I think their steaks are pretty good.

How really "not fancy" is this place?
You 2 are making me wonder. Remember my 2 needs in a place, Safe & Clean!

Lee, you'll be fine. I'm just trying to scare Mike away because I want him to try all the places in the Encore...and Amore if he ventures away from the strip.<g>

The place is old. It WAS fancy 35 years ago. The first dining room is the one I ate in. It has a big picture window looking to a garden/water feature. Today, it keeps the room from feeling boxy. Years ago it probably had some WOW factor. The tables and chairs are probably 35 years old. The teal colored paint on the walls of the dining room was slightly dated. The entry/lobby area had nice wood walls.

The food is fine. They do cook in volume to support the dining areas and drive through. You will NOT get the impression that a chef looks at your order and prepares a plate for you. Still, the food tastes good. I don't think that they could serve huge volumes of fish for 35 years without being safe and clean in the kitchen. Everything I ate was finger food so I didn't look close at the utensils.

I think the place has some old Vegas charm to it. I wouldn't dress up to go there, nor would I feel out of place going there after 12 hours of running around all day.

Safe and clean are not a problem. Good fried catfish is not a problem. The prices are fair. Service is friendly. Their pitchers of beer come in those old style glass pitchers that are big and made of glass. They have a very big parking lot that was near full in the good ole days.

By not fancy, I wouldn't ask for a wine list, the wait staff isn't dressed to impress, I wouldn't trust the 5 second rule (especially in the salad room), no valet parking, I don't know if they take reservations, and the location is not prime.

I really like the catfish and I'm anxious to try the steak. I have several other steaks on my to do list at the moment. I'm sure I'll be back many times.

OK, I feel better about the place now.
You both where making we worried that this might not be a place to visit, without good healthcare! LOL Heck I've had some of my best times in places that are "not fancy".
Remember, I'm one of the guys who like downtown, so not fancy is pretty much a theme with us!

i wonder if they have liver on the menu?<G>

I took a look at their AYCE board, which isn't on their menu. It is on your left as you walk in the front door.

Monday, Snow crab $24.95
Tuesday, Boiled shrimp in addition to fried catfish and fried shrimp $12.50
Wednesday, BBQ ribs in addition to fried catfish and fried shrimp $16.95
Thursday, fried clams, fried oysters, peel and eat shrimp in addition to fried catfish and fried shrimp $12.95

Everyday, catfish and fried shrimp $12.50

I also found out that they do have wine by the color. Their license does not allow them to mix drinks. Prefab beverages such as wine and beer are okay.

I had the boiled shrimp with the fried catfish tonight. AYCE for $12.50 made it a bargain. The shrimp were surprisingly good. They were split down the top and deveined. That made removing the shell easy. The shrimp served to me were all freshly boiled and hot. They were not particularly large. They were big enough that it was worth the trouble to peel the shell. They also came with melted butter to dip the shrimp into. I prefer cocktail sauce.

I poked around the property tonight a little. There are at least 4 major dining areas and a few areas with just one good size table. I also noticed a storage warehouse and office in the back. The warehouse has an area for unloading up to 2 18 wheelers at a time. I suspect the warehouse is a big freezer or has freezers in it.

I was driving by the Hush Puppy yesterday and saw the parking lot crowded and temptation drew me in. I knew it was all you can eat snow crab night, but hey, you can get snow crab legs all over town, most every day. I found it strange that this place would be packed for AYCE opilios for $25 a head.

Temptation got the best of me and since I have never had a bad experience in the Hush Puppy, I gave it a try. First, there was a unorganized crowd in the lobby and I made my way to the hostess to get on the list. There were about 15 other groups ahead of me on the list. The list flowed smoothly because the place is so big that someone is always leaving. Hungry guests were seated about as fast as the clean up crew could clean the tables.

Service was not bad considering that every seat in the house was taken. Of course I ordered the special, AYCE snow crab for $24.95. I discovered why locals choose this option over the hotel's buffets, even though some of the hotels have king crab. The snow crab at the Hush Puppy has good food.

The snow crabs at the HP are not just random leg pieces on ice. These come as half a crab. One piece will have a large chunk of the body and 5 full legs including a nice big claw. You get to pick through the little compartments to find the good crab meat and you get to enjoy the full leg. These are not the absolute biggest or sweetest crab legs you'll ever eat. They are far, far better that any crab I have ever had a buffet. And because they are intact, they are bigger than most buffet crab and all snow crabs that I have seen on buffets. They come out very hot and stay warm to the last leg.

There is one disadvantage for some that is a blessing in disguise for others. Because they are complete crab halves, they are not split open and ready to eat. You do have to crack the shells, dig in, and get the meat on your own. This is trouble for some although it's not that bad. And if you know what you're doing, it doesn't slow you down at all. The good news is that these big pieces haven't been cut open and exposed to the elements. The whole chunks make for bigger pieces of meat too.

I would never ever suggest that you visit Las Vegas for seafood. I have very few recommendations for seafood if you are in town. OTOH, I know a lot of people who visit the buffets based on an urge for a seafood fix. IF you have an urge for AYCE crab, shrimp, or catfish, the Hush Puppy is "the place" to go. Remember the crab deal is on Mondays, boiled shrimp is Tuesday, and catfish is every day.



I guess the steak is the only other thing on my Hush Puppy to do list.

JMT,
So, other items are available for order on these all you can eat nights as a per portion deal?

Yes, the menu is always available. AYCE catfish is always always available.

I must admit this place has got my attention, and I will visit on my next trip.