IMHO, it's a diner. They call themselves a restaurant.

After a stroll downtown today, I headed to possibly one of the best burger joints in town. I've been to a lot of 50's styled diners promising all kinds of authentic dining pleasures. This place is the real deal. It is located inside a 1950s drug store, has 50 year old griddles, ice cream chests, milk shake machines, etc. It's nice and clean with a shinny new facelift, as the old diner went out of business many years ago. The new owners are hoping word of mouth will catch on and that they can survive the current economic times.

Chef Mo (Moses Cruz) grinds the meat for the burgers every day. and makes the patties himself. And they taste that fresh too. The burgers have flavor that the $20 burgers on the strip WISH they had. Service is very friendly, prices are right, and there are daily specials. They are doing everything right. It is just like old 50s drug store diner you either remember or heard about.

This is all located in a historic neighborhood called Huntridge which was once really nice in the 50s and fell to suburbia. It is now making a big come back. The Huntridge Pharmacy was the nice drug store. The Huntridge Theater was across the street. And after seeing a movie or show in the theater, you would go across the street and have a shake in the diner. The Huntridge Pharmacy, with the restaurant/diner inside is located on the southwest corner of Charleston and Maryland Parkway, just a few blocks off of Las Vegas Blvd.

The diner is open from 8am to 3pm and serves breakfast and lunch. It's not the greatest neighborhood at night, but it is just fine during those business hours. Along with burgers, dogs, and breakfast, they also have salads, cold sandwiches, and quick deep fried items. So if you need a breakfast special in the morning on your way out, or want a great burger, or just want to sample an ice cream delight from the fountain, this is a great choice.

The odds are stacked against them opening a new place in these economic times. They need about 50 customers a day to break even. In this, their second week, they are getting about 15 a day. I told them I would send some business their way because that was one of the best tasting burgers I've had since I moved here. Put it on your to do list and I'll let you know if they can't stay afloat because even the drug store it sits in doesn't seem to be doing a great amount of business.

JMT - this sounds really interesting. But I have no idea where Huntridge is. Do you have an address for this place so I could map it?

MIke, the address is

1122 E Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89104

This is how to get to the Huntridge Drug Store. The Huntridge Restaurant is inside the drug store.

From the strip, go north on the strip, turn right on Charleston. It's on the right as you get to Maryland Parkway.

From downtown, come down south on LV Blvd, turn left on Charleston. It's on the right as you get to Maryland Parkway.

Others, just find the southwest corner of Maryland Parkway and Charleston.


If you do a youtube search for Huntridge Restaurant, you can see what the diner looks like. Someone said it was used in a movie called Indecent Proposal.

Across Maryland Parkway (from the Drug Store) is the old Huntridge Theater. It is all closed up. It is in limbo for it's fate. In better economic times, investors wanted to tear it down and build something else while others wanted to preserve it's historic value. Last I heard, the owner was willing to restore the theater if someone else funded it. I don't know where the situation stands today.

A block or so south on Maryland Parkway is the old Huntridge Circle Park. It is a very nice park that brought the neighborhood together. Then some troublemakers started to feed the homeless there, so they shut the park down. The park has been closed for a couple of years and has not helped the neighborhood unify.

One of the Segway Tours I took started downtown, went down to Charleston, crossed Charleston, went to the theater, the park, and through the neighborhood. It was very interesting and informative.

Your right JMT, These are not the best times to start any new venture. The place sounds interesting, and if it's still around when we get out there I'd like to stop by and give it a look and taste. I may not agree on everything you recomend, but you've been spot on, a lot more then I can remember! LOL
Thanks for the tip.
Would this be a good place for a Talkvegas afternoon meet?

It would need to be an early meet. It would be good because everyone would not need to be seated at the same time. Anyone could order at any time. People could order burgers, ice cream, hot dogs, or snacks.

It's not an ideal location for those without transportation. It is central between downtown and the strip.

I hope this place lasts till my September trip. When my dates are finalized, I'll send you a smoke signal to find out what your work schedule is like!

I had a burger there today and it was good. I asked the owner what he liked the most on the menu. He claimed the Philly cheese steak is one of the best in town. He explained that he was from Philly, and his sandwich is the real deal. He talked about how he cooks the onions, the cheese he uses, etc. I'm not a fan of cheese steak and I don't really like onions, so his whole explanation meant little to me. I'd like to pass it on though to anyone that might get more out of it than I did.

I went to the Huntridge Restaurant today to celebrate their 1st birthday as it's been a year since they signed the lease, even though they haven't been open for business that long. The good mayor Oscar Goodman was to be there to cut the cake.

Sad news. The restaurant has been trying to work out a new lease and they just could not come to terms. They have decided to shut the restaurant down. The restaurant owner is 73 years old and has no plans to reopen at another location. Rumor has it that the owners of the drug store saw the market and the potential and want to try to run a restaurant on their own.

The Huntridge Restaurant was gaining a strong local following. They were going to expand their menu in the spring. They plan to close by next Thursday, probably sooner.

That is too bad Joe. As you know Terry and I went there on your recommendation and it was everything you said. Very friendly people and good food. Another one bites the dust.

Here is one that sounded like a nice place for lunch, that I never got to enjoy. It is a good reminder that things can change very fast in Vegas. There is little or no reverance for the past in this town.