Ponderosa Saloon - Carson City

This is a very welcoming Saloon-everyone is friendly. The saloon has live music and great bartenders. I can't wait for my next visit.

Was invited to share a Friday evening here. Had an amazing pizza, some great wine, stayed for karaoke, although it's not my style. The people who sang, omg. Thank you. Having never been to karaoke before, I now understand why it's all the rage. Will be back Price per person: $10–20 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5

It was a beautiful September day so we decided to take in the sights at VC. Our first stop was the Ponderosa because we wanted to check it out and take a mine tour. We had to wait awhile for our tour so we decided to have lunch there, but I don't recommend it....none of us liked what we ordered. It's all cooked and prepared next to the bar in a tiny area, so nothing was fresh just fried. The bartender was fabulous and we enjoyed a couple of drinks while waiting. The Ponderosa is very old and historical including a huge walk-in safe from the 1800s. The mine tour was very well done by our tour guide who was loaded with historical data, mine info, and lots of good stories.

My husband and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Virginia City on a Monday. There were no crowds and the weather was great! We stopped at the Ponderosa to eat a late lunch with the intent of taking the mine tour. Unfortunately we arrived late in the afternoon so we did not have time to eat and do the mine tour (tours end at 5pm . I have been on the mine tour about four times and always find it fascinating! If you are tall (I am 5'8 you most likely will have to duck down to avoid hitting your head during the tour. The pathway into the mine is uneven so if you have difficulty walking on uneven surfaces, this might not be for you. Otherwise it is an interesting history lesson. Today, however, my stomach and dropping blood sugar won out over the mine tour! My husband had the Roast Beef sandwich with Swiss cheese (served with Au Jus and I had the Pastrami and Swiss on Rye. We shared an order of Onion Rings. The food was actually quite good for food from a little bar! My sandwich was toasted nicely, served warm, and the onion rings were golden brown, crispy, and served with a delicious dipping sauce that had a bit of a kick to it. My husband enjoyed his sandwich as well. Total was $32 with tip which I didn't feel was bad. Food is ordered at a window and normally you would pick up at another window, but the woman making the sandwiches brought our food to the table for us. She wasn't rude, but wasn't all that welcoming either. However, the food was good and she did bring it to us which was nice. Drinks are ordered at the bar. We both had sodas Diet Pepsi for me and Root Beer for my husband. The root beer was Shasta Root Beer from a can and served in a clear, plastic cup which was interesting, but served the purpose and was cheap at $2.00 per drink. They also have free ice water available in a dispenser. The bartender was very nice. All in all this is a nice spot to grab something to eat before taking the mine tour!

Had fun standing in the vault, food was just okay. Nice saloon. Price per person: $20–30 Food: 2 Service: 3 Atmosphere: 4 Recommended dishes: Pastrami and Swiss Sandwich