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    The Kafana

    4.3 (53 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

    The Kafana Photos

    THE KAFANA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Reviews With Photos

    Battered and deep fried Monte Cristo sandwich.
    Robbie R.

    This is a review for the Kafana restaurant ... strange name, I have no idea where it's from. A lot of the restaurant food reviews end up on the Bordertown Casino listing, so I'll post on both. I'm traveling south down the 395 from Susanville and I hit the Nevada border. I've heard about this Monte Cristo Sandwich they have here at the Kalafa Restaurant here inside the Bordertown Casino. I'm always on the lookout for a good properly done Monte Cristo, and that means battered and deep fried after the sandwich is assembled, too many places skip the deep frying and just give you toast. Exit off the freeway is easy and we pull into the Casino. Parking isn't bad and the restrooms are right as you enter, so that's convenient. We're seated in a nice cozy booth. Looking over the menu I see the Monte Cristo described as a ham, turkey, & Swiss cheese sandwich battered & deep fried - ($13.99). It comes with choice of potato, fries or, hash browns. We both order the Monte Cristo sandwich with hashbrowns. The food arrives quickly, but the first thing I notice is the hash browns are a little pale and not very browned. I guess that's how they do them here, so if you want more crispy golden brown you have to ask. Mine got sent back to get more cooked. After my hashbrowns were browned more , they were crispy and tasty. The sandwich comes with this strawberry syrup stuff that's way super tasty. The batter is pretty thick on this version of the Monte Cristo and you need to use a fork and knife, instead of just picking the thing up with your hands. I'll say, it's is one of the better versions I've had. Good filling of ham and turkey with Swiss cheese melted inside. The batter is a bit too thick for my liking, but I still enjoyed my sandwich. In fact it's so filling, that I took half the sandwich to go in a box. In my pics, the batter is so thick , it's hard to tell that's a sandwich under that deep fried batter. The food and service seem pretty good here at Bordertown, and I'd stop in here again on my travels up and down the 395.

    Menu
    Myrna S.

    We headed to The Kafana Cafe, located inside Bordertown to have breakfast/lunch. When we arrived, the restaurant was fairly crowded but the hostess managed to find a booth for our party of four. One of our two servers: Katrina soon appeared to take our drink orders and informed us that our server, Rachel will be by to take our food orders, and Rachel appeared soon after. Our entrees arrived in timely manner and most of it was devoured with relish because all the food was expertly prepared: well seasoned and cooked to perfection. Our two servers Rachel and Katrina checked in on our party frequently and earnestly asked if we needed anything. Their professionalism and genuine friendliness almost moved me to tears because I didn't think this quality of customer service still existed. A very heartfelt kudos to these two ladies, they are an exemplary example of wonderful customer service that keeps people like me patronizing business like this who makes our business and customers like us feel appreciated. Thank you ladies for proudly providing awesome customer service!

    Double up breakfast.

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    3 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Food suck, smells of cigarette smoke from casino; service is not ideal---needs an update from the 1940's

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    4 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    7 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    Photo of D C.
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    3 months ago

    Megan I'm in the evenings is nice as always. Day servers are nice too. Solid good food and still reasonable prices. Really recommend.

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    4 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    6 months ago

    Service, portions of the food, & Prices are great! Definitely recommend this place. We will be back for-sure!

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    7 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food and service and can't wait to get back there with family and friends for the evening

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    1 year ago

    My French dip was good the onion rings were soggy . Food kinda pricey . I did love the fact that it was just like going back to the 80s .

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Their hamburger's are always great. Also the service is great. Just went last night and ordered the special, prime rib, it was perfect.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Good food, good prices, good service. A little smoke from the casino, but not bad at the back section.

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    I always have a good meal here and the prices are great especially considering the prices everywhere else.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food great prices. Old school awesome. One of the rare restaurants we go to anymore

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Kafana

    Review Highlights - The Kafana

    We headed to The Kafana Cafe, located inside Bordertown to have breakfast/lunch.

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    Bordertown Casino and RV Resort - Chicken salad sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce on sourdough.

    Bordertown Casino and RV Resort

    3.6(195 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    I met up with a friend who lives in California, and she suggested this spot as a good halfway…read moremeeting point. It was my first time here, so we decided to grab some food and check it out. The decor is nothing to write home about. It's exactly what you'd expect from a casino diner. Simple, a little dated, but comfortable enough if you're just there to eat and catch up. Where they really stood out was the service. The waitresses were quick, attentive, and genuinely nice, which made the whole experience better right away. The menu is your standard diner lineup. Breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, and a few dinner options. I ordered the turkey melt, and my friend went with the NY steak. We also added chips and salsa on the side. The chips and salsa were just okay. Not bad, but definitely not worth $7.99 in my opinion. I'd skip that next time. My turkey melt was pretty solid. They didn't skimp on the turkey, which I appreciated. It was a little on the salty side, but still a good sandwich overall. My friend said her steak was good, and it definitely looked it. Portions are generous across the board too. The scoop of mashed potatoes that came with it was huge. While we were there, the table across from us ordered the prime rib. I didn't even see it on the menu, so I'm guessing it was a special. When it came out, it looked incredible. They said it was 12 oz, but honestly it looked way bigger than that. Definitely something I'd come back to try. Overall, it's a solid, no-frills diner with good prices, big portions, and great service. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. I'd come back, especially for that prime rib.

    Our server was not friendly. I ordered an omelet. What goes on in inside of the omelet, was put on…read morethe on the outside as a side. I was not offered toast which was supposed to come with the omelet. When I asked about the toast at the end of the meal, the server didn't know what I was talking about, but said she could order a side of toast. The server has an opportunity to learn some customer service skills.

    Photos
    Bordertown Casino and RV Resort - Kafana daily specials

    Kafana daily specials

    Bordertown Casino and RV Resort - French toast and side of bacon

    French toast and side of bacon

    Bordertown Casino and RV Resort - Side salad for the side.

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    Side salad for the side.

    Old 40 Bar and Grill - Mushroom burger and side salad

    Old 40 Bar and Grill

    4.2(44 reviews)
    30.0 mi

    Super friendly service, fast, lots of options. Good parking, will come back- they have fresh pies.read more

    We were with a group of about 14 fellow classic Datsun owners on a fun run from the Sacramento…read morearea. We decided to stop at Donner Ski Ranch for lunch because there would be plenty of parking. I'm not sure what was communicated to the hostess as the front of the group entered, but we weren't seated together. Everyone was split up between the outside and inside tables. The waitress had no problem splitting the check for us and the two other Datsun owners at our table. The menu tends toward fried foods. I ordered the "Gourmet Grilled Cheese" sandwich. What a disappointment. It was barely cooked, the cheese was one slice of cheddar and one slice of Swiss. Not melted at all. A couple of chunks of avocado and two slices of tomato (one on each half) made up the "Gourmet" aspect, I guess. I ordered fries as my side. The fries were a generous portion but very very salty. My husband's DSR Burger was OK, per his evaluation. He too ordered the fries, and while he generally likes salty foods, he too found the fries too salty. The bathrooms are in dire need of repair. The toilets worked but the paper holders were hanging open because the duct tape used to close them had worn out. The sink facets were loose. At least the bathroom appeared clean. As a meeting place for a group on a long ride, this place was sufficient, but I'll not be returning here on my own.

    Photos
    Old 40 Bar and Grill
    Old 40 Bar and Grill - Epic huge and delicious bowl of clam chowder

    Epic huge and delicious bowl of clam chowder

    Old 40 Bar and Grill - Donner Ski Ranch building

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    Donner Ski Ranch building

    Chop 40 - Sierra Cowboy Sandwich

    Chop 40

    4.2(299 reviews)
    10.5 mi
    $$

    The food and service are excellent. We eat there a few times each month. They have an awesome…read moremenu that always has creative additions as well as traditional fare. Yesterday, I had the Crab Benedict which was amazing. I would recommend just about anything on the menu. Another favorite of mine are the barbecue pork sliders. The vibe is authentic cowboy Reno. The servers genuinely try to keep you happy. Every guest that we have taken there loves it as well. Bon Appetite meets Yahoo!

    In a nutshell, terrible service unless they know you, overpriced terrible cocktails, and food that…read moresmelled good. See details below if you want to know the story. . . From the moment we walked through the door, we were treated as if we were inconveniencing them by asking for a table. We were totally agreeable and ok with a table or the bar. After about 10 minutes, we were directed to the bar where there was one seat for two of us and the gal with the green shirt that was from somewhere in South Carolina promised to get us another stool. We went to where we were shown to go. Another couple at the bar mentioned someone had taken the stool that belonged where we were. We ordered two drinks, Jameson on the rocks and a Grey Goose or Tito's Lemondrop. $14 for the lemondrop that couldn't have had a shot of vodka in it. I'm not sure it had any in it because it tasted like lemon juice and Cointreau. The single shot of Jameson on the rocks was $12.25. There were 3 local guys who appeared to be finishing up on the other side of the couple next to us that were standing and leaning on empty stools. I asked them if we could have one of the stools and one of the guys jokingly told me not to yell at him. We laughed and he said he was leaving anyway, but the bartender told him not to give us the stool. The bartender brought us our drinks and we patiently waited for a stool, but decided if we finished our drinks and hadn't received menus or a stool that we'd find a different spot. The food smelled good and the few people eating seemed to be enjoying it. After a bit longer we were asked if we wanted to move to a table when one came open. We should have said yes, but we were trying to be easy and agreeable as they seemed overwhelmed, even though there were two empty dirty tables and the three spots at the bar where the local guys were bullshitting and leaning on the back of the empty stools, so we said we would stay at the bar. We still had not been offered menus or the 2nd stool we were told was coming. After another short while, a couple at the end of the bar left and the bartender asked us if we wanted to move into those spots. We moved and ordered another Jameson on the rocks. We found a menu that another patron had left and decided we would order if asked before we finished our cocktails. The bartender gave us the 2nd Jameson on the rocks, but never asked us if we wanted to order even though she knew we came for dinner. We finished our drinks and asked the lady in the green shirt with South Carolina on it if we could have our bill because we had already been there more than 50 minutes while feeling like we may have never been asked what we wanted to eat. We finally got our bill of $38.50 for a terrible lemondrop and two shots of Jameson on the rocks. We left hangry and irritated that we never got to taste the food we were smelling. I've heard good things and had a nice Mother's Day there last year, but I won't go back unless I'm with a recognized local as they seemed to be the only patrons receiving food. Obviously, by the length of this review, that I'm very disappointed and hope the staff will take into account how they made good paying patrons feel. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time. If management cares enough to check the receipts, we were there 4/17/26 and left between 6:30 and 7pm.

    Photos
    Chop 40 - Inside

    Inside

    Chop 40 - Chainsaw Tacos - Tri-Tip

    Chainsaw Tacos - Tri-Tip

    Chop 40 - American Classic Burger

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    American Classic Burger

    The Kafana - tradamerican - Updated June 2026

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