My mother was born in Elko,NV and I still have family there. No trip to Elko is complete without a stop at The Star. It is heaven. I love love love it and my impression of the place hasn't changed in the 45 years I've been a patron. My only complaint is that I live so far away and my visits are so infrequent. There isn't a bad dish on the menu and they are so friendly and customer oriented. I wish they would send out an expedition to the Kansas City area. That would be heaven. read more

The "house" red wine was chilled... the french fries were par boiled, ice chilled, strained , and deep fried. The beans had delicious " side pork meat "... The green beans were cooked fresh. The hominey was soft. The bread was fresh sourdough, the soup was cabbage, the buttter was butter... The tossed salad was a creamy mixture of a delicious salad dressing. the tongue was pickled... And most of alll ... The crowd was engaging... a few seconds ago read more

On a cross country road trip we ended up spending one night in Elko, Nevada. Not much to do in Elko so we asked the girl behind the counter at our hotel where to go for a good meal. "The Star Hotel" she said. We got directions and drove over. The place was packed, but they seated us (party of two) very quickly. The front bar area was very popular. Filled with people waiting for tables or just having drinks. I ordered a Rib Eye steak. The steak that showed up was massive, and delicious. $28 This place is not fancy but they serve quality food at a good price. Definitely worth a visit any time you find yourself passing through Elko, Nevada. read more

Nothing else will suffice than saying this is an excellent establishment with top notch service! Absolutely love the Star! The food is incredible, the drinks are great, and the service is friendly and efficient. Been going to this restaurant for nearly 25 years and never once had a problem with the food or service! Cheers to the owners! And thank you for providing Elko with an amazing family restaurant! read more

Basque food at it's finest at the Star. I always enjoy coming here for lunch during the workweek to get a steak sandwich, hits the spot every time. When you come here don't be surprised if you are sat at a table with other people, it adds to be atmosphere of The Star. #Elko read more

We eat here often, usually for lunch. It's always perfect, and always busy! The world-famous steak sandwiches are the best, and my other fav is the crab sandwich - amazing! And of course, that Basque salad is also the BEST! read more

Not just an eatery but an experience. Expect left overs since the sides were more than we could eat. I had the baked lamb, amazing and melts in your mouth. Worth the wait to be seated! read more

Really good! Was really blown away by the food. The menu has some steep price tags but I had the bacon wrapped filet special for 23 dolars and that includes a whole meal with sides soup etc. in authentic basque style. The filet was not small by any means either at least 10 oz. Also if u choose to imbibe I would recommend the Picon. read more

The Star!! Yes I am a Local. And May I add this is a Basque house. There for there is a place to get Basque food. The salad is a traditional Basque Salad. The soup is Tradition basque soup and the steaks are basque. I would recommend getting the garlic because that is a basque thing and makes it better. I would also recommend going at lunch for a steak sandwhich. $11 and it melts in your mouth. This really isn't quite as much as a local hang out as people coming to town and some locals. I know people who travel to get here. read more

Its a great place if you want to pay a ton of money to eat like a poor sheep herder. This place is cramped, and has horrible pricing. You get some canned green beans, some generic salad with watered down ranch/vinegar dressing, french fries, and some overcooked beans. Everyone assumes its going to be good because its a historical site. Dont get me wrong, they make a good steak, but as far as I am concerned it should cost a single person almost $50 for a steak. Go just about anywhere else in Elko and get a steak that costs maybe half of that and is still pretty good. Which is the only reason the Star gets a 2 instead of a 1 from me. I dont go on my own, but if my company is buying, then I will eat there. View more specific and detailed Elko Reviews at www.elkoreview.com read more

Consistantly the best steak I've ever had. Huge steaks, tender filets and great service. The Star is generally a busy place, you may have to wait a while before eating. Once seated, you start out with the cabbage soup, which is surprisingly good. I love there soft white bread. Next is salad, iceburg with a strong, somewhat addicting, garlic dressing. Your entree is served with bland sides, which I could easily do without, but is sort of a novelty if you are bringing guests to get the whole 'Basque' experience. Your entree is generally a huge portion. As I already mentioned, the steak is phenomenal. Superb quality beef. I always get the filet and prawns. I have also enjoyed fish and crab. By this time you may be quite miserably stuffed, but a seasoned local will box at least half of their entree, and splurge on dessert. The tiramisu is nearly identical to what I had in Italy. I hope you give this unique small town place a chance. Keep an open mind, and enjoy this historic eatery. read more

Amazing food every single time! Lobster is the best you'll ever have in your life and so is the filet mignon! All of the sides are amazing but add some of the salad dressing they have and you'll see that it's good on every one of them! read more

The hotel is beautiful, very popular, smells good from outside but, the food is only so so and pricey. I was disappointed. I've been too much more authentic Basque food in Boise. read more

Food is great . Service is good also . 4 stars because the interior is not at all private and for being the ,, best " restaurant I think they could invest in a better and more private interior design . read more

The Star is locally famous for its magical salad dressing! Nice ambience and friendly staff. I definitely recommend.

We had a great dinner, food was family eating at its best. You get a soup, salad, beans, fries, spaghetti, and fresh soft bread. Before your meal arrives. We had the buffalo, was very tasty, tender. read more

I came to this place as a NYC area boy moving across the country and figured the ratings and reviews could not be far off... boy was I wrong! The soup, salad, and bread were good to start off...however, all of the sides and my entree came out cold and the sides literally tasted like they came out of a can. My fish was dry and cold and pretty awful as well. I know it's Elko, but come on people at some point we have to rate based on quality and not quantity. I had the luxury of paying $35 for my girlfriend and I to have one of the WORST meals of my life. If this is the best Elko has to offer (as the reviews state), then don't bother stopping here and just plow through to Reno. Absolutely terrible service as well, took forever my cold canned food and waitress' were not even all that friendly. Honestly, one of the single worst dining experiences of my life. read more

Spouse and I were seated quickly and promptly ignored. A server came by asking about beverages, we declined and asked to place order. Beverage server said she would get our server. Never saw the other server. Left and went to a real restaurant where they actually serve people. Don't go to this restaurant. read more

Staff was slow. The restaurant itself feels cramped rather than cozy and it seems very dark. My steak was well done when I asked for medium. The person I was dining with received rare instead of medium rare. Salad was good. read more

The food at Star Hotel is out of this world delicious! The Cabbage Soup on May 23rd was a delight, and my steak was wunnerful, tender and tasty! I left home in Colorado before sunrise in order to get here in time for dinner, because I'd dined at Star Hotel before. read more

Charming staff and fun historic spot. But they bring way too much food and none of it was very good. Eek-- what happens to all that food waste? read more

I was ordering to go for lunch. I decided to try a crab sandwich. I thought it was the most disgusting sandwich I ever ate . I think it was made with pure ketchup. Omg and the fries were so soggy overpriced drinks. I guess I should of had the steaks. read more

Just went to dinner at The "Famous" Star Basque Restaurant in Elko NV. Boy, did I feel like I got the bum's rush. I wasn't half finished with the soup course when my salad arrived. I had barely started my salad when my "HOT" meal arrived. I looked at the waitress and said, "You do realize that all this is going to be cold before I start eating it, right?" She said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you want me to take it back and put it on the shelf?" I assumed she meant to "try" to keep it (luke) warm underneath the heat lamps. I said, " I really don't think that's going to be any better than just leaving it here on the table." Apologies were not going to make this an enjoyable meal. When I am paying over $30 for a meal, I expect more thoughtfulness on the part of ownership to not see how many people they can get thru the door each night. As I walked thru the bar area to the front door to leave, I took notice that there were many empty tables in the dining room that I left behind and there was NO ONE waiting to be seated. As far as the food..... once again, I expected better for the money. I had the baked lamb. The taste was good and it was cooked very nicely, but what looked like a huge amount of lamb on the plate, turned out to be a HUGE amount of bones left on the plate when I was finished (this was the next night when I reheated it at my house, having walked out of The Star after the experience I wrote about above. I will never go back and I hope to warn other folks to not expect a meal or dining experience reflective by the price you are paying. read more

We love this place, BUT we had, for the first time, a lousy meal. Lamb chops were real tough and lacked flavor and we add plenty of garlic. Sides were barely warm. Fries and salad were the best part. Disappointed and the prices have gone up since our last visit. We did enjoy the pecan punches at the bar, but missed the splash of soda usually found in them at other basque restaurants. We won't pass them up, just prefer with the soda. We will give it another shot as we are hoping it was just a fluke. read more

Total local color. If you're looking for local basque food with an authentic flair - this place is great. Don't expect five star food, fancy service, expensive atmosphere. Go for the character and you won't be disappointed. read more

I've eaten here before and it's never disappointing. Great atmosphere and excellent food. When ever we are traveling through and it's even close to dinner time we stop and enjoy the evening. The lamb is always perfect and the French fries are the best! The best Jerry, the best! (Seinfeld pun). We love the Star. read more

We love everything about this fabulous restaurant! We've made It and Elko a must stop on our drive to CA from MD. This was our third visit and was thrilled with their food and service once again. Bravo Scott!! read more

We were traveling to Reno and stopped in Elko. We found this place driving by and lots of people were going in so we decided to try it. When you enter , there is a large saloon to greet you. There are lots of pictures of game animals, sheep, and cowboys on the walls. This apparently is a historic hotel and restaurant for Spanish sheepherders. Seemed homey and warm inside. We were seated right away by a friendly waitress. The meals are served family style and right away we were brought a giant bowl of cabbage soup which was delicious. Next we had a romaine lettuce salad with garlicky dressing. I liked it but my kids did not. We ordered 2 entrees, the sautéed shrimp with mushrooms and the grilled cod. The shrimp and cod were tasty, but both seemed greasy. Side dishes were baked and garbanzo beans, green beans, French fries, and spaghetti. Too many beans in my opinion! We also had the flan and rice pudding for dessert which were delicious. Overall, I feel it was quantity over quality. The place is quaint and service was great, but the food was just ok. If you are looking to feed a large group of people with kids this may be perfect for you. read more

Elko, NV I'm new to town, traveling with my husband and decided to check out the town and have lunch. Second week in Sept 2014. I had asked several local folks, "Where would you go for a salad?" And repeatedly was told, "The Star"....and they have the best salad dressing. Soooooo....off I go, for lunch/salad at The Star.... Yes they were very busy, it was around 1:30. I was seated right away, in the dinning area just off the bar and pay station, at a table in the back corner. It took about six minutes at least, maybe longer before my server came to the table. While I waited, I severed myself some water out of the water pitcher on my table. Also on the table was a bowl of croutons with several flies helping themselves. I was surprised at just how many flies were in the dinning area. At this point I thought about leaving, but didn't. Note: Every table has it's own water pitcher and bowl of croutons. Finally..... my server comes by, I asked, "What chardonnays they offered?" She had a hard time understanding what I was asking for and I had a hard time understanding what she was trying to say. She seemed to be in a rush and finally said, "We only have one and I don't know what it is." So...I said, " That's ok, I'll have a glass. At that time I also ordered a salad, and asked, "What are your salad dressings?" She replied, "Oil and vinegar or the house dressing." I asked, "What is your house dressing?" She replies, "Mayo and garlic, and that what we're famous for, would you like it on the side?" My reply.....yes please....and boy oh boy.....that was a good thing! Fifteen minutes or so goes by.....she drops off a glass of white wine and is off. Ok....I see she's busy, no biggy. Wow....the white wine/chardonnay......really....it tasted like it came from a box, not a bottle, and certainly NOT chardonnay. Again a thought of leaving ran thru my mind....but no....I made myself sit there and see this thru....I drank the wine ....hoping things would certainly get better. I mean.... certainly the salad was going to be off the charts... as I was told. Silly me.....I could have just kicked myself for not asking what kind of lettuce the salad is made with......I just never dreamed it would be ice berg.....I'm Wowed....yet again....geezzz. I can't remember when I was last served iceberg lettuce. Yes, it was big enough to serve a family of five....way to much for any one person to eat. They offered chicken or steak on the salad, and I chose chicken. I dipped a bit of the chicken in their famous salad dressing/mayo'n'garlic.....yikes! I really just don't get it....what a disappointment......I lost my appetite. I ate a few more bits of the chicken and sat for thirty minutes playing a game on my phone, contemplating just getting up and heading to the pay station, leaving the salad so she could see that I clearly was disappointed with it, but I didn't. My server finally came to check on me. Which at that time I asked for the check and a box for my salad to go. She gave me a funny look and asked if I would like another glass of wine....lol Needless to say, I did not have another glass of the white stuff. Some time later she finally brought me a box, no check..... some time later, she brings the check..... I spent a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes at The Star....left hungry and with a big box of lettuce..... Guess I ordered the wrong thing.... I can not and would not recommend having their salad. Need I say more!!! read more

You almost forget how enjoyable a restaurant can be when the lights are "on" and and you can hear the person across the table in conversation. Throw in a delicious steak and fresh vegetables, and suddenly you are having a great road warrior experience. It is easy to forget what a steak once looked like, with the untrimmed fat, and how all the moistened bites once tasted. The Star just transports you back when a dinner out was a big thrill; getting caught up with friends and relatives with a touch of boom town edginess that is crowned with a great meal. You don't hear the now indigestible reminders to "enjoy" and "make good choices" and "to your liking". The food is worth the check, and nobody is fussing too much how it tastes. read more

Catered my daughter's wedding for 500 people in Diamond Valley. Absolutely the very best!! the food was great, the bar was great so very easy to work with thank you soooooo much! read more

Not worth your money! Lots of food but that is the only positive thing I can say. The salad was loaded with heavy bland dressing and consisted of only iceburg lettuce. The green beans and garbanzo beans tasted like they came straight from a can. The other sides were equally bland and boring. The main dish of baked lamb was dry and not well seasoned and consisted of three joints of lamb neck. Way too expensive for the meal they served. Very disappointing. I won't be back read more

I bet the food is great! But we waited at the bar for over an hour to be seated only to be told they'd called our name (who could hear?). Even then, Blondie didn't seat us for 15 min so we left. On the upside, the bartender was excellent. read more

You have to dine at "The Star" if you want to get an idea of the Elko Basque/Cowboy culture. I have been here more times than I can count and can say that all my experiences in regards to the food have varied from 2-5 stars depending on the night. You will NOT leave here hungry, and actually you are more likely to leave here stuffed to the point of feeling the need to be rolled out in a wheel chair. Like others have said, it is family style and the soup and salad are consistent every time I have been. They pride themselves on their steaks but they are not consistent. I never know if I'm going to have a fabulous steak or be completely disappointed. For the amount of food, it is not expensive at all and It's very family friendly. Going to the Star is more about the experience of the local culture and experiencing a historic part of Elko than it is about spectacular food. Trust me, there is lots of fun to be had here but not if you are stuck in the typical "city person" mentality that every thing must be upscale and perfect. If you are looking to be wowed with a high end gourmet experience, "The Star" is not a place I would recommend to you nor is Elko a place I would recommend you stop. read more

A unique dining experience that we enjoyed. The only things preventing a five star review is the sides were okay, but not as good as the entree. Also, my wife and I ended up swapping steaks so that we could get a steak that was prepared as we requested. We did enjoy our dinner and dining experience. Our waitress was very polite and attentive. read more

OUTSTANDING, just as I remember 20 years ago. Excellent service. The lamb chops were GREAT and the Bread Pudding with ice cream was "Priceless". read more

Prime rib sandwich was delicious. It's a big ol' steak with two pieces of awesome bread and garlic for days! I heard the salads are good too, I passed and got fires instead they weren't awesome. read more

This Basque style restaurant was recommended as a great steak house by my hotel. There are large, family style portions of side dishes. The cabbage soup was really good as were the french fries and salad dressing. The beans had no flavor whatsoever, the green beans came out of a can and, other than the salad dressing, the salad consisted of only iceberg lettuce. For the price (two small lamb chops for $28), I would have expected better. read more

Ive gave this place 3 chances to see if maybe it was just a bad day for the cooks. The cod was so so, new york steak was super dry, and pork line was dry. The majority of the food is real bland and in my opinion for the price, save your money and go to aspen at the red lion. Much better food. Imo. read more

Have to visit The Star every time we are in Elko with family. Great family style dinner and some of the best prime rib and rib eye I have eaten anywhere. read more