Super disappointed in this Basque restaurant. The bread was stale -and the meat quality was subpar. The whole meal was underwhelming.

I always enjoy stopping at the Star for the basque Chorizo SNdwoch any time I travel through Elko. read more

The Star Hotel - Lunch menu - American Near Me - Elko, Nevada

One of the things I know that adds to the travel experience is trying new, local cuisines. I researched Elko before we traveled there and the Star Hotel came up. We have never had Basque food before but decided to give it a try. The restaurant is easy to find as Elko is a town that is easy to get around and it is right on Silver Street. When we got there, it was Saturday evening around 6:00pm and the wait was already 45 minutes, but we expected as much. When you enter, you walk through the small bar to check in and it was really full at that time. The cashier gave us a pager and we went and waited in our car until it went off. Walking back in, the bar is way more packed to standing room only! Reminded me of pre-Covid times. We were seated at a long table as the tables for two were all taken. You might end up sitting near other people as this place does family style. As soon as were seated, a big bowl of cabbage soup and bread was brought to us. I had read that the portions were big so we agreed to share and the server informed us that there would be a charge for the additional person and it is stated on the menu. We ordered the pork tenderloin with pimentos and roasted garlic. Within a few minutes a large bowl of green salad with their house dressing was brought to our table. Followed by a plate of kidney and garbanzo beans, green beans, spaghetti, fried potatoes, and our entree. It was a good thing we decided to share this as you will see by the pics that this place serves a lot of food. Now I know why so many people were walking out with take out containers. The tenderloin was very tender and lots of flavor but not overpowering. All the sides were very good and the soup looked watered down but had the right amount of salt for taste. Everyone who works there was very friendly. The bartender even took the time to thank us for dining there as we walked out. We had no room for dessert but the cashier recommended the cheesecake as it is very popular. She pointed out this restaurant has their own bakery upstairs that makes all their desserts and the bread that was brought to our table! How cool is that? This is a very popular place and it very noisy, but I think it adds to the character. It is definitely a must visit if your passing through. We will be back when we are in the area. read more

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If I could give this place 6 stars I would. Let's start with the service, very welcoming from the moment you step in the door. We got sat right away, we arrived at 5:30. It does get packed, so arriving right before the dinner rush helped. Now on to the food... The table bread...amazing. The salad with built in ranch, also amazing...even though my choice is thousand island dressing. They have petite portions, they are NOT petite. I ordered a petite rib eye and it was as big as the plate. No A1 sauce needed, just so moist and tender (cooked medium). They spaghetti was really good also. They brought it out as part of the meal. Chicken fried steak was also delicious. Almost forgot about the soup, cabbage soup is brought out first. You MUST TRY IT!! Everyone is super nice. Not sure when I'll be back n Elko Nevada, but when I do....this will be my go to place for dinner. read more

The service here is very good, the waiter is nice and the ambiance has a Midwest vibe with many taxidermied animals. The food was amazing with a very delicious stake sandwich, lamb and beans, although my family thought he lamb was weird tasting, Definitely recommend this place if you are passing through Elko read more

The Star Hotel - American Near Me - Elko, Nevada

I live in California and plan my trips across 80 to have lunch or dinner here, Food is amazing and salad is legendary! You will never leave hungry ! Get here early as it gets packed. read more

Filet of beet absolutely divine we split the filet. Won't do that again the Filet was fantastic

The food was great! The service was excellent & we went for the Basque ambiance. You get the full Basque experience here.

Went in on March 25, 2023 and was seated in the main dining area. The music was very loud so we moved to the area in between main dining and the bar. My wife ordered the steak sandwich. She said it was good. I ordered the lamburger, medium. It came out well done and was like eating a hockey puck. Obviously frozen, even if it were medium it would not have been good. I would have returned it but we had already waited quite a while for our meals. Cabbage soup was very tasty. French fries were soggy. Overall, meals were fair and probably won't entice me to go back again. What's disturbing is the owner playing poker at the table next to the hostess stand. We really didn't need to hear a bunch of men playing cards and cursing during our meal. Maybe if the owner paid more attention to quality, he wouldn't have to gamble to make money. read more

Local here. It can always be counted on to get the same ol same ol from The Star. I had always preferred The Nevada, gone now, but was a fine dining experience serving Basque food. Never did like the cafeteria style at The Star. I'm always surprised when people post their food from The Star on social media...It's like, what do I have to do to get food like that. I don't want to sound real negative, I will always go back. I don't expect much from them so am not disappointed. read more

My brother and I ate her twice this week and it was superb. Had the borders lunch, which is several state medallions with onions and green pepper with optional sautéed garlic. It was excellent at the restaurant and even better as a leftover later in the evening.Service top notch. Ambience, location and overall spirit are amazing. read more

Great place one of the best basque restaurants but it's funny yelp says I got it going well when i post the truth in Reno it's not there but any. Basque restaurant in Elko go to you won't be dissatisfied at all in fact you'll be lucky if you can finish your meal read more

Typical family style Basque restaurant with lots of food, but an amazing staff!! Restaurant is deafeningly loud and was crazy busy for a Tuesday night. Most of the food is fine but the entrees are amazing!! read more

Basque restaurant serving family style. Food is great, I had the filet and thought it was very good. Service was good and I just like the place. Has a bar as well. read more

One of the best examples of Basque American & one of few originals left. Start in the bar w Picon Punch or two. Great conversations with locals.  We thoroughly enjoyed dinner. All the courses included with entrées or get without an entrée. Starts w veggie soup w great bread, onto iceberg salad w garlic dressing, next spaghetti showed up, then entrées comes fries and three types of beans - green, Basque and garbanzo!   Top secret, the Basque beans go very well on the salad! We split the flavorful ribeye. Next time I will try lamb chops or pork cutlet. Unless you want lots of leftovers, order one entrée to split. My only disappointment was a carafe of wine was not included. Oh, limited communal seating during COVID. Warning - Star is busy with locals and visitors! We had 45 minute wait on Tuesday night. read more

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Great food great service and a very homey atmosphere. You will get plenty to eat and will not leave hungry.

A must stop when on the road , very good basque food still old school where you enter bar then dinning room that opens a five, service was welcoming and prompt , I loved the chicken with garlic , food served family style I will return read more

The Star Hotel - American Near Me - Elko, Nevada

Simply the best steak sandwich I have ever had in a cool, clean, friendly place. Outstanding!

My family ordered take out on Halloween. We ordered a rib eye, cod, and a cheeseburger. The service was great but the food was not. We have lived in Elko for 30 years and have eaten at the Star dozens of times. We have never had this bad of a meal at your restaurant. The steak was terribly undercooked, the sides were flavorless and the fish was soggy. We threw the majority of our order in the trash.While I'm sure we will continue to eat at your establishment, I wanted to let you know how disappointed we were with the quality of our meal. I know I would want to know, if roles were reversed. read more

When passing through Elko we always stop at the Star, which is a Basque institution in Elko and the eastern part of the state as well. It's a hotel, bar and restaurant. I've had a few cocktails in the bar over the years (that's a whole different review), but this was our first sit down in the dining room. There are various dining rooms spread out over the main floor. They offer the "Basque" meal, which is a combination of main and side dishes eaten family style at long tables. You'll get the entree you want, but all the side dishes get passed around. Fun. They also have a regular menu, which we chose to order from for our lunch. My wife had the cabbage soup with a giant basket of bread (they make their own). I ordered a shrimp appetizer, which I mistakenly thought was the peel and eat kind, but it was not. Good, but a lot of food. I followed with the steak sandwich, which was excellent. We had a couple soft drinks and the tab was around $40. Service was good, but leaving one star off for our table. The room was practically empty but we were seated at a little table in the back corner. Minor but bothersome enough to mention. Be sure to sit in the action! So a definite stop for us when we in, or near, Elko. Try the bar for a drink sometime. I guarantee you'll hear a great story or two. And if you haven't had a traditional Basque meal try it! read more

Rolled into Elko Nevada on the way back home and asked the clerk at the hotel for a good local place to have dinner. She recommended the STAR hotel restaurant. It's a family style restaurant and a gem of a place to eat. We order the lamb and the grilled shrimp but being a family style place we were swamped with food. Starts out of cabbage soup and fresh bread. Very warming and delicious.next was the plates of pinto beans, garbanzo beans followed by French fries, spaghetti with tomato sauce, green beans and these were just the sides that came with the main dish. Too much for us to finish but all were very good.. the main dish lamb and grilled shrimp were excellent..worth the visit and a great meal. read more

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We stopped in for lunch on our way back from Wyoming. Excellent Basque food. So much our leftovers fed us two more times. Highly recommend the boarders special read more

I drove over five hours to get to Elko specifically to eat at the Star Hotel which is known for its Basque food. Dinner started with a cabbage and tomato soup, Caesar salad w/ amazing dressing, French Bread, Water bottle at the table which I love as you can refill when you need to a/o trying to flag down a server. The ambiance was nice with Family style seating and shared tables. When the main course arrived which I chose a filet Mignon and lobster tail, they also bring out noodles, green beans, chick peas, beans and fries along with your main... OMG. Everything tasted amazing and I would definitely drive back again for such a meal! Off to Great Basin National Park now. This was an excellent start! read more

The Star Hotel - Massive lobster tail which somewhat dwarfs the huge 16 oz Filet Mignon which was the size of two fists...! - American Near Me - Elko, Nevada

Had never experienced basque dining before and it was fantastic! Service was amazing and the restaurant is so cool inside! You walk through an amazing original bar and then enjoy a delicious family style meal in the restaurant. Definitely stop in if you find yourself in Elko! read more

A fun place to eat at the bar. If you ask they'll serve you a variety of appetizers. Disappointing selection of Spanish wines. Friendly bartenders and boisterous but nice locals. Gets busy, so go early. read more

The Star Hotel - On a busy street but plenty of parking. - American Near Me - Elko, Nevada

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Arguably the best place in town. Consistently good food and service. Whole family loves it.

We are fans of modern 'Basque' restaurants and make a point to visit them wherever we find them. Yes, we are gluttons for punishment because these meals can be quite large. At the very least, you'll get soup, salad, beans, salsa, French fries, vegetables, spaghetti and/or ravioli and the when that's all gone, you get your entree. I had found Star Hotel on Yelp last year when we planning this trip but our trip was delayed by one year. We finally get on the road, drive into Elko, find the restaurant, find parking almost right in front, walked in the front door (be still my heart) and was greeted by numerous looks of 'what are you doing here?', followed by a chorus of we're not open tonight. I just know that I had that deer-in-headlights look on my face when I looked from person to person thinking what kind of wild prank is this? Well, apparently, they just finished a major remodel which included a steel beam frame to support their y reinforced masonry construction (bricks). I'm not sure what all they did to the inside but it looked pretty good. The people were very friendly and almost everyone invites us to come back the next day but alas we were only in town for one night and had somewhat of a schedule to keep. I asked for other local recommendations and we went with Luciano's nearby. So while I can't rate the food, certainly everyone there was friendly and understanding about our disappointment about not being able to dine there. read more

7/26/2017 I have been anticipating eating at this restaurant for many years. I have heard about the family style seating and the GARLIC for years. Funny how in America we think it strange to sit with total strangers. This is not the case in most other countries. I came expecting to sit with others. However we were set in the other dining room at a table by ourselves. This is a historic landmark for Elko, NV. The Star Hotel opened in 1910 as a boarding house for the Basque herders in the area which included meals served family style. Today their reputation brings in tourists and the locals. Basque food is still served family style here. The hostess was new but was incredibly sweet and kind. I can't remember her name. Included with all entrees is Homemade Soup, Tossed Green Salad with Star Hotel House Dressing, Fresh Baked French Bread, Basque Beans, Pasta, Vegetable Dish, French Fried Potatoes, Coffee or Tea. Or you can pay $13.00 per person for adults for just the sides. Or you might want to get an entree to share and split because the soup, salad and extra's are huge and tasty. The garlic dressing on the salad is to die for. I think I could make a meal out of just the salad. This salad will make leave you wanting more. If you don't like garlic this is not for you. The salad really is divine. Remember this is a Basque place garlic is one of the stars. The soup is very flavorful with a garlic taste. Sometimes simple dishes are the best. The soup we had on this particular night was a broth based with vegetables. The flavor of the soup was so tasty made you want to eat the whole bowl by yourself. The garlic green beans are exceptionally mouthwatering tasty. I'm not really a fan of pasta. I thought the pasta was good. I really liked the chickpeas with garlic. The french fries were also yummy. We all got entree's this time and there was way too much food to eat. My daughter and I both got the filet mignon, it had a ton of garlic and butter was dripping off my plate. Maybe because I was almost full by the time my entree arrived, it was not as i had antipated. The filet was done just right. When I say a ton of garlic I mean probably two whole bulbs chopped. The steak was good. I feel the star was the soup, salad, and green beans. My husband and son both got the salmon. Just remember you can purchase the inclusions that come with each entree by themselves. I highly recommend splitting an entree or two and purchasing the inclusions by themselves as there will be a ton of food. read more

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The place was recommended by a friend as we were passing through. Super crowded and everyone local ate here. Th wait staff were sharp, skilled and professional. The menu was a stretch to say Basque....... I mainly eat plants so I opted for the included soup salad offerings for 15$. Soup was simple and delicious, salad was crispy but ranch like egg dressing that was creamy. My h had pork chops with applesauce (2 giant chops) which he only ate 1. Fries were tasty as the green beans. Fresh homemade tasting food, friendly staff.... but I feel that none of the sides included foods went together ( more like home style leftover dinner); and the food waste and giant plastic containers for the locals taking food home was sad. All and a good restaurant worth visiting in Elko read more

The food was not my favorite. It was just food as you go. The service was great. Fast friendly .. the music was a bit loud and annoying but over all it was ok! read more

First things first: they do not seat incomplete parties. Second, the majority of the food was overcooked and underseasoned, and we were unanimously unimpressed. Other than the inconvenient no-seating incomplete parties policy, the service was fine. read more

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Best restaurant in Northern Nevada. Food is amazing, and the awesome drinks always go down smooth amongst the great people who are always there. read more

The Star Hotel - American Near Me - Elko, Nevada

First visit. We found the staff very friendly and large portions of good food. Family style Basque Restaurant. Every meal starts with a large shareable bowl of cabbage soup (delicious) and home made bread. Followed by a large bowl shareable salad with house dressing. For our entree we each ordered the Chicken Fried Steak. It was so large we could have shared it. The entree was served with shareable hot red beans, garbanzo, green beans, spaghetti and a very large portion of french fries. All very good. We finished maybe 1/2 of all the food served. We will go back but will reconsider the size of our orders. read more

We've heard The Star is some of the best Basque food in Nevada so, once we were out near Elko, we had to try it. And, although we're by no means basque experts, it met all our high expectations and was a fun experience. Be sure to come hungry and still plan to leave with leftovers. Started with bread and vegetable soup, then a fresh, cold salad with homemade croutons on the side. After that, separate plates of spaghetti, fries, green beans, garbanzo beans and pinto beans come out. Then the main course - I had the house special baked lamb and I loved that (the lamb with the perfect mix of mint jelly alone is worth the 5 stars) and my husband had the daily special bacon wrapped fillet. Another reason for 5 stars - the service--- everyone was friendly and helpful and enhanced the whole experience. read more

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Rehau put on an appreciation dinner at The Star for our customers in Elko. I have been there for lunch in the past and thurowly enjoyed the crab sandwiches. The dinner was just as much of a treat and add as you'll see, if you ask for garlic on your steak they do not skimp. At all. I thought I'd get a few cloves but instead I got a few heads. The picon's are traditional but be careful they sneak up on you. Dinner was served family style (the way like it) with salad, soup, bread, beans, frenchfries, red wine, then the main course and of course dessert. The service was attentive, food wonderfull. I'll be back more then likely every time I'm hi in the neighborhood. read more

The Star Hotel - Rib eye and garlic, or is it the other way around? - American Near Me - Elko, Nevada

I was a boarder at the Star in 1988 while Joe and Anita owned it. The fod was out of this world but the hospitality was fantastic. My family was still in Wyoming and Anita and Joe treated me as part of the family. After moving here it became a tradition to take any family or friends to feel the Star hospitality. The menu and food have changed somewhat but still fantastic. The original soup recipe I do miss. read more

My dad lives in Elko, and when the kids/grandkids are in town this is his favorite spot for a night out. They are always incredibly kind, the service is wonderful and the food is amazing. Last visit Dad had the chicken-fried steak, and I had the baked beef - which was tender and delicious. Highly recommended, the name does NOT do it justice. Kiddos had lamb and said it was also delicious. This is an incredibly popular place in Elko for good reason. We will be back! read more

The food was cooked to order and there was more than enough. The service met every expectation including fast and friendly. The family style dining provided the right atmosphere and ambiance to allow for conversation. read more

We got the family style dish, lots of food . . . All the side dishes tasted bland to me, no extraordinary flavor stand out at all, decor needs updating and a young waiter brought us wine but didn't opened properly, needs better training, the wine glasses well . . . Pork chops were good, the bread was warm and tasty and the other waiter was great. Maybe next time I'll come super hungry then will be good read more

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Had the best dinner, so much food. Service was excellent, go early gets pretty busy. Have to have the Picon Punch cocktail.