Review: ESPN Sports Zone Entertains All

In a city where virtually every major hotel has a theme, it isn't surprising that theme restaurants pop up right alongside them.

ESPN Sports ZoneIn Las Vegas, there are music-, movie-, motorcycle-, racing- and even an ecology-themed dining establishments still in operation and failed theme attempts at wrestling, Motown and sports.

That's right, the ESPN Sports Zone is not the first attempt at a sports-themed restaurant. That designation goes to the All-Star Café, a memorabilia-fueled extravaganza that was located directly across the street from this latest attempt in the space formerly occupied by yet another theme restaurant, The Motown Café. Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?

So big deal -- a bunch of sports junk and overpriced burgers, right? Wrong.

The ESPN Sports Zone goes in a totally different direction by eschewing the typical memorabilia exhibits for sports-themed art, adding a healthy dose of real sports action, and throwing in an interesting, moderately priced menu. The result is one of the most unique and interesting theme restaurants in town, even for people who aren't sports enthusiasts.

The only sport that really interests me is bowling, the only one in which cup holders are provided for my beer. But that didn't stop me from being amused and entertained by the ESPN restaurant, and it certainly didn't stop me from enjoying the food. More on that in a moment.

The first thing you notice when you walk in are the light-hearted art exhibits, including boxers Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns as "Rock'em Sock'em Robots," Evel Knievel's history of broken bones done as the old board game "Operation," Golden Boy Oscar de la Hoya as a giant Academy Award statue (Oscar – get it?), and even the famous neon Vegas Vic sign recast with Andre Agassi's face. It's all a lot of fun and much more interesting than, say, a football that Joe Namath touched.

Just inside the entrance of the two-level restaurant is an ESPN store, and just beyond that is the first of two bars. There are two main dining rooms – the Studio Grill, a (somewhat) quieter family-style room with tables and booths, televisions showing muted sports programming, and piped-in music.

Beyond that, enclosed by a glass wall, is the Screening Room, so named for the massive wall of TV monitors showing any sporting event that happens to be on the air at any given moment, including things that aren't being broadcast on ESPN. At each table there is a video monitor that allows diners to zoom in on any of the 14 screens and even surf several sports-themed Internet sites via a touch-screen interface. The booths come with surround sound so you can, in theory, listen to whatever program you want and not be bothered by your neighbor's programming, although in practice it was a little difficult to hear what was going on.

Down in front are a row of big cushy recliners facing the video wall that have their own surround sound and mini-tables for drink and food service.

Upstairs is another small bar and the 9,000 square-foot Sports Arena, packed with video and arcade games, virtual-reality machines (the VR boxing was amazing), and even a rock-climbing wall that tilts and turns.

Oh yeah, and they also serve food.

There are five main sections to the limited American grill menu, starting off with appetizers like a pound of chicken wings, spinach and artichoke dip with chips, and cheese fries, all coming in enormous portions for around $8.

Next are the soup of the day and salads, including a grilled chicken, Caesar, and an apple, walnut and bleu cheese salad in a sweet cider vinaigrette. Again, portions are huge and prices range from $7 to $11.

A few pastas include fettuccini alfredo, cajun fettuccini with blackened chicken and Andouille sausage, or vegetable angel hair, all for around $10.

All entrees come with fresh vegetables and potato and include options like baby-back ribs, New York strip steak, grilled pork chops, or Atlantic salmon, ranging in price from $11 to $23.

Since my visit was at lunch, we sampled options from the sandwich section. The Zone Cheesesteak came on a huge, crusty French baguette packed with tender beef, sautéed mushrooms, onions and peppers, and topped with melted mozzarella cheese. It was spicy, with a slight Southern feel to it – an interesting twist on the typical Philly variety. 

We also sampled the grilled and marinated chicken breast sandwich, topped with fresh lettuce and tomato and your choice of cheese. The sandwich was enormous and cooked expertly with a sweet and smoky flavor.

Finally we had to go for the Zone Burger, a giant half-pound behemoth covered in cheese, seared mushrooms, red peppers and onion. The latter gave it a rich taste not commonly found on theme-restaurant burgers.

All the sandwiches come with spicy seasoned fries and range from $9 to $12.

But be sure to save room for the desserts. They are all designed to serve at least two people and feature such inventive ideas as the Sudden Death Brownie, a warm chocolate brownie with butterscotch and chocolate chip morsels, topped with vanilla ice cream, Oreo cookie crumbles, hot fudge, caramel and whipped cream. Or maybe you'd prefer the Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae, a warm half-baked cookie, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, hot fudge, caramel and a cherry.

We went for the Krispy Kreme Sundae, three warm glazed doughnuts covered with hot fudge and caramel served with a side of fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream. If you're looking for a sugar high, this is the place to go.

Breakfast is served on Saturdays and Sundays only from 8 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. and includes things like breakfast burritos, steak and eggs, French toast, omelets, pancakes and more.

As you can see, prices are not bargain basement. You could easily get a giant buffet for this kind of money, but for the quality and quantity of food and the ambience, we didn't feel it was out of line.

My one and only gripe with the place concerned the noise level. This is not a good choice for a quiet and intimate dinner, but if you have a raucous group, this should be at the top of your list.

All in all, the new ESPN Sports Zone succeeds in a lot of areas that typical restaurants fail by providing a lively environment, terrific food and plenty of distractions. Isn't that what Vegas is all about?

ESPN Sports Zone
New York-New York Hotel & Casino
3790 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

(702) 933-3776

Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to midnight
Friday 11 a.m. to midnight
Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Sunday 8 a.m. to midnight.
The bar is open until 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday

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Rick Garman is the head writer for Vegas4Visitors