Nevada Smith's Saloon

Issues with mix up w/ticket we had ordered two ribeyes turns out they ran out and after waiting for 35+ minutes they finally told us, Terri (manager) and the waitress made it up with two Porterhouses on the FLY,
First time we came here to experience Nevada Smiths and their steaks and I was impressed with the management and the steaks
They gave us complimentary drinks for the wait but gotta say was impressed with the taste of the steaks, wish the owner a speedy recovery.

Service great. Food not so much. Fish dried out. Noisy and smoking allowed in dining area. Doubt we'll be back.

I have to say for a saloon, I like this place, the food isn't great, the service is good and I like this saloon ambience, FYI, they have a large patio room in the back, and you can smoke a cigar, that's about perfect. Great friendly people as well, still has that old time flavor...

The ambiance is open, friendly and a welcoming- no frills place. The best steak quality and size I've eaten at in Tucson.
If you're looking to get fancy and go all out with bells and whistles and white linen, with four times the cost; you'll want to go elsewhere. If you're enjoying the food and your friends this is your place.

So, having enjoyed a few tasty lunches at this establishment, I decided to take a couple of local friends to dinner here for their Thursday Steak Night. I had been told that the place can get very busy, so we arrived around 5:30 to find the place filled with couples, families, seniors, and regulars, sitting at the tables and enjoying their steaks and chicken breasts.

One friend opted for a 10 oz sirloin ($15), another one the chicken breast ($9) and I decided on the 16 oz New York Strip ($16). The meal was preceded by a trip to the salad bar, which was basically just a big bowl of chopped iceberg with red onions, with shredded cheddar, croutons, and our choice of ranch, bleu cheese, Italian, or thousand island dressings, self-served in the sort of melamine bowls I remember from my school lunch lines back in the day. It was simple fare, offered with a dinner roll, but it was fresh and we enjoyed it. Soon our meals arrived and, as expected, they were massive; each came with a baked potato wrapped in foil (there are large plastic containers of butter and sour cream near the dinner rolls - serve yourself) and a whole lot of ranch-style beans, rather nicely seasoned. The steaks were very well cooked - we sat near the huge wood fired grill where they were made - and we couldn't make it thru more than half of our dinners before we requested take-out boxes. (Needless to say, dinner on Friday night was our leftovers.)

The place was busy, but the service was great - our waitperson stopped by multiple times to check on us and it was obvious that there was great camaraderie among the wait staff. And the final bill came to around $50 with tip - outstanding for three huge meals.

A few words of advice:

Come early. Steak Night is indeed popular and they've been known to run out of baked potatoes and certain cuts of meat. Since Tucson has a sizable senior population, a lot of the diners arrive between 5-6 for an early meal before it gets too dark.

Be aware that, though the food and the service are great, the neighborhood is somewhat less so. I didn't feel unsafe, mind you, but just the same I'd want to be on my way home by around 8:30 pm.

Finally, remember that this is a dive bar. A really great dive bar, but still the sort of place where the regulars order generous shots of Jack or Fireball, often with beer chasers, and they can get a bit loud as the evening wears on. No judgement here but, if it's basically dinner you want, come early, enjoy, then head out. Or, if the mood strikes you, order a few shots yourself then join in the discussion - your call.

I had to update my review because it's been a while. Don't let the location of this place scare you. If you want awesome inexpensive food, good drinks, and excellent dive bar service this place is a must try. Fish Fry Friday is off the chain!!! They've got darts, pool, jukebox, karaoke, and food specials up the wazoo. This place is really cool!!

Went on Thursday steak night and was not disappointed at all!! They start taking orders at 5 so get there early it gets packed. Everyone in my party got the 22oz Ribeye for 21.00!! Very flavorful and cooked perfect medium! Meal also come with ranch beans, salad and baked potato. Great deal for great meal. They also have 2 huge grilled chicken breast for 13.00! I'll be back next week for the New York Strip! One downside is they do not have Prime so don't go expecting to see Thursday night football.

Yeah, could've been a better experience.

We came on filet mignon night and they were OUT of filet mignon pretty darn early in the evening (before we got there). Not only that, they ran out of salad by (which comes with every meal) by 7:30 and even potatoes. The four of us got the last three potatoes, so my friend gave me his and he had nothing to show for it

The meat was pretty good, what food we received, so I cannot complain about that. And running our of salad and potatoes is fine, but nobody told us that when we ordered (that they were running pretty low). Sounds like a management issue. They could have done better.

I don't think I will be headin' back to Nevada Smith's any time real soon!

Stopped in on Saturday 12/30/2023. Sorry but this place really fell short. It was busy and our party of 4 had to wait a bit. My porterhouse was ordered medium. On the outside it looked great but on the inside it was RAW, I mean really RAW. Hard to chew RAW. I sent it back and it was a little better but parts were still RAW. My girls chicken breast was BURNT. I mean really black. She Sent it back. The Baked potatoes came late but were undone. I mean really hard in the middle. Didn't send them back as we had been there over an hour. For the price they have really big steaks. The ambiance is like an old western bar like in the movies. Wait staff is very friendly. This day they seemed understaffed. Go for the fish on Fridays. On steak night if its really busy the people at the open fire grill get really overwhelmed. I'd say go in, if you can find a seat right away good. Cross your fingers.

Great food, service is very welcoming by staff that has been here for years, a no frills restaurant and saloon with a wonderful local feel. Great Job Nevada Smiths!