HaSalon Las Vegas — Restaurant in Paradise

Ah, HaSalon Las Vegas. I entered with the hope of a vibrant culinary oasis amidst the desert glitz, a mirage of hummus and za'atar that would transport me to the sun-drenched streets of Tel Aviv. Instead, I found myself wandering a flavorless faux-souk, a theme park hummus fountain spitting out beige disappointment.

Food: F

Let's be frank, the menu reads like a bad Mad Libs of Israeli cuisine. Falafel "textures"? Shakshuka "foam"? Where's the char on the eggplant? The vibrant spice symphony of harissa? The food arrived looking like it had been airbrushed by a bored beige-crayon enthusiast. The pita, that lifeblood of Israeli dining, was drier than a Dead Sea scroll, the baba ghanoush smoother than a politician's promise, and the lamb skewers drier than a camel's cough. Each bite was a culinary shrug, an "eh" masquerading as an exotic mezze.

Service: Zzz

The waitstaff, bless their bored hearts, glided around the room like ghosts haunting a spice market. Flag them down and you'll be rewarded with a vacant stare and a mumbled promise that never materializes. Water glasses remained as empty as the chef's imagination, and requests for even the tiniest adjustment were met with the enthusiasm of a damp dishcloth.

Atmosphere: Cringe

HaSalon tries desperately to be the hippest kid at the synagogue social, all exposed brick and pounding music. But the forced "let's all get shpilfaced on Manischewitz" vibe feels more frat party than Friday night Shabbat. The clientele, a mishmash of tourists in ill-fitting kaftans and wannabe influencers clinging to their phones, only amplified the sense of artificiality. It was all spectacle, no soul.

Look, I've had bad falafel in Tel Aviv, I've endured surly service in Jerusalem. But HaSalon Las Vegas is a masterclass in culinary mediocrity. It's the restaurant equivalent of a beige tracksuit – comfortable, sure, but utterly devoid of spark. If you're looking for a taste of true Israeli cuisine, steer clear of this flavorless mirage. Head down the Strip, grab a falafel from a street cart, and thank your tastebuds you dodged this overpriced desert dud.

Final Verdict:

Unless you're fueled by existential dread and a desperate need for beige carbs, avoid HaSalon Las Vegas like a bad case of Montezuma's revenge. This is not an ode to Israeli cuisine, it's an insult to tahini itself. Take your hard-earned shekels elsewhere, friends. There's falafel redemption to be found in this town, just not in this overpriced, overhyped, culinary wasteland.

Rating: 0 out of 5 pomegranates (and that's...

Came here during my bachelorette trip because I’ve heard they have a great party atmosphere. Our reservation was at 9 and we didn't get seated until 9:30PM. It seemed like very young girls working with no idea how to handle large groups. Our server was nice but was a bit odd and didn't really help us navigate through the confusing menu. Concept of the menu is cool but when you don’t have any explanation it's very overwhelming. We ordered appetizers to start and when they came to the table my eyes shot open. I couldn’t believe what came to the table. My first shock was the sautéed bland spinach. Zero flavor zero purpose being an appetizer. Second was the almost $70.00 baked potato I could easily make in my kitchen at home. Also zero purpose being an appetizer. The beet carpaccio, terrible! Everything was also cold. THE BIGGEST SHOCK OF ALL was the avocado toast. How dare you serve a hard piece of bread with cubed avocado with no flavor for that price.

We had more apps but they were all worse and more comical then the next. We had three different types of pasta, steak, and skirt steak. Pasta was good but also cold. The skirt steak I asked for medium was still alive, blood juice all over the plate. The other steak was good but also lacked flavor, I literally asked for soy sauce to dip my steak to give it some flavor.

Now the other annoyance of the night. Every table that got bottles came with a sparkler and a dance. I order an expensive bottle of Dom (almost $600); I tell the waiter not to put in the order until I say. What does he do? Puts the order in and a guy boringly brings it to my table. Guy doesn't even speak or say hello just casually brings a $600 bottle of champagne to the table. At this point I am frustrated and say am i being punked or something? He says sorry, takes the bottle back and comes back out with a girl and guy with no bottle in hand, and an older lady carrying a light or something. Very awkward, very strange, very not the vibe.

I then proceed to ask for dessert and the waiter tells me the kitchen is closed!!!! Like shouldn’t you ask if we want anything else before the kitchen closes. I’ve been to a lot of restaurants in my life but nothing like this. We paid almost $1800.00 for six girls who were still starving when we left. Crazy!!

ALSO: Guys from another table bought us a round of drinks and they tried to charge us for something another...

Staff told me this place means “living room” as a homage to the chefs mom who cooked for guests coming over and wants you to feel at home, and share everything. Cool idea, but I was also alone, oops.

Sat at chefs counter and it reminded me of that show The Bear where you are super stressed even tho you are just watching. I appreciate the speed and details, but sitting alone was not that relaxing/enjoyable bc I felt like I was in the kitchen with no reprise. lol

Waited 15 mins before my waiter came by, that was cool. Tuesday night, I guess he was just too busy for me. I would say the service was the worst part of my experience, outside the kitchen chaos (which I admit I paid more attention to than likely other patrons do). I found out after dinner that they charge you 20% tip no matter what, no wonder he was a an ghost server.

Food - ordered the Fennel and Avocado Salad, which was flavorful and filling. A salad you’d expect from a top chef, and larger than I assumed it might be. I also ordered their Ricotta Clouds, which was a heavy gnudi/gnocchi like pasta. There were 6 pieces, but rich enough that would wouldn’t want more. Lemon, butter, sage sauce was light. Would have liked it to absorb into the pasta a little better, but it was a nice dish. It said light and fluffy but I would not describe it as that, but rather rich and filling. They also give a complimentary flat bread piece and yogurt, which was quite tasty.

After I ordered, waiter asked if I wanted any protein and suggested he come back later when I was ready. I think he thinks protein is only found in meat. I didn’t want to dive into the concept that ricotta and avocado are full of protein, so I just awkwardly smiled and said I think I’m good with my two dishes (for a gal dining alone).

Pretty expensive $70 for just me w/20% not optional tip, without a single drink.

Might go back with a group, maybe if they remove the 20% automatic tip the waiters would be...