The Jillian's chain went bankrupt in 2004 but this one is apparently sticking around for now.

The two-story facility features a restaurant, two full bars, a bowling alley, virtual reality and video games, arcade style redemption games, a nightclub, billiards, meeting rooms, and more all in one handy-dandy package. Its convenience to The Fremont Street Experience makes it a must-visit if you’re in the area.

The main floor features the fine café and one of the bars with big glass windows looking out onto Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard. It happened to be raining the day we visited (figures) so we couldn’t take advantage of their outdoor dining patio but we expect that it’ll be nice during more reasonable weather.

The menu features a wide range of selections, mostly things that will make you feel like you’re in a TGI Friday’s style chain. Among the dozen starters are Buffalo wings, a chicken quesadilla, mozzarella sticks, spinach and artichoke dip with tortilla chips, and more. Soups and salads follow on the menu with two different types of chili, southwest chicken salad, and chicken Caesar as a couple of samples.

Nearly two-dozen different types of burgers and sandwiches are available plus several pizzas. Entrees run the gamut from barbecue pork chops to surf & turf to pastas and stir-fry. There are even some New Orleans style dishes including jambalaya, Creole pork loin, crawfish, and a steak “Po-Boy” sandwich.

Sufficed to say that if you have a hard time finding something to eat on this menu you’re way too picky.

We sampled the gigantic barbecue bacon burger (dripping with cheese and piled high with crispy bacon and onion rings, mmmm cholesterol), the double-baked potato soup (a meal in and of itself), and the aforementioned “Po-Boy” and were not disappointed by any of it. The portions were huge, the food was well prepared and tasty, and the service was fast and friendly – what else do you need?

Prices were reasonable also with appetizers in the $4-10 range, soups and salads between $3 and $9, burgers and pizzas all around $8, sandwiches from $7-11, and the entrees mostly between $10 and $15. That’s not necessarily McDonald’s cheap but it’s not out of line for this type of restaurant and absolutely worth it in our opinion.

The rest of the main floor of Jillian’s is taken up with the video and arcade style games. There was air hockey, a bunch of virtual reality machines, head-to-head competition VR games, skeeball, standard video games, and a lot more. To run the games you buy an ATM style card that is loaded up with however many points you want to buy - $5 for 3,000 points all the way up to 90,000 points for $100. Each game requires a different amount of points so you’ll want to scope the requirements out before you start playing.

About 50% of the games offer ticket redemption – you get tickets while you play and can trade them in on small prizes.

Upstairs is another full-service bar with some tables, a small dance floor complete with a DJ and sound system, 9 pool tables, private party rooms, and a 12-lane bowling alley, the latter of which features giant video screens, discotheque style lighting, and wacky bowling balls (transparent with a skull inside, anyone?). In other words if you’re looking for the Pro-Bowling Association you probably won’t find them here but it’s a great place to go have a light-hearted game with friends.

The only downside we could find is that it’s a bit loud what with all the games, televisions, and children whose parents allow them to scream loudly for long periods of time. Yeah, not a place for those who don’t have patience for rambunctious tykes.

We say make a night of it… head Downtown to check out the Fremont Street Experience and visit the Glitter Gulch casinos then head to Jillian’s for a late meal and a drink while bowling off that buffet you ate earlier.