Norm’s adds something special to the Las Vegas late-night dining landscape

During my teen years in Southern California I spent many a witching hour in a booth at Norm’s. Whenever my friends and I got out of a club, concert or theme park, there was always a Norm’s close by with stacks of hotcakes and half-pound double burgers. We had other late-night options, but Norm’s felt somehow more authentic, more diner. It connected us to a tradition of main characters taking a coffee-and-sandwich break, from Nighthawks to Pulp Fiction.

Vegas has its own late-night favorites, most of them inside casinos. (Also Blueberry Hill, which still offers 24-hour dining at a couple of locations. And most any Denny’s is, famously, “Always Open.”) But the Vegas arrival of Norm’s, on Charleston and Decatur, adds an interesting wrinkle to the Valley’s late-night dining landscape. The food at Norm’s is modestly good—better than Denny’s, IMHO—but their vibe is cooked to perfection, having simmered in the California sun since car salesman Norm Roybark opened his first restaurant at the corner of Sunset and Vine in 1949.

The Charleston Norm’s doesn’t look much like its iconic SoCal brethren from the outside—no boomerang roof, and its famous “flags” signage feels a bit foreshortened—but once you get inside, it’s all mid-century goodness, with plenty of the chain’s signature orange and blue. And the menu, of course, is the same as you’ll find on La Cienega after a late-night show at the Greek: clubhouse sandwiches, sundaes with Thrifty ice cream and their classic Bigger Better Breakfast, with sirloin if you want it. And this Norm’s serves alcohol, which I’m kinda glad they didn’t offer when I was 23.

But Norm’s isn’t just for hungry club- and concert-goers. This 24-hour-a-day spot is also great for family breakfasts on Sunday mornings, handily serving the varying wants of large groups that can’t decide between omelets, strawberry-topped Belgian waffles, breakfast burritos or chicken tenders. From now on, Norm’s will always be there, always ready with a hot stove and a comfy booth. I can’t wait to go there late on a Friday, and maybe run into myself coming off a long night.

NORM’S 4605 W. Charleston Blvd., 702-475-9976, norms.com. Daily, 24 hours.

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