James Beard Foundation Confirms What Vegas Already Knew — Peppermill Is a Certified Restaurant Classic

Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge The beloved 24-hour diner and lounge received an America’s Classics Award With its neon, Tiffany lamps, and all-night hours for visitors to the Vegas Strip, the 52-year-old Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge is finally receiving its due as a certified national icon. On Wednesday, February 28, the James Beard Foundation revealed Peppermill as one of its 2024 America’s Classics Award-winners — an honor recognizing “locally owned restaurants that serve quality food, have timeless appeal, and reflect the character of their communities.” Founded in 1972 by Nat Carasali and Bill Paganetti, the Peppermill remains a rare staple on a Strip where building tear-downs are more the rule than the exception. The restaurant is a slice-of-life spot for the casino crowds with a mixture of retro-dressed diner waitstaff and ball gown-clad cocktail servers moving about the room at all hours of the day. “We get people from other countries who come back again and again, every year or so. And we have locals, some who come in every day,” general manager Peggy Orth, who started out as a waitress at the restaurant when she was 17, told Eater last year. Orth’s son Nicholas is now executive chef. The Foundation notes in its release that Peppermill is such a fixture in the Vegas scene that it’s appeared in movies such as cult classic (and absolute mess) Show Girls and Casino. Peppermill joins other Classics awardees including Burmese restaurant Mandalay in San Francisco, Vietnam Restaurant in Philly, Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge in South Dakota, Sylvia’s in New York, and Wade’s in South Carolina. The committee rotates regions each awards cycle to provide a better balance for America’s Classics and eligible restaurants are at least 10 years old. Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge America’s Classics winners will be recognized at the James Beard Awards Restaurant and Chef Awards gala on Monday, June 10 at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago alongside fellow honorees and nominees. Official James Beard Award nominees for chefs and restaurants will be announced on Tuesday, April 30. Currently, the list of Nevada semifinalists includes DJ Flores of Milpa, Brian Howard of Sparrow + Wolf, Steve Kestler of Aroma Latin American Cocina, Oscar Amador Edo of Anima by Edo, and Kimmie and Josh Mcintosh of Milkfish Bakeshop. Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.