Stopped in Virginia City for a nice date day. Had to get a juicy all beef dog from the Ponderosa Saloon. Grabbed some drinks & listened to some music. The history & the energy is so interesting & overwhelming. This city calls to me & I let myself come for adventures quiet often. One thing I hadn't done yet is go through the Ponderosa Mine. This time I got to venture into the depths of the wet earth about 400ft! My anxiety was kicking in half way through the tour but I managed ok. Breathing techniques are a must if you do not like cramped small underground spaces. The tour guide I forgot his name sorry. But he is in the video I added. He deserves credit where credit is due! Tall guy doesn't work Fridays lol he was super informative about the miners and the history behind it. I knew life was harder back then considering the circumstances but to hear the in-depth knowledge of how the miners had to drink 2 pints of whiskey a day because no water was really available. I want to come back and explore more. There are lots of cool artifacts on display from guns and rifles to saws and gems shaver balls lol if you visit the Virginia city stop by the Ponderosa for a shot & a dog before you go into the mine. The mine was $27 for two of us to go in and it fills up fast so get there earlier then the time you want to go I think it's every hour.
Nancy T.
Bring cash to purchase your tickets directly at the saloon or you can purchase tickets at the tourist information office via credit card. We purchased at the tourist office (we don't carry much cash typically), but when we got to the saloon, the guide said he would have given us a break on the pricing (charging us kid prices for a family pack even though our kids are teenagers). The tour is about 40 minutes long. It took me a few minutes to get used to our guide's monotone delivery, but in the end I found him informative and entertaining (dry and sometimes dark humor).
Sasha T.
The mine tour is the most fun, fantastic, bartenders, and fun karaoke nights! Definitely recommend stopping in! Take the mine tour as it has some fun history! If you stop by the bar around the holidays, they have the most fantastic eggnog! All around a fun time.
Tamara E.
This is a very welcoming Saloon-everyone is friendly. The saloon has live music and great bartenders. I can't wait for my next visit.
Leandra Carr
Was invited to share a Friday evening here. Had an amazing pizza, some great wine, stayed for karaoke, although it's not my style. The people who sang, omg. Thank you. Having never been to karaoke before, I now understand why it's all the rage. Will be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
DJ C.
It was a beautiful September day so we decided to take in the sights at VC. Our first stop was the Ponderosa because we wanted to check it out and take a mine tour. We had to wait awhile for our tour so we decided to have lunch there, but I don't recommend it....none of us liked what we ordered. It's all cooked and prepared next to the bar in a tiny area, so nothing was fresh just fried. The bartender was fabulous and we enjoyed a couple of drinks while waiting. The Ponderosa is very old and historical including a huge walk-in safe from the 1800s. The mine tour was very well done by our tour guide who was loaded with historical data, mine info, and lots of good stories.
brunatourguide
Great atmosphere and great service at this very western bar. Everything you can expect from Virginia City is there.
Battle Born865
Had fun standing in the vault, food was just okay. Nice saloon.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Pastrami and Swiss Sandwich
Greecianhahn
Tour of the mine was just ok. Didn’t care much for the bitter old lady giving the tour that even admitted was only doing it because the price of hay was so high she had to work. $12 to walk into a hole a few feet is up to you!
Kimberly J.
My husband and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Virginia City on a Monday. There were no crowds and the weather was great! We stopped at the Ponderosa to eat a late lunch with the intent of taking the mine tour. Unfortunately we arrived late in the afternoon so we did not have time to eat and do the mine tour (tours end at 5pm). I have been on the mine tour about four times and always find it fascinating! If you are tall (I am 5'8") you most likely will have to duck down to avoid hitting your head during the tour. The pathway into the mine is uneven so if you have difficulty walking on uneven surfaces, this might not be for you. Otherwise it is an interesting history lesson. Today, however, my stomach and dropping blood sugar won out over the mine tour!My husband had the Roast Beef sandwich with Swiss cheese (served with Au Jus) and I had the Pastrami and Swiss on Rye. We shared an order of Onion Rings. The food was actually quite good for food from a little bar! My sandwich was toasted nicely, served warm, and the onion rings were golden brown, crispy, and served with a delicious dipping sauce that had a bit of a kick to it. My husband enjoyed his sandwich as well. Total was $32 with tip which I didn't feel was bad. Food is ordered at a window and normally you would pick up at another window, but the woman making the sandwiches brought our food to the table for us. She wasn't rude, but wasn't all that welcoming either. However, the food was good and she did bring it to us which was nice. Drinks are ordered at the bar. We both had sodas - Diet Pepsi for me and Root Beer for my husband. The root beer was Shasta Root Beer from a can and served in a clear, plastic cup which was interesting, but served the purpose and was cheap at $2.00 per drink. They also have free ice water available in a dispenser. The bartender was very nice. All in all this is a nice spot to grab something to eat before taking the mine tour!
Tour of the mine was just ok. Didn’t care much for the bitter old lady giving the tour that even admitted was only doing it because the price of hay was so high she had to work. $12 to walk into a hole a few feet is up to you!
JP P.
Spencer is the best he's very interested in the history and trys to learn and then has an interesting pov on VC and its mining spirits, got to love the spirits especially the liquid kind. He's a ton of fun and loves kidz! Give him tips!!!
brian Caldwell
What's not to love? It is a saloon WITH a mine tour that goes straight into the mine without even walking out of the building. The "Pondo Grub" has great food too!
Joe Peterson
Neat place. The tour was interesting and gave a good background of the mining history. Well worth stopping by.
Ramachm
Great lil place in Virginia city. Make sure to do the mine tour in the back of the bar.
Stopped in Virginia City for a nice date day. Had to get a juicy all beef dog from the Ponderosa Saloon. Grabbed some drinks & listened to some music. The history & the energy is so interesting & overwhelming. This city calls to me & I let myself come for adventures quiet often. One thing I hadn't done yet is go through the Ponderosa Mine. This time I got to venture into the depths of the wet earth about 400ft! My anxiety was kicking in half way through the tour but I managed ok. Breathing techniques are a must if you do not like cramped small underground spaces. The tour guide I forgot his name sorry. But he is in the video I added. He deserves credit where credit is due! Tall guy doesn't work Fridays lol he was super informative about the miners and the history behind it. I knew life was harder back then considering the circumstances but to hear the in-depth knowledge of how the miners had to drink 2 pints of whiskey a day because no water was really available. I want to come back and explore more. There are lots of cool artifacts on display from guns and rifles to saws and gems shaver balls lol if you visit the Virginia city stop by the Ponderosa for a shot & a dog before you go into the mine. The mine was $27 for two of us to go in and it fills up fast so get there earlier then the time you want to go I think it's every hour.
Bring cash to purchase your tickets directly at the saloon or you can purchase tickets at the tourist information office via credit card. We purchased at the tourist office (we don't carry much cash typically), but when we got to the saloon, the guide said he would have given us a break on the pricing (charging us kid prices for a family pack even though our kids are teenagers). The tour is about 40 minutes long. It took me a few minutes to get used to our guide's monotone delivery, but in the end I found him informative and entertaining (dry and sometimes dark humor).
The mine tour is the most fun, fantastic, bartenders, and fun karaoke nights! Definitely recommend stopping in! Take the mine tour as it has some fun history! If you stop by the bar around the holidays, they have the most fantastic eggnog! All around a fun time.
This is a very welcoming Saloon-everyone is friendly. The saloon has live music and great bartenders. I can't wait for my next visit.
Was invited to share a Friday evening here. Had an amazing pizza, some great wine, stayed for karaoke, although it's not my style. The people who sang, omg. Thank you. Having never been to karaoke before, I now understand why it's all the rage. Will be
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was a beautiful September day so we decided to take in the sights at VC. Our first stop was the Ponderosa because we wanted to check it out and take a mine tour. We had to wait awhile for our tour so we decided to have lunch there, but I don't recommend it....none of us liked what we ordered. It's all cooked and prepared next to the bar in a tiny area, so nothing was fresh just fried. The bartender was fabulous and we enjoyed a couple of drinks while waiting. The Ponderosa is very old and historical including a huge walk-in safe from the 1800s. The mine tour was very well done by our tour guide who was loaded with historical data, mine info, and lots of good stories.
Great atmosphere and great service at this very western bar. Everything you can expect from Virginia City is there.
Had fun standing in the vault, food was just okay. Nice saloon.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Pastrami and Swiss Sandwich
Tour of the mine was just ok. Didn’t care much for the bitter old lady giving the tour that even admitted was only doing it because the price of hay was so high she had to work. $12 to walk into a hole a few feet is up to you!
My husband and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Virginia City on a Monday. There were no crowds and the weather was great! We stopped at the Ponderosa to eat a late lunch with the intent of taking the mine tour. Unfortunately we arrived late in the afternoon so we did not have time to eat and do the mine tour (tours end at 5pm). I have been on the mine tour about four times and always find it fascinating! If you are tall (I am 5'8") you most likely will have to duck down to avoid hitting your head during the tour. The pathway into the mine is uneven so if you have difficulty walking on uneven surfaces, this might not be for you. Otherwise it is an interesting history lesson. Today, however, my stomach and dropping blood sugar won out over the mine tour!My husband had the Roast Beef sandwich with Swiss cheese (served with Au Jus) and I had the Pastrami and Swiss on Rye. We shared an order of Onion Rings. The food was actually quite good for food from a little bar! My sandwich was toasted nicely, served warm, and the onion rings were golden brown, crispy, and served with a delicious dipping sauce that had a bit of a kick to it. My husband enjoyed his sandwich as well. Total was $32 with tip which I didn't feel was bad. Food is ordered at a window and normally you would pick up at another window, but the woman making the sandwiches brought our food to the table for us. She wasn't rude, but wasn't all that welcoming either. However, the food was good and she did bring it to us which was nice. Drinks are ordered at the bar. We both had sodas - Diet Pepsi for me and Root Beer for my husband. The root beer was Shasta Root Beer from a can and served in a clear, plastic cup which was interesting, but served the purpose and was cheap at $2.00 per drink. They also have free ice water available in a dispenser. The bartender was very nice. All in all this is a nice spot to grab something to eat before taking the mine tour!
Restaurantji Recommends
Tour of the mine was just ok. Didn’t care much for the bitter old lady giving the tour that even admitted was only doing it because the price of hay was so high she had to work. $12 to walk into a hole a few feet is up to you!
Spencer is the best he's very interested in the history and trys to learn and then has an interesting pov on VC and its mining spirits, got to love the spirits especially the liquid kind. He's a ton of fun and loves kidz! Give him tips!!!
What's not to love? It is a saloon WITH a mine tour that goes straight into the mine without even walking out of the building. The "Pondo Grub" has great food too!
Neat place. The tour was interesting and gave a good background of the mining history. Well worth stopping by.
Great lil place in Virginia city. Make sure to do the mine tour in the back of the bar.