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| - La Bayou deserves a 5/5 rating because you get what you pay for and considering the niche market that it goes after, it fits the bill quite perfectly. My largest criticism is really rather historical in nature and cannot be held against the current owners in the slightest. Allow me to explain:
Make no mistake, La Bayou is a dive. A throwback to casinos from the seedy 1980's days of Las Vegas. Actual coins are heard throughout the tiny slot house clinging almost musically to the ear reminiscent of days gone by. When Benny Binion and Jackie Gaughan were in constant battles over who controlled Downtown and when a cheater had a back room and a tack hammer to look forward to if he got caught. Of course, La Bayou is strictly a slot house so no table games to worry about. The staff us minimal at best but work hard to manage the property. The cocktail waitresses are a pretty hard working and borderline overworked group of ladies as they seem to work both Mermaids across the street as well as La Bayou. Drinks served are strictly low shelf, well only, but you wouldn't expect much more. And they are served in tiny 6 ounce plastic cups, which once again, goes with the territory and you get what you pay for.
One point I did want to address is that the cocktail waitresses are nothing if not aggressive. As soon as you walk in, before you even drop a twenty in a machine, a waitress is asking what you would like to drink. One major tip I would say to ANYONE is that you are prepared to tip the ladies for the beverage. The fact that it's a slot house doesn't matter in the slightest and don't even think of tipping one or two quarters. Though this casino may be a time capsule to 1982 doesn't mean that inflation hadn't occurred. Have cash or several quarters and tip the Vegas standard of $1 per drink. There. Tangent over.
La Bayou was once known as Coin Castle. It was known as Coin Castle for the better part of 25 years from 1969 through 1996. Here is where we come to my one and only major criticism of the property: I totally respect that times change and the need to rebrand and stay relevant are integral to business success, but why La Bayou? Why not leave well enough alone and keep that glorious Coin Castle King atop the tiny little building. He looked a hell of a lot like King Friday from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood (with an oddly Asian eyeline) and he was literally an institution in Downtown Las Vegas. I do not hold this against the owners of course, but the nostalgia bug in me saddens me every time I go to the Neon Museum and see the once tall Coin Castle King that overlooked Fremont now on display in a museum instead of welcoming guests to a classic old Vegas throwback.
The history of this tiny slot joint doesn't end there though. Predating the Coin Castle and the Monte Carlo Club, this site was once home to the very historical Northern Club. Mayme Stocker was the first woman ever to be granted a gaming license and she did so on the very land that the Bayou currently occupies (but not the same physical building, unfortunately). Nestled adjacent to the Golden Gate, the La Bayou is truly a throwback in every sense of the word.
The owners of La Bayou also own Mermaids and the Girls of Glitter Gulch strip club. Mermaids and La Bayou are pretty much run by the same team I believe and the girls that give out the beads walk back and forth across Fremont constantly.
La Bayou does not offer a restaurant but they do offer a simple change counter/cashier that cashed you out in the back and a bar that offers value priced daiquiris and mixed drinks in oversized glasses. I would like to see the daquiris offered complimentary to players (even if only served in the tiny plastic cups) but beggars can't be choosers.
Overall, La Bayou is worth visiting because of the history alone. Because of the true throwback to 1970's and '80's Las Vegas. And because places like this are disappearing faster than you can say MGM Resorts International, and you definitely want to visit it before it and places like it all disappear and are remembered only in Travel Channel retrospectives. Grab a coin bucket, dig out those quarters from your couch cushions, and a pack of smokes and head out to Coin Castle.....er.....I mean La Bayou as soon as you can. And most importantly, don't take anything there too seriously. Just have a good time and enjoy the passage into old Vegas. Tell the Spirit of the Coin Castle King that I said hello.
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