# The Bootlegger Italian Bistro > Family-run Italian restaurant on the South Strip, from the Perry and Hunt-Bono family since 1973: Chef Maria's recipes, nightly live music, party rooms. - Trade: Restaurant - Location: Las Vegas Valley (serves Las Vegas Valley) - Website: https://www.bootleggerlasvegas.com/ - Phone: 702-736-4939 - 702 Alliance status: Listed: researched from public sources, not yet claimed by the owner - Profile: https://702alliance.com/members/bootlegger-italian-bistro/ The name goes back to Prohibition. Luigi Zoia, an Italian immigrant, ran a boarding house in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and served homemade wine to his boarders, so the neighborhood called him the Bootlegger. His granddaughter Maria grew up cooking in that kitchen, married Albert Perry, and moved to Las Vegas with him in 1943. ## Four generations of one family Maria and Al Perry opened their first Italian restaurant in town in 1949, then the Venetian Pizzeria on Fremont Street and later the Venetian on West Sahara with relatives Angie and Lou Ruvo. Their daughter Lorraine sang on the Strip, bought land with her earnings, and in 1973 the family opened the first Bootlegger on her parcel at Tropicana and Eastern. Lorraine Hunt-Bono went on to serve as a Clark County commissioner and as Nevada's lieutenant governor. The family moved the restaurant to South Las Vegas Boulevard in 2001, bringing the old booths, brick and family photographs with them. Lorraine's son Ron Mancuso joined as chief operating officer in 2003, and his son Roman later made it four generations. Chef Maria celebrated her 100th birthday in 2017 and died in 2019 at 102; her recipes still anchor the menu. ## Dinner and a show The kitchen covers the old-school range: pasta, pizza, veal, chicken, seafood and steaks, with vegan and vegetarian dishes too. Lunch is dine-in only, and party platters are made to go. Live music plays in the dining room every night from 6:30 p.m., with no cover and no minimum. On Monday nights the Copa room hosts Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns, a jazz, funk, rock and Latin band. The walls carry decades of photos, and the Bootlegger appeared on Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. ### Private events - The Vegas Room: up to 45 guests - The Copa: 45 to 180 guests The events team has won Wedding Chamber honors for wedding catering (2024) and rehearsal dinners and receptions (2025). **Hours:** Open daily from 11 a.m. The kitchen serves until 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday; the bar stays open an hour later. Parking is free. ## Visit or contact The Bootlegger Italian Bistro 7700 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89123 Reservations: [702-736-4939](tel:7027364939) Take-out: [702-736-7080](tel:7027367080) [bootleggerlasvegas.com](https://www.bootleggerlasvegas.com/) Researched September 26, 2026. [Source 1](https://www.bootleggerlasvegas.com/our-story); [Source 2](https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/food/old-vegas-never-grows-old-at-the-bootlegger-bistro-2246284/); [Source 3](https://www.bootleggerlasvegas.com/); [Source 4](https://www.bootleggerlasvegas.com/menu-1); [Source 5](https://www.bootleggerlasvegas.com/entertainment); [Source 6](https://www.bootleggerlasvegas.com/parties-events); [Source 7](https://www.bootleggerlasvegas.com/awards). This is an independent directory listing, not a claim that the owner has joined or installed a badge. For a correction or removal, [contact Cody](mailto:cody@702alliance.com). Listings are free and badges are optional. --- From 702 Alliance (https://702alliance.com/members/bootlegger-italian-bistro/), a free directory of independent Las Vegas Valley businesses. Corrections: cody@702alliance.com.