Casino Roadtrip

Back story: Bally’s Dover is part of the complex that includes both the Dover Downs harness-racing track and NASCAR’s Dover International Speedway (neither are affiliated with the casino). The gaming hall opened in 1995 as Dover Downs Hotel & Casino; 2007 saw a hotel expansion that brought the room inventory to its current 500 units. In 2019, the property was purchased by Bally’s Corp., which instituted the rebranding late last year.

First impressions: Its location on the heavily traveled U.S. Route 13, commercial strip doesn’t offer much in the way of scenery. But the hotel’s lobby is an impressive, soaring, columned domed space whose décor and design is reminiscent of that of top-tier hotels like Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton.

Accommodations: Standard rooms aren’t ultra-spacious, but are large and comfortable enough that guests definitely won’t feel cramped. Many rooms overlook the horse track. A rigid COVID-19 protocol program is in effect for all rooms and suites.

Game on: The easy-to-navigate casino floor offer approximately 2,300 slot and electronic-game machines and some three dozen table games.

Let’s eat: The pandemic closed several dining outlets, but you certainly won’t starve there. The main rooms are branches of popular chains: Jerry Longo’s meatballs & martinis and Sugar Factory.

Longo’s, which has a branch at Bally’s Atlantic City, is a Rhode-Island-based outfit whose blueprint recalls the kind of old-school, “red gravy” spots that once abounded in such locales as South Philadelphia and The Bronx. The vibe is unpretentious and the atmosphere is fun/casual; the walls feature pictures of celebrities—cast members of The Sopranos are a particular focus—and wall-mounted video screens play classic Hollywood films (picture only).

The price points are fairly typical for a casino eatery, but the portions are generally large enough for at least two adults. While the meatballs are the room’s signatures, the antipasto is simply the best we’ve ever sampled—in and out of casinos.

Sugar Factory is a popular chain of whimsical, casual-dining spots (there’s one inside Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City) that specializes in over-the-top milkshakes (costing $19-$21) and equally outlandish cocktails (28 in all; $36 each) served in small-fishbowl-sized goblets and often presented with dry-ice smoke billowing from them like some mad scientist’s concoction in a 1930s horror film. Appetizers, salads, burgers, pastas, sandwiches and meat, seafood and chicken entrees are also on the menu. It opens daily at 8 a.m., serving breakfast and lunch.

It’s a brightly lit, energetic space particularly suited to families (it’s the kind of place where staff members serenade birthday celebrants).

The Royal Prime Steakhouse & Lounge, a classic casino beef-and-seafood salon, was scheduled to debut by the end of 2021.