The Lunch Box

Really sad to hear this place has closed it was my favorite place to eat when I was in Vegas. Actually one of the few reasons I even stopped in Vegas.
Great hot dogs the Chilean was my favorite and the waffle ice cream sandwiches were insanely good.

Looks like 2012 has been the year of goodbyes in the local food scene. The Lunch Box is Vegas’ latest victim. The shop itself is closed, but Joe will still be doing Wafflewich parties upon request… ALOHA!!!

I am a hypocrite… in that I have avoided hot dogs for 15ish years. My parents loved making them when I was a kid but this one newspaper article about them ruined me, and I never ate one again. The hypocritical part is that I have identified certain chicken sausages with no casing at Trader Joe’s that I will buy once in a blue moon (some have pork casing so I have to check each flavor, but I like the jalepeno and the sundried tomato/​basil).
Nevertheless, though I had an outstandingly delicious waffle ice cream sandwich from The Lunch Box at the 89XXXhibition event back in the day, I was terrified to enter a place that served hot dogs (could I handle the smell? Would someone frown upon me? Would there be anything I could eat since I don’t think they do Korean tacos regularly?) — but today was one of those days where I determined I am exceedingly bored with food options around UNLV, probably ever since East Boy closed 3ish years ago, and there is no Capriotti’s within walking distance anymore. There is only so much Tortilla Soup at Café Rio, Thai salad at N&N, and burrito bowl at Chipotle I can eat, and PTH is too far to walk from my building to get my coveted tofu banh mi.
I realize how whiny this is, and the sheer fact is that I have not cooked a lot lately. I normally do and bring leftovers for lunch, but this is a holiday season for me and there is a lot going on as I finish this semester. The great news I started the morning by finishing my dissertation, and in celebration of other über geniuses on Unilocal,I noted Jen F.‘s review which mentioned soy dogs.
Reminder: I do not eat any hot dogs in any form. However, when I saw the Tokyo style on the menu, I reconsidered. As everyone rolls their eyes, you all know I love Asian flavors. I had to try this thing once and for all. The reviews from my Unilocal-​pals were good, and how can someone mess with good Japanese flavors?
Soy dog, wasabi mayo, pickled cucumber, boiled egg (just right!), and green onions, drizzled with sesame oil. The sesame oil elevated it and made it smell Asian rather than hot-​doggy. The flavors were soft, crunchy, pickly, spicy, and all around yummy. I noticed previous reviews mentioned ponzu and daikon. I am sorry I missed that version, because I drink ponzu sauce for a living and keep it in my fridge at work, but the sesame oil was a decent substitute for this unique menu creation. I can’t say I would hop back regularly for soy dogs in the diet, but the wafflewich on the menu has mint chocolate chip and I may have to get back soon for that! Soy dog Tokyo style was $ 4 plus tax, what a deal!

What better way to wash down the food from Yayo Taco than with a waffle ice cream sandwich from The Lunch Box? It’s as good as everyone says it is. The made to order waffle is light, delicate and crunchy. A perfect contrast to the deliciously smooth and creamy chocolate malt crunch ice cream. It’s absolutely brilliant in its simplicity and execution and is worth the drive to get it no matter where you live in the valley.

2012 WSOP Day 30
I arrive at the Rio; crumbs everywhere, drops of melted ice cream on what was my last clean t-​shirt and jeans, a napkin stuck to my hand, and a huge smile on my face.
It’s all thanks to a fresh, lightly sweetened, crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, chocolate chip waffle sandwiching ice cream. So simple. So seriously good.
To all the ice cream snobs, this is not gourmet ice cream or frozen custard. There are no organic fruit toppings, jams, or sauces. Don’t mess with perfection.
The lunchbox also serves authentic Chi town dogs and an excellent Milwaukee style brat. Other types of meat in a tube and out there topping combinations complete the menu.
Check their FB or Twitter feed for unexpected closures.
Just one of those little unexpected pleasures.

This review is for the waffle ice cream sandwich only!
It was a very hot day and ice cream sounded like the only option to fight the heat, so I suggested to my friends that we try The Lunch Box. I had heard a lot about their waffle ice cream sandwiches, and had been dying to try one for some time now. Upon walking into The Lunch Box I was surprised at how small it was. For some reason, I had pictured it being a lot bigger inside. However, The Lunch Box definitely proved that size really doesn’t matter.
Vanilla and Chocolate Malted Crunch were the two options of ice cream that he had available for the filling. Vanilla won for all of our orders. After waiting for a few minutes, the waffles were finally ready. Upon biting into the waffle I could immediately taste the sweetness and perfect texture of the waffle. One thing I personally loved about it was the huge chocolate chips in the wafflewich. Although I only ordered half a wafflewich, it still filled me up and left me satisfied.
Since summer is on the way, I definitely recommend that you stop by and try it out for yourself!

Cute shop, good location near UNLV, simple menu, locally-​owned, delicious hot dogs.
Bonus point because the topping selections are cool:
Chicago (my go-​to)
Chili
Americana (steak sauce, blue cheese, some other stuff… anyway, it’s red, white, and blue)
Tokyo. I’ve been twice and Tokyo was already sold out both times, so I guess you gotta get there early for that one.
The wafflewich looks delicious and they are always rotating the flavor. Unfortunately, I was off sweets when I went, so I wasn’t able to order one, but I’ll definitely check it out next time.

I came to The Lunch Box expecting a great hot dog and an even better waffle ice cream sandwich, known affectionately as the Wafflewich. I got just what I expected, however the meal left a little to be desired. The hot dog was good, not great. The toppings were good, but the dog itself doesn’t really differentiate itself from any other hot dogs that you’ve ever had, yes, even at home.
The Lunch Box is located right across from UNLV, so if you end up going around lunch time, you can expect a throng of students there awaiting these dastardly dogs. I can’t help but believe that the wait itself was more for the Wafflewich than the hot dogs themselves. The Wafflewich was nothing short of amazing. Essentially, it is two perfectly pressed waffles (full order is cut into four pieces) with your choice of vanilla or «flavor of the day/​week» ice cream. Last week, the specialty flavor was pecan, but I have seen mint chocolate chip on other occasions. The waffles themselves had chocolate chips in them and the ice cream wedged between was at a perfect temperature, not cold enough where the ice cream compromised the consistency of the waffle and not too warm where the ice cream would just melt prematurely.
As far as the hot dog is concerned, eh… Not as delicious as most are letting on, but certainly not as terrible as the haters are saying it is, it situates itself nicely right in between the two. I had the Americana dog on my last visit. The Americana dog includes crispy onion straws, mayonnaise, steak sauce and bleu cheese. Again, the dog itself wasn’t great, however, the toppings more than made up for it. I found the blend of toppings to complement the hot dog fairly well.
I still prefer Buldogis and Great Links for my hot dog fix in Vegas. If you’re on the Paradise side of town and stroll into The Lunch Box, come for the dog, STAY for the Wafflewich.

He has a Unilocal lunch box up on his shelf. :D
If you want some of the best waffles in Las Vegas you definitely have to come to the Lunch Box! I came back recently and noticed I had no reviews for this place, I know I made one but I must have gotten a brain freeze from Joe’s Ice Cream Waffle and dreamt I made one up.
Currently there’s two flavors, a vanilla and chocolate mint ice cream. That ice cream is sandwiched between two delicious waffles!
VERY DELICIOUS ICE CREAM WAFFLES!!! (Caps, but I don’t care woo hoo! Yummy!!)

Comedian Daniel Tosh once commented that people say money can’t buy happiness… do you live in America? Cause it buys you a waverunner… have you ever seen someone frowning on a waverunner? Seriously have you? Seriously… have you? Seriously… have you? I would say the same in regards to trying not to smile upon biting into the Belgian waffle ice cream sandwich at The Lunch Box
Can’t comment on their international themed hot dogs just yet, since I was tweaking-​out like a cocaine addict coming down from a bad high for this delectable treat. Probably the only thing you will need to *waffle* over is in regards to which ice cream you want in your sandwich and whether you can handle the full (3.99) or the half order (2.50). Being my first time, I went with mint chocolate chip and got the half order sandwich, which I promptly inhaled within a few minutes. Your tongue will be delightfully confused by the interplay of hot and cold, crispy and creamy, crunchy and smooth.

It’s safe to say the entire Bluth family (Arrested Development) would have a love affair with this ice cream sandwich… taste the happy for less than 5 bucks!

I stopped by for my first visit to The Lunch Box during lunch yesterday and was very happy with my experience!
I tried the Curry Wurst which is a pork brat with a curried onion relish, and ketchup topping. The pork brat was perfect with the topping being equally as delicious! Nice and sweet with the curry flavors hanging out in the background.
Very friendly and quick service.
I can’t wait until i can sneak out of my little cave of an office to drive down the road and visit The Lunch Box again!

I must have passed this place at least a dozen times before I found out they had vegetarian hot dogs. Before I had no interest in trying a meat hot dog, but I love soy dogs.
I had the Americana and the Chilean hot dogs. I’m a sucker for blue cheese (I would be a terrible vegan if I tried to be), so the Americana was a no brainer. The Chilean intrigued me with its avocado. There was a very reasonable deal, two hot dogs for $ 6.99
The Chilean was really good, but the Americana has now occupied my heart as the best hotdog I’ve ever had. The fried onions added just the right amount to crunch to the juicy and cheesy dog.
My husband and I split a waffle ice cream sandwich. My brother and I had sampled this delicacy at the opening of Seduction of the Innocent, and we had raved about it. Husband was intrigued by this combination of dessert and breakfast, so he had to try it. He loved it.
I really like the ambiance too, awesome art and laid back seating (including a couch).

I was just reminiscing about all the great places to eat in the University area and this is the first place that came to mind in terms of places I missed the most. The reason? The Wafflewich.
This is a very simple place with clean décor and a small menu. They specialize in hotdogs, which I am by no means an expert on so don’t expect me to get too into the «snap» of a hot dog or its pefectly soft bun. My experience in hotdogs pretty much comes from what they serve at Costco/Sam’s Club, and when we were 19 and Aziz B. taught me that boiling hot dogs in beer makes them yummy. That’s pretty much it.
But what I can tell you about this place is it’s pretty freaking tasty. As far as the savory goes, I prefer their bratwursts to their normal hot dogs because I always like choosing the variable over the norm. My favorite hot dog so far has been the Tokyo dog, which comes with fresh daikon, green onion, and a boiled egg. I topped mine with sriracha for a punch, and I think it took over the spot in my heart for my most favorite «special» hot dog, which had was previously occupied by Fukuburger’s Naga Dog. There was just something about it that made me not want to stop eating the hot dog!
But the best part? When after you’re done eating your hot dog and Joe (the owner) shows up to your table with a freshly made ice cream wafflewich. He literally waits until you’re almost done with your food to make them, so that they come out hot, cold, crispy, and fresh. I love that he throws in chocolate chips into the batter and sometimes varies on ice cream flavors. I’ve had the peanut butter and jelly, the pralines and cream, and the mint chocolate chip so far. However, my favorite has always been just plain vanilla because there just isn’t anything that beats a good scoop of vanilla ice cream over a warm chocolate chip-​anything. I can’t get over how amazingly light and crispy his waffles are either. There seriously isn’t anywhere in town that I’ve found to make waffles as good as The Lunch Box. And if there is, please do let me know! I love a good waffle. :D

Okay, so I haven’t actually been to this location — I’m reviewing their catering at Beauty Bar downtown, where they set up shop on Sunday nights.
I went to Beauty Bar on 5÷8÷11 with Beau S. I ordered a $ 3 (cash only) waffle ice cream sandwich, that the lady was so nice as to split for us without even us asking her. I was surprised how delicious it was, and the waffle was actually made right then and there in front of us on a waffle iron. Yay! No Eggo waffles! The chocolate chips were tasty and all and all, it was a very good ice cream sandwich. Beau got himself a Chilean dog. I was so full from lunch that I skipped tasting it. He said he wasn’t sure what made it Chilean other than the spicy mayo so… eh, I have nothing to comment on.
I’m not big on hotdogs, so I doubt I’ll ever eat lunch here while I’m at school, but if I’m looking for a good ice cream sandwich, I know this is the place to go!

Dearest Lunch Box,
It’s no secret I have a little crush on you. How could I not? You had me at hello with the vintage lunch boxes on the wall and the local art giving off that hip, urban vibe.
I went with the Chicago dog which completely rocked! It came on a warm, soft poppy seed bun that gave me that nostalgic feeling of being a little girl and eating hot dogs at the baseball field with my dad. Now it wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it was enjoyable and I inhaled it.
The real star of the show was the homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich. I have been passing around the pictures of this like an ice cream pusher. Here kid want an ice cream crack sandwich? Hell to the yeah!!!
All this grubbing to the beat of the Gorillaz. You are a smooth dog Lunch Box and I will definitely fit you in to my cheat day rotation.
.

It’s hard to say, «I’m not a hot dog kind of gal,» when I just ate two hot dogs for lunch today. And one yesterday.
I like the simplicity of saying, «Want a hot dog?» when a «Yes» means I get a Tokyo Brat with Daikon radish, boiled eggs, wasabi sauce, and green onions. Or, a Chilean hot dog with avocados, spicy mayo, and sauerkraut. Today I had the Chicago with peppers, pickles and onions.
Like others have said, the environment is basic. A few small tables, some old school lunch boxes, a clean counter, an easy-​to-​navigate menu written in colorful chalk.
The wafflewiches are overdone. The waffles are huge, crunchy, but not too dense. They should be shared. Before eating, apply chapstick and do a little warm up routine to loosen your lips. That’s how fat the wafflewich is.

Why this place is awesome:
1) Worth the money.
2) Great selection of dogs to choose from.
3)They have soy dogs for you vegetarians or vegans!
4) awesome art work displayed & great vibe
5) most friendly customer service ever!
Thanks Joe!!! I’ll be stopping in frequently :)

Awesome little hole in the wall college place.
Do not judge a book by it’s cover or in this case do not let the sign outside fool you!
This is really nice little place for college students to come for lunch or breaks during classes. The white tiles gives it clean cut look and it also reminded me of a Polish sausage factory.
I had the Chicago dog, which was delicious! All the flavors complimented each other well, no need to ketchup at all. Can’t wait to try the other dogs.
Waffle ice cream sandwich was AWESOME. The chocolate chips and the freshness of the waffle really gives it the amazing factor. Another great thing is that it’s simple yet perfect at the same time. Sometimes desserts go overboard with sweetness, but this is just right. MUST TRY!
Since there’s already a dart board, possibly putting a video game area/​lounge would make this place even better.

I came here because a few friends on facebook gave rave reviews for this place.
No matter how good a hotdog is, I’ll never be a hot dog kind of person. I’ve only tried the Chicago and Tokyo hotdogs and I really like the Tokyo one. I don’t usually like wasabi but this tasted surprisingly good. It will run out quick so come early!
The one thing I’ve gotten every single time was the Belgian Waffle ice cream sandwich made from scratch. Every single time! Yum yum.
Joe, the owner, is very hospitable (and service is very important to me) and he’s even remembered my name after I introduced myself to him.
So even if you’re not a hotdog person, give this place a try and you most definitely need to get the waffle at least once. I’ll be trying all the hotdogs as I go each time. And then we’ll see what my favorite will be.

I’m going to tell you two things straight up: 1) I am vegan and 2) I haven’t eaten a hot dog (even a soy dog) since I was 7 years old. And I don’t plan to any time soon. So why would I go to a hot dog place?
Wellllllllllllllll — as of late, the Lunch Box has been offering Korean tacos as a special, and they have a vegan tofu taco! Whaaaa? Do I live in LA? Who would have thought that Las Vegas would ever get in on the vegan KT action?
And it is ridiculously good. I think about it a lot. Perfectly grilled cubes of tofu in a luscious marinade served up in a soft warm corn tortilla and topped with kimchee, sesame seeds and green onions. At 2/​$ 4 (served with a side of edamame), how can you beat this?! I’m a bit of a piggy pig, and I was comfortably full. I considered going back for more, even though I was pretty full, just b/​c they were THAT GOOD. They also had a bulgogi (meat) taco.
Vegans and vegetarians — the soy dogs are vegan, but the buns have egg, and they helpfully acknowledge that on their menu board.
I heard good things about the turkey chili dog from my omnivorous companion.
Follow them on Twitter or FB to find out when they have the specials like the tacos! Worth a visit even if you’re not a dog fan!