Editor’s Note: Welcome to The Greats, a series on the restaurants around the country that define their cities. Here now, a guide to the Las Vegas Greats.
From the air, Las Vegas emerges like a carpet of twinkling lights unfurled across the dark Mojave Desert. True to its frontier history, something about it feels like a mirage and an oasis at once. Upon landing at the airport, one might notice how the city has sprawled considerably since its 1905 founding. Fortunately, so have the dining options, which have evolved from the first-ever all-you-can-eat buffet at El Rancho in the 1940’s to the invention of the shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate Casino in the 1950s to the Sinatra steakhouse era of the 1960s and beyond.
Today, Las Vegas’s culinary landscape is as diverse and far-reaching as the city itself. From celebrity chef-driven concepts on the Strip to flashes of local talent on Fremont Street, experiencing the definitive restaurants of Las Vegas means venturing to its many neighborhoods, seeking out cuisine from both legendary and emerging chefs, and discovering the food that speaks to the history and the future of the city. These are the 21 restaurants to do just that.
Mott 32 (The Strip)
Located at The Palazzo, this show-stopping Chinese restaurant from the Maximal Concepts restaurant group leaves a lasting impression with its Vegas-meets-Hong Kong decor (a neon duck and feather boa chandelier are just a few eye-catching accents). The real star however, is the applewood-smoked Peking duck, which takes 48 hours to prepare and is carved tableside. It’s no wonder that after less than a year in business, Mott 32 was awarded Strip restaurant of the year by local Las Vegas NPR-affiliated magazine Desert Companion.
Dining at the restaurant: The restaurant currently offers indoor dining at a limited capacity.
Takeout: Mott 32 offers takeout.
Other Mama (The Lakes)
If you want to eat where Las Vegas’s culinary professionals dine when they’re off-duty, a trip to The Lakes neighborhood just west of the Strip is in order. Here you’ll find Other Mama from James Beard Awards finalist chef Dan Krohmer. The intimate Asian restaurant specializes in seafood, including sushi, ceviche, and grilled fish, and the spicy tuna tartare served with togarashi waffle fries is an especially popular order,
Dining at the restaurant: Other Mama is open for indoor dining by reservation.
Takeout: Delivery and takeout are available.
Sparrow + Wolf (Chinatown)
With a mission of applying a global approach to traditional American dishes, Sparrow + Wolf embodies the playful, unexpected ethos of Las Vegas. The Chinatown restaurant is notably helmed by chef Brian Howard, a longtime fixture on the Las Vegas restaurant scene who cut his teeth working at restaurants on the Strip before bringing his talent to a less touristy neighborhood. Here, his creativity comes alive in the form of everything from udon noodle bolognese to a miso peanut butter banana split topped with black sesame chocolate sauce.
Dining at the restaurant: Sparrow + Wolf is open for indoor dining with socially distanced seating.
Takeout: The restaurant offers takeout.
Hell’s Kitchen (The Strip)
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s massive restaurant outside of Caesars Palace brings the excitement and energy of its namesake show to the Las Vegas Strip. Prior to opening Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay already operated four restaurants in Las Vegas, but this one is by far the most opulent. The menu features plenty of Ramsay luxuries, such as beef Wellington, truffle lobster risotto, and sticky toffee pudding.
Dining at the restaurant: The restaurant is open for indoor dining by reservation. For groups or private dining, diners should contact the restaurant directly.
Takeout: Takeout and delivery are available.
La Strega (Summerlin)
Situated in Las Vegas’s affluent Summerlin neighborhood near the soaring peaks of nearby Red Rock Canyon, La Strega is an airy, glamorous Italian restaurant from chef Gina Marinelli that was awarded restaurant of the year by Eater Vegas in 2019. From artichokes served with preserved lemon and dill yogurt to kale pesto bucatini with Yukon potatoes, diners can expect fresh, vegetable-forward fare. Fun fact: La Strega translates to “the witch,” and nods to this show up in the form of menu item names, such as the witch’s garden salad with vegetables and whipped chickpeas.
Dining at the restaurant: La Strega is open for indoor dining with limited capacity and a two-hour time limit to accommodate reservations.
Takeout: The restaurant offers takeout.
Partage (Chinatown)
It’s all about the art of the tasting menu at Partage, a sleek, compact space that just might be the only French restaurant in Las Vegas’s Chinatown neighborhood. Choose from a three-, five-, or seven-course menu with optional wine pairings, or savor individual entrees such as a seasonally rotating pithivier that has in the past included oxtail with seared foie gras. A private dining room and chef’s table experience are also available. The former features unique, customized animations on the table.
Dining at the restaurant: The restaurant is open for indoor dining by reservation Tuesday through Saturday.
Takeout: Partage does not offer takeout, but there is a monthly wine club where diners receive four bottles of French wine each month and get access to regular sommelier-hosted tastings.
Best Friend (The Strip)
Celebrity chef Roy Choi’s first restaurant outside of California is an ode to Los Angeles’s Koreatown neighborhood in the form of Korean barbecue short rib tacos, elote, lobster kung pao, and wings flavored with chile, citrus, and lychee. Located at Park MGM, Best Friend also boasts an award-winning design in its liquor store-inspired entrance. Diners will definitely want to stop and take in the neon signage, slushy machine, and souvenir trucker hats before sitting down.
Dining at the restaurant: This restaurant is open for dine-in.
Takeout: Best Friend offers takeout.
Carbone (The Strip)
Carbone at ARIA Resort & Casino brings New York’s finest Italian cuisine to the Las Vegas Strip from some of NYC’s top restaurant operators. Inspired by mid-20th century Italian-American restaurants, this elegant restaurant stands out as a blend of East Coast Italian red-sauce fare with a Vegas Rat Pack twist. Start with an Aperol spritz and then indulge in a heaping plate of spicy rigatoni vodka or fettuccine con funghi. The classic tableside Caesar salad preparation performed with flair feels right at home in Las Vegas.
Dining at the restaurant: Carbone is open for indoor dining by reservation, with seating limited to four diners per table.
Takeout: Takeout is not currently available at Carbon, but ARIA Resort & Casino diners can order delivery from Carbone to their rooms.
Honey Salt (Summerlin)
With its rustic brick walls and olive green tufted bench seating, Honey Salt’s atmosphere evokes a farm-to-table spirit that feels miles away from the Las Vegas Strip — because it is. The Summerlin area restaurant from James Beard Awards-nominated restaurateurs Elizabeth Blau and Kim Canteenwalla serves lunch and dinner (plus a popular weekend brunch) with a focus on locally sourced ingredients. One standout menu item is the Biloxi buttermilk fried chicken sandwich topped with creamy slaw and served with a fresh Caesar salad.
Dining at the restaurant: Honey Salt offers indoor and outdoor dining at a limited capacity with a maximum of four diners per table. Reservations are required.
Takeout: Curbside takeout and delivery are available.
Old Soul (Downtown)
Chef Natalie Young — whose beloved restaurant EAT is a Downtown Las Vegas fixture — opened Old Soul in 2019 in an unlikely location: the World Market Center, a monolithic structure on Grand Central Parkway used for showcasing home and commercial furnishings. In a city where newer is often better, Old Soul (true to its name) feels distinctively nostalgic. The homey space, which is outfitted with antiques, serves comfort food —collard greens, meatloaf, pork chops— that make the short jaunt from Fremont Street worth it.
Dining at the restaurant: Old Soul is currently open for indoor dining.
Takeout: Curbside takeout is available during business hours.
Chica (The Strip)
Savor every day brunch and lively Latin dinner fare at acclaimed chef Lorena Garcia’s Chica, a Best of Las Vegas award-winning restaurant inside the Venetian. Garcia’s menu brings together flavors from Peru, Brazil, Mexico, and other Latin American countries in a dimly lit space with pops of jewel-toned decor. Popular dishes include warm bunuelo donuts with berries and white chocolate dulce de leche for brunch and Peruvian ceviche with market fish, chile, onion, and sweet potato in the evening. But the must-order is the colorful arepas basket, in black bean, beet, and cilantro flavors, a distinctive riff on the Latin cuisine staple that has become Garcia’s signature dish.
Dining at the restaurant: Chica is open for indoor dining seven days a week, with special late-night seating on Fridays and Saturday until 2 a.m.
Takeout: Takeout and delivery are available.
Restaurant Guy Savoy (The Strip)
Named after the Michelin star decorated chef, Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace is the sibling location to the original in Paris. The restaurant has earned a slew of awards, including a Top 40 Restaurant in the U.S. award from Gayot.com and a Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Award for four years in a row. Diners can expect French cuisine at this elegant space, which offers sweeping views of Las Vegas’s replica Eiffel Tower across the street. Where better to enjoy seared foie gras and black truffle on brioche and Muscovy duck with gnocchi and cabbage?
Dining at the restaurant: Restaurant Guy Savoy is currently open for indoor dining.
Takeout: This restaurant does not offer takeout.
Le Cirque (The Strip)
Colorful fabric hangs from the ceiling at this AAA Five Diamond Award-rated, Michelin star awarded French restaurant at the Bellagio, creating a canopy-like effect inside the dining room. Through the window are views of the resort’s famous dancing fountains. The menu from chef Alan Mardonovich is fittingly opulent, with a five-course prix fixe including options such as Japanese yellowtail with yuzu vinaigrette, roasted Brittany langoustine with caviar lemon beurre blanc, and citrus-glazed veal cheek. This is the restaurant that got its famed start in New York City as a fine dining destination.
Dining at the restaurant: Le Cirque is temporarily closed for dining.
Takeout: Le Cirque does not currently offer takeout.
El Dorado Cantina (Strip Adjacent)
This expansive restaurant in the shadows of the Las Vegas Strip, which was selected as an OpenTable Diner’s Choice in 2015 and 2016, shares a parking lot with the world’s largest gentlemen’s club, making its late-night service an understandable offering. Whether you’re dining before or after midnight, the massive Mexican menu satisfies with everything from tableside guacamole to filet mignon tacos to a wide selection of vegan options.
Dining at the restaurant: El Dorado Cantina is currently open for indoor dining with socially distanced seating and reservations.
Takeout: Delivery and curbside takeout are available.
Golden Steer (Strip Adjacent)
If you’re longing for the glamor of vintage Las Vegas — red tufted seating, waiters in tuxedos flambeing bananas foster tableside, a booth once frequented by Frank Sinatra — you’ll find it at The Golden Steer Steakhouse on Sahara Avenue, the oldest steakhouse in the city. Founded in 1958, this just off-Strip fine dining restaurant has a long tradition of serving wet-aged steak and classic Las Vegas accompaniments such as shrimp cocktail and oysters Rockefeller. For a special occasion, split the chateaubriand.
Dining at the restaurant: The restaurant is currently open with reservations strongly encouraged.
Takeout: Golden Steer offers takeout.
Bavette’s (The Strip)
It’s hard to believe that Bavette’s has only been in Las Vegas since 2017 — the Park MGM steakhouse feels old-fashioned in all the best ways, from the Tiffany lamps on tables to the jazz music to the menu itself. Start with a martini and fresh oysters and then order dry-aged bone-in ribeye for your main course.
Dining at the restaurant: Bavette’s is open for indoor dining reservations.
Takeout: Takeout and delivery are not currently available.
Black Sheep (Rhodes Ranch)
The Black Sheep opened in 2017 to much acclaim, thanks to a modern Vietnamese menu from chef Jamie Tran, an Eater Vegas and OpenTable award-winning chef who is set to appear on season 18 of Bravo’s Top Chef in April 2021. Since its inception, the southwest Las Vegas restaurant has drawn crowds to its minimalist space outfitted with large grayscale desert imagery. The menu is creative and approachable. One must-try dish is hot chicken — Tran’s take on the Nashville trend — served on honey toast with pickled cucumber.
Dining at the restaurant: The Black Sheep is open for indoor dining.
Takeout: Takeout and delivery are offered.
Mizumi (The Strip)
Dine beside lush gardens and a tumbling waterfall at Mizumi, a Forbes Travel Guide four star Japanese restaurant at the Wynn. This scenic space sets the stage for fresh seafood from chef Min Kim. Sip sake and share bluefin tuna tataki, miso-glazed toothfish, and goldeneye snapper with black truffle. Like many restaurants at the Wynn, Mizumi also offers an extensive vegetarian menu.
Dining at the restaurant: Mizumi is currently open for indoor dining and limited outdoor dining beside the waterfall.
Takeout: Takeout and delivery are offered.
Costa di Mare (The Strip)
Enjoy waterside dining framed by billowing curtains at Costa di Mare, an Italian seafood restaurant at the Wynn from Chef Mark LoRusso. The specialty here is line-caught seafood flown in daily straight from Italy. A Wine Spectator award-winning wine list is also not to be missed.
Dining at the restaurant: Costa di Mare is currently closed, but will be reopening on March 18 for dinner service.
Takeout: Takeout is not currently available.
Majordomo (The Strip)
Celebrity chef David Chang’s Majordomo brings an Asian-inflected steakhouse to the Palazzo. Try the bing bread as a starter, a warm flatbread with optional add-ons like lamb and pickled jalapeño or shaved foie gras and cranberry, and then treat yourself to one of Chang’s white oak-grilled steaks or roasted black cod with bok choy. One other notable offering at Majordomo: A secret karaoke room.
Dining at the restaurant: Majordomo is open for indoor dining.
Takeout: Takeout and delivery are available.
Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres (The Strip)
Located at the far north end of the Strip at the Sahara, Bazaar Meat features carnivorous decadence from James Beard Award winner and noted humanitarian chef José Andrés. Case in point: The restaurant’s famous cotton candy foie gras appetizer. Decorated with antler chandeliers and blood-inspired accents, this is the place for iberico pork, jidori chicken, and beef tartare.
Dining at the restaurant: The restaurant is currently open for indoor dining.
Takeout: Curbside takeout is available.
Krista Diamond is a Las Vegas writer whose work appears in The New York Times, HuffPost, Thrillist, Eater, Time Out, and elsewhere.
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