6 Best Restaurants in Downtown, Las Vegas

Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck got in early on the rise of the Arts District when he opened this casual bar and café in 2023 (the name is pronounced "Twelve Twenty-Eight"). The restaurant side is a full-service bakery, cranking out breads and pastries all day long. It also serves food for three meals a day, as well as brunch on weekends. The bar side is a typical Las Vegas cocktail room, and is a welcoming spot to pass time while you're waiting for a table. Arrive early for weekend brunch as the place gets packed.

You'll forget you're in Las Vegas after a few minutes in this relaxed and unpretentious Downtown cantina. All the combinations and specials are good, but the best play here is to order the house-made tamales. There are five tamale options in all: pork, chicken, beef, cheese, and a sweet dessert tamale with pineapple and raisins. You also won't go wrong with the Mexican sandwich, served with guacamole, tomatoes, and fries. Stop in on a Wednesday night, and you might see a crowd gathered for the fútbol game on satellite-provided Mexican TV. There is another area location at 3250 North Tenaya Way in Summerlin.

Inside Downtown's bohemian temple, the Emergency Arts Building, this restaurant features what they call a "scratch kitchen concept." It may sound rather pot-lucky, but this isn't the standard chain-food menu (despite being part of a California-based chain). How does this sound: skirt steak with broccolini, red chimichurri, chili flakes, Parmesan, and lemon zest; a cowboy burger nearly tipping over with shoestring onions, bacon, cheddar cheese, and a beer barbecue sauce; and a bourbon barrel cake. That's just for starters. For imbibing purposes, sample the local craft beers, small-batch whiskeys, and classic cocktails. And don't miss the daily "Hoppy Hour."

Eleven-time world pizza champion Tony Gemignani installed four ovens in this heavily renovated, industrial-chic space in the Downtown Third district so he could produce all styles of pizza: Neapolitan, Romano, American, New York, classic Italian, Californian, New York/New Haven, Sicilian, and Chicago. Don't neglect the starters, though; the fried green beans with garlic and olive oil and beer-battered fried artichokes are worth the trip alone. The group table with a roulette wheel in the center is quite a sight.

The soul in the belly here comes courtesy of James Beard–nominated chef Bruce Kalman, who might be recognizable on sight to viewers of foodie faves Top Chef, Chopped, and Beat Bobby Flay. Bringing the barbecue flavors of central Texas to Vegas, this atmospheric venue adds cocktails, local beers, and live entertainment to the mix to turn what might have been just a barbecue dinner into a barbecue experience and a night on the (Down)town.

You won't find too much in the way of nouvelle flourishes or ultramod decor at this San Francisco–style restaurant, and that's just how both visitors and locals prefer it—the elegant dining room is a favorite haunt for power-lunching and hobnobbing. Triple George is known for its commendably prepared traditional American fare such as oysters on the half shell, classic "wedge" salad, oh-so-tender pot roast, and truly stellar sourdough. Seafood and chops dominate the fancier parts of the menu, from seafood cioppino and traditional fish-and-chips to a bone-in prime New York strip and a hefty pan-seared porcini-crusted rib eye.  The "glegan" (gluten-free and vegan) menu is among the best in town.