3 Best Restaurants in Paradise Road and the East Side, Las Vegas

As the name suggests, this bistro focuses on small plates that encourage sharing and camaraderie, especially when it's the daily happy hour and/or paired with Firefly's signature sangrias or mojitos, both available by the glass or pitcher. The rough rule of thumb is for each person to order two plates, drawn from four categories: Chilled, Hot, Seafood, or Meat & Poultry. The range of choices is head-spinning, from beet salad and stuffed dates to empanadas, steamed mussels, and even manchego mac & cheese. In 2023, the original location moved a mile or so to a larger building (which some may remember as McCormick & Schmick's) on the edge of the Hughes Center office park. The atmosphere is completely different: plenty of windows and light paint replacing the dark and romantic, folk-art plastered original. There is also a second Firefly in Southwest Las Vegas (7355 S. Buffalo Drive).

The vibe is spelled out in the name of this sprawling indoor-outdoor casual Italian space from Los Angeles restaurateur Nick Mathers. The versatile menu follows the cues of the day, from "green eggs" or avacado toast at brunch to creative appetizers or full entrees in the evening. While a DJ spins beneath a disco ball, you can try the deceptively complex pizzas and salads or delve into more ambitious fare like lobster pasta or branzino. It's a 300-seater with three bars; the atmosphere changes from the bar-centric lounge near the front entry to "beachside" near the Virgin Las Vegas pool area with a lot of low-slung seating to encourage sociability.  

Fans of the bygone Pink Taco (and then, for a spell, Casa Calavera) will smile in recognition when they see its hotel-operated replacement's layout is much the same, including the convivial center bar; however, as the name change would signal, the decor and atmosphere are subtly more sophisticated now. Expanded outdoor patio seating against the backdrop of the pool area gives it a cool vibe for the daily 5–6 pm happy hour. The tequila menu is more expansive than the food side, which trims things down to creative versions of tacos and burritos with flourishes such as roasted pineapple or kimchi red onions. Every week brings Taco Tuesday's $5 tacos, and a there's a Fiesta Brunch on Saturday and Sunday.