26 Best Restaurants in South Strip, Las Vegas

Top Chef star and James Beard Award–winning chef Tom Colicchio presides over this streamlined spot tucked into a corner of the MGM Grand’s Restaurant Row. The menu is as sophisticated as the surroundings, with an emphasis on top-shelf beef, including Japanese Certified A5 Wagyu as a rib eye or New York strip, plus domestic Wagyu, dry-aged and prime beef, and seafood, including lobster, diver scallops, and a tower. 

When "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto opened his restaurant in what he proudly called "the most famous city in the world," it marked his first foray into teppanyaki, sure to be popular with conventioneers. There's also sushi and sashimi, of course, and some of his standards: braised black cod with a ginger-soy reduction, and tuna pizza with anchovy aioli, olives, and jalapeños. The menu includes oysters with foie gras and uni, as well as ishi yaki chashu bop and ishi yaki buri bop—pork or yellowtail-rich dishes cooked at your table in a hot stone bowl—plus a selection of steaks. It's all served in an expansive, streamlined spot on MGM Resort's restaurant row. 

With tufted leather banquettes, subdued lighting, and dark decor accents, Bavette's, inside Park MGM, offers a much stronger dose of Gallic flair than the typical Las Vegas steak house. The restaurant offers a full complement of popular steak cuts ranging from a 32-ounce wagyu Porterhouse to a 6-ounce filet mignon, as well as seafood, steakhouse sides and a few vegan selections. Following in the tradition of its Chicago progenitor, the bar pours classic cocktails and curates an international wine list. If you feel like getting cozy, the speakeasy-style lounge has an air of intimacy.

Famed Los Angeles chef Roy Choi debuted in Las Vegas with this lively concept inside Park MGM serving Korean BBQ as well as a panoply of favorites from Choi's Koreatown experience. While a DJ spins tunes at a turntable in the corner, the meal starts with a sampling of banchan: tiny dishes that include kimchi, broccoli, cucumbers, spinach, and more. From there, try the slippery shrimp, the kimchi fried rice, the kogi short rib tacos, and the pork belly hot pot. Service is family style, meant for sharing. Decor brings to mind a colorful stop at a food truck. Before you leave, be sure to peruse the shelves at the working convenience store out front.

Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger are the popular, green-minded chefs who created this cheery, sophisticated outpost of their now-closed Santa Monica restaurant. Service is snappy, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a tastier margarita in town—particularly the blood orange and chili-citrus versions. Starters include three citrusy ceviches and plantain empanadas, and grilled sustainable fish and hormone-free meats, such as short ribs and marinated pork, make healthful, flavorful fillings for tacos and tortillas. The all-you-can-eat weekend brunch, served from 10 to 3, features creative small plates, such as horchata French toast, diablo chicken with a churro waffle, and cajeta churro tots with cinnamon and raspberry sauce.

Renowned chef Michael Mina has added to his stable of Las Vegas restaurants with this intimate spot at the Four Seasons. Some of the dishes that made Mina famous are here—the lobster pot pie, his caviar "Twinkiee"—but as you’d expect the stars are the steaks. The list of offerings includes a filet mignon, wagyu rib cap, bone-in or boneless ribeye, as well as a hay-smoked and salt-baked bourbon-flamed tomahawk ribeye, if you’re feeling especially flush. Non-beef options include chicken, duck, and seafood.

Wolfgang Puck adds to his stable of Las Vegas restaurants with this Italian restaurant he has dedicated to his mother. With modern decor that utilizes some Renaissance styles, the restaurant celebrates the tradition of fine Italian cooking in such dishes such as grilled Spanish octopus with a tomato emulsion and purple potatoes, and grilled whole Branzino, not to mention a wide range of pastas and pizzas. Fresh black truffles are available on several dishes, and there’s a salumi bar, a selection of antipasti, as well as steaks and seafood. 

This pub serves up some of the best comfort food Vegas has to offer, including a great "Hangry" burger and Baja fish tacos. A convenient space between the hotel and convention center, it's lively and casual but can sometimes get loud during peak hours. Citizens, as it's known, also offers a mélange of side dishes and signature cocktails. Try the chocolate stout milkshake or a maple bacon coffee cocktail.

Fried-chicken sandwiches are all the rage now, but this is the OG, having started back in San Diego in 2015. This more recent outpost in The Park, between New York–New York and Park MGM, serves the brand’s nearly irresistible sandwiches, such as the "Coop Deville" (chicken breast with pickled Fresno chiles, lime mayo, and Napa cabbage on brioche), and the "Cali Drip" (pollo asado piled with fries, chipotle-bacon mayo, pickled onions, jalapeños, and melty Oaxacan queso on a crunchy torta roll). Whole fried chickens in half or whole birds, sides including fries and Mexican poutine, and bowls and meals fill out the flock.

This credible remake of the famed 1927 Manhattan original offers an old-school carnivore experience inside the cleverly decorated New York–New York casino. The convivial tavern's walls are lined with black-and-white photos of sports stars, actors, and politicos, and the hardwood floors and tray ceilings transport guests directly to Gotham. You can admire the aged steaks in a big cooler visible from the cobblestone promenade near the entrance. The menu's refreshingly simple: pick your main dish (center-cut filet mignon, bison ribeye, and so on) and maybe add one of the six sauces (béarnaise, brandied peppercorn, blue cheese, among others) to accompany it.

This soothingly neutral Italian restaurant will satisfy carb cravings as well as yearnings for dishes that Grandma used to make. Crusty loaves of freshly baked bread, pasta, and dough for the excellent thin-crust, wood-oven pizzas are all made in-house. You can not only taste the love in your lasagna, but also feel the comfort that comes from watching it prepared in the exhibition kitchen, whence seasoned fish, grilled meats, and the specialty pollo alla Parmigiana are also created and plated with fresh ingredients. Tiramisu is a must and best enjoyed from the terrace, where you can watch passersby. Buy a loaf to go in the diminutive bakery, just steps away; other foodie finds are also available.  Il Fornaio is a great place for breakfast and brunch or for pastry takeout from the bakery.

Kumi presents a Japanese menu with a slight Korean twist in a sleek space with natural woods and hammered steel—and it's close to Mandalay Bay's convention center, so you can stagger in and take refuge after a long day at the booths. Among the cool shared plates are a bluefin tuna pizza and tuna tacos with taro chips; the warm shared plates include such dishes as wagyu gyoza and pork belly bao buns. There also are salads, sides, entrées from land (teriaki-glazed airline chicken) and sea (pan-seared ora king salmon), sashimi, nigiri sushi, and sushi rolls. Desserts range from the traditional (mochidoki) to the wildly inventive (wagashi tres leches cake). 

If you’re looking for something a little more sit-down-and-relax than Eataly’s forage-style food hall, consider this mid-priced part of the Italian behemoth. Two towering, gold-tiled pizza ovens turn out Neapolitan-style pies in numerous varieties, while the pasta side offers house-made fresh pasta dishes, such as pappardelle al ragu di funghi, lasagna Emilia, and ravioli di zucca, and others made with dried pasta imported from Gragnano, Italy, such as bucatini cacio e pepe, and linguine alla scoglio. Antipasti and salads also are served. The prix-fixe Taste of Italy menu has three courses.

As casino companies relax their historically strict no-pets policies, canine companions are popping up with increasingly frequency on the Strip. While they're still no-go inside restaurants, they're frequently welcomed by those with patios, including this spot first established in Las Vegas at Town Square. The name's a clue, of course, as is the fact that LD has a special menu for dogs. As for humans, they'll find a varied menu including such starters of spicy tuna poke on crispy sushi rice, or Cajun fries with chipotle-ranch dipping sauce. Entrees include such homey choices as campfire pot roast, or a chicken pot pie, as well as steaks, burgers, sandwiches, and salads. There's a menu for human kids, too, as well as a gluten-sensitive menu; brunch dishes such as mountain berry pancakes and quiche are served on weekends. Suburban locations are in Summerlin and Henderson.

This casual spot from James Beard Award–winning chef Shawn McClain puts the emphasis on "social." The food's fun but seriously good: try the caviar fried egg, in which fish eggs are paired with a chicken one and corn pudding, or boards like charcuterie, house-baked bread or pretzels. Among the entrées are a roasted chicken and pappardelle with oxtail ragu. There are conversation-inducing seating areas and a cocktail program that includes a house old-fashioned with Calvados and cinnamon, and a refreshing pisco sour. Grab-and-go lunch is available at the window on weekends.

The Italian immigrants who brought their homeland’s cuisine to New York added their own touches that are celebrated today in spots such as Luchini. Grandma’s meatballs would be one example, and pizzas such as the "Fuhgeddaboudit" (truffle cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, and prosciutto di Parma) would be another. Grilled meats, pastas, sides, salads, and an extensive cocktail collection complete the picture. The adjacent slice shop just adds to the realism, as does the Chez Bippy speakeasy behind it.

Michael’s has long had the somewhat dubious distinction of being arguably the most expensive restaurant in Las Vegas; suffice it to say South Point owner Michael Gaughan knows how to treat his high rollers. That ladies’ menus don’t have prices (and you’ll have to hunt long, and probably in vain, to find them online) feels like more of a throwback than a misogynistic move. And throwbacks are what this menu is all about, with dishes like coquilles St. Jacques and shrimp, lobster, or lump crab cocktail to start, plus entrées of Chateaubriand, Dover sole, veal saltimbocca, and prime steaks. Service and decor are definitely on the elegant side. No children younger than 12 are allowed.

The Jonas Brothers have captured the hearts of a generation of music fans, and Nellie’s has claimed dominion over their stomachs. Named after their great-grandmother and an offshoot of the original in North Carolina, the restaurant serves appropriately Southern riffs-on-classics at lunch and dinner. You can start with a basket of biscuits with cinnamon butter and jam, pimento cheese or collards and artichoke dip, or fried green tomatoes, and proceed to dishes like fried chicken with four-cheese mac and drunken collard greens, a waffle with lobster tail dipped in Nashville hot sauce, meatloaf, or a rib-eye steak. Live music is, as you might expect, a staple.

Las Vegas has had restaurants themed for Motown, ESPN, Star Trek, magic, Hello Kitty, and more over the years, so this zeitgeist-grabbing spot feels inevitable. The energy of the casino floor carries into the neon-bedecked restaurant, where you'll find food and drink inspired by Netflix favorites, such as "Eggs Benedict Bridgerton" (with smoked salmon) "Stranger Wings" (with Buffalo, lemon pepper, or bbq sauce) "Orange is the New Mac" (mac and cheese with hot Cheetos), or drinks like the "Dalgona Rum Buzz" or "The House of Usher." Or indulge in the full Bridgerton Regency Tea, with finger sandwiches, scones, and everything else Lady Whistledown would expect. This is a pop-up that is expected to last into early 2026, but maybe it'll get a second season. It closes from 2 to 5 daily.

When the Rainforest Cafe moved out of its longtime berth in the MGM Grand, the animatronic animals naturally made the journey with it, just up the Strip near Harmon Avenue. But while you're watching and listening to them there's plenty to eat, with a menu offering an eclectic mix of classic American food like St. Louis-style spareribs, chicken-fried chicken with country gravy, sandwiches, and burgers. International flavors are represented by the likes of fajitas and a spicy Korean stir-fry. And kids can indulge in "Python Pasta" or "Jurassic Chicken Tidbits." Brunch is served on weekends from 10 to 2, and an a afternoon happy hour gives Mom and Dad a break from walking the Strip. 

Culinary lion Alain Ducasse replaced his renowned Mix with the equally stunning Rivea, offering unparalleled views of the Strip and Riviera-style interpretations of his cuisine from the 64th floor of the W Las Vegas. It's suitably more casual fare, with options like paccheri pasta with braised short rib, and sautéed calamari and prawns with baby artichokes and radishes. Traditionalists will find comfort in dishes such as pepper-crusted bison tenderloin, or Alaskan wild halibut with braised Belgian endive. The five-course tasting menu includes a chef's-inspiration risotto. Try one of Ducasse's famous babas for dessert, but with a limoncello twist.

This fast-casual favorite born in New York City now has seven locations in Las Vegas, and the only thing different about it is that the lines aren't so long. It's a great place to stop for a Shack Burger and fries, and don't forget the shakes and frozen custard. The Strip location has been joined by others around town and at Harry Reid International Airport.

The butter finish that makes restaurant steaks so delectable is done with a particularly artistic flair at StripSteak, where James Beard Award–winning chef Michael Mina puts his modern touches on the traditional steak house with a wood-burning grill and butter-poaching method turning out numerous cuts of beef every night. The menu includes several large-format choices, such as a 36-ounce dry-aged Porterhouse or a 40-ounce tomahawk, either of which will serve two (or more), plus more manageable sizes and several Japanese A-5 wagyu cuts. Or try something classically Mina-quirky, such as the 16-ounce duck-fat prime rib with blue cheese popover and fresh horseradish, or a caviar jelly doughnut. There's an extensive raw bar, seafood towers, a trolley with liquid desserts, as well as a three-course tasting menu that touches on the chef's Egyptian roots.

Tender is the requisite steak house that every Las Vegas hotel-casino seems to have, but it sets itself slightly apart from the pack with such treatments for its wet- and dry-aged beef as butter-poaching (filet mignon, filet Oscar, surf and turf), a warm seafood platter for two, a coffee-rubbed New York strip and a whole list of "enhancements" that include seven sauces, or a trio of them. Fronted by a lounge that's open to the casino, the dining area is appropriately steakhouse-clubby, with lots of attention to detail in service and presentation.

From restaurant-industry veteran and Smashburger founder Tom Ryan, this gastropub bridges a space at New York–New York between the casino and the Brooklyn Bridge that runs along the Strip, delivering great views of the action. The large menu of drinks and beers is matched by an extensive food menu, including burgers, pizzas, and other entrées. It's a good spot to try the salted caramel skillet French toast or crispy chicken and cornbread pancake for breakfast or brunch, and butter-poached lobster and shrimp tacos or Tom's Famous Prime Rib dip for lunch or dinner. The kids' menu has all of the favorites. Tom's also is open late—until till 1 or 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays—making it a handy post-game or after-concert spot.

Though a bit of a sleeper on the South Strip, Twin Creeks is a fairly budget-friendly steak house that’s become a favorite of locals since there are steak entrees under $50. All the beef is Certified Black Angus, in cuts including filets, rib eyes, porterhouses, and New York strips, as well as a 40-ounce tomahawk for two and prime rib in two sizes. Start with wagyu carpaccio or a grilled artichoke, then proceed to your favorite cut—or crab legs, rack of lamb, or house-made pierogies. The atmosphere is steakhouse-classy, complete with semi-circular tufted booths.