4 Best Restaurants in South Strip, Las Vegas

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 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.

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.

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.