8 Best Restaurants in West Side, Las Vegas

Fans of Thai food flock here for spot-on exceptional chow with few surprises—just expertly prepared curries, tom yum soups, fish cakes, and pad Thais. In particular, the shrimp "ginger ginger ginger" (or you can choose it with meat or tofu) has drawn raves; yes, it really is that gingery. Archi's was one of the first Thai restaurants in Las Vegas and still holds a reputation among locals as one of the best. Reasonably priced three-course lunch specials are served from 11 am to 3 pm weekdays. This original location has held its own for more than 20 years, but there are two other branches, in the Southwest part of town (6345 S. Rainbow Blvd., Summerlin and 9350 W. Sahara Ave.), and a fast-casual spot (9310 S. Eastern Ave., Henderson).

This East Coast transplant with locations all over the Valley satisfies Sin City's cravings for giant sub sandwiches, including a Philly-style cheese steak, a hot pastrami sandwich, and a divine creation called the Bobbie—basically Thanksgiving dinner on a bun. Numerous locations around town include outposts in a few outlying casinos, such as Red Rock, Santa Fe, and Green Valley Ranch.

Hearty appetites will be richly rewarded at this quirky purveyor of so-called twisted farm food. Heaps of savory comfort food are cooked to order in this spacious restaurant done up in industrial, urban-farmhouse decor. Breakfast skillets runneth over, with tender, house-cured hashes, fresh eggs, house-made biscuits and jam, and sage-fried chicken and eggs. Non-breakfast platters include sage-fried chicken and waffles; griddled meat loaf, or a hot-chicken sandwich. This national chain has another West Side location inside the Rio (3700 W. Flamingo Rd.) as well as casino outlets on the Strip at The LINQ Resort & Casino, downtown at the Plaza Hotel & Casino; and another stand-alone building in Henderson (555 N. Stephanie St.). Only the casino outlets are opening evenings; most close by 2 or 3.

This busy eatery has developed a loyal following for its delicious, fresh seafood, where crawfish from Louisiana is delivered regularly and available with five seasoning choices at five heat levels. But other choices can be just as good. The shellfish (Dungeness, blue, king, or snow crab; lobster, clams, shrimp, black or green mussels, and, of course, crawfish), priced at the going market rate, is ordered by the pound. When your shellfish boil appears in its plastic bag, put on the plastic bib and dig in! Baskets of fried poultry and seafood are neater alternatives and come with Cajun fries. Sides include crispy pork skin, calamari, and sweet potato fries, plus a credible étouffée. There are five po'boy choices as well. The two West Side locations are fairly close to one another (the other is at 3863 Spring Mountain Rd.); other locations can be found n the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood on the Strip, downtown Las Vegas, and in Henderson (9560 S. Eastern Ave.).

Michael Symon, TV celebrity chef and the man who revived the Cleveland culinary scene, took his show on the road to Las Vegas with this meat-centric spot at the Palms. "Pig Parts" (crispy ears, tails and cracklin's) may seem like a novelty to some, but there's no doubting the seriousness of his pork, beef, poultry, and carefully conceived sides, as well as the long list of brews to go with them. The airy, two-level space takes on a sports-bar vibe for high-profile games, complete with a "Tailgate Menu."

Younger Las Vegans call this local success story "the pizza they grew up on," while the smell of dough when they walk in the door may trigger older patrons' own childhood memories of their youthful pizza parlors. Look for size and value on the deep-dish pies, not fancy salads or artisan experiments, on the family-friendly menu. Metro is more about big stuffed pizzas with names such as the Stockyard or the Zamboni that are as hearty and meat-filled as you might imagine, and it's been growing with the city since the 1980s. The modest Westside original still has a 1950s-style diner look in a strip mall next to a supermarket. As native Las Vegans grew up and went to UNLV, home base might have become the second, freestanding location near campus (1395 E. Tropicana Ave.). The large freestanding Henderson location (4001 W. Decatur Blvd.) may be chain's pride and joy, and the fourth arrival is north in the Centennial Hills area (6720 Sky Pointe Dr.).

Delicious regional (mostly Cantonese) fare includes marvelous dim sum made fresh daily often compels discerning diners—many of whom hail from Vegas's large Asian community—to brave the smoky, low-rollers casino floor of the Gold Coast, an otherwise unremarkable locals casino. The hours are a testament to its popularity: it's open from 10 am to 3 am every single night of the week. Named for three characters in Puccini's opera Turandot (Pong is head chef of the imperial kitchen), this well-regarded restaurant is kwown for authentic dishes such as chicken lettuce cups, seafood fish mah stew, preserved-egg porridge, or spicy Dungeness crab with peppercorn, along with a glass of chrysanthemum iced tea and sweet pineapple buns for dessert, soft and warm from the oven. Chefs will cater to customers' requests for small, unique offerings not on the menu, as long as the ingredients are on hand. 

Some of the best doughnuts in Vegas are sold at this tiny Chinatown storefront tucked in a strip mall along Spring Mountain Road. Locals rave about the apple fritters, but more traditional selections, such as Boston cream, are addictive, too. Surprisingly, a good number of the offerings are vegan, a quirk that has put the hole-in-the-wall on the national map in recent years.