36 Best Restaurants in Las Vegas, Nevada

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).

Chocolate—dark, white, and milk—flows from a tall glass fountain at the entrance of this stunning pastry shop just off the Bellagio's famed conservatory. This artful homage to chocolate has decadent desserts, including cakes, cookies, macarons, gelato, hand-dipped chocolate candies, and particularly memorable crêpes (try the one with Nutella sauce inside and out, candied hazelnuts, and whipped cream), as well as salads and sandwiches Seating is limited. It's open late, until 10 pm daily.

What warms the blood more swiftly at this down-home hang: the fresh-from-the-oven biscuits or the 80-plus varieties of bourbon? Find out at this unique addition to the ongoing refurbishment of the Water Street District in downtown Henderson, where you will find drinks served in Mason jars and a menu of smoked meats, from pulled pork to apple-brined chicken, in big portions. The biscuits are served à la carte with your choice of flavored butters, honeys, and jams. (You can't go wrong with the classic buttermilk biscuits topped with apple cider caramel butter, clover honey, and mango habanero jam.) The room is small, with a rustic-yet-modern, wood-grained decor. (Those with truly formidable stomach capacities can take on the "All In," which pairs three-quarters-of-a-pound servings of three meats with an equal number of large sides.) Brunchers would do well to indulge in the fried chicken waffle, as good a reason for getting up early on the weekends as any.

If you're looking for a type of place where the waitress calls you "honey," this locals' diner for more than 35 years has an old-fashioned, family-owned vibe. The food is better than most nearby chain places, serving up hearty Mexican specialties, fruit-topped pancakes and waffles, and senior specials. Blueberry Hill has four locations, two of them near each other on the East Side, a couple of miles apart on Flamingo Road. This one is closest to both the Strip and UNLV and is open 24 hours a day.

Since Bobby Flay has always been known for his grilling skills, a burger place just seems like a natural choice. But these aren't just any burgers; order Bobby's Crunchburger, and you'll find it piled with potato chips for the signature sound. There are sides, of course, as well as thick shakes and even beer and canned cocktails. Breakfast is served from 7 to 11 am daily. Also at Caesars Palace on the Center Strip and Harrah's on the North Strip.

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.

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.

The vibe at Resorts World is primarily refined and Asian, but at Dawg House you can cut loose Nashville-style. On the menu are such shareables as hot chicken bites, smoked Buffalo cauliflower, and bacon "candy," but the menu also offers burgers (the Rottweiler has bacon jam, crispy onions, cheddar, and barbecue sauce), sandwiches (such as the Dawg House Club or pulled pork), salads, soups, and all manner of  “dawgs.” Shooters, specialty cocktails and a long—long—list of drafts and other beers complete the picture. An extension of a spot on Nashville's Music Row, it features live music and dancing and a relatively raucous atmosphere. Breakfast is also served from, 7 to 11 am daily.

Locals and visitors alike were delighted when New York's cronut king set up shop in Las Vegas, at Caesars Palace across from The Colosseum. The shop serves Ansel's cronut creations as well as French pastries such as the best-seller kouign-amann, tiger-striped pain au chocolat, huge nutty almond croissants, macarons, Liege waffles, and canneles. Mini-madeleines are piped to order and served warm. Ansel's signature chocolate chip cookie shots and frozen s'mores are made while you wait, and there's even a Thousand Layered Hot Dog Roll. Creative, beautiful pastries like the Blueberry Muffin—blueberry mousse and blueberry gelee atop a citrus almond financier cake with fresh blueberries—are another specialty, and sandwiches are available. There are a few seats inside if you'd like to sit while indulging in a croque monsieur.

Dominique Ansel may have found fame as the creator of the "cronut" and the chocolate-chip-cookie shot, but he proves he has far more to offer in this new boite at Paris Las Vegas. All of his bakery favorites are served here, of course, including fine pastries, crêpes, and fruit tarts. But Ansel carries out the French sidewalk-café spirit of this place by adding such savory choices as rotisserie chicken, turkey, and porchetta, in addition to sandwiches, salads, flatbreads, and more

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.

Old-timers will recognize the building as a vintage Taco Bell, but for years it has been the grounded location of a popular food truck. The burgers have that adventurous food-truck flair, and all come with one modest, uniform price, they're topped with fusion combinations such as wasabi mayo and pickled red ginger. A lively little place (open until 1 am), it's adorned with Japanese pop-art, and seems to sell as much beer as soft drinks. There's another location in the Southwest part of town (7365 Buffalo Dr.).

This is maybe the best example of a Las Vegas adage, "Never judge a place by its ugly strip-mall facade." In a shopping center you'd usually drive by lies a coffee and tea house that's about as beautiful as they come. An indoor greenhouse covers the central kitchen area, amid a well-appointed warehouse feel with plants, art, and cozy seating and a singular three-tiered reading and browsing area (shoes off, please) in back. The coffee's first rate as well, and it's not unusual for customers to take way too long to ogle the display case of delicious-looking pastries or read the full menu of specialty-drink temptations. There's a soup, sandwich, and quiche menu for those who want to extend a coffee break into a meal. Gäbi now has a second location in Henderson (136 N. Stephanie St.).

A branch of the legendary coal-fired pizza-baker nestled beneath New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, this casual little joint in Henderson doesn't quite conjure up the atmosphere of the original, despite exposed-brick walls and red-checked tablecloths, but it does have a wine list and an extensive beer menu. What counts, of course, is the pizza, and in this regard, Grimaldi's deserves high praise. The oven-hot pies come in three sizes and with such staple toppings as spicy sausage, meatballs, and ricotta cheese and more updated ones like baby spinach and jalapeños. Finish off your meal with a cannoli or some flavor-of-the-month cheesecake. There are four other outposts in the valley.

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.

There will be no quiet conversations here, just a loud dose of kitsch at this gargantuan offshoot of Munich's most famous brewery. Pair your beer with hearty Bavarian classics, including Schnitzel with mushroom sauce, and marinated pot roast with wine sauce and red cabbage, or updated dishes such as chicken schnitzel salad or vegan frankfurters. For dessert, try apple strudel or Black Forest chocolate cake.The interior beer garden can make you feel like a tourist within a tourist town. As you down a brew in those notorious liter mugs, the drinking contests and strolling musicians somehow become more and more agreeable on too-hot Vegas evenings. Just save room for ... more beer.

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.).

Modest little Ichiza has developed a cult following for serving sublimely delicious, authentic Japanese food and drink in a casual social environment that borders on controlled chaos. Located on the second floor of a shopping center in the city's Chinatown, this boisterous Izakaya-style pub is crammed with tourists, students, and local hipsters who love a good value and the chance to chow down on a variety of tasty small-plate offerings until the wee hours (It's open all night, switching to a breakfast menu before closing at 11 am). Forget the menu and study the walls instead, where dozens of haphazardly taped signs list the daily specials, or ask your server for suggestions, which might include black cod with grated white radish; stir-fried calamari with ginger butter; a seaweed or salmon-skin salad; and deep-fried, breaded quail eggs. From dinner to dessert, it's best to order with a sense of adventure. Ichiza 2 Hanari is a second location offering private dining rooms with call buttons a little further West (5300 W. Spring Mountain Rd.).

Swoop into this authentic, cozy Italian coffee bar in The Palazzo's Waterfall Atrium for richly brewed premium beverages, flaky pastries, and warm panini. This smart, colorful nook offers 36 flavors of glorious, creamy gelatos, as well as fresh dessert crepes, soups, and salads. Bonbons, truffles, and chocolate-dipped fruits are also available.

Visitors won't need a car for their In-N-Out fix since there's a location at The LINQ Promenade right on the Strip. The simple menu of fresh burgers, just-cut fries, and milk shakes makes this affordable West Coast fast-food joint with 18 locations around town a cult fave. If you're extra hungry (and we mean seriously so), go "off menu" and order a "4x4" (four beef patties with four slices of American cheese on a freshly baked bun), and maybe order it "animal-style," with a mustard-grilled beef patty and extra spread with grilled onions.

The surrounding neighborhood isn't great, so don't walk here from the Paradise Road hotels—but also don't be deterred from this clean and solid Indian establishment, which has weathered the neighborhood's many changes. The Palace's famed all-you-can-eat lunch buffet runs from 11:30 to 3, and the evening menu is a refuge for conventioneers who aren't on an expense account. The menu is packed with tandoori delicacies, crispy rice-crepe dosa, and some 20 vegetarian choices, such as Veg Kolhapuri, a blend of vegetables in a South Indian curry.

The Caribbean meets Las Vegas at this hip bar/restaurant in the Arts District Downtown. Cocktails are bold and boozy, mixing liquors such as rum and cachaca with tropical flavors in new, exciting, and counterintuitive ways. The food menu is limited to 5 or 6 simple options but comprises tastes of the tropics, too: "pepper pot" sliders, chickpea curry, Trinidad-style mac and cheese, and, of course, jerk chicken wings. The venue has limited indoor seating but the main attractions are its patios—one out front and one out back. Grab a spot near one of the firepits and jam to the reggae tunes.

An anchor of Henderson's revitalized downtown Water Street District, Juan's is an offshoot of an established spot in southwest Las Vegas. Yes, the fajitas really are served flaming, on custom grills, and the variety extends from the usual beef, chicken, and shrimp to pork as well. Other menu items include tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. The restaurant tends to fill up quickly, but you can get a margarita at the bar and relax on one of the seating walls outside, or grab a brew at the next-door Lovelady Brewing Company; Juan's will page you there. There's a happy hour from 3 to 6 daily and brunch from 11 to 3 on weekends.

This chain of zero-ambience fast-food eateries serves Hawaiian-style barbecue to a heavily Hawaiian clientele (Las Vegas is known as the "ninth island" to Hawaiians). The plate lunch is the draw here, and considering that it comes with two scoops of rice and one of macaroni salad (along with whatever protein you'd like; the choices naturally include Spam), it's no surprise that there are so many guys walking around calling themselves the Big Kahuna. The former Taco Bell on Maryland was one of the first of now many locations in the Valley.

This restaurant's founder started out as the sommelier at Lotus of Siam, so it makes sense that the wine racks behind the register and the multi-page wine list set this restaurant apart from some of its noisy neighbors, along with a romantic, jazz-music vibe (after sunset, the view of the rear of the neighboring Macy's home store fades away). The menu is smaller and more creative than the standard Thai eatery as well, with crisp-fried meats—Panang Crispy Duck, Pla Crispy Beef—as the focus of several dishes. There's another location in Henderson (2645 St. Rose Pkwy., Suite 150).

Javier Barajas, the congenial owner and host of this colorful cantina group, named this restaurant after his birthplace in Mexico, where he learned to cook while growing up in the culinary capital of Michoacán. Don't miss such outstanding specialties as the carnitas or cabrito birria de chivo (roasted goat with red mole sauce). Guacamole is made tableside, and the flan is a silken wonder. There's no reason to stick to Mexican-restaurant basics when the menu is so expansive—the lunch menu alone offers 37 choices. This local success story began in 1990 and now boasts three other locations—in Henderson, Summerlin, and in the Palace Station casino—but the original is a singular experience: a dense labyrinth of rooms (with a capacity of around 300) with arched ceilings and brightly colored walls covered in bric-a-brac, and table visits from strolling mariachis.

Look past the sad, faded strip mall exterior: Lucy is bright, cheerful, and big—with a designated bar area and a stage for DJs or bands. Separate breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus offer various stews or deep dishes, which include cubed beef goreb goreb, and collard green and bone-in beef gomen besga, both meant to be scooped up with spongy injera flatbread. If you're curious, the name Lucy comes from Ethiopia's most famous fossil skeleton, and this place feels like a community hub. Officially designating a loosely defined area as "Little Ethiopia" in 2023 might have seemed as optimistic as the signs pointing the way to Chinatown did in the early 2000s, but the area is definitely evolving, and Las Vegas is said to have some 40,000 Ethiopians. Ethiopian restaurants and markets are scattered around the edges of Chinatown, but this restaurant is a solid place to anchor it.

Walking distance from The Strat, this tiny take-out stand offers unbelievably delicious, velvety smooth frozen custard. The flavors change daily (check the website for the schedule), and sundaes are a popular offering. Those with larger appetites should certainly try the ever-popular Western, with hot fudge, caramel, and pecans, or a Fruit Boat, with peach, pineapple, cherry, banana, marshmallow, and peanuts. It's been goin' strong since 1973, and is open most days until 10 pm, 11 pm on Friday and Saturday.

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.).