7 Best Restaurants in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is one of America's hottest restaurant markets. Nearly every big Strip property has at least one and often two or more celebrity-chef restaurants. Away from the Strip, the unprecedented population growth in the city's suburbs has brought with it a separate and continuous wave of new eateries, both familiar chains and increasing numbers of legitimate destination restaurants.
Casino-resort dining basically falls into one of three categories. In the top echelon are the properties that have a half dozen or more bona fide star-status restaurants: Aria, Bellagio, Caesars, The Cosmopolitan, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Venetian/Palazzo, and Wynn/Encore. At the next level are those resorts with one or two stellar restaurants and a smaller range of worthwhile but not quite top-of-the-line options. On the Strip, these include The Cromwell, Mandarin Oriental, Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York–New York, Paris, Planet Hollywood, SLS Las Vegas, and Treasure Island. Off the Strip, you can add the Lucky Dragon, Palms, the Hard Rock, M Resort, The Rio All-Suite Hotel, Green Valley Ranch, the JW Marriott, and Red Rock Resort. Then there's everybody else: casino-resorts with maybe a decent eatery or two but that simply aren't known for great food.
Downtown Las Vegas has seen a big revitalization in the past several years, and that extends to restaurants. Although Downtown still lacks a destination restaurant, notable spots are Carson Kitchen, Therapy, Turmeric, Le Thai, and La Comida in Fremont East; and Pizza Rock and the older Triple George Grill in the Downtown 3rd District. There also are a number of good restaurants in the Downtown Container Park.
Outside the tourism corridor, Las Vegas has a number of marquee restaurants with increasing cachet among foodies from out of town—places such as Todd’s Unique Dining, Marché Bacchus, Nora's Italian Cuisine, and Lotus of Siam. There's great food to be had off the beaten path in Las Vegas, and you'll pay a lot less in these areas, too.
If you haven't been to Vegas in a few years, you'll notice some major changes. Names like Wolfgang Puck, Michael Mina, and Emeril Lagasse still have plenty of pull in this town, but the Vegas chefs commanding the most attention are French imports such as Pierre Gagnaire, Joël Robuchon, and Guy Savoy, along with vaunted U.S. chefs like Giada De Laurentiis, Charlie Palmer, and Mario Batali.
There's also a trend toward high-minded restaurants with exclusive-nightclub vibes. Note the success of see-and-be-seen Pan-Asian hot spot Hakkasan and Tao Asian Bistro & Nightclub, the youthful late-night haunts LAVO and FIX, and bordello-chic establishments such as Strip House—to name just a few. Elsewhere in town, Las Vegas's growing international—and especially Asian—population has created a market for some of the best Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Pan-Asian restaurants in the country.
Aqua Seafood & Caviar Restaurant
Caviar Bar has tweaked its name to clarify its broader mission, but Michelin-starred chef Shaun Hergatt is still at the helm, and this still is the place if caviar is your thing. Hergatt brings his A game with at least six types of the precious little fish eggs; caviar appears in such dishes as Tasmanian ocean trout with calamansi and trout roe, but there are plenty of (fish) egg-less dishes, too, including seared foie gras, Alaskan black cod, steaks, and fresh oysters. Needless to say, you can also order your caviar in portions of 50 or 125 grams, and the menu offers many other selections from the shellfish and raw bar.
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Legendary chef Jose Andres has built on the success of his longtime Bazaar Meats on the North Strip with his newest entry on the Center Strip, at the Shops at Crystals. Here, as you might guess, the emphasis is on seafood, presented in a theatrical atmosphere. There’s an extensive raw bar and whole fish grilled, fried, baked in sea salt, or as sashimi. Guests are invited to “sea what else” as in rossejat, a traditional paella of toasted pasta with spider crab gratin, or Alaskan king crab chawanmushi, with umami egg custard. “Little sandwiches” include the Po Boy Jose (with fried squid) and Not So Po Boy Jose (with fried oysters and caviar), but carnivores aren’t forgotten.
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Hot N Juicy Crawfish
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.).
Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
Drop by this bustling branch of the famed South Miami Beach restaurant for, at the very least, a pile of fresh stone crabs and a beer. But Joe's is worth a try whether for a full meal or a snack to remember. (And the stone crabs are available here year-round, unlike at the flagship location.) There are gluten-free/vegetarian, kids' and carryout menus as well. Carnivores won't go hungry here, considering the leviathan bone-in rib eye or double-cut Colorado lamb chops, and there's a bar-food selection of burgers and sandwiches. For dessert, save room for Key lime pie or banana-cream pie with Foster sauce.
Mastro's Ocean Club
In addition to food that is upscale and delicious, this impressive restaurant is known for the "Tree House," a two-story wooden sculpture that rises from the ground level and houses the main dining room 30 feet up. Menu items range from Bering Sea king crab claws or legs and bigeye tuna tartare to 32- or 40-ounce Australian wagyu tomahawk chops, Japanese A5 wagyu, rack of lamb, and filet mignon. Side dishes tend to be predictable, except for the wild mushroom and black truffle gnocchi, and the lobster mashed potatoes. The signature warm butter cake alone warrants repeat visits.
Water Grill
The California-based King’s Seafood Co. brings its briny bounty to Las Vegas's Water Grill with a menu that includes many things you won’t find just anywhere. That might mean live California spiny lobster, Florida stone crab claws, Dungeness crab, live Alaskan halibut, or more than a dozen varieties of lobster—all in season, of course. Starters may range from classic clam chowder to mussels garbanzo with pancetta and harissa. Crustaceans and char-grilled or oven-roasted whole fish are sold by the pound, and there are sushi, raw bar, and chilled-shellfish menus, along with soups, salads, and a kids' menu.
