5 Best Restaurants in Nevada, USA

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.

Every day is Día de los Muertos at this chic, skull-festooned cantina in Tivoli Village, where a pair of brightly colored calacas guard the entryway. Once inside, prepare to encounter a different kind of spirit: namely, a vast selection of tequila, with more than 100 varieties available in this eye-popping, high-end Mexican eatery. The menu is as inviting as the rose-covered walls, ranging from gourmet filet mignon tacos to lobster fajitas to signatures like their cedar chipotle salmon. Brunch is served all day, with bottomless bloody Marys and mimosas available to properly lubricate the festivities. The focus here is on using organic and non-GMO ingredients made fresh daily, meaning there's not a microwave in the house.

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.

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.

Fans of the bygone Pink Taco (and then, for a spell, Casa Calavera) will smile in recognition when they see its hotel-operated replacement's layout is much the same, including the convivial center bar; however, as the name change would signal, the decor and atmosphere are subtly more sophisticated now. Expanded outdoor patio seating against the backdrop of the pool area gives it a cool vibe for the daily 5–6 pm happy hour. The tequila menu is more expansive than the food side, which trims things down to creative versions of tacos and burritos with flourishes such as roasted pineapple or kimchi red onions. Every week brings Taco Tuesday's $5 tacos, and a there's a Fiesta Brunch on Saturday and Sunday.