Top Las Vegas Restaurants

Sculpture Las Vegas

A 40-foot tall praying mantis stands watch over Downtown Container Park and shoots flames at sundown.

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Las Vegas is a city of many high-end restaurants, celebrity chefs, and over-the-top dining experiences, and rummaging through the sheer number of options can be overwhelming. What I’ve found over the years is that the off-Strip dining can oftentimes be as impressive as what’s in the well-known casinos and resorts. The premium paid for the on-Strip dining experiences can be tremendous, leading many restaurateurs and bars to find more affordable, approachable places. With the explosion of Downtown Vegas as a viable attraction, there are now some impressive spots to visit, like one of the best Thai restaurants in the city, and a great cocktail bar. The ethnic dining in the Chinatown section of the city rivals some of the best restaurants in L.A., though no particular cuisine dominates. The following is a diverse guide to 16 of Las Vegas’ best restaurants and bars, listed in alphabetical order instead of in order of preference.

Gordon Ramsay Steak

The shouty chef’s first restaurant entrant into Sin City didn’t fall short of high expectation. First off, the interior is arresting and modern, dark, sexy, and an ideal place for groups of men, groups of women, or couples. Upstairs there are smaller dining rooms for private parties, which is helpful for bigger nights out. The food is straightforward – great, grilled steaks of the highest quality, and creative sides. It’s a pretty standard Vegas formula that has a certain panache and elegance that only a chef like Gordon Ramsay could pull off. The giant, shimmering meat cart is an early highlight of the experience, with the bone-in tomahawk cut and the porterhouse taking center stage. Go with a big group, order many different steaks and a slew of sides for the best experience. Wine service comes via a suited sommelier and an iPad filled with selection – both are helpful for pairing the dinner.

MUST ORDER DISHES: Bone-In Ribeye, Mac & Cheese, Potato Puree, Roasted Beef Wellington, Seared Foie Gras

Herbs & Rye

A classic cocktail bar and a steakhouse rolled into one, this locals favorite has a decidedly mobster-era feel (appropriate for Vegas), with plush seating, dark brick interiors, and an extensive cocktail menu that will just right in the place like this. The steaks are grilled well, with a decent quality that tastes even better during the late night (12-3 a.m.) and early night (5-8 p.m.) happy hour, where all the steaks are half off. The classic drinks are made the old recipes, though they tend to be a bit on the sweet side in general. The service is always helpful and polite, probably because they never know if you’ll be the next Bugsy Siegel.

MUST ORDER DISHES/DRINKS: Ribeye Steak, Asparagus and Button Mushroom Sides, Blood & Sand Cocktail, Manhattan

Honey Salt


Sandwich Las Vegas

This neighborhood farm-to-table restaurant from chef Kim Cantenwalla (formerly of Encore’s Society) and wife Elizabeth takes the best of casual American cuisine and puts it in a neighborhood-friendly environment. The homey, relaxed vibe does a good job of feeling like a familiar place, with mismatched chairs, light exposed brick, and green leather banquettes. Crushed pea soup with bacon lardons makes a good start while lighter salads like the big-eye tuna with baby spinach highlight the salad portion of the menu. A range of sandwiches like the fried chicken sandwich (inspired by Son of a Gun’s chicken sandwich) to the burger makes ordering easy, with fresh ingredients and approachable, unfussy flavors. The cocktails are also well-done, easy on the booze and good for sipping during the meal.

MUST ORDER DISHES: Crushed Pea Soup, Big-Eye Tuna Salad, Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich, Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Jaleo

Spanish Food Las Vegas

Jose Andres’ small plates restaurant at The Cosmopolitan has one of the best overall dining environments on the Strip, with an expansive, multi-tiered room that’s a scene every night of the week. What’s great about the food presented here is that everything is creative, whimsical, conversational, and utterly shareable. The menu has a terrible number of options, a good thing for bigger parties, and probably anxiety-inducing for most. Have no fear, there are some easy orders like the salmon tartare cones, array of cured Spanish meats like jamón Ibérico de bellota, and olives. Don’t worry, it’s not just any olive plate, this one has a mix of anchovy-stuffed olives and ‘Ferran Adria” spherical olives that burst in your mouth. A large bowl of sangria is a good way to go for a larger group, made with fresh fruit and a whole bottle of cava. Start drinking, and keep ordering across the massive menu, finishing with the creative desserts.

MUST ORDER DISHES: Patatas Bravas, Salmon Crudo in Cones, Mixed Olives, Selection of Cured Spanish Ham, Octopus with Peewee Potatoes, Grilled Skirt Steak with Piquillo Pepper Confit, Crusty Bread topped with Butter and Sea Urchin, Classic Spanish Flan

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Matthew Kang

Find more of Matthew's writing on his blog, Mattatouille. Find him behind the Scoops Westside counter.

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