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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.
This pan-Asian spot from a brother-and-sister team from California's Sonoma County is a lively, colorful, and contemporary anchor for the renovated and expanded Palace Station. Boathouse covers the gamut from small plates to large-format seafood, such as whole live lobster and whole live crab, as well as sushi, rolls, crispy crab wontons, and hard-to-find foods like abalone. There are blackboard specials and a daily happy hour from 4 to 6 pm in the bar area.
Koi has garnered a reputation as a see-and-be-seen restaurant in New York and Los Angeles as well as Las Vegas. The cavernous 220-seat local outlet offers sublime Asian-fusion fare, with an ever-changing menu of dishes such as lobster tacos with mango salsa, spicy crunchy tuna tartare, and Queensland Wagyu sirloin with sansho peppercorn–garlic soy. The main dining room can get noisy, so request a table along the back wall. After dinner, hit the swanky lounge to order a cosmo or martini, then head for the open-air patio to enjoy the Bellagio fountains across the street. Don't miss happy hour from 5 to 7 pm daily, with $6 to $10 signature bites and specials on drinks such as the Mindfreak Cocktail.
Come to this trendy, tricolor restaurant for its fresh sushi and sashimi, beautifully prepared and presented, with novel garnishes. Dim lighting, hip music, voluptuous decor, and excellent cocktails complement the exotic fusion of flavors from Japan, Brazil, and Peru. A variety of small plates and brightly seasoned raw seafood are served, as well as sizzling skewers of grilled meats, seafood, and vegetables. Try a side of purple-potato mash, coconut rice, or Peruvian corn with your tobanyaki or teriyaki, and be sure to save room for chocolate banana cake or tapioca con leche. Try weekend brunch, or Samba Hour from 3 to 6 pm Sunday to Friday at the bar. Gluten-conscious and vegan menus are available.
The tunneled vestibule of this nightclub-cum-bistro is lined with stone tubs filled with water and rose petals, leading patrons—including lots of celebrities, some of them hired to host—into the dim, lavishly decorated space. The pan-Asian menu is almost endless, with dishes from sushi to dim sum and everything in between, but most people come more for the experience than the food. Decor includes black cobblestones, bamboo, and Buddhas (one that's 20 feet tall is seated above a koi-filled pool). The quintessentially Asian decor complements the expertly prepared sushi and sashimi. Reserve a table early to enjoy dishes (Spring Mountain Roll with spicy crab and lobster, lobster wontons with shiitake ginger broth, Peking duck for two) in tranquility before loud, young crowds and thumping music descend from the nightclub upstairs. Diners receive complimentary access to the nightclub, so ask your server for a stamp to stick around for cocktails, dancing, and celebrity-spotting. Dinner and bottle-service nightclub packages also are available.
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