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A brief guide on where to eat in Las Vegas. It’s no secret the city features some of the best restaurants in the world, with all sorts of delicious traditional and modern cuisine. In this post, I’ll highlight some of the restaurants I visited during my trips.
For the best of the best, be prepared to make reservations well ahead of your trip. Less expensive options are easy to find, such as in food courts in casinos and hotels. A wide range of chain and fast food restaurants are scattered along the strip and elsewhere.
Where to Eat Along the Strip in Las Vegas
Almost all the restaurants I visited were on the Strip. I’ll start from the north and work my way south, mentioning the resort at which each restaurant is located, if applicable.
Carnevino (Palazzo – Permanently Closed)
Carnevino is an Italian steakhouse at the Palazzo. It’s owned by celebrity chef Mario Batali and considered by many to be one of the best steakhouses not only in the city, but in the entire country.
Starters
We were seated by a great server who was very knowledgable about the menu and was happy to answer all of our questions. To start, we ordered oysters and grilled octopus. The octopus was one of the best I’ve ever had and the oysters were excellent. We declined to order a bottle of wine after looking at the wine list and seeing the cheapest bottle was nearly US$500.
We also tried two pasta dishes, tagliatelle bolognese and a gluten-free pasta. The tagliatelle was phenomenal and I couldn’t tell the gluten-free pasta was gluten-free.
Steaks and Sides
Next, it was time for our steaks. For our group of five, the server recommended two of their signature steaks. The massive bone-in ribeye and Fiorentina porterhouse were more than enough to satisfy our appetites. The steaks were brought out and carved table side, with the server explaining which pieces of meat would be more flavorful and which had less fat.
When we finally dug into the steaks, all five of us were impressed. Personally, it was one of if not the best steak I’ve ever had. The server even encouraged us gnaw the rest of the meat right off the bone when we were finished – it IS the best meat, after all!
We also ordered four sides to accompany our steaks. Roasted eggplant with tomato and basil, sautéed mushrooms, grilled asparagus, and balsamic glazed Cippolini onions were the unanimous choices. Each one was excellent.
Our Thoughts on Carnevino
The bill for our group was very high but well worth it. The overall experience was excellent and I’d happily recommend Carnevino if you’re looking to splurge for a great meal.
Estiatorio Milos (The Venetian)
Estiatorio Milos is a Greek seafood restaurant at the Venetian. Owned by Costas Spiliadis, this restaurant prides itself on freshness and quality in a relaxing Mediterranean ambiance. (Note: all photos below are from our visit when it was located at the Cosmopolitan.)
After being seated, the server escorted us to the fresh “fish market” where we could see the daily specials. We were able to choose our dinner, opting for the sea bass. The server recommended having it grilled with capers, and we all agreed.
For starters, we chose a traditional Greek salad, fried smelt, raw oysters, and grilled octopus. The salad was extremely fresh as were the oysters, but I felt the octopus was a little on the rubbery side. The smelt was excellent.
When the sea bass arrived, we also received our sides. We chose horta (greens) and grilled vegetables with haloumi cheese. The fish was perfect and the sides were nice complements to the meal.
For dessert, we had baklava and galaktoboureko. The baklava seemed old but the galaktoboureko was good. Still, it didn’t compare to the homemade version.
When the bill came, it was expensive but reasonable for what we ordered. This included a bottle of white Greek wine. The meal was delicious, the setting was relaxing, and the service was excellent. I highly recommend Estiatorio Milos if you’re looking for a good seafood restaurant in Las Vegas.
Canaletto (The Venetian)
In the Piazza San Marco section of the Grand Canal Shoppes, we stumbled upon Canaletto. They serve good Venetian cuisine with friendly service. We had seafood linguine and capellini pomodoro.
Jaleo (The Cosmopolitan)
Jaleo is a tapas restaurant by Spanish chef José Andrés located at the Cosmopolitan. It features several traditional tapas dishes with a creative twist by the award-winning chef. We visited for dinner on a Saturday night and were excited to get started as soon as we sat down. The server enthusiastically explained a few of the most popular dishes on the menu and we took a few minutes to make our decision.
Tapas Dishes
Our first set of dishes were the selección de embutidos (an assortment of meats including jamón ibérico de bellota), a selection of three cheeses, and pan de cristal con tomate (toasted bread with fresh tomato). Each dish was a hit, especially the bread, and we enjoyed the pairings for each cheese.
My dad ordered a soup called salmorejo. The server brought a bowl with a raw egg inside and poured a hot broth into the bowl, which cooked the egg and softened the vegetables inside.
Next, we had berenjenas con miel (fried eggplant with honey), pulpo a feira Maestro Alonso (boiled octopus with potatoes), and gambas al ajillo (shrimp sautéed with garlic). The eggplant and shrimp were especially tasty but the star was the octopus.
Dessert
Finally, it was time for dessert. We chose three for our group – gin and tonic (a creative sorbet that turns the drink into a dessert), helado de aceite de oliva (olive oil ice cream), and flan. I didn’t care too much about the gin and tonic, but the olive oil ice cream was a great surprise.
¡Paella!
One of the highlights of the evening seemed to be when a paella dish was ready to pick up from the open kitchen (it’s right in the middle of the restaurant and you can watch the chefs at work). When a paella was finished, a chef would ring a bell and the entire staff would stop and shout “paella!” in unison. Since we wanted to try the tapas dishes, nobody at our table ordered paella, but it’ll definitely be a priority if I visit Jaleo again.
Our Thoughts on Jaleo
With drinks and tip, the bill wasn’t terrible considering it’s Las Vegas. The food alone was priced fairly, but the two pitchers of sangria and tequila shots hiked up the price quite a bit. All in all, I would definitely visit Jaleo again in any of their locations.
barMASA (Aria – Permanently Closed)
barMASA is a sushi restaurant. I was looking forward to eating there but was unimpressed with the quality of the sushi. None of the rolls we ordered stood out, and everything seemed quite ordinary.
Bardot Brasserie (Aria)
Bardot Brasserie serves up a nice selection of classic French favorites. We went for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and had lobster bisque, escargot, and a goat cheese salad. Everything was delicious and we left satisfied.
Hard Rock Cafe
I know, I know. Hard Rock Cafe? Well, we wanted comfort food and decided to pop in for breakfast. We were surprised by the quality of the food and loved the service. I wasn’t expecting such a good breakfast from the Hard Rock.
Hussong’s Cantina (Mandalay Bay)
The Shoppes at Mandalay Place is where you can find Hussong’s Cantina. The original Hussong’s in Ensenada, Mexico, claims to have invented the margarita.
We went for lunch on a Friday afternoon and started off with roasted corn and tortilla soup. The corn wasn’t cooked all the way (parts of it were still frozen) but the soup was nice.
For the main course, I had fajitas while Marisol ate flautas. We both enjoyed our meals but have had better. For the record, we didn’t try the margaritas.
Where to Eat Off the Strip in Las Vegas
I only had one experience eating off the Strip in Las Vegas.
Alizé (The Palms – Permanently Closed)
At the top of the Palms is Alizé, a Michelin-starred restaurant serving contemporary French cuisine. It features a breathtaking view from the 56th floor, excellent service, and a huge wine list.
The first thing you notice when you walk into the restaurant is the view of the Strip. When you reserve, try to get a table near the window. The bar, next to the wine cellar, is also a great place to sit.
When we were seated, we were given two complimentary treats (I can’t remember what they were). We then ordered a bottle of wine and perused the dinner menu.
To start, Marisol had the lobster bisque and I had the French onion soup. We shared a plate of escargot and grilled Spanish octopus among our group. The lobster bisque contained mango and toasted coconut, and we didn’t care much for it. The escargot was perfect and the octopus was cooked nicely.
For the main course, we shared lobster thermidor, which was fantastic. I’m glad we shared because we were almost full with all the appetizers and soup!
For dessert, we had two soufflés – chocolate and Grand Marnier. The chocolate soufflé was excellent but nobody really liked the Grand Marnier.
In the end, the bill for our group of five including drinks came out to a huge amount after tax and tip. The service was amazing and we enjoyed most of the food, but I think our expectations were too high going in. We didn’t feel the price matched our overall experience.
Heart Attack Grill
On the eastern end of Fremont is the Heart Attack Grill. While I haven’t eaten there, it’s fun to walk by and peek into the windows. Diners are dressed in hospital gowns while servers are dressed as nurses. A sign out front claims anyone weighing over 350 lbs. eats free, and a scale is there to prove your weight.
