An Eater’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in Las Vegas

Las Vegas started as a cowboy town. When the Hoover Dam was built, it became a gambling destination — not long after, the general tourist crowds followed. The dining scene too has grown from afterthought coffee shops and loss-leader buffets to celebrity chef-helmed meccas and so-called “Gourmet Rooms.” Today, Las Vegas covers just about every genre of food imaginable at every price point. Here’s a guide to help you dig in where it matters.

Welcome to Celebrity Chef Land

Nowhere in the world can you find as many celebrity chefs in one compact space as in Las Vegas. More than 40 big-name chefs have lent their skills — or at least their names — to resorts along the Strip, giving tourists who visit Sin City every year an ample variety of very good (and very splashy places) to dine. If you’re in the market for a fancy dinner, there’s sushi from Nobu Matsuhisa at Caesars Palace and Virgin Hotels. Grab Brittany loup de mer at the landmark French restaurant, Le Cirque at Bellagio Hotel and Casino. You can also go all-in with Mediterranean food and a pre-nightclub party scene at HaSalon at the Venetian Resort. See what all the table-side service is about at Carbone at Aria.

And 2025 has thus far introduced even more big names in Las Vegas. Chef Jeremy Ford’s Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant Stubborn Seed opened at Resorts World. Lisa Vanderpump unveiled Pinky’s, her latest Art Deco-inspired cocktail lounge. Local chef and restaurateur James Trees added French restaurant Bar Bohéme to his portfolio. And the social media-famous duo behind Cafe Lola and Saint Honoré opened Italian restaurant Sorellina Cucina Italiana.

But Las Vegas is so much more than fancy dinners, too. Catch breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the James Beard-recognized Classic Peppermill, or gorge on some of the best tacos in the city at Tacos El Gordo, with its long fast-service lines.

Start on Eater Vegas’ Best Maps

Eater publishes tons of different maps and guides that detail the top places and things to eat and drink in Las Vegas. Below, we cherry-pick the most important points from some of our most popular maps.

Hot Restaurants: The hottest restaurants in Las Vegas right now include Le Club, the a la carte off-shoot of neighboring Partage, and Venice Beach darling Gjelina. The retro-inspired Naughty Patty’s is an up-and-coming smash burger hotspot, as is the coastal Mexican Amaya, also located in the Cosmopolitan. And with its multi-course tasting menus, innovative flavors, and charming presentations, Stubborn Seed is already earning buzz as one of the year’s best new entrants.

Essential Restaurants: When you need to narrow down the Essential 38 on the Las Vegas Strip, you can never go wrong with Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand (if you have deep pockets), Bazaar Meat by José Andrés at the Sahara, or Don’s Prime steakhouse at the Fontainebleau.

And for those intrepid enough to discover the best restaurants off-Strip, don’t miss Herbs and Rye for its Old Vegas charm, Vetri Cucina for some of the best Italian fare in the city, and Kaiseki Yuzu for intricate Japanese dishes. 

Pizza: Tony Gemignani dominates the pizza scene in Las Vegas with two Pizza Rocks, the gems of the pizza map. On the Strip, head to the Pizzeria (a.k.a. “Secret Pizza”) at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for late-night cravings. Downtown, seek out slices at both Good Pie and Evel Pie. In Chinatown, make a point of visiting Double Zero Pie and Pub . Or seek out legendary Pizzaiolo John Arena’s New York pizza at Metro Pizza.

Sushi: The most essential sushi spot on our sushi map? Yui Edomae, where Gen Mizoguchi uses fish flown in from Japan for his omotenashi style of serving nigiri and omakase, or one of the toughest reservations to get, Kabuto. Discover high-end kaiseke and omakase at Kame Omakase. And venture sky-high for a stellar sushi experience with a view at Ito at Fontainebleau.

Beer: It can be hard to choose where to go among the many Las Vegas-area breweries. CraftHaus and Able Baker provide many of their custom brews to local restaurants. The Silver Stamp, with its draft selection and midwestern basement aesthetic, is a local haunt for good reason. And make a night of hopping around the bars and tasting rooms in the brewery district downtown with a self-guided brewery tour to destinations like Hop Nuts, Nevada Brew Works, and HUDL Brewing Company.

Bars and Lounges: Your best bet for a great cocktail? Liquid Diet for its ever-changing selection of innovative cocktails, or Stray Pirate for its indulgent twists on tropical classics in an underwater-style bar. On the Strip, go to Rosina at the Palazzo for Champagne or a secret cocktail menu, or the Chandelier with its three levels wrapped in two million beads at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Consider this a decent starting point on the Essential Bars map.

Steakhouses: It wouldn’t be Las Vegas without a steakhouse in every resort. Standouts include Bavette’s Chicago-style steakhouse at Park MGM, SW Steakhouse at Wynn, Cut by Wolfgang Puck at the Palazzo, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Prime at the Bellagio and the decadent Don’s Prime at the Fontainebleau. Las Vegas is one of the few cities where diners can find real Kobe beef. Venture just off-Strip for Old Vegas flair at The Golden Steer Steakhouse.

Brunch: Las Vegas owns brunch, with options available to suit just about every whim. Try Bardot Brasserie for an eggs Benedict riff made with waffles and duck confit or the Pepper Club for ube French toast. Chef Lorena Garcia puts together a daily brunch with Latin American-inspired food at Chica.

Las Vegas Food ‘Hoods to Know

Sin City has more key areas to eat than the Strip. Here are all the neighborhoods every self-proclaimed food lover needs to get acquainted with — complete with what to eat and drink in each.

The Strip

The three and a half miles of the Strip is the most egalitarian, all-encompassing, and high-quality eating arena in any major North American city. Graze from the most insane multi-course menu you can find at é by José Andrés to inexpensive eats to fashionable restaurants where you can see celebrities on the regular. Dine on real Kobe beef at SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas, or Bazaar Meat at the Sahara, three of a handful of restaurants nationwide that serve this buttery Japanese treasure.

Downtown

Want to try some true Vegas flavors with a solid meal without the big bill? Head to Downtown Las Vegas and the Fremont East district, the walkable and more approachable neighborhood in Las Vegas, where some of the biggest growth in the restaurant industry has taken place. In 2012, only Le Thai brought diners outside the canopy of the flashier Fremont Street Experience with its smaller casinos. Since then, more restaurants opened, bringing everything from ramen and sushi to vegan and late-night fare. Discover American eats at Carson Kitchen and at all-night cafe at Siegel’s 1941, and so much more.

The Arts District

The Las Vegas Arts District, also known as 18b for its original 18-block layout, has historically been a gathering center for artists. Still home to the monthly First Friday arts festival, the neighborhood has boomed within the last decade, becoming a destination for buzzy restaurants, vibey bars, and destination antique shopping. Dine at local favorite and early adopter to the neighborhood Esther’s Kitchen — or, from the same owner, chef James Trees’s new French bistro, Bar Boheme. Sip some of the best coffee in town at Vesta Coffee Roasters. Order anything as long as it comes with fresh-baked bread at the Wolfgang Puck team’s 1228 Main. Or venture into Main St. Provisions for artfully done comfort foods.

Chinatown

This neighborhood’s name is misleading as just about every type of Asian fare can be found here. Some of the city’s best Japanese restaurants reside here, including the beloved China Mama, Shanghai Taste with its savory, chewy noodles, the always popular Xiao Long Dumplings, and the modern eatery Sparrow & Wolf. This map calls out the best of Chinatown.

Las Vegas Glossary of Terms

Joël Robuchon

French chef Robuchon earned the nickname Chef of the Century for his 32 Michelin stars worldwide. In 2005, he came out of retirement to open Joël Robuchon and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand. These two restaurants represent the only places in the United States to eat his exquisite food, which is worth every penny. His namesake restaurant features degustation menus and carts galore with bread, tea, dessert, cognacs, and more, while L’Atelier, the workshop, has bar seating to watch the chefs in action. Robuchon died in August 2018 at the age of 73. Today, executive chef Eleazar Villanueva carries out Robuchon’s legacy, even earning a finalist nod for Best Chef: Southwest for the James Beard Awards.

Gordon Ramsay

The shouty chef is probably best known for his television shows such as Hell’s Kitchen. Originally from Scotland, Ramsay brought Gordon Ramsay Steak to Vegas in 2012 (order the beef Wellington). He followed those up with Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace with its Piccadilly Circus theme, Gordon Ramsay Burger at Planet Hollywood Resort with a wall of flames, Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips at the Linq Promenade, his ode to his television show Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen at the front of Caesars Palace, Ramsay’s Kitchen at Harrah’s Las Vegas, and — the latest — a Gordon Ramsay Burger at the Flamingo.

Wolfgang Puck

The Austrian chef who hawks his wares on HSN has six restaurants in Las Vegas. He ushered in the era of celebrity chefs on the Strip when he opened Spago at the Forum Shops at Caesars with his salmon pizza and California fare in 1992 and then made the move to the Bellagio in 2018. His restaurant Cut at the Palazzo is often considered one of the best steakhouses in Las Vegas.

Emeril Lagasse

This chef from New Orleans is perhaps best known for his interjections of “Bam!” Lagasse’s oldest restaurant, Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at the MGM Grand puts the chef’s Creole cooking in the spotlight while Delmonico Steakhouse at the Venetian has one of the best books of whiskeys in Las Vegas.

José Andrés

The Spanish-born chef took Las Vegas by storm with his stellar multi-course tasting experience é by José Andrés inside Jaleo, his tapas restaurant at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. He also has China Poblano, a twist on Chinese and Mexican fare at the resort, along with Bazaar Meat by José Andrés at the Sahara, one of the best steakhouses in the city. It’s closing this year and relocating to a new home at the Venetian Resort.

Buffets

Culinary trailblazers back in the 1940s found a way to keep gamblers inside the resorts with cheap food, and lots of it. El Rancho Vegas, the Strip’s first resort, came up with the Chuck Wagon, the earliest version of the modern-day buffet to turn up in Las Vegas. The city has come a long way from the $1 buffet, totaling more than 70 buffets before the pandemic. Today, just over a dozen casino buffets are still dishing endless heaps of pancakes and lobster claws. The most popular among them are the Buffet at Wynn, Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace. But there is so much more to the Las Vegas buffet than meets the eye.

Shrimp Cocktail

The shrimp cocktail earned its place in Vegas dining lore when casinos put it on the menu for 50 cents to lure gamblers in 1959. Jack Binion’s Steak has one for $26.95. And Saginaw’s Deli at Circa has one for $12. Other places may have cheaper shrimp cocktails (Think the Shrimp Cocktail at Coronado Cafe with its $2.45 goblets.)

Prime Rib

Long before the celebrity chefs took over the Strip, Las Vegas relied on cheap prime rib to drive diners into the restaurants and have enough money left over to keep gambling. That era kicked off in 1942 with the Last Frontier, which served “juicy rich prime ribs of Eastern steer beef, cooked in rock salt, served from the cart at your table with Idaho baked potato with chives, tossed salad, rolls, and coffee” all for $1.50. Today, thick, drippy slabs of rpime rib with all the fixings can be found at Siegel’s 1941, available 24 hours a day. Or, the aptly named Primarily Prime Rib can satiate hunger with indulgently oversized cuts of marbled prime rib. For more on where to eat prime rib, check out this map. 

Gourmet Rooms

Gourmet rooms got their start in the early ’60s, focusing on French cuisine, seafood, Italian dishes, or steak. The first, the Sultan’s Table at the Dunes, came before places such as the Delmonico at the Riviera, the Dome of the Sea at the Dunes, the Candlelight Room at the Flamingo, the Regency Room at the Sands, and Le Gourmet Room at the Tropicana. Chefs came from the Ritz in Paris and Savoy in London. Head down to South Point to dine at the last one standing — Michael’s Gourmet Room — for romantic booths, table-side service, captains serving, and a romantic dining room straight out of that bygone era. 

Reservations To Make in Advance

Consider booking reservations for these hard-to-get-into restaurants: Restaurant Guy Savoy; é Bar by José Andrés; Raku; SW Steakhouse; Lotus of Siam; Eiffel Tower Restaurant; Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen; Kabuto; Spago; Vanderpump Cocktail Garden; The Golden Steer Steakhouse ;Bacchanal Buffet; and Delilah.

Follow the News

Eater Vegas is updated multiple times every weekday with breaking news stories (restaurant openings, closings, etc.), features, guides, and more. Here are a few ways to stay in the loop:

• Keep an eye on the Eater Vegas homepage. New stories will always show up near the top and flow down toward the bottom of the page as they get older, while important recent stories will stay pinned right at the top. Also, check out our big sister, Eater.com, for national and international food news.
• Subscribe to our newsletter, which goes out every weekday evening and includes links to the day’s top stories.
• Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates on new stories and more throughout the day. Like pretty food photos? We’re on Instagram too.

Get in Touch

Have questions not answered here? Want to send in a tip or a complaint or just say hello? Here are some ways to get in touch with the Eater Vegas staff:

• Email us at vegas@eater.com.
• Send us a tip, which can be anonymous if you choose, at our tipline.
• Interact with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.