23 Best Restaurants in Las Vegas, Nevada

Noodles are the house specialty at this intimate restaurant in the Fremont East district of Downtown. Although most of the dishes are Thai (try the Awesome Noodles; the name isn't hyperbole), others lean more toward Chinese and Japanese influences. Also worth trying: the three-color curry, and the decadent Short Rib Fried Rice. Whatever you order, request "spicy" dishes at your own risk; chefs here spice things up the way they'd like to eat them, not the way you'd like to eat them. The restaurant itself is truly tiny, with only a handful of tables and seating at the bar, but a large patio with pergola covering is complete with misters for summer and heaters for winter. The patio hosts a DJ and serves a late-night menu Thursday through Sunday. (Le Thai's success led to Chef Dan Coughlin opening a sister restaurant, 8 East, inside the new Circa Resort & Casino.)

Fans of Thai food flock here for spot-on exceptional chow with few surprises—just expertly prepared curries, tom yum soups, fish cakes, and pad Thais. In particular, the shrimp "ginger ginger ginger" (or you can choose it with meat or tofu) has drawn raves; yes, it really is that gingery. Locals rank Archi's among the best Thai restaurants in town. Reasonably priced three-course lunch specials are served from 11 am to 3 pm weekdays. This original location has been a locals' favorite for more than 20 years, but there are three other branches at 6345 S. Rainbow Boulevard, 9350 W. Sahara Avenue, and a fast-casual spot at 9310 S. Eastern Avenue.

What warms the blood more swiftly at this down-home hang: the fresh-from-the-oven biscuits or the 80-plus varieties of bourbon? Find out at this unique addition to the ongoing refurbishment of the Water Street District in downtown Henderson, where you will find drinks served in Mason jars and a menu of smoked meats, from pulled pork to apple-brined chicken, in big portions. The biscuits are served à la carte with your choice of flavored butters, honeys, and jams. (You can't go wrong with the classic buttermilk biscuits topped with apple cider caramel butter, clover honey, and mango habanero jam.) The room is small, with a rustic-yet-modern, wood-grained decor. (Those with truly formidable stomach capacities can take on the "All In," which pairs three-quarters-of-a-pound servings of three meats with an equal number of large sides.) Brunchers would do well to indulge in the fried chicken waffle, as good a reason for getting up early on the weekends as any.

If you're looking for a type of place where the waitress calls you "honey," this locals' favorite has an old-fashioned, family-owned vibe. The food is better than the chain places, serving up hearty Mexican specialties, fruit-topped pancakes and waffles, and senior specials. Blueberry Hill has four locations, two of them near each other on the East Side a couple of miles apart on Flamingo Road. Both are open 24 hours.

This East Coast transplant with nearly 40 locations in the Valley satisfies Sin City's cravings for giant sub sandwiches, including a Philly-style cheese steak, a hot pastrami sandwich, and a divine creation called the Bobbie—basically Thanksgiving dinner on a bun. Numerous locations around town include outposts in a few outlying casinos, such as Red Rock, Aliante, Santa Fe, and Green Valley Ranch.

The vibe at Resorts World is primarily refined and Asian, but at Dawg House you can cut loose Nashville-style. On the menu are such shareables as hot chicken bites, smoked tuna dip, and bacon "candy," but the menu also offers burgers (the Rottweiler has bacon jam, crispy onions, American cheese, and barbecue sauce), sandwiches (such as a Monte Cristo or pulled pork), salads, soups, and all manner of  “dawgs.” Shooters, specialty cocktails and a long—long—list of drafts and beers complete the picture. An extension of a spot on that city’s Music Row, it features live music and dancing and a relatively raucous atmosphere. Breakfast is also served from, 7 to 11 am daily at the Mouse House Gourmet Grilled Cheese trailer tucked inside.

This is maybe the best example of a Las Vegas adage, "Never judge a place by its ugly strip-mall facade." In a shopping center you'd usually drive by lies a coffee and tea house that's about as beautiful as they come. An indoor greenhouse covers the central kitchen area, amid a well-appointed warehouse feel with plants, art, and cozy seating and a singular three-tiered reading and browsing area (shoes off, please) in back. The coffee's first rate as well, and it's not unusual for customers to take way too long to ogle the display case of delicious-looking pastries or read the full menu of specialty-drink temptations. There's a soup and sandwich menu for those who want to extend a coffee break into a meal.

A branch of the legendary coal-fired pizza-baker nestled beneath New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, this casual little joint in Henderson doesn't quite conjure up the atmosphere of the original, despite exposed-brick walls and red-checked tablecloths, but it does have a wine list and an extensive beer menu. What counts, of course, is the pizza, and in this regard, Grimaldi's deserves high praise. The oven-hot pies come in three sizes and with such staple toppings as spicy sausage, meatballs, and ricotta cheese and more updated ones like baby spinach and jalapeños. Finish off your meal with a cannoli or some flavor-of-the-month cheesecake. There are four other outposts in the valley.

Hearty appetites will be richly rewarded at this quirky purveyor of so-called twisted farm food. Heaps of savory comfort food are cooked to order in this spacious restaurant done up in industrial, urban-farmhouse decor. Breakfast skillets runneth over with tender, house-cured hashes, fresh eggs, house-made biscuits and jam, and sage-fried chicken Benedict with smoked bacon, griddled mozzarella, spinach, tomato, and chipotle cream. Non-breakfast platters include sage-fired chicken and waffles; stuffed meat loaf, burgers, pork tenderloin and barbecued ribs. This expanding mini-chain has additional locations are in The LINQ Resort & Casino, the Plaza Hotel and Casino (breakfast and lunch only Sunday–Friday); in Henderson ( 555 N. Stephanie St.); and Summerlin ( 10810 W. Charleston Blvd.).

This busy eatery has developed a loyal following for its delicious, fresh seafood, where crawfish from Louisiana is delivered regularly and available with five seasoning choices at five heat levels. But other choices can be just as good. The shellfish (Dungeness, blue, king, or snow crab; lobster, clams, shrimp, black or green mussels, and, of course, crawfish), priced at the going market rate, is ordered by the pound. When your shellfish boil appears in its plastic bag, put on the plastic bib and dig in! Baskets of fried poultry and seafood are neater alternatives and come with Cajun fries. Sides include crispy pork skin, calamari and sweet potato fries, plus a credible étouffée. There are five po'boy choices as well. You'll find two West Side locations that are fairly close to one another (the other is at 3863 Spring Mountain Road), as well as at Planet Hollywood on the Strip, downtown Las Vegas and in Henderson at 9560 South Eastern Avenue.

Modest little Ichiza has developed a cult following for serving sublimely delicious, authentic Japanese food and drink in a casual social environment that borders on controlled chaos. Located on the second floor of a shopping center in the city's Chinatown section, this boisterous Izakaya-style pub is crammed with tourists, students, and local hipsters who love a good value and the chance to chow down on a variety of tasty small-plate offerings (aka "Japa tapas") until the wee hours. Forget the menu and study the walls instead, where dozens of haphazardly taped signs list the daily specials, or ask your server for suggestions, which might include black cod with grated white radish; stir-fried calamari with ginger butter; a seaweed or salmon-skin salad; and deep-fried, breaded quail eggs. From dinner to dessert, it's best to order with a sense of adventure. A second location offering private dining rooms is a little further West ( 5300 W. Spring Mountain Rd.).

The surrounding neighborhood has been on the decline for years, so don't walk here—but also don't be deterred from this clean and solid Indian establishment, which has weathered the changes. The pandemic halted and brought an uncertain future to the Palace's famed all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, but it remains open for lunch from the menu as well as an evening refuge for conventioneers who aren't on an expense account. The menu is packed with tandoori delicacies, crispy rice-crepe dosa, and a sizable roster of vegetarian dishes such as paneer tikka, a house favorite of marinated cheese simmered in a creamy tomato sauce.

The Caribbean meets Las Vegas at this hip bar/restaurant in the Arts District Downtown. Cocktails are bold and boozy, mixing liquors such as rum and cachaca with tropical flavors in new, exciting, and counterintuitive ways. The food menu is limited to 5 or 6 simple options but comprises tastes of the tropics, too: "pepper pot" sliders, chickpea curry, Trinidad-style mac and cheese, and, of course, jerk chicken wings. The venue has limited indoor seating but the main attractions are its patios—one out front and one out back. Grab a spot near one of the firepits and jam to the reggae tunes.

This growing chain of zero-ambience fast-food eateries serves Hawaiian-style barbecue to a heavily Hawaiian clientele (Las Vegas is known as the "ninth island" to Hawaiians). The plate lunch is the draw here, and considering that it comes with two scoops of rice and one of macaroni salad (along with whatever protein you'd like; the choices naturally include Spam), it's no surprise that there are so many guys walking around calling themselves the Big Kahuna. There are 15 locations in the Valley.

Walking distance from The Strat, this tiny take-out stand offers unbelievably delicious, velvety smooth frozen custard. The flavors change daily (check the website for the schedule), and sundaes are a popular offering. Those with larger appetites should certainly try the ever-popular Western, with hot fudge, caramel, and pecans, or a Fruit Boat, with peach, pineapple, cherry, banana, marshmallow, and peanuts. It's been goin' strong since 1973, and is open most days until 10 pm, 11 pm on Friday and Saturday.

Michael Symon, TV celebrity chef and the man who revived the Cleveland culinary scene, took his show on the road to Las Vegas with this meat-centric spot at the Palms. "Pig Parts" (crispy ears, tails and cracklin's) may seem like a novelty to some, but there's no doubting the seriousness of his pork, beef, poultry, and carefully conceived sides, as well as the long list of brews to go with them. Those looking for a daytime party will find it at the weekend brunch (but only during football season), when the airy, two-level space has either a DJ (Saturday) or live music (Sunday) and "bottomless" cocktails.

Younger Las Vegans call this local success story "the pizza they grew up on," while the smell of dough when they walk in the door may trigger older patrons' own childhood memories of their youthful pizza parlors. Look for size and value on the deep-dish pies, not fancy salads or artisan experiments, on the family-friendly menu. Metro is more about big stuffed pizzas with names such as the Stockyard or the Zamboni that are as hearty and meat-filled as you might imagine, and it's been growing with the city since the 1980s. The modest Westside original still has a 1950s-style diner look in a strip mall next to a supermarket. As native Las Vegans grew up and went to UNLV, home base might have become the second, freestanding location near campus ( 1395 E. Tropicana Ave.). The large freestanding Henderson location ( 4001 W. Decatur Blvd.) may be chain's pride and joy, and the fourth arrival is coming way north in the Centennial Hills area.

Delicious regional (mostly Cantonese) fare includes marvelous dim sum made fresh daily (and available until 3 pm). The great food often compels discerning diners—many of whom hail from Vegas's large Asian community—to brave the smoky, low-rollers casino floor of the Gold Coast. Named for three characters in Puccini's opera Turandot (Pong is head chef of the imperial kitchen), this well-regarded restaurant moved into a larger, upgraded space (the hotel's former showroom) in 2017. Order authentically prepared dishes such as chicken lettuce cups, chitlin spicy fish stew, preserved-egg porridge, or spicy Dungeness crab with peppercorn, along with a glass of chrysanthemum iced tea and sweet pineapple buns for dessert, soft and warm from the oven. Chefs will cater to customers' requests for small, unique offerings not on the menu, as long as the ingredients are on hand. The restaurant is open nightly until 3 am.

Some of the best doughnuts in Vegas are sold at this tiny Chinatown storefront tucked in a strip mall along Spring Mountain Road. Locals rave about the apple fritters, but more traditional selections, such as Boston cream, are addictive, too. Surprisingly, a good number of the offerings are vegan, a quirk that has put the hole-in-the-wall on the national map in recent years.

This fast-casual favorite born in New York City now has five locations in Las Vegas, and the only thing different about it is that the lines aren't so long. It's a great place to stop for a Shack Burger and fries, and don't forget the shakes and frozen custard. The Strip location has been joined by others around town and at Harry Reid International Airport.

Although popular namesake and founder Bobby Mercado is enjoying his retirement, Bobby's sister Carolina is the new owner and operator of this Mexican restaurant that’s been a steady draw with locals and visitors in one location or another since the early 1990s. This colorful, comfortable spot (with patio dining when the weather's pleasant) features 10 house-made salsas and a well-executed, seafood-heavy menu. Dishes include a shrimp ceviche salad; tostadas with shrimp, langostino, tilapia, calamari, and avocado; and Ensenada-style fried fish tacos; plus steak picado and veggie fajitas.