Large casinos will invariably offer a variety of dining options, ranging from the omni-present buffet to simple cafes to gourmet restaurants.
Buffets
The most famous buffets in Las Vegas are at the Rio, Bellagio, Paris and Planet Hollywood, though the newly opened Wynn buffet is becoming more and more of a favorite with tourists and locals alike. The best buffets typically run about $30 a person for a weekend dinner. Lunch is your best value at most buffets when they are around half price, breakfasts are cheapest and often have a great spread too. Do not forget that tipping your buffet waiter 10-15% is customary. You can leave cash on the table at the end of your meal or tip the cashier at the counter on a credit card. Some buffets give “early bird” discounts, which means that if you arrive early the price is a few dollars lower.
- Le Village Buffet, Paris Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, ☎ +1 702 946-7000. Featuring dishes from five French provinces, the Village Buffet offers exquisite classic French foods, some made to order, and seasonal specialties under a faux sky in a village-like setting. Patrons may, for example, choose to sit in a town square or French country home. Lines can be long. For an extra $10 per person, patrons can go to the head of the line.
- Spice Market, Planet Hollywood, 3400 S Las Vegas Blvd, ☎ +1 702 785-5555. The casino changed names, but the buffet is the same. All styles of food including good seafood. Line moves fast.
- Village Seafood Buffet, Rio, 3700 W Flamingo Rd, ☎ +1 702 777-7777. Su-Th 4PM-10PM, F Sa 3PM-11PM. This buffet is one of the better buffets in Las Vegas, with an extensive seafood collection (as well as other items). Lines can be long. Note that the Rio also offers the Carnivale World Buffet, which is cheaper but does not offer a total seafood oriented buffet, but features a changing variety of dishes featuring seafood. Tables are close together, and can be noisy. $34.99 (dinner only).
- The Buffet, Wynn, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, ☎ +1 702 770-7100. 8AM-10PM, Sa Su brunch 8AM-3PM. 16 exhibition cooking stations and a luxurious selection of extraordinary dishes. Dress is casual. Breakfast, lunch and dinner served, with champagne brunch on weekends.
- The Buffet, Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd S, ☎ +1 702 693-7111. 7AM-10PM daily, Sa Su brunch 7AM-4PM. Arguably the best buffet on the Strip, with the dinner menu including pre-split crab legs, venison, Kobe beef, and wild boar. Gourmet Friday dinner includes Beef Wellington, Rack of Lamb, Veal Ossobuco, Grilled Swordfish, and Curried Duck Legs. The Buffet has spectacular selections from Italy, China, and Japan as well as fresh seafood and traditional American food. Wait to enter can be 90 minutes or more. no charge 4 and under.
Restaurants
On the Strip
- Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare, Wynn, 3131 S Las Vegas Blvd, ☎ +1 702 770-3298. Chef Paul Bartolotta focuses on the fish, which was pulled out of the Mediterranean 48 hours before serving. Great clams, lobsters, and Sicilian amberjack. Dine al fresco alongside the manmade lagoon behind the restaurant.
- Craftsteak, MGM Grand, 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd, ☎ +1 702 891-7318. Considered to be one of the best steak houses in America. $95.
- Cypress Street Marketplace, Caesars Palace, ☎ +1 702 731-7686. daily from 11AM-11PM. Interesting and good for the family, with a wide variety of cuisines and mostly cheap.
- Diablo’s Cantina, Monte Carlo, 3770 S Las Vegas Blvd, ☎ +1 702 693-8300. Popular Mexican eatery with an excellent bar and a great menu.
- Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Flamingo, 3555 S Las Vegas Blvd. A fun tropical-themed restaurant featuring dishes named after many of Jimmy Buffett’s songs (for example: the Cheeseburger in Paradise).
- Kahunaville, Treasure Island, 3300 S Las Vegas Blvd. Tropical island-themed restaurant with great atmosphere that serves standard fare.
- L’Atelier de Joel Rubuchon, MGM Grand, 3799 S Las Vegas Blvd. Casual French restaurant with dim lighting, ruby red furniture, and spectacular food.
- Mesa Grill, Caesars Palace, 3570 S Las Vegas Blvd, toll-free: +1-877-346-4642. With a brightly colored decor and festive atmosphere, chef Bobby Flay serves us some tasty Southwestern food with flair.
- Mr. Lucky’s 24-7, Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Rd. Sandwiches, salads, and sundaes are popular at the rock and roll diner, but nothing compares with the people watching! Open 24 hours per day!
- Mon Ami Gabi, Paris Las Vegas, 3655 S Las Vegas Blvd, ☎ +1 702 944-4224. Nice restaurant serving mostly steaks and seafood. The staff makes a tribute to the restaurant’s location by talking with French accent. Mains start at $20.
- Nobu, Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Rd. A staple for Las Vegas sushi lovers, newcomers will discover a fusion of traditional Japanese cuisine with Latin spices and flavors.
- Peppermill Fireside Lounge, 2985 S Las Vegas Blvd, ☎ +1 702 735-4177. 1970’s space-age decor and waitresses that call you ‘hon’
- Stripburger, Fashion Show Mall, 3200 S Las Vegas Blvd. Outdoor bar serving sliders. Great for stopping in for a few mini burgers and beers that won’t fill you up on the way to your next destination. Waitresses are good-looking.
- THE Steak House, Circus Circus, 2880 S Las Vegas Blvd, ☎ +1 702 794-3767. Su-F 5PM-10PM, Sa 5PM-11PM. Considered to be a hidden gem, THE Steak House at Circus Circus doesn’t seem fit in with its surroundings; indeed, it has been consistently voted one of the best steaks in Las Vegas for over twenty years. Beautiful decor, outstanding food, and impeccable service, as well as an extensive wine list. $40-70.
- Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill, Harrah’s, 3475 S Las Vegas Blvd. American cuisine that includes steaks, burgers, sandwiches, and even dishes like meatloaf and fried catfish. During the evening the restaurant features live country music bands.
- Todd English’s Olives, Bellagio, 3600 S Las Vegas Blvd, toll-free: +1-866-259-7111. Todd English’s legendary restaurant. Enjoy a Mediterranean-style experience set against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake Bellagio. House-made pastas, steaks, rotisserie dishes, brick oven pizzas and sommelier-recommended wines complement the dining atmosphere.
- Top of the World, Stratosphere, 2000 S Las Vegas Blvd, ☎ +1 702 380-7711. A revolving gourmet restaurant more than 800 feet above the Strip at the top of the Stratosphere Tower.
Off the Strip
- Bahama Breeze, 375 Hughes Center Dr. Serves great tropical food. Large portions with a great atmosphere. Famous for their jerk chicken pasta, cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes, and wide variety of hand-crafted tropical drinks such as the Bahamarita. This is a great place to get away and relax from the crowds of people on the Strip.
- Ellis Island Casino Restaurant, 4178 Koval Ln (one block east of Bally’s at the intersection of Flamingo and Koval). The $6.95 steak special is consistently voted one of the best deals in Las Vegas. It’s not on the menu, so ask for it specifically. If steak is not your thing the restaurant has plenty of other selections at cheap prices. In addition, Ellis Island has barbecue every night from 4-10PM. Ellis Island also brews its own beer, and serves them in the casino bar in 20 oz glasses for $1.50.
- Envy Steakhouse, 3400 Paradise Rd (in the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel). Originally inspired by Chef Richard Chamberlain, the menu includes premium quality, fresh ingredients from select purveyors around the country, featured in innovative dishes. Kobe filet, prime rib roast, black angus filet and prime bone-in rib eye. The walk-in wine cellar features 1,500 bottles of wine.
- Golden Steer Steakhouse, 308 W. Sahara Ave (just west of the Bonanza Gift Shop), ☎ +1 702 384-74470. 4:30 PM to 11:00 PM. Open since 1958, this is the oldest steakhouse in Las Vegas and boasts to be one of favorite restaurants of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. and has hosted dinners for many other celebrities from past eras. The Golden Steer is over 50 years old and honors “Old Las Vegas” style dining.
- H2, 2000 Fashion Show Dr (in the Trump Hotel & Tower), ☎ +1 702 476-7423. H2 features casual American favorites and offers a vibrant atmosphere in which to dine poolside.
- Hofbräuhaus, 4510 Paradise Road, ☎ +1 702 853-2337. The Hofbräuhaus replicates the world famous Bavarian Hofbräuhaus beer hall with festive German food and nightly entertainment. Patrons have an option of dining in the beer hall with live music in the evening or the quieter beer garden. Reservations recommended for quicker seating.
- Lawry’s The Prime Rib, 4043 Howard Hughes Pkwy, ☎ +1 702 893-2223. Juicy, succulent portions of the company namesake, Prime Rib. All prime rib dinners include original spinning bowl salad, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and whipped creamed horseradish. If you don’t want prime rib (but why eat at a place called The Prime Rib if you don’t want it?) there’s always a ribeye steak available and a couple fish dishes.
- Pink Taco, Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Rd. Decoration and staff are half pirate ship, half Suicide Girls, but the Mexican food (and the margaritas) are tasty and served in generous portions. Mains $12-18.
Downtown
- The Beat Coffeehouse, 520 Fremont St (at 6th Street). M-F 7AM-12AM, Sa 9AM-12AM, Su 9AM-3PM. Free Wi-Fi, salads, sandwiches. Mostly local crowd. $10.
- Heart Attack Grill, 450 Fremont St. Mon-Sat 11AM – 2AM. The Heart Attack Grill has courted controversy by serving high-calorie menu items with deliberately provocative names. The establishment has a hospital theme: waitresses (“nurses”) take orders (“prescriptions”) from the customers (“patients”). A tag is wrapped on the patient’s wrist showing which foods they ordered and a “doctor” examines the “patients” with a stethoscope. The menu includes “Single”, “Double”, “Triple”, and “Quadruple Bypass” hamburgers, ranging from 8 to 32 ounces (230 to 910 g) of beef (up to about 8,000 calories), all-you-can-eat “Flatliner Fries” (cooked in pure lard), beer and tequila, and soft drinks such as Jolt and Mexican-bottled Coca-Cola made with real sugar. Customers over 350 lb (160 kg) in weight eat for free if they weigh in with a doctor or nurse before each burger. Beverages and to-go orders are excluded and sharing food is also not allowed for the free food deal.
- Pasta Pirate, 12 E Ogden Ave (in the California Hotel & Casino), ☎ +1 702 385-1222. Closed Tu. Delicious steaks, seafood, and pasta. A romantic darkened wharf decor with a view to the chef’s flaming grill. The steak and lobster special is a really great value. All dinners include a glass of house wine. Call ahead for reservations to avoid a long wait.
Desserts
- Luv-It Frozen Custard, 505 E Oakey Blvd (just east of S Las Vegas Blvd). Hidden some two blocks north of the Stratosphere Tower (their blue building with white pillars and trim shares a parking lot with a convenience store), this family operation offers excellent frozen custards with outstanding toppings.
