Motley Brews' Brian Chapin Shares His Favorite Las Vegas Restaurants

Sin City is home to a lot of restaurants and bars, but there are tons of hidden gems that the majority of Las Vegans aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's food players to share their recommendations for a weekly feature dubbed Dining Confidential. Know a chef who wants to share some top dining spots? The tipline is open.

Brian Chapin has been bringing the Downtown Brew Festival to Las Vegas since 2012 and the Great Festival of Beer since 2011. The Sixth Annual Great Vegas Festival of Beer returns to Downtown Las Vegas on Saturday, April 9, with local and regional beers galore. The Philadelphia-area native graduated from West Point in New York with a finance and management degree before he joined a real estate development firm in Phoenix. By 2011, he  launched his own entertainment company called Motley Brews that initially focused on creating  innovative festivals focusing on craft beer, food and music. Here he shares some of his favorite restaurants in Las Vegas.

Which restaurants do you turn to when you’re not working?
I'm a big fan of whatever chef Sam Marvin is doing and his restaurant Echo & Rig is one of my mainstays. Pizza Rock makes some of the best pizza I've had anywhere on the West Coast as well. I also spend time at Herbs & Rye, which luckily happens to be right down the street from the Motley Brews offices.

What dishes are most memorable?
Echo & Rig has a great brunch and they always have a diverse selection of craft beers on tap. I typically go for the smoked salmon Benedict when I'm there. Pizza Rock has a great craft beer program as well, so I like to typically grab a local IPA by a brewery like Crafthaus or Big Dog's and share a New Yorker pizza with a few friends or co-workers. Herbs & Rye is a great place to grab a steak and one of the best versions of Brussels sprouts I've had in Las Vegas.

Why do you enjoy going there?
When I'm not drinking a beer, Herbs & Rye is a great choice for happy hour and great craft cocktails by Adam O'Donnell and Matt Graham. Pizza Rock has a combination of fantastic food and I can always find something to pair with their vast craft beer selection on tap in a vibrant atmosphere. Echo & Rig always has a menu only trumped by the amazingly great service from the staff.

Anything else?
Anyone looking for a great place to try some craft beer and beer-inspired dishes should definitely come and check out the Great Vegas Festival of Beer on Saturday, April 9. This year, our gastropub will feature dishes from some of Las Vegas’ top chefs, including Good + Slow, D.O.C.G., Urban Turban, StripChezze, Truck-U-Barbeque, Cousins Maine Lobster, Dragon Grille, MTO Café, Pot Liquor, Cantina Loredo, Gals Hot Dogs, Glutton and Sausagefest. Not to mention we’ll have more than 400 craft beers from more than 100 local, national and international breweries.