The Top Complaints About Las Vegas Dining in 2019, According to Experts

Following an Eater tradition, we asked a group of restaurant critics, journalists, bloggers, and friends of the site to weigh in on the year in food. Their answers to the annual Year in Eater survey will be revealed in several posts. Next up, the dining experts share their top restaurant grievances for 2019.

Scott Roeben, Vital Vegas: The prevalence of paper straws. They ruin the cocktail experience, which is one of the key things guests enjoy about restaurants.

Melanie Lee, Eater Vegas Instagram manager: Inaccurate website menus. I like to plan ahead so if the site is wrong, it throws me off!

Bob Barnes, Las Vegas writer for Gayot, editorial director and writer for The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional, and copy editor and writer for Vegas Beer Quest: Establishments that no longer carry plastic straws because somehow the straws are going to make their way to the ocean, or it is politically correct to do so. I don’t use straws, but my wife, due to a medical condition, has to, and the paper straws just don’t cut it. It would be better to make it a personal choice: offer customers plastic or paper.

Andy Wang, contributor, Food & Wine: Staying at the NoMad hotel on a Sunday or Monday is a bummer because the NoMad restaurant isn’t open those days.

Krista Diamond, Eater Vegas contributor: CNF charges on the Strip.

Rob Kachelriess, Las Vegas writer, Thrillist: The lack of validated parking for locals on the Strip. It’s keeping people away.

Philip Tzeng, food blogger LasVegasFill: No straws given or ones that had erectile dysfunction. I feel awkward like I belched out loud when I ask the bartender for a straw. They should all do metal, I guess.

Susan Stapleton, editor of Eater Vegas: A lot have been mentioned: paper or no straw (Nevada shouldn’t be a mommy state) and CNF charges (why on earth would anyone eat or drink at these places?).

• Remembering the Biggest Dining Surprises of 2019 [ELV]

• Friends of Eater Pick 2019’s Best Dining Neighborhood [ELV]

• The Biggest Stories on Eater Vegas in 2019 [ELV]

• Las Vegas Dining Experts Sum Up the 2019 Restaurant Scene in One Word [ELV]

• The Best New Restaurants of 2019 in Las Vegas, According to the Experts [ELV]

• Where Las Vegas Food Writers Loved to Eat in 2019 [ELV]

• The 23 Most Important Las Vegas Restaurant Openings of 2019 [ELV]

• All Coverage of the Year in Eater [ELV]