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Herbs & Rye
Herbs & Rye

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Las Vegas

A guide to the best restaurants in Las Vegas for any dining option, featuring the return of rustic Italian fare, a reliable steakhouse standby, and the city’s best sushi

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Herbs & Rye
| Herbs & Rye

Welcome to the Eater 38, the answer to any question that begins, “Can you recommend a restaurant?” This group of essential restaurants covers the entire city, spans myriad cuisines and price points, and collectively satisfies all dining needs, from where to go for a reliable quick bite to the best splurge meal. Each quarter, the list is updated to include restaurants that have newly become eligible (restaurants must be open at least six months), those that have reshaped their approach in a significant way, and others that reflect the culinary dynamism that Vegas and its surrounding suburbs have to offer.

For the hottest restaurants that opened in the past six months in Las Vegas, readers can head over to the Eater Vegas Heatmap, updated monthly.

The update includes Arts District staple Esther’s Kitchen, underrated on-Strip restaurant The Steak House, downtown lunch spot Carson Kitchen, Marc Vetri’s reopened namesake Cucina, and industry favorite Herbs and Rye. Osteria Fiorella, SW Steakhouse, Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana, NoMad Library, and Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano are departing.
See something missing or want to add your favorite? Hit up the tipline.

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Carson Kitchen

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In a modern restaurant with an al fresco rooftop and a rock and roll sensibility reminiscent of its founder, the late celebrity chef Kerry Simon, this downtown restaurant shakes up the menu seasonally, exploring new ways to play with comfort foods. Reliable mainstays include a cast iron skillet filled with sweet and smoky bacon jam and a slice of melted Havarti, ready to be scooped onto toasted slices of baguette. Perfectly cubed bites of pork belly are standouts in a pool of ocher buffalo sauce. And you can’t go wrong with the signature appetizer of crispy chicken skins with smoky honey.

Honey Salt

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Honey Salt on the west side could pass for the dining room at restaurateur Elizabeth Blau and chef Kim Canteenwalla’s home with its comfort foods and relaxing decor. Known for its farm-to-table-inspired cooking, favorites here include the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and bacon grilled cheese for lunch and banana foster french toast with almond granola and chocolate pearls for brunch. Stop in during happy hour, when the chicken sandwich is available as a slider for $6. 

A basket of fried chicken next to a bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese and a bowl of cole slaw.
Fried chicken at Honey Salt
Honey Salt/

Tacos El Gordo

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If the lines outside Tacos El Gordo are any indication, the wildly popular tacos are still one of the can’t-miss experiences in Las Vegas. What the cafeteria-style restaurant lacks in ambiance, it more than makes up for in flavor. Each of the Tijuana-style tacos here is bursting with spice and texture. Arrive hungry and sample a few varieties, each about $3.50, by queueing separately for each kind of meat. In one line, order carne asada. In another, ask for extra pineapple to go with the al pastor. Mulas, with cheese melted between the taco’s two corn tortillas are also worth ordering. Bring cash for tipping both at the counter when orders are placed and when paying.

An array of tacos and drinks at Tacos El Gordo
Tacos El Gordo.
Tacos El Gordo

Esther's Kitchen

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Esther’s Kitchen was one of the first successful restaurants to debut in the Las Vegas Arts District, hailing a new era for the neighborhood as a culinary destination. The Italian restaurant, named for chef and restaurateur James Trees’ great aunt Esther, is small but cozy, a frequent haunt among locals. You have to pay for the bread here — and for good reason. Trees’ sourdough loaves are hearty and crusty, just right for slathering with spreads like basil ricotta and delightfully salty anchovy butter. But the real draw is the pasta. Take the butternut squash tortellini, tossed with brown butter and a hint of espresso for a richness that just works. In a dish of pasta al zucco, pumpkin-shaped noodles scoop up spicy bites of pork sausage and broccoli rabe.

A half-loaf of sourdough bread with ramekins of toppings.
Esther’s Kitchen
Esther’s Kitchen

Herbs and Rye

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With barely-there lighting, red and black damask wallpaper, and a bar stocked with a veritable century’s worth of cocktail fixins, Nectaly Mendoza’s off-Strip steakhouse and bar feels at once like both a romantic date spot and 1920s speakeasy. Whether dining at a table or at the bar, the move here is to order steak. Happy hour runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and after midnight — though sometimes it’s all-day, which means your steaks, pork chops, and spicy mussels are likely to be half-priced no matter when you stop in. The cocktail menu here is broken up by decade so you can start with something like a gin-based Martinez from the Gothic Age, follow up with a Hemingway daiquiri from the Prohibition era, and enjoy a painkiller from the tiki boom with dessert. 

Bazaar Meat by José Andrés

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José Andrés went all out with his steakhouse at Sahara Las Vegas with Candace Ochoa at the helm of the kitchen. A raw bar with ceviches and carpaccios and a fire stage with wood grills and rotisseries make Bazaar Meat more than a standard steakhouse. Fan-favorite dishes include the cotton candy foie gras, caviar flights, and Kobe beef (Bazaar is one of a handful of spots in Vegas that serve the real deal), which can be grilled on an ishiyaki stone at the table or served in a miniature airbread “sandwich” on the specials menu.

Austere pieces of Kobe beef cooking on a hot plate, tableside.
Kobe at Bazaar Meat.
Bazaar Meat

THE Steak House

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Despite The Steak House’s location within one of the least glamorous casinos on the Strip and its woefully uninspired name, The Steak House has endured as a popular restaurant in Las Vegas for more than 30 years — and rightfully so. Classic dishes include a stellar French onion soup, loaded with cheese and croutons and exceptionally prepared cuts of New York Strip, porterhouse, ribeye, filet mignon, and prime rib. The sweet smell of the mesquite grill wafts through the restaurant, as does the music of Frank Sinatra and his contemporaries. And with dark wood paneling, deep red banquettes, and the ambiance of the 54-year-old Circus Circus casino, it’s about as classic Vegas as it gets. 

Nicole Brisson, a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest, teamed up with Jason Rocheleau, an alum of Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, to open Brezza at Resorts World, an Eater Vegas 2022 Eater Award winner for Restaurant of the Year for its hand-made pasta, breezy dining room and fragrant pockets of cappellacci “oreganata.” The coastal Italian restaurant sits in the District, the 70,000-square-foot shopping center at the front of the resort facing Las Vegas Boulevard. The menu spans antipasti, fresh crudo, handmade pastas, and a Tuscan-style wood-fired grill, where sustainable seafood, dry-aged steaks, and  seasonal produce are all charred over white oak and olive branches.

A steak on a white plate and two cocktails
Dry-aged rib-eye steak, a classic Negroni, and mezcal Negroni at Brezza.
Louiie Victa/Eater Vegas

Peppermill Restaurant

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Every city needs a good diner, and the Peppermill with its neighboring Fireside Lounge, all wrapped in neon nostalgia on the north Strip, fulfills that need. The 14-page menu runs the gamut from omelets and French toast to burgers and steaks. And atmosphere is available in spades — from the mirrored walls to the indoor artificial trees to the shakers of pretty rainbow sprinkles available at every table. No trip here is complete without a trip to the Fireside Lounge with its kitschy fire pit, enormous cocktails with equally proportioned bendy straws, and electric pink, blue, and violet decor.

An omelet next to hash browns, on a white plate, next to orange juice.
An omelet at the Peppermill.
Peppermill

Edo Gastro Tapas & Wine

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Tucked behind a nondescript storefront in a Chinatown strip mall, Edo Tapas & Wine serves savory dishes inside a moody, chandelier-illumined dining room. Chef Oscar Amador Edo grew up in Barcelona, Spain and brings his own approach to tapas with hot and cold dishes, charcuterie, and a rotating tasting menu. Order a bikini, a pressed sandwich with sobrasada and Mahon cheese, as well as a 30-day dry-aged striploin carpaccio with puri bread, and “textures of artichokes,” an exploration of the vegetable done three ways. 

An artful plate of beef tartare with large rosemary sprigs and edible flowers. 
Washugyu beef tartare at Edo Gastro Tapas & Wine.
Edo Gastro Tapas & Wine/Eater Vegas

Mizumi at Wynn Las Vegas boasts Michelin star chops with Min Kim at the helm serving ocean-fresh sushi, sashimi, and modern Japanese specialties. The decadent room bedecked in red overlooks a 90-foot waterfall and Japanese gardens, with a separate teppanyaki experience. Some of Kim’s dishes include delicately seasoned sashimi plated with hand-cut leaves and edible flowers, certified Kobe beef seared tableside, and a yuzu and passionfruit souffle with elderflower. Request patio dining or, for a truly memorable night, a table on the floating pagoda.

Sushi on a platter
Mizumi’s sushi dishes.
Wynn Las Vegas

Delilah

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The long-awaited Delilah, the breathtaking supper club from H.Wood Group at Wynn Las Vegas, features a two-level space with lavish chandeliers, a fireplace, and entertainers dancing alongside a live jazz band. Executive chef Josh Smith’s take on refined American fare includes Wagyu beef Wellington, a reinvented — and high-end — chicken TV dinner, and Dover sole fish and chips with pommes soufflé. The decadence extends to the desserts, where a strawberry shortcake baked Alaska leads the way.

A sliced beef Wellington on an oval white plate with hands holding a slice in two knives
Wagyu beef Wellington at Delilah.
Bill Milne

Yui Edomae

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One of the most impressive sushi experiences in Chinatown starts at Yui Edomae. The edomae sushi restaurant from Chef Gen Mizoguchi, who changed the sushi game in Vegas when he opened his lauded Kabuto, features three sophisticated high-end omakase menus, ranging from $180 to $290. The omakase is prepared and served in a simple, intimate dining room where dishes of nigiri and sashimi — unburdened by sauces or heavy flavors — are the star. Standouts include uni nigiri with a dab of hand-grated wasabi, buttery bites of salmon and very very fatty tuna.

A spare-looking pair of plates holding six pieces of sushi, next to bowls holding salt and soy sauce.
Yui Edomae Sushi.
Yui Edomae Sushi

Aburiya Raku

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Every chef in town stops by Mitsuo Endo’s tiny restaurant in Chinatown for small-portioned Japanese robata dishes cooked over a charcoal grill. Diners can order a variety of items since most start at $3, or try the omakase with a flight of food chosen by the chef for $75 to $100. Inside the moody restaurant with sleek metallic details, order the agedashi tofu with salmon roe and a vinegary dipping sauce. The green tea soba noodles with poached egg and bonito flakes are texturally satisfying and the hot skewered yellowtail is seasoned in all the right ways.

A large piece of salmon on two skewers, with Ikura on a bed of rice
Salmon with Ikura Oroshi at Raku.
Raku

Bank Atcharawan, who previously opened Chada Thai and Wine and Chada Street, brings a new Thai restaurant and wine list to Spring Mountain Road. The Panang crispy duck is meaty, with crisp skin and a bath of curry bursting with galangal, ginger, lemongrass, kefir lime, and coriander root. The gang pu crab curry benefits from a liberal punch of heat, soothed by vermicelli noodles. Lamaii’s interior is cool and dark, but also sexy, with gray walls, cream-colored booths, and gold chandeliers and pendant lights above every table.

Gold chandeliers and pendant lights are suspended above wooden tables.
Lamaii.
Amelinda B Lee

FukuBurger

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Colin Fukunaga’s Japanese-influenced burgers, which gained something of a cult following when only available by food truck, now have a permanent home in Chinatown and in the southwest. Located in what used to be a Taco Bell (the 90s-style kind with the three archways), the counter-service restaurant has been retrofitted with a red and gray color palette and graphic stickers. Visitors should try the namesake FukuBurger, aka the “Lucky” burger, with an all-beef patty with American cheese topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, wasabi mayo, and fuku sauce.

A heavily-sauced burger on a piece of colorful paper
Buta Burger at FukuBurger.
Amelinda B Lee/Eater Vegas

Kabuto Edomae Sushi

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Tiny Kabuto in Chinatown serves sushi that blurs the lines between food and art. Inside the 22-seat restaurant, Chef Gen Mizoguchi made Edomae sushi, a style that highlights high-quality seafood served by the piece over vinegar-seasoned rice. Before leaving the restaurant in 2014, Mizoguchi built a reputation for Kabuto as one of the best sushi restaurants in the country. Both the omakase, and the venue, are modest — with the short interval between when a chef prepares a piece of nigiri and a guest eats it at the forefront. Reservations are a must to make sure you can grab a seat at the sushi bar and enjoy bites of fish, flown in daily from Tokyo Bay, still lightly warmed by your chef’s hands.

Two gray plates with sushi pieces.
Sashimi platter at Kabuto.
Kabuto Edomae Sushi

Partage

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Modern — and even modernist — French fare gets pride of place at Partage, a partnership from the French trio chef Yuri Szarzewski, pastry chef Vincent Pellerin, and manager Nicolas Kalpokdjian. Szarzewski’s three-, five-, and seven-course tasting menus rotate seasonally, but consistently offer dishes prepared with equal parts technique and whimsy. Duck breast is plated with vibrant yellow sweet potato puree, lobster carpaccio comes with a quenelle of icy mango sorbet, and high-pigment flavorful sauces color in the negative space between slices of white fish. 

A large piece of hamachi, topped with caviar and goldleaf, all sitting atop a white foam.
Hamachi marinated in kombu leaves at Partage.
Partage

Wing Lei

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Showstopping Cantonese, Shanghainese, and Sichuan dishes from chef Ming Yu pair with the elegant gold, white, and jade dining room inspired by a classic Chinese jewel box at Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas. Wing Lei, the first Chinese restaurant in North America to earn a Michelin star, features views of century-old pomegranate trees and serves must-order dishes such as Imperial Peking duck carved table side, mu shu pork, and wok-fried Maine lobster. 

A square white plate with a few pieces of Peking duck, one held aloft with chopsticks, in front of red roses. 
Peking duck at Wing Lei.
Jeff Green

Napal Baji Pub

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Stepping into this recent addition to Spring Mountain Road is like taking a step back in time to 1980s Korea, where neon lights reflect off the tiled tables, walls are covered in striped awnings and neon signs, and disco balls cast bright little reflections on shareable plates of bulgogi and pork belly. Inspired by small pubs and vintage Korean convenience stores, the lively atmosphere best accommodates larger groups looking for good food and a late-night atmosphere. For the table, start with the tteokbokki, rice cakes served in a fiery gochujang sauce with noodles and dumplings; add an order of the cheese dak galbi with stir-fried chicken and sweet potato. If you’re sticking around until the DJ comes on, go with flavored soju or canned Terra beer. On July 14, the name switches over to Napal Baji BBQ and will include an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue option.

A cheesy and crunchy Korean street-food inspired dish, at Napal Baji Pub.
A cheesy and crunchy Korean street-food inspired dish, at Napal Baji Pub.
Napal Baji

La Strega

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Chef Gina Marinelli’s Eater Award-winning restaurant in Summerlin, La Strega, brings an ever-changing menu of dishes from across Italy. Marinelli draws on traditions she learned from her grandparents, who hail from Lake Como and Sicily. The Peruvian Bay scallops are deftly seared and plated with smoky pearls of trout roe while the bucatini is perfectly balanced with spicy jalapeno pesto and sweet kernels of corn. Complete with a dining room and lounge decked in sage and clay color tones and mid-century modern-style lamps, it’s the ideal spot to dine out in Summerlin.

A plate of small seared scallops, alongside roe and edible flower petals.
Peruvian scallops with truffle aioli at La Strega.
La Strega

Mott 32

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The eye-catching Mott 32, designed by Joyce Wang, is a Chinese restaurant with Hong Kong roots that features a mix of Cantonese, Sichuan, and Beijing influences on its roster of Chinese dishes at the Palazzo. The dining room features works from Hong Kong artist Joe Joe Ngai that include Chinese characters and birds, a portrait of Anna Wong, considered to be the first Hong Kong-Chinese American Hollywood movie star, and a dash of Las Vegas neon. The menu, from James Beard Foundation semifinalist Alan Ji, includes Peking-style spicy crispy duck rack, impossibly flavorful soup dumplings, crispy roasted pork belly, and plenty of dim sum standouts.

A whole roasted duck on a white plate with bamboo steamers on either side.
Roasted Peking duck at Mott 32.
Venetian

Other Mama

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A killer raw bar and innovative cocktails greet diners at Other Mama on the west side across from Desert Breeze Park. The tight menu includes oyster specials, ceviches and sushi, and larger options like Japanese fried chicken, miso ribs, and kimchi fried rice, all served in a low-key setting with a bar overlooking the cooking action. The industry favorite restaurant offers a fairly modest interior, but the deviled eggs topped with crispy oysters and French toast caviar do all the heavy lifting.

Grilled octopus in a white bowl with a blue towel and wood table under.
Grilled octopus at Other Mama.
Louiie Victa/Eater Vegas

Estiatorio Milos

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Costas Spiliadis’ Greek restaurant re-emerged on the Las Vegas Strip last year, opening with its signature fish market display, open kitchen, and yogurt room at the Venetian Resort. Estiatorio Milos flies in its fish daily from the Mediterranean and presents them on ice for patrons to choose from. Selections are usually prepared one of three ways: baked whole in sea salt, charcoal-grilled with olive oil, lemon juice, and capers, or served sashimi-style. The result is a practice in simplicity, with flaky, tender pieces of fish intermingled with salt and citrus.

A whole fish, baked in sea salt, at Estiatorio Milos.
Estiatorio Milos
Cosmopolitan

Ping Pang Pong

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The Gold Coast’s Ping Pang Pong is the gold standard for dim sum by day and Cantonese dishes by night. More than 80 dim sum dishes — spanning from a mango lobster and scallop roll to an aromatic bun with southern Canton five-spice duck — wheel through the dining room steamed, fried, or grilled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. By night, smoked orange rib-eye steak cubes seared with peppercorn and toasted garlic and a Macanese crustacean claypot with a ginger laksa curry broth make the menu until 3 a.m. A Chinese pergola, Chinese lanterns overhead, and a host stand made from a Chinese apothecary cabinet add to the ambiance. Expect a wait or make a reservation in advance.

A selection of dumplings on small square plates, next to a teapot and a full cup of tea.
Dim sum at Ping Pang Pong.
Boyd Gaming

Restaurant Guy Savoy

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Though the aesthetic is more modern and there is a kitschy view of Vegas’s Eiffel Tower, the cuisine at Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace is identical to its Parisian counterpart. The most traditional — and pricey — presentations of French cooking are found here; the restaurant’s cellar contains more wine than the rest of the hotel combined. Must-orders include the artichoke soup with black truffles and Colors of Caviar arranged with caviar gelée at the bottom, a caviar cream in the middle and, on the top, pure caviar. Leave plenty of room for the bread cart.

A circle of lobster and a collection of small bites of vegetables on a cracker.
Restaurant Guy Savoy.
Restaurant Guy Savoy

Lotus of Siam

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Revered Lotus of Siam serves chef and owner Saipan Chutima’s northern Thai cuisine, including a menu of Thai-style stews and coconut-less curries, all served with a spice level of 1 to 10. Diners should start with nam-prik-ong, a red chili dip, then try a roasted duck curry, garlic prawns, or thum-ka-noon with its mix of pork, jackfruit, tomato, and spices. The exceptional wine menu of sweet Gewürztraminers and Rieslings cut the heat. 

A soup, a noodle dish, and a bowl of rice on a basic wooden table.
Northern Thai dishes from Lotus of Siam.
Lotus of Siam

Vetri Cucina Las Vegas

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Following a two-year hiatus, chef Marc Vetri’s Vetri Cucina is again open atop the Palms Casino. It’s hard to rival the view that looks out over the Las Vegas Strip from the main dining room, but Vetri does so with just-made pastas like a silky chestnut fettuccine with boar ragu and cocoa, and entrees like supple roasted hen married with prosciutto and foie gras. The restaurant is small — just 75 seats — but charming and sunfilled, just right for dining on rustic Italian while live music plays.

Vetri Cucina
Vetri Cucina
Vetri Cucina

Spago by Wolfgang Puck

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Spago originally opened in 1992 and ushered in a new era of dining in Las Vegas with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck at the helm. This revamped version at the Bellagio features California fare with views that practically touch the Fountains at Bellagio. Housemade campanelle with pork ragout join miso-marinated salmon with yuzu butter on the menu. While diners at every seat in the house have their own views of the fountains, request a seat on the covered patio for a front-row show.

Miso-glazed salmon on a gray plate
Miso-glazed salmon at Spago.
MGM Resorts

Momofuku

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Don’t go to David Chang’s Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas because it has the famous chef’s name on the menu. Go instead for the Korean-influenced dishes such as spicy cucumbers, Hawaiian kampachi, fluke tartare, and ginger scallion noodles. Grab a group of friends to order the heritage pork chop or short rib kimchi stew. The cocktails are just as impressive as the food, all served in a space with stunning graphic art, knitted lighting installations, and graffiti messaging on the walls.

A spread of meaty main dishes with accouterments and drinks.
Momofuku.
Momofuku

é by José Andrés

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While José Andrés finally brought his divine tapas and paellas to Vegas, it’s é by José Andrés inside Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan that stands out for its creative tasting menu set before a vibrant red backdrop. Diners must make reservations far in advance to nab one of the eight seats for this exclusive multi-course meal. The menu, assembled in front of customers with tweezers and dry ice, changes constantly; one night may include scallop with black truffle, the next a literal bag of wild mushrooms, and another may feature foie gras encased in a cotton candy dumpling, a sprinkle doughnut or a slice of Wonder Bread.

A plaster hand holds a cotton candy at é by José Andrés
é by José Andrés.
Cosmopolitan

Bardot Brasserie

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Michael Mina’s French bistro inside Aria serves comfort food including loup de mer and black cod bouillabaisse in a handsome room with subway tiles and rich woods. Even the cocktails here tout the eccentricities of Paris, paying homage to the classics such as the Sidecar from Harry’s Bar and Serendipity from Bar Hemingway, all with their own twists. Brunch here — with dishes like garlicky escargot and croque madame — is also a must.

A spread of dishes, including a burger and baguette, at Bardot Brasserie
Bardot Brasserie
Bardot Brasserie

Carbone

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The Aria location of the decadent Italian-American restaurant Carbone features captains serving dishes tableside and seductive red velvet booths set in a circle so everyone has a view of the dining room drama. Lobster fra diavolo, chicken scarpariello, veal Parmesan, and spicy rigatoni are just some of the folkloric dishes here, but octopus pizzaiolo and pickled cauliflower are worth considering. Daring diners can put themselves in the captain’s hands ​​— that is, if money is no object.

A closeup of a seafood dish in a white bowl
Carbone.
MGM Resorts

Best Friend

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Los Angeles-based celeb chef Roy Choi opened his first Las Vegas restaurant at Park MGM with a uniquely LA-style speakeasy gimmick directly off the casino floor. Diners who meander through a small convenience store will find themselves in a Korean barbecue joint that includes dishes from across Choi’s restaurants group, while paying tribute to both Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Diego Echavarria — executive chef at Choi’s former dining outlets at the Line Hotel in Los Angeles — developed the menu. Start with the kogi short rib tacos and don’t skip the uni dynamite rice.

Saucy shrimp, covered in edible flowers, in a white dish
Slippery shrimp at Best Friend.
Audrey Ma