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Fish tacos on the Jalisco, Mexico-inspired Durango Taco Shop menu.
Durango Taco Shop
Durango Taco Shop

18 Great Restaurants to Try Near UNLV

Grab a bite to eat close to campus

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Durango Taco Shop
| Durango Taco Shop

Only about 10 percent of UNLV students live on campus, which poses specific challenges for students who commute daily to school and don’t have a dorm to dash back to throughout the day. The Las Vegas university, which can often feel as transient as the city it belongs to, is located fairly centrally and within walking distance of all the cuisines college students most need: caffeine, hangover food, and late-night happy hour. From sandwiches that fuel study sessions to after-class happy hours, here’s where to eat near UNLV.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Sakana Sushi

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For students with appetites big enough to power through hours of lectures, Sakana Sushi has an all-you-can-eat menu of fresh nigiri and dozens of rolls. The cherry blossom-adorned dining room is decorated just enough to feel special — while the $29.95 price tag makes it a more affordable price for sushi among college kids. Choose from classic rolls such as spicy tuna or go for deep-fried rolls, tempura rolls, baked rolls, or spicy rolls.

Platters containing sashimi and nigiri
Sakana Suhi
Sakana Sushi/Facebook

Itea Boba & Dessert

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Located on East Flamingo Road, Itea is an easy stop for students who want to pick up a boba tea before class. For those who can spare more than a quick stop in, Itea also serves Hong Kong-style egg waffles topped with ice cream, plus taiyaki and honey toast. One specialty here is the mousses dessert shaped like sleeping bears and brown puppies — nearly too cute to eat.

Bright restaurant interior with chalkboard paint
Itea Boba & Dessert
Itea Boba & Dessert/Facebook

Yama Sushi

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Yama has locations in Chinatown and on the Strip, but Yama on Flamingo Road at Maryland Parkway is an easy commute from UNLV. All-You-Can-Eat sushi starts at $25.95 for lunch and that includes a full menu of appetizers, nigiri, rolls, soup, and dessert.

White plates with sushi dishes
Yama Sushi
Yama Sushi/Facebook

Lotus of Siam

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One of the best Thai restaurants in America sits less than a mile from UNLV. The acclaimed Lotus of Siam, which is often associated with Anthony Bourdain thanks to an appearance on Parts Unknown, is known for its northern Thai fare and its impressive wine list. Popular items include kang ka noon (jackfruit curry) and nam prik ong (red chili dip).

Lotus of Siam
Lotus of Siam
Amelinda B Lee

Durango Taco Shop

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Open until 10 p.m., this taco shop near campus serves hard shell and soft shell tacos with fillings such as carne asada, birria, al pastor, and fried tilapia. Go for an order of quesabirria tacos, with crispy tortillas stuffed with marinated meet and complimented with a cup of consomme. Also on the menu are burritos, carne asada fries, nachos, enchiladas, and chile relleno.

Plate of tacos
Durango Taco Shop
Durango Taco Shop/Facebook

Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant

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For students undertaking an all-night study sesh, this local diner is open 24 hours. Bring your books with you up and get some nourishment with pancakes, chicken and waffles, and omelets — and lots of mugs of hot diner coffee.

Gangnam Asian BBQ Dining

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Gangnam Asian BBQ Dining offers Korean barbecue in a lively setting ideal for groups. Order a la carte to share portions of dumplings and spicy garlic edamame and select filet mignon, short rib, and pork belly for grilling over the in-table grill. Or choose one of the combinations — which comes out to about $30 a person — and allow your server to swarm your table with small plates of banchan, salads, and various meats ready for grilling.

Asian barbecue alongside beer
Gangnam Asian BBQ Dining
Gangnam Asian BBQ Dining/Facebook

Ferraro's Ristorante

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This family-run Italian restaurant has been in town since 1985. Down the street from UNLV, you can order take-out for bringing your spaghetti carbonara or pesto gnocchi back to campus, or make a visit after classes for happy hour. With a sizeable dining room, multiple private rooms, and one of the largest wine collections in Las Vegas, it’s a safe bet for group outings and family visits.

Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas

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Hofbrauhaus is a Vegas institution for Bavarian beer and food. An indoor beer garden serves as a festive place to enjoy Oktoberfest or celebrate the end of the school year with imported beer, giant pretzels, schnitzel, and veal sausage. And if you have something to celebrate, the long tables can accommodate nearly any size of group. If you order your shots on a wooden paddle, be prepared to be bent over that table and spanked with it.

Bavarian pretzels
Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas
Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas/Facebook

Cugino's Italian Deli & Pizzeria

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For a quick pasta fix, this casual Italian restaurant can pack up all its sandwiches, pizza, and pasta available for take-out. Find Italian classics like baked ziti, hot sandwiches like meatball parmigiana on crusty bread, and a variety of flavorful New York-style pizzas. On your lunch break, stop in for a lunch special for around $11,

Chao Thai Restaurant

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On a rare cold day in Las Vegas, the cozy dining room at Chao Thai offers relief from the biting desert wind. So does the red curry, made with bell pepper, basil, and coconut milk, and a choice of chicken, pork, tofu, beef, shrimp, or vegetables. Chao Thai is also a great option for a cheap sit-down lunch, with specials around $9. In keeping with most students’s schedules, it is not open on Saturday and Sunday.

Red curry in white bowl
Chao Thai Restaurant
Chao Thai Restaurant/Facebook

Cheba Hut Toasted Subs

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The much-loved Cheba Hut chain has three locations in Las Vegas including one just steps from the UNLV campus. Diners can order the restaurant’s famous toasted subs including the spicy Jamaican red sub made with chicken breast and jalapeno, the AK-47 French dip loaded with roast beef and mushrooms, and the classic peanut butter and jelly. Also on the menu are the signature Goo Balls — rice cereal rolled and baked with peanut butter, honey, and cocoa.

Open faced toasted sandwich
Cheba Hut Toasted Subs
Cheba Hut Toasted Subs/Facebook

SOHO Sushi Burritos

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Located inside the Student Union, this Las Vegas sushi chain serves Japanese-Mexican rolls on either seaweed or tortillas. Select your fillings from a selection of grilled steak or raw fish, and myriad veggies and sauces. Or go with a signature roll like the Twin Dragon with spicy ahi tuna, crab, shrimp tempura, cucumber, guacamole, wonton strips, and chipotle mayo. Or build your own roll of poke bowl.

The counter at Soho Sushi Burrito
Soho Sushi Burrito
Soho Sushi Burrito

The Modern Vegan

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Plant-based diners can get their fill of vegan fare at the Modern Vegan, a trendy, brightly lit destination for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With vegan Buffalo ranch chicken wraps, cheesy fries, and vegan burgers loaded with pesto and avocado, the Modern Vegan specializes in comfort food meals and hangover fare. And it’s open until 10 p.m. for grabbing cocktails, beer, and kombucha.

Vegan buffalo ranch chicken wrap
The Modern Vegan
The Modern Vegan/Facebook

Angry Chickz

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Angry Chickz offers a roster of Nashville hot chicken near UNLV. Choose a heat level ranging from country with no heat to angry made with Carolina Reaper peppers, the hottest peppers known to man. Diners who choose that option have to sign a waiver. The restaurant calls its medium sauce “perfect heat.” Customers can order one of four combos with two sliders, hot chicken tenders on white bread, a slider, and a tender, or two tenders on buttery rice. Side options include angry fries, angry Mac and cheese, coleslaw, or additional sliders or tenders.

Fried chicken sliders, tenders with pickles on top, angry mac and cheese, coleslaw, and fries in a box.
Angry Chickz
Angry Chickz [Official Site]

Aloha Kitchen UNLV

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Inside Aloha Kitchen’s UNLV location, diners can order plate lunches of kahlua pig, katsu chicken, and mahi mahi with rice and macaroni salad. In the morning, this fast casual spot has breakfast items like banana pancakes and spam. Or you can stop in until 10 p.m. for fried rice omelets and beef stew.

Five Hawaiian dishes on white plates
Aloha Kitchen
Aloha Kitchen

Cupbop - Korean BBQ

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Place your order online and your Korean barbecue in a cup will be ready when you arrive. Cups are loaded with rice, cabbage, sweet potato noodles, a protein of choice, and sauce. The Rock Bop is made with spicy fried chicken. The Mandoo Bop has six pieces of mandoo, Korean-style pot stickers. Or try the Hot Bop with barbecue pork. And a student deal offers and medium bowl and soda for $12.

A collection of Korean barbecue beef, chicken pork and tofu dishes, now available at CupBop on Maryland Parkway.
CupBop
CupBop

Crown & Anchor British Pub

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UNLV students line up for burger and beer specials all day on Tuesdays at this British pub. Plus other days offer specials for pub quiz nights and sports games. This 24-hour bar and restaurant also serves expected British food like sausage rolls, Yorkshire pudding, fish and chips, bangers and mash, and 30 draft beers in traditional 20-ounce English pint glasses.

A white plate with fish and chips
Fish and chips at Crown & Anchor Pub
Crown & Anchor Pub/Facebook

Sakana Sushi

For students with appetites big enough to power through hours of lectures, Sakana Sushi has an all-you-can-eat menu of fresh nigiri and dozens of rolls. The cherry blossom-adorned dining room is decorated just enough to feel special — while the $29.95 price tag makes it a more affordable price for sushi among college kids. Choose from classic rolls such as spicy tuna or go for deep-fried rolls, tempura rolls, baked rolls, or spicy rolls.

Platters containing sashimi and nigiri
Sakana Suhi
Sakana Sushi/Facebook

Itea Boba & Dessert

Located on East Flamingo Road, Itea is an easy stop for students who want to pick up a boba tea before class. For those who can spare more than a quick stop in, Itea also serves Hong Kong-style egg waffles topped with ice cream, plus taiyaki and honey toast. One specialty here is the mousses dessert shaped like sleeping bears and brown puppies — nearly too cute to eat.

Bright restaurant interior with chalkboard paint
Itea Boba & Dessert
Itea Boba & Dessert/Facebook

Yama Sushi

Yama has locations in Chinatown and on the Strip, but Yama on Flamingo Road at Maryland Parkway is an easy commute from UNLV. All-You-Can-Eat sushi starts at $25.95 for lunch and that includes a full menu of appetizers, nigiri, rolls, soup, and dessert.

White plates with sushi dishes
Yama Sushi
Yama Sushi/Facebook

Lotus of Siam

One of the best Thai restaurants in America sits less than a mile from UNLV. The acclaimed Lotus of Siam, which is often associated with Anthony Bourdain thanks to an appearance on Parts Unknown, is known for its northern Thai fare and its impressive wine list. Popular items include kang ka noon (jackfruit curry) and nam prik ong (red chili dip).

Lotus of Siam
Lotus of Siam
Amelinda B Lee

Durango Taco Shop

Open until 10 p.m., this taco shop near campus serves hard shell and soft shell tacos with fillings such as carne asada, birria, al pastor, and fried tilapia. Go for an order of quesabirria tacos, with crispy tortillas stuffed with marinated meet and complimented with a cup of consomme. Also on the menu are burritos, carne asada fries, nachos, enchiladas, and chile relleno.

Plate of tacos
Durango Taco Shop
Durango Taco Shop/Facebook

Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant

For students undertaking an all-night study sesh, this local diner is open 24 hours. Bring your books with you up and get some nourishment with pancakes, chicken and waffles, and omelets — and lots of mugs of hot diner coffee.

Gangnam Asian BBQ Dining

Gangnam Asian BBQ Dining offers Korean barbecue in a lively setting ideal for groups. Order a la carte to share portions of dumplings and spicy garlic edamame and select filet mignon, short rib, and pork belly for grilling over the in-table grill. Or choose one of the combinations — which comes out to about $30 a person — and allow your server to swarm your table with small plates of banchan, salads, and various meats ready for grilling.

Asian barbecue alongside beer
Gangnam Asian BBQ Dining
Gangnam Asian BBQ Dining/Facebook

Ferraro's Ristorante

This family-run Italian restaurant has been in town since 1985. Down the street from UNLV, you can order take-out for bringing your spaghetti carbonara or pesto gnocchi back to campus, or make a visit after classes for happy hour. With a sizeable dining room, multiple private rooms, and one of the largest wine collections in Las Vegas, it’s a safe bet for group outings and family visits.

Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas

Hofbrauhaus is a Vegas institution for Bavarian beer and food. An indoor beer garden serves as a festive place to enjoy Oktoberfest or celebrate the end of the school year with imported beer, giant pretzels, schnitzel, and veal sausage. And if you have something to celebrate, the long tables can accommodate nearly any size of group. If you order your shots on a wooden paddle, be prepared to be bent over that table and spanked with it.

Bavarian pretzels
Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas
Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas/Facebook

Cugino's Italian Deli & Pizzeria

For a quick pasta fix, this casual Italian restaurant can pack up all its sandwiches, pizza, and pasta available for take-out. Find Italian classics like baked ziti, hot sandwiches like meatball parmigiana on crusty bread, and a variety of flavorful New York-style pizzas. On your lunch break, stop in for a lunch special for around $11,

Chao Thai Restaurant

On a rare cold day in Las Vegas, the cozy dining room at Chao Thai offers relief from the biting desert wind. So does the red curry, made with bell pepper, basil, and coconut milk, and a choice of chicken, pork, tofu, beef, shrimp, or vegetables. Chao Thai is also a great option for a cheap sit-down lunch, with specials around $9. In keeping with most students’s schedules, it is not open on Saturday and Sunday.

Red curry in white bowl
Chao Thai Restaurant
Chao Thai Restaurant/Facebook

Cheba Hut Toasted Subs

The much-loved Cheba Hut chain has three locations in Las Vegas including one just steps from the UNLV campus. Diners can order the restaurant’s famous toasted subs including the spicy Jamaican red sub made with chicken breast and jalapeno, the AK-47 French dip loaded with roast beef and mushrooms, and the classic peanut butter and jelly. Also on the menu are the signature Goo Balls — rice cereal rolled and baked with peanut butter, honey, and cocoa.

Open faced toasted sandwich
Cheba Hut Toasted Subs
Cheba Hut Toasted Subs/Facebook

SOHO Sushi Burritos

Located inside the Student Union, this Las Vegas sushi chain serves Japanese-Mexican rolls on either seaweed or tortillas. Select your fillings from a selection of grilled steak or raw fish, and myriad veggies and sauces. Or go with a signature roll like the Twin Dragon with spicy ahi tuna, crab, shrimp tempura, cucumber, guacamole, wonton strips, and chipotle mayo. Or build your own roll of poke bowl.

The counter at Soho Sushi Burrito
Soho Sushi Burrito
Soho Sushi Burrito

The Modern Vegan

Plant-based diners can get their fill of vegan fare at the Modern Vegan, a trendy, brightly lit destination for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With vegan Buffalo ranch chicken wraps, cheesy fries, and vegan burgers loaded with pesto and avocado, the Modern Vegan specializes in comfort food meals and hangover fare. And it’s open until 10 p.m. for grabbing cocktails, beer, and kombucha.

Vegan buffalo ranch chicken wrap
The Modern Vegan
The Modern Vegan/Facebook

Angry Chickz

Angry Chickz offers a roster of Nashville hot chicken near UNLV. Choose a heat level ranging from country with no heat to angry made with Carolina Reaper peppers, the hottest peppers known to man. Diners who choose that option have to sign a waiver. The restaurant calls its medium sauce “perfect heat.” Customers can order one of four combos with two sliders, hot chicken tenders on white bread, a slider, and a tender, or two tenders on buttery rice. Side options include angry fries, angry Mac and cheese, coleslaw, or additional sliders or tenders.

Fried chicken sliders, tenders with pickles on top, angry mac and cheese, coleslaw, and fries in a box.
Angry Chickz
Angry Chickz [Official Site]

Related Maps

Aloha Kitchen UNLV

Inside Aloha Kitchen’s UNLV location, diners can order plate lunches of kahlua pig, katsu chicken, and mahi mahi with rice and macaroni salad. In the morning, this fast casual spot has breakfast items like banana pancakes and spam. Or you can stop in until 10 p.m. for fried rice omelets and beef stew.

Five Hawaiian dishes on white plates
Aloha Kitchen
Aloha Kitchen

Cupbop - Korean BBQ

Place your order online and your Korean barbecue in a cup will be ready when you arrive. Cups are loaded with rice, cabbage, sweet potato noodles, a protein of choice, and sauce. The Rock Bop is made with spicy fried chicken. The Mandoo Bop has six pieces of mandoo, Korean-style pot stickers. Or try the Hot Bop with barbecue pork. And a student deal offers and medium bowl and soda for $12.

A collection of Korean barbecue beef, chicken pork and tofu dishes, now available at CupBop on Maryland Parkway.
CupBop
CupBop

Crown & Anchor British Pub

UNLV students line up for burger and beer specials all day on Tuesdays at this British pub. Plus other days offer specials for pub quiz nights and sports games. This 24-hour bar and restaurant also serves expected British food like sausage rolls, Yorkshire pudding, fish and chips, bangers and mash, and 30 draft beers in traditional 20-ounce English pint glasses.

A white plate with fish and chips
Fish and chips at Crown & Anchor Pub
Crown & Anchor Pub/Facebook

Related Maps