Best Restaurants in Las Vegas Right Now
8 min read
Vegas has more restaurants per square mile than just about anywhere, and a stunning number of them are coasting on a famous name and a good view. I have spent years eating through the Strip, Chinatown, and the suburbs, and I have opinions that will save you a $400 dinner you regret.
This is not a list of places that paid for placement. These are the spots I actually book when friends fly in, organized by what you are in the mood for and what you are willing to spend.
Carbone at Aria: The Reservation Everyone Wants
Carbone is the hardest table on the Strip and it mostly earns it. The spicy rigatoni vodka is the dish that broke the internet, and yes, it lives up to the hype. The Caesar gets tossed at your table with theater that somehow does not feel cheesy.
This is an upper-tier splurge. Expect to drop serious money once you add the veal parm and a bottle of wine. Book exactly when the window opens or you are eating at 5pm or 10:30pm. Worth it once. Bring someone you want to impress.
Lotus of Siam: The Off-Strip Legend
If you only leave the Strip for one meal, make it Lotus of Siam. Northern Thai food that has won every award worth winning, and the prices are a fraction of what you pay inside a casino.
Order the nam khao tod (crispy rice salad), the khao soi, and anything off the Northern menu. The wine list is shockingly serious for a Thai spot. This is the meal locals send tourists to so they understand Vegas is more than buffets.
Esther's Kitchen: Where Locals Actually Eat
In the Arts District, Esther's does handmade pasta and wood-fired everything at a price that makes Strip Italian spots look insane. The bread program alone is worth the Uber.
Mid-tier pricing, no-pretense room, packed every night. Get the cacio e pepe, the meatballs, and a negroni. This is the answer when someone asks where the cool, non-touristy Vegas food scene lives.
Bavette's Steakhouse at Park MGM: The Steak Pick
I will fight people on this. Bavette's is the best steakhouse experience on the Strip right now. Dark, clubby, jazz playing, and a bone-in filet that ruins you for other steaks.
Top-tier prices but the value is real because the sides and the room deliver. Get the hot bread, the filet, and the spicy crab salad. Reservations are tough, so plan ahead.
Wing Lei and Mott 32: When You Want Showpiece Chinese
Wing Lei at Wynn was the first Chinese restaurant in North America to earn a Michelin star, and the Peking duck service is the kind of thing you remember. Mott 32 at The Venetian is the flashier, louder alternative with a stunning room and excellent dim sum.
Both are splurges. Wing Lei is more refined, Mott 32 is more of an event. Either way, order the duck and do not be shy about it.
The Overhyped Names I Skip
Some celebrity-chef outposts are coasting. A few of the long-running buffet-adjacent steak chains charge Strip prices for food you could get better off-Strip. I am not naming every one, but the rule holds: if the line is mostly tourists taking photos of the sign, lower your expectations.
When in doubt, the smaller, chef-driven rooms (Carbone, Bavette's, Esther's, Lotus) beat the giant trophy restaurants almost every time.
David X Las Vegas earns a commission on bookings made through this link, at no extra cost to you. It never changes my honest take.
Frequently asked
What is the single best restaurant in Las Vegas right now?
For a special occasion on the Strip, I send people to Carbone or Bavette's. For the best food overall regardless of glamour, Lotus of Siam off-Strip is hard to beat for the price.
Do I need reservations?
For Carbone, Bavette's, Wing Lei, and Mott 32, yes, and book the moment the window opens. Esther's and Lotus take walk-ins but expect a wait on weekends.
How far in advance should I book the hard reservations?
Carbone and Bavette's typically open their books a few weeks out and fill almost instantly. Set a reminder and book the second the window drops.
