There’s more to Vegas than nightclubs and the like. Vegas has some really amazing restaurants. Our favorite hotel to recommend is Wynn Tower Suites (though the non-tower suite side is our second choice), and one of our top restaurant is located in the same hotel: Wing Lei. For the best lunch, cure your late night drinking with a healthy Greek feast at Milo’s (Vegas is our top location from this restaurant group), and don’t forget to nurse your hangover at Icebar at The Linq.
Can’t get enough of the party? Check out our Miami Guide.
Don’t know what to pack? Here’s Jess’s Packing List.
Top Restaurants
Overall: Highly Consider
Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 8.5/10 Food: 9/10 Beverage Program: 8/10
Our favorite luxury Chinese restaurant in Vegas is located in the Wynn hotel and offers some of the best cuisine and service around. If you are looking for one nice dinner in Vegas with a focus on good food- this is it (keep in mind they are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Do not miss the appetizers- especially the well-above-average spring rolls and potstickers (served on their own individual tiny hammocks). The peking duck is 95% hit, 5% miss, but we’ll take those odds any day. Weekends do get very busy. You can bring your own wine for a corkage fee, and definitely reserve in advance. The best table is the one closest to the dragon and seats 6.
Overall: Highly Consider
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 8.5/10 Food: 9/10 Wine: 8.5/10
While we both love this restaurant located in The Venetian (especially for a long lunch)- this is Jess’s #1 in Vegas (Gio’s might be Javier’s). Go for the healthy, Mediterranean fare in an upscale setting with hospitality to match. Our favorite fish (which you can pick from yourself from) is the Fagri- a type of snapper- prepared with salt crust and a side of fresh veggies. Hummus and tzatziki plus the stack of zucchini and eggplant is not to be missed. Do not rush this lunch- sit back and enjoy. Ask the somm for a nice Greek assyrtiko that is (specifiacally) not too acidic- for a perfect white wine pairing (and say hello for us). Good for groups of any size, especially for a high-end lunch.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 9/10 Beverage: 8/10
This Vegas outpost of the famous Orange County upscale Mexican restaurant is Gio’s must-do Vegas lunch, located in the Aria hotel. It gets busy- so either go early to snag bar seats or make a reservation to be safe. Must orders: Chile Verde & Camarones con Rajas. If you don’t put the rice in the extra sauce on the camarones, we will judge your culinary tastes poorly. The beans are also worth a taste or 10.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Food: 8.5/10 Beverage: 8/10
This is our Vegas Italian recommendation- and, yes, we know you are thinking that there are better places (Carbone & the like) but our vote is for Sinatra at the Wynn. This is the least annoying place in a great location- and the last time we went the food was 10/10 (we have been many times, but we will definitely have to up the food rating if it is as good next time). We highly recommend the veal parmigiana, and if you are going to have good Italian dessert anywhere- this is the place. The bar gets very busy, and it seems the bartenders hold spots for locals, so definitely make a reservation. We have always sat at a table here and it is good for groups.
Top Bars
Overall: Consider
Service: 5/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Bar Program: 7/10
Reservations are close to mandatory for this jazz bar/supper club hybrid and they will likely try to make you commit to dinner to secure a table- we recommend that you don’t… but the chicken tenders are your best bet, if you do. Jess likes Delilah because it’s more of a scene than your typical bar, but way chiller than a nightclub. Gio does not usually like it here, but he highly recommends stopping for a drink after dinner at Wing-Lei next door. This is one of the more popular spots in Vegas, so it can either be fun or annoying depending on the crowd.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Bar Program: 7/10
Call us old all you want, but if you know we are in Vegas- this is where you will find us. This dueling piano bar is one of our all time favorites and highly dependent on the crowd, but always a good pre- or post-dinner drink spot.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 6/10 Atmosphere: 8.5/10 Bar Program: 6/10
Perfect stop on a boiling hot day in Vegas, if you ask us! This literally frozen bar feels like stepping into a bear’s igloo, and we can vouch that this has cured hangovers.
Overall: Consider
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Bar Program: 7/10
Also known as The Dorsey, this Venetian hotel cocktail lounge is our favorite place to spend an afternoon when the weather outside keeps us away from the pools. If you’re in a large group, we recommend getting a table over by the bookshelves.
More Restaurants & Bars...
Overall: Worth A Visit
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 7.5/10
While this is absolutely our favorite Carbone location, we are a little tired of Carbone and prefer going to Sinatra’s during our Vegas stays. Still, it is worth going to- especially if you have never visited Carbone. Reservations mandatory- book them early. The spicy rigatoni is as good as everyone says it is.
Overall: Worth Going Off-Strip For
Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 8/10 Beverage Program: 7/10
While we don’t plan on going off-strip that often, we might actually go very intentionally in the future to go back to Raku- a strip mall bar/tapas joint with some of the best jamon iberico and even better service. It’s trendy, it is small, it is clean, it’s fun. We accidentally found this place when we arrived way too early for omakase next door (see Kabuto Edomae in ‘notable places’ below), so we only tried the iberico and a few delicious snacks. But we also went back after because the bar staff was so fun. One day, we should probably go back for a full dinner. They are open late, and they have Guinness on draft… so… I mean…
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7.5/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 7.5/10 Beverage Program: 8/10
Great for a late lunch, Cirpiani in the Wynn Shops is a stop we certainly recommend and usually visit once per trip for a casual lunch. We have not needed reservations when we visited in the past. Nothing quite beats a Vegas hangover like an Aperol Spritz and deep fried zucchini chips- just make sure not to look at the moving ocean through the “windows”.
Overall: Definitely Recommend
Not reviewing
We don’t think it would be fair to review these restaurants, because we haven’t been since before Covid- however, we definitely recommend both of these spots. The main Joel Robuchon offers our favorite fine dining experience in Vegas and lives up to what you would expect from this highly-acclaimed French chef. L’Atelier is next door and offers similarly thoughtful food in a more casual (yet dark and moody) bistro atmosphere. We will have to return for proper ratings!
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7.5/10 Atmosphere: 5.5/10 Food: 7/10 Beverage Program: NA
This is definitely an old school place and is certainly not known for having a younger crowd. The caviar pasta is really good, and this is worth a visit if you want a solid place to relax with nice service. We did not look at the wine list during our dinner, so we can’t rate it.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 7/10 Beverage Program: 6/10
The perfect lunch spot if you can’t decide which type of asian food you want- Mizumi offers sushi, Thai and Chinese in a comfortable location wedged between Encore and Wynn.
Overall: Depends…
Service: 6.5/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 7.5/10 Beverage Program: 7/10
If we were to rate our favorite Nobus around the world (#1 is Malibu, #2 is Cabo), Nobu Vegas wouldn’t come close to the top of the list. Still, it is a Nobu, so the food is solid and we recommend stopping by if you are in Vegas for a while.
Overall: Worth a Visit
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 7.5/10 Beverage Program: 6/10
For casual Chinese food (we recommend lunch), Red8 is a solid stop. Make sure to order the pea shoots if they have them.
This is mostly included for our friends out there that go to places like E11even in Miami. This is a pool party at Sapphire, and if you like pool parties and you like Vegas clubs, this is worth looking into because you can get a cabana and lounge out (shockingly, yes you can relax, but you can also make it a party for large groups), for next to nothing. It’s oddly quite chill and comfortable.
Overall: Depends…
Not rated
For larger groups and more of a party atmosphere, we do recommend having dinner at Tao and doing the seasonal brunch at Lavo (especially if you enjoy dancing on tables after eating). Marquee is the definition of a nightclub- and we recommend the cabanas at their summer pool parties.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 7/10 Beverage Program: 7/10
We often stop by here to get our sushi fix in Vegas. It is chill, comfortable, and the food is overall good though not highly memorable.
Overall: Depends…
Not reviewing
Depending on the night, XS can be really fun. While we aren’t really club people, this has turned out to be our nightclub of choice when in Vegas. Make sure to contact a promoter ahead of time to avoid the lines.
Hotels
While we almost always stay at the Wynn, we have stayed at Aria before and do recommend it (especially because Javier’s is located downstairs). However, we don’t really love the overall vibe as much as we do the Wynn (it seems less high-end and is usually much more crowded).
This is one of the newest (if not the newest) luxury hotels on the Las Vegas strip. With that comes some hits and misses. The rooms are decent (but the pillows are the worst of all time). The spa is incredible (but the massages themselves are not the best). The pool is sunny (but very windy and, really, very sunny). And the restaurants are good (but quiet- here’s looking at you Kyu). This seems like a good business hotel, but it’s also nice because it’s new and doesn’t smell like smoke. The bar to your right when you first enter the lobby and before the elevators is great – ask for Sahil and say hello for us.
We really enjoyed our last stay at The Palazzo and would likely stay here the next time Wynn is too busy or booked out. There are tons of pools and it is in a great central location on the strip.
The Wynn is our top hotel choice because the design feels a little higher end and the location is perfect for our favorite restaurants. We have found that it is not as smokey as other hotels, which is also really important to us. And the service is great (though it should be mentioned that if you want late night room service it can take forever).
This is our preferred location within the Wynn hotel, and the Tower Suites are nicer than the standard Wynn rooms (though we still very happily stay at the Wynn). The biggest perks of staying at the Tower Suites over the standard Wynn rooms includes is the ease of the check-in process, the less-busy elevators, and the higher quality rooms (though they truthfully are only slightly better). Room service is also faster. The bar at the base of the Tower Suites is a great spot, but it does get very busy. There is a separate pool area (no bar) for Tower Suites guests which only seems important when the Wynn is super busy.
Resorts World is worth mentioning- we visited the property shortly after opening and ran into a couple people who weren’t too happy with their stay. However, it might be worth checking out now that it’s been open a while. Neither of us have ever stayed at The Cosmopolitan without crossing paths with someone throwing up. And it is worth mentioning that while we have not stayed at the Nobu Hotel, we have heard some pretty bad things and do not want to recommend it to friends (though we highly recommend the Nobu Hotel in Cabo).
Tourism & Travel Notes
This interactive show Atomic Saloon is a fun adult night-time act that combines circus performances, cabaret, and a lot of other random things. Do not volunteer for the sword activity- Jess did this believing it was a simple magic show and had to literally pull a sword out of a man’s throat on stage. Point is: we recommend going, but highly do not recommend volunteering. Hide.
Ubers are the way to go, and taxis are usually fine. If both are taking too long, you can usually pay the hotel for one of their house cars or limos at the last minute. House cars are the best airport transfer, Ubers a close second.
Notable Places Visited & Not Reviewed
Capo Italian: Quite gimmicky and off-strip, this Italian spot does offer good live music and garlic bread. Good for families & grandparents. Do bring your own wine. Durango Hotel: This off-strip hotel is very clean and new, and we would recommend it for those looking to stay on property and never venture out. Joe’s Seafood at Caesars: Pretty much your standard Joe’s Stone Crab vibe, good for lunch at the shops. Kabuto Edomae Sushi: Very solid off-stip omakase, but nothing wildly memorable. KYU: Completely different from KYU Miami and KYU Mexico City (which we both love), KYU Vegas is really, oddly quiet. The layout is very “chill”, so it’s certainly not a vibey atmosphere and might be better for a mellow weekday work trip dinner. Maybe they will change this. However, the food is outstanding. The duck is a must-order. Momofuku: Average. Mott 32: Way too oily peking duck. The Mayfair Supper Club: We enjoyed visiting this place for drinks. It is a bit loud and definitely a scene but we had a fun time overall and would return. Top of the World: It’s super touristy, but that can be good for some. We don’t not recommend it, if you get what we mean. Members-Only Chinese Dining: Not really a huge point in reviewing this place at the top of The Palazzo, but if you do get the invite it is worth a visit. WAKUDA: Gio’s sister really likes this place, but we don’t.
GREAT MOMENTS
