Las Vegas Dining 101: Must-Eat Las Vegas Meals
If you think about it, any guide to where to eat in Las Vegas is incomplete by nature. Choosing the best meals in Las Vegas is like picking your favorite bee from a hive of 10,000. By the time you choose the best places to eat in Las Vegas, restaurants, bistros and greasy spoon diners have opened, changed or closed, and with this abrupt and continual alteration to the culinary landscape, it would be quite hard to nail down a list that would stay ironclad for a decade or even a couple years. However, we accept the challenge and have populated a list of the best meals in Las Vegas. If you know anything about Sin City, you know these meals are going to be top rung, upper shelf.
Since its birth, Las Vegas has been known for its vibrant strip area where fortunes are won and lost, and in keeping with the old school heritage, the first meal on this list has its own pedigree. Since 1958, the height of the Rat pack era, celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll, have gone to the Golden Steer for its take on the great American classic surf and turf. Many restaurants only offer this with filet mignon and lobster tail, but here you can have New York strip and crab legs as well, giving several options for a great meal. If it was good enough for the Chairman of the Board, it has to be good.
Look in any direction when you’re in Las Vegas and you’ll see signs advertising the mighty, mighty Vegas buffet. Our favorite is the Buffet Bellagio, which is reasonably priced, high quality and worth a trip or two, depending on how long you’ll be in town. For only $29.95 from 4 to 10 pm Sunday to Thursday, the dinner buffet is an excellent choice. You can choose from seafood, Italian, Chinese and Japanese fare with only a slight bump in cost on holidays and weekends.
Just because it’s finger food doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be included on this list of best places to eat in Las Vegas. Head over to the Crown & Anchor British Pub for their deep-fried chicken fingers that are possibly the best on land, sea or in the barnyard. The diner doesn’t look like someplace where you’d find gastronomic bliss, but it is. The breading is perfectly golden, the chicken is famously moist and the hot dipping sauce really brings it on home. This is well worth a trip, especially for a family or large group.
Being so close to the Mexican border, you’d expect some authentic fare magnifico, and Los Antojos fills the bill quite nicely. The must-try meal here is the consome loco, a chicken soup like your mama never even considered making with rice, avocado and lime. Pair that with conchito pibil tacos made with pork cooked in banana leaves and topped with onions. You may never want to return to the states–at least not to eat.
If you love Thai food, you’ll be duly rewarded with a trip to Lotus of Siam for their sweet, bitter, salty and sour offerings. Topping our list is the coconut cream curry over egg noodles with your choice of protein. The dish is garnished with red onion, lime and pickled vegetables for a well-balanced meal.
Perhaps the most unique desert offered in Las Vegas is at the Japanese restaurant Ichiza. Their honey toast is out of this world. A loaf of bread is baked until the crust is crispy and the center is gooey. Then the fun begins as the center is filled with vanilla ice cream for yet another example of how simple foods are the best. It is so yummy that you’ll wonder why more restaurants don’t serve their own versions of it.
The Luv-It Frozen Custard joint in The Western is another dynamite desert you really must try. The flavors change daily with the schedule announced months in advance on their website. The custard is served with pecans, caramel and hot fudge. What’s not to love?
After you’ve eaten your way through this list, do a little exploring. There’s a world of fabulous dining in Las Vegas, and your curiosity may reward you with something you’ve never enjoyed previously.
