Las Vegas has come a long, long way from 99-cent shrimp cocktails and all-you-can-eat buffets. Sin City is now one of America’s very best (and most expensive) cities for foodies, thanks to a wealth of restaurants opened by famous, award-winning, Michelin-star touting celebrity chefs – many of whom have multiple establishments around town.
More than 50 celebrity chef restaurants now feed the ravenous hoards in Vegas where there are 2,300 restaurants to choose from. To avoid a risky gamble, here are your best bets.
Aureole
For truly great New American cuisine, it doesn’t get any better than this Vegas twin to the NYC restaurant that earned Charlie Palmer the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in America. Great for: Superb price-is-no-object dining, gawking at the four-story wine tower. Mandalay Bay; $$$$
Bazaar Meat
Foodies go nuts for Jose Andres’ molecular gastronomy and charcuterie magic. You just can’t find things like the James Beard honoree’s liquid green olives or cotton candy foie gras anywhere else. Great for: Hip vibe, carnivore pleasures, making vegetarians reconsider. Sahara Las Vegas (formerly SLS Hotel & Casino); $$$
Best Friend
The new kid on the block is Roy Choi, king of the gourmet food truck and Netflix star of The Chef Show. His supercool restaurant lounge is a flavor-packed homage to his Korean roots, lust for tacos and love of all things ‘80s and ‘90s from hip-hop to bibimbop. 'I hope all guests lick their fingers with their mouths full saying "holy shit,"' Choi says. Great for: Good vibes, loud music, late night dining. Park MGM; $$
Bouchon
Perfection on a plate at this traditional Lyonnaise-style French bistro by the fastidious Chef Hubert Keller. Great for: Chalkboard specials, marvelous brunches, unique Vin de Carafe wine program. (PS: For $5,000, high rollers can sink their teeth into the world’s most expensive burger at Keller’s Fleur bistro in Mandalay Bay.) Venetian; $$$
Giada
The very first restaurant from Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis serves heaping helpings of California-influenced Italian fare. Great for: Indulgent brunch and lunch carbo-packing with an elevated view of the central Strip. The Cromwell; $$$
Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar
'Go big or go home' is the motto here for elevated and wacky junk food by big personality celebrity chef Guy Fieri of Diners Drive-ins and Dives. No subtleties here. Just in-your-face tacos, 'Trashcan Nachos,' burgers and fried stuff. Great for: Anything-goes groups, loud families, enormous Bloody Marys. The Linq; $$
Hell’s Kitchen
The world’s richest chef, Gordon Ramsay, has five restaurants in town, but none is better or more entertaining than this impressive showcase with its stage-like kitchen and teams led by a Hell’s Kitchen season winner. Great for: Celebrations, photo ops, revelatory sticky toffee pudding. Caesars Palace; $$$
Libertine Social
After his success with Sage at ARIA, Iron Chef America winner Shawn McClain teamed up with master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim for this lively gastropub. Great for: A buzzing happy-hour, interactive cocktail experiences. Mandalay Bay; $$
Mesa Grill
Southwestern cuisine by celebrity chef Bobby Flay spices things up with standouts like his ancho chile honey-glazed salmon, and 22-ounce chipotle rib-eye. Great for: Pre-show dinners and margaritas near the Colosseum theater. Caesars Palace; $$$
Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House
Beloved Louisiana chef Emeril Lagasse knew that Las Vegas needed an authentic Naw’lins joint so – BAM! – he brought his signature dishes plus gumbo, BBQ shrimp, and Creole-seasoned steaks. Great for: Kicking the flavor up a notch in a casual open-air respite away from the noisy casino. MGM Grand; $$$
Michael Mina
This newly expanded space with a reimagined seafood 'Market List' menu and raw bar, offers the very best of James Beard–winning chef Michael Mina’s oeuvre. Great for: Date nights, power meetings, tableside caviar service, and a signature tasting menu to die for. Bellagio; $$$$
Nobu
Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa reinvented sushi with now-omnipresent dishes such as jalapeño yellowtail, rock shrimp and miso black cod. This flagship hotspot is one of Nobu’s finest and anchors the world’s first Nobu Hotel within a hotel. Great for: Dramatic screened tables, late-night bites, seeing and being seen. Caesars Palace; $$$
Restaurant Guy Savoy
Dining is a monumental event at the only US kitchen helmed by master celebrity chef Guy Savoy, whose Parisian HQ has three Michelin stars and was named 'Best Restaurant in the World' by the prestigious La Liste ranking. The bread and cheese carts can make grown men cry. Great for: Popping the question, popping some bubbly at the Caviar Bar, kitchen dining at the USA’s only Krug Chef’s Table, expense account splurges. Caesars Palace; $$$$
Spago
The culinary cathedral of Vegas’ original celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck, Spago is in a new location but still serves Puck classics like smoked salmon pizza, tuna cones, and white corn agnolotti. Pastry chef Romain Cornu sweetens the pot with decadent works of art. Great for: Celebrity spotting (J-Lo had her birthday party here) and viewing the dancing water show from patio tables. Bellagio; $$$
Tom Colicchio’s Heritage Steak
Mr. 'Top Chef' gets to the meat of the matter with his own steak place in a town where Jean Georges, Emiril Legasse, Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck, and Gordon Ramsay all have their own steak houses, too. Great for: Perfectly flame-cooked mounds of antibiotic-free meat in a fun environment. The Mirage; $$$
Twist
French chef Pierre Gagnaire’s first restaurant in North America is a jaw-dropper, featuring savory French classics prepared in an open kitchen on the 23rd floor of the former Mandarin Oriental. Great for: Impressing dates with fine dining and sleek décor. Waldorf Astoria; $$$
Honorable Mention
Emiril Lagasses’ Delmonico Steakhouse (Venetian, $$$); Robert Irvine’s Public House (Tropicana, $$$); Marysue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s Border Grill (Mandalay Bay, $$); Gordon Ramsay Fish and Chips (Linq Promenade, $); Morimoto Las Vegas (MGM Grand, $$); Sara's a Michael Symon Restaurant (The Palms, $$$); and special regards to Joel Robuchon (MGM Grand, $$$$) and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (MGM Grand, $$$) for continuing in the footsteps of the lauded 'Chef of the Century' after his passing in 2018.
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