15 of the best celebrity chef restaurants in Las Vegas

Las Vegas has come a long, long way from 99-cent shrimp cocktails and all-you-can-eat buffets. It 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 hordes in Vegas, where there are 2300 restaurants to choose from. To avoid a risky gamble, here are your best bets.

1. CARBONE RIVIERA

Best for stunning views, tableside flair and celebrations
Bellagio
$$$

Major Food Group founders Mario Carbone, Jeff Zalaznick and Rich Torrisi opened Carbone Riviera's doors, flush with the Bellagio fountain – with a unique opportunity to board a rare Riva yacht. 

2. Jaleo

Best for large groups, pre-show dinners and glasses on glasses of sangria
The Cosmopolitan
$$$

Another winner from José Andrés, where you can find re-imagined Spanish tapas, flamenco on Monday nights and dishes like arroz de verduras (rice with vegetales), croquetas de pollo (chicken croquettes) and jamón ibérico de bellota cinco jotas (cured Spanish ham).

3. Bazaar Meat

Best for a hip vibe, carnivore pleasures and making vegetarians reconsider
The Palazzo at The Venetian
$$$

Foodies go nuts for José Andrés' molecular gastronomy and charcuterie magic. The rockstar Spanish chef's steakhouse with a twist melds disparate flavors and cultures. You just can't find things like the James Beard honoree's liquid green olives or cotton candy foie gras anywhere else. 

4. Best Friend

Best for good vibes, loud music and late-night dining
Park MGM
$$

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 bibimbap (a Korean mixed rice dish). "I hope all guests lick their fingers with their mouths full saying 'holy shit,'" Choi says. 

5. Bouchon

Best for chalkboard specials, marvelous brunches and a unique Vin de Carafe wine program
Venetian
$$$

Perfection on a plate at this traditional Lyonnaise-style French bistro by the fastidious Chef Thomas Keller, which does a decadent brunch with caviar, foie gras and a great wine list. 

6. Giada

Best for indulgent brunch and lunch carbo-packing with an elevated view of the central Strip
The Cromwell
$$$

The very first restaurant from Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis serves heaping helpings of California-influenced Italian fare – rich, home-style and made from organic produce.

7. Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar

Best for anything-goes groups, loud families and enormous Bloody Marys
The Linq
$$

"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; just in-your-face tacos, "Trashcan Nachos," burgers and fried stuff. 

8. Hell’s Kitchen

Best for celebrations, photo ops and revelatory sticky toffee pudding
Caesars Palace
$$$

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.

9. Libertine Social

Best for a buzzing happy hour and interactive cocktail experiences
Mandalay Bay
$$

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.

10. Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House

Best for a taste of NOLA
MGM Grand
$$$

Kick the flavor up a notch in this casual open-air restaurant, which serves as a respite from the noisy casino. 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. 

11. Michael Mina

Best for date nights, power meetings and tableside caviar service
Bellagio
$$$$

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.

12. Nobu

Best for dramatic screened tables, late-night bites, seeing and being seen
Caesars Palace
$$$

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. The Iron Chef's sequel to his NYC establishment is almost as good as the original.

13. Restaurant Guy Savoy

Best for popping some bubbly and expense account splurges
Caesars Palace
$$$$

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. It's French dining at its finest, in a minimalist, modern setting with Strip-view picture windows. Don't miss the artichoke-and-truffle soup. The bread-and-cheese carts can make grown men cry. 

14. Spago

Best for celebrity sightings and viewing the dancing water show
Bellagio
$$$

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. 

15. Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak

Best for perfectly flame-cooked meat in a fun environment
The Mirage
$$$

Mr. Top Chef gets to the meat of the matter with his own steak place in a town where Jean Georges, Emeril Lagasse, Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck and Gordon Ramsay all have their own steak houses, too.

Honorable Mention

Emiril Lagasses' Delmonico Steakhouse (Venetian, $$$); Marysue Milliken and Susan Feniger's Border Grill (Mandalay Bay, $$); Gordon Ramsay Fish and Chips (Linq Promenade, $); Morimoto Las Vegas (MGM Grand, $$); and special regards to Joel Robuchon (MGM Grand, $$$$) and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (MGM Grand, $$$) for continuing in the footsteps of the lauded "Chef of the Century" after his passing in 2018.