Sweet and savory, off the Las Vegas Strip. Where to feast beyond the city’s fracas.
Overwhelming and over the top, equally sophisticated and kitschy fun, Las Vegas’ famous casino-lined Strip is a trip! You could easily spend your whole visit on this 7 kilometer stretch studded with lauded, celebrity chef-led restaurants; the dining scene is dizzyingly diverse and ever evolving, with new eateries opening nearly every month. But, if you want to savor the city like a local, you should head beyond the blinking neon and blinging slot machines to explore the other Vegas – where savvy Nevadans feast, where creative minds are innovating the culinary arts, and enthusiasts are keeping history alive. Off the Strip is where you’ll find the genuine side of Sin City.
It might well be that what happens in Vegas stays on your midriff.
8533 Rozita Lee Ave, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89113
Allanticovinaiousa.com
Instagram: @allanticovinaiolv
Facebook: All’Antico Vinaio (Florence)
Want a really good sandwich? Then head toward the desert, where the southwest corner of Vegas meets the Red Rock Canyon wilderness, that’s where you’ll find All’Antico Vinaio, in the new mixed-use complex UnCommons. Yes, it’s far from the Strip, but it’s closer than Florence where the original – and now famous – panini shop was founded back in 1991. Look for a long line of people out front, then anticipate your ticket to edible Italy. Here’s what that looks like: a piece of house-made schiacciata bread (please don’t call it focaccia), smeared with equally house-made sauces, maybe a truffle or onion porcini cream, stacked with imported cured meats, cheeses, grilled vegetables, or possibly a tangle of arugula, topped with more schiacciata. Now take this Da Vinci-esque creation and enjoy it on the verdant outdoor patio. We just saved you an overseas flight. You’re welcome.
3713 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Herbsandrye.com
Instagram: @herbsandrye
Facebook: Herbs & Rye
Squeezed between a convenience store and a barbershop, Herbs & Rye keeps a deceptively low profile. It’s an old school steakhouse, but mostly it’s a spectacular watering hole, with a grandiose wood-paneled bar, crimson wallpaper and snug booths; recently, it climbed to #25 on North America’s 50 Best Bars list. Some people come here for a ribeye after midnight (they close at 3 a.m.), most come for owner and mixologist Nectaly Mendoza’s cocktails. He’s built a timetable of the country’s drinking history with a menu organized by epoch, from the Golden Age and Prohibition, via the Rat Pack Era to the Tiki Boom and beyond. The Martinez, a sleek little tipple with gin, vermouth, bitters and a maraschino cherry, was a novelty in the late 1800’s; the smarmy piña colada came along the same year Elvis Presley’s first single was released. Pick from Mendoza’s long list of nostalgic libations or let the kindly bartenders tailor something to your taste. And if you actually do want to eat, come for happy hour when the steaks are half off.
1126 E Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Publicuslv.com
Instagram: @publicuslv
Facebook: PublicUs
At the far end of Downtown, on a bright corner surrounded by emptiness and crumbling old motels with nostalgic neon signs, Kimo Akiona had the brilliant idea of opening PublicUs. It’s blossomed into the city’s most convivial breakfast and lunch spot, with communal tables built around potted trees and shelves stacked with handpicked books and collectibles. Kimo created all of this, and the tiny kitchen, with his own two hands and zero F&B experience. What comes out of his kitchen is impressive; burgers and sandwiches on house-made breads, soups and salads, a leaning tower of sourdough Belgian waffles and shakshuka with quivering poached eggs, as well as bento dishes and spam musubi, a Hawaiian classic – because Kimo is an island state-transplant. Fun fact: there are so many Hawaiians in Vegas, the city’s been nicknamed the Ninth Island. Back to the food: there are also mountains of baked goods and a serious coffee selection, from single origin pour-overs to espresso tonics cranked out on a space-age looking Kees van der Westen espresso machine.
4226 S Durango Dr, Ste 101, Las Vegas, NV 89147
Instagram: @milpa_lv
Facebook: Milpa Mexican Café
It starts with carefully sourced heirloom corn, nixtamalized in-house, and ends with the best tortillas this side of Oaxaca. Chef DJ Flores’ craft has gained a cult following to the point where he now makes tortillas for other restaurants. He prepares his balls of masa fresh to order and piles the fragrantly grilled discs with smoky-charred ribeye asado, beer battered mahi mahi and other classics. But this unassuming, very off-Strip eatery is not just about tacos. Flores, a Vegas native, staged at Quintonil where he discovered blue corn and cooking took on a whole new meaning for him; “Jorge Vallejo did massively cool things with vegetables,” he says. Milpa’s squash-filled tetelas are like tiny sleeping bags for the soul, they come topped with marvelously runny fried eggs, roasted cauliflower, shimeji mushrooms and salsa macha. The short menu also features generous grain bowls, a classy shrimp ceviche, inventive riffs on horchata and elegant pinole churros with a silky-earthy chocolate sauce.
4480 Spring Mountain Rd #100, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Sparrowandwolflv.com
Instagram: @sparrowandwolflv
Facebook: Sparrow + Wolf
It doesn’t matter if it’s a Monday in January or a Friday in full-on festive season, there’s always a crowd here, in fact, they line up at the door before it even opens at 5pm. That’s because Sparrow + Wolf has perfected the art of fun dining. It’s a buzzy off-Strip institution with dim lighting that makes everyone look hot and hot staff that makes everyone feel like a regular. There are inventive cocktails, a creative wine list and a glassed-in kitchen. And then there’s Chef Brian Howard whose competently crafted food is full of soul and warmth and surprising flavor combinations. He borrows tricks from the Asian pantry, making it seem perfectly logical to wrap duck confit and wood ear mushrooms in rice cakes, and then plop them in a coconut habanero nước chấm. “It’s complicated, yet simple,” claims Howard who cooks equally delicious main courses like lamb racks with Szechuan potatoes in his wood-fired hearth.
7365 S Buffalo Drive Suite 115, Las Vegas, NV 89113
Suzuyapatisserie.com
Instagram: @suzuya_lasvegas
Facebook: Suzuya Patisserie
Back in Japan, Misuzu Ebihara knew two things, she wanted to become a pâtissier and she wanted to learn English. She fulfilled both wishes in Vegas and started taking cake orders from friends, and then friends of friends, all of whom longed for the subtle, dialed-down sweetness that is so typical of Japanese confections. Word spread and she finally opened a sleek café with her pastry chef husband Michael Plourde. At Suzuya, she now bakes gossamer cakes, pastries and sweets with a taste of the homeland; strawberry shortcake, green tea millecrèpe, mochis, macarons, seasonal pies and shokupan sandos; all made with flour and sugar imported from Japan, because their flavor and texture are superior, according to this perfectionist pastry chef.
Chinatown: 3429 S Jones Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146
Buffalo: 7365 South Buffalo Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89113
Allegiant Stadium: 3333 AI Davis Way, Las Vegas, NV 89118
Fukuburger.com
Instagram: @fukuburger
Facebook: Fukuburger
Imagine a hamburger taking a pimped-out race car ride through a Japanese pantry, that’s what Colin Fukunaga’s burgers taste like. His bestselling Tamago burger comes with a fried egg, crispy onion strings, teriyaki sauce and furikake-topped wasabi mayo. Imagine French fries, now imagine them spiked with togarashi and garlic, then smothered in gravy and Crack (aka sweet chili) Sauce. Fukunaga calls them Jazz Fries. He started this whole concept in Vegas’ first food truck, back in 2008, since then he’s expanded to a few permanent locations with counter service and a décor that probably appeals to skate kids. Everything here is supercharged and seasoned with anime sensibilities.
3400 South Jones Boulevard Suite #11A, Las Vegas, NV 89146
Edotapas.com
@edotapas
Facebook: EDO Gastro Tapas & Wine
Tucked into a nondescript Chinatown strip mall, EDO Gastro Tapas & Wine looks unassuming from the outside, like a secret hideout, though it’s probably Vegas’ worst kept secret. Enter, and you’ll find a diminutive, packed dining room, decked out with red chain link curtains and an eye-catching mural; the vibe is both sultry and ironically kitschy. Take one look at the menu, and you’ll see that Barcelona-raised Chef Oscar Amador Edo has one foot firmly planted in the Catalan culinary catalogue and the other all over the globe. He favors unexpected textures and delights with fine dining-flourishes; his Spanish octopus is veiled in a kelp and seaweed gelée, his meatball is a playful interpretation of tsukune, topped with jamón katsuobushi. And, as a nod to the Spaniards love of gin and tonic, his staff keeps a G&T cart loaded with the standards as well as house-infused liquors.
9205 W Russell Rd #185, Las Vegas, NV 89148
Animabyedo.com
Instagram: @animabyedo
Facebook: Anima by EDO
Meet EDO Gastro Tapas & Wine’s new kid sister, Anima by EDO. She’s animated and slightly unpretentious. She’s like Miss Congeniality, it’s hard not to love her. Here too, Chef Oscar Amador Edo puts borderless spins on classic Spanish dishes; striploin carpaccio is perched on a bite-sized puri bread cushion filled with cheese espuma; Peruvian scallop crudo mingles with tom kha sauce, coconut and candied lime; truffle cavatelli with salsichón and English peas becomes a party trick as it gets a tableside swirl of beef marrow, straight off the bone – that then becomes a drinking vessel for an optional shot of amaro. The beverage program is equally playful, and there’s a monthly wine dinner featuring international winemakers, curated by Sommelier, Paolo Uccellatori.
917 E Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Atomic.vegas
Instagram: @atomicliquors
Facebook: Atomic Liquors
Sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than a simple beer and a shot of cheap liquor in a dark dive bar. Atomic Liquors might not have invented that concept, but they do a fine job of keeping it alive. It’s the oldest freestanding bar in Vegas, dating back to 1952 when Stella and Joe Sobchik received the city’s first tavern license, allowing them to run a drinkery and sell liquor to go, which they did 24 hours a day until 2010 when they both died at the age of 91. Bugsy Siegel, the legendary mobster who basically built Sin City, was a regular, as was Hunter S. Thompson whose favorite whiskey, Old Crown, is still on pour; The Rat Pack used to sip libations on the rooftop and watch mushroom clouds bloom from the atomic testing site on the horizon; Barbra Streisand has her own chair at the counter and apparently enjoys the occasional pool game here; and Martin Scorsese shot a scene for Casino within these walls. Sometimes day drinking comes with a shot of history.
1131 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89104
Estherslv.com
Instagram: @estherskitchenlv
Facebook: Esther’s Kitchen
“We’re here to fill the room, not to gouge people,” emphasizes James Trees, the gracious chef who named his lively restaurant after his great-aunt, the only person who encouraged him to pursue his passion for the culinary arts, back when he was 16, a few years before he worked at New York City’s fine dining icon, Le Bernardin. Today, he cooks well-crafted Italian crowd pleasers; wood-fired pizzas, sharable plates of charcuteries and dips (yes, you want the ‘nduja) accompanied by homemade sourdough bread, as well as pastas made à la minute, of which the radiatore with trippa alla Romana is a masterful play on textures. The wine list is filled with unique labels you won’t find anywhere else, the spirits are all from independent, small distilleries, there’s also Cynar on tap, just for fun. If you hear a bell ring, it means someone bought the kitchen a round of beers for a breezy $8, you should probably do the same.
308 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Goldensteer.com
Instagram: @goldensteerlv
Facebook: Golden Steer Steakhouse Las Vegas
Vega’s oldest continually operating tavern, the Golden Steer is a gilded time warp, offering steaks and stories since 1958; a classic with red leather banquettes whose wood-paneled walls are adorned with Wild West paintings and framed antique rifles donated by guests who once paid for their meals with them. Of course this was Elvis’ favorite post-show diner; yes, it was Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio’s date night spot; it was also where Tony Spilotro, the gangster who ran casinos for Al Capone, used to sneak in the backdoor to evade the cops. The Golden Steer still serves legendarily thick cuts of meat and baked potatoes larger than Frank Sinatra’s ego, their Caesar salad and Bananas Foster are prepped tableside, and the martinis at the impressive bar are the size of small bathtubs.
1327 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89104
Soulbellybbq.com
Instagram: @soulbellybbqlv
Facebook: Soulbelly BBQ
Soulbelly BBQ is as American as it gets, it shares an outdoor patio with a brewery and serves heaping piles of meat on big trays, at communal tables in a former mechanics workshop. It also boasts a stage where Journey recently played unplugged. Chef Bruce Kalman is the smoker, pitmaster and founder of this playful, laidback concept where the brisket has just the right amount of fat, the turkey is profoundly smokey and the vinegar-vibrant Carolina pulled pork is a must – just like the mac and cheese with chicharrón crumbs and the disco fries smothered in cheese and gravy. When you’re done, head to HUDL, the brewery next door and try the Mosquito Bite Lager, a crisp cerveza with smoked serrano peppers. Then you can walk it all off on the Arts District’s main drag, which, inexplicably, is thin on art but filled with vintage shops.
10970 Rosemary Park Dr Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89135
Finecompanylv.com
Instagram: @finewithus
Facebook: Fine Company
Chef Roy Ellamar had a restaurant at the Bellagio and a booming career on the Strip before he got bored of that scene and opened Fine Company on the other side of town. It was a gutsy move as his breezy, all-day casual spot is in the middle of Downtown Summerlin’s suburb:y shopping mall ennui. But Chef Roy is happy, and it shows in his creative, artfully plated dishes. There are hints of his Hawaiian upbringing in the spunky salmon crudo with purple ponzu and sea grass garnish; there’s panache in the giant fried rockfish sandwich that comes with an assertively acidic giardiniera remoulade and a pile of thick-cut fries. There’s love in Mom’s banana bread, served warm, with proper butter and honey.
5030 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89146
No website
Instagram: @aburiyaraku
Facebook: Aburiya Raku
Sure, it’s clichéd to ask industry professionals where they eat late night, but it’s fascinating when you consistently get the same answer: Raku, a typically Japanese operation – it’s muted and serious, and often ranked the city’s best in the genre. Chef Mitsuo Endo keeps things authentic. The sashimi is ultra-fresh, the robata grill is powered by imported binchotan charcoal, there are noodle and rice dishes, seasonal specials and a rotating list of sakes. In other words, no great surprises here, except for the substantial and homemade agedashi tofu, large enough feed a small family of four. Raku recently branched out with a new yakitori place, Toridokoro Raku, a few blocks south.
Popup and delivery only
Milkfishbakeshop.com
Instagram: @milkfish.bakeshop
Facebook: Milkfish Bakeshop
The owners of Milkfish Bakeshop, Kimberly and Josh Mcintosh, sell edible glee – sweet and savory pastries inspired by Kimberly’s Filipino roots. They’re both lavish and ingenious, with nimble nods to classics; oversized cashew and coconut jam sticky buns, an homage to pan de coco, glisten with gooey toffee sauce; rustic, buttery drop biscuits are studded with chunks of Filipino pork sausage, sharp cheddar and green onions. All of it is labor intensive, well-crafted and visually wondrous. But Milkfish is a roving popup business, to catch this duo, you’ll have to hope for the same luck you had at the roulette table. Or you could just call in a special order for delivery.
The i in Mcintosh is not capitalized.
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