Las Vegas may be famous for its casinos but its food scene is the real star of the show. Discover ten must-eat foods not to miss when you travel to Las Vegas whether you’re a gambler or not.
1. Shrimp Cocktail
The shrimp cocktail became a Las Vegas fixture when the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino added the seafood starter to its menu in 1959. Originally priced at just 50 cents and served in a parfait glass, that iconic shrimp cocktail featured cooked shrimp, spicy cocktail sauce and a lemon wedge. During its peak popularity, the casino proudly sold 2,000 shrimp cocktails each and every day. Whiile the Golden Gate no longer serves shrimp cocktails, you can easily find the dish at restaurants both on and off the strip. However, don’t assume that your shrimp cocktail will arrive in a parfait glass. Also, at today’s prices, expect to pay a lot more than 50 cents.
Dig Deeper: Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
2. Steak
Eating a steak is a must for carnivores who travel to Las Vegas.The trick is deciding where to eat that steak. You can stay on the strip and eat at numerous casino steakhouses or take a field trip to an off strip restaurant like Cleaver’s, Herbs & Rye or Mae Daly’s. However, the best option may be to travel back in time and eat a steak at Golden Steer. That’s where the Rat Pack ate their steaks back in the day. Be forewarned: Golden Steer is a tough reservation. Once you decide on where to eat your steak, the next decision is which steak to order. You could opt for ribeye, New York strip, filet mignon or exotic ribeye like chuleton. You could also go big and order wagyu from America or even bigger with imported wagyu from Japan or Australia.
3. Pizza
While pizza isn’t new to the city, in recent years, great pizza has emerged all over the city. Your favorite pizza style is likely available whether you’re a fan of Neapolitan, Roman, Chicago or Detroit pies. The same goes if you’re simply craving a New York slice. The challenge will likely be narrowing the options to just one pizzeria.
4. Burgers
There are loads of burger options in Las Vegas. You can eat a vegetarian or vegan burger in Las Vegas if that’s how you roll. Otherwise, the better option is to eat a juicy hambruger that’s made with beef at a variety of restaurants both on and off the strip. If you’re looking for a wallet friendly burger, American fast food faves In-N-Out Burger and Whataburger should do the trick.
Dig Deeper: Great Global Burgers
5. Brunch
Brunch is arguably the best meal of the day in Las Vegas whether you’re looking for a hangover cure or simply want to start your day with puffy pancakes, wonderful waffles or decadent French toast. However, we don’t recommend limiting yourself to those traditional dishes during your visit. Some of the best Las Vegas brunch dishes include Chinese dim sum, Hawaiian loco moco, Mexican breakfast burritos and Australian avocado egg toast. And, just like in NYC, bagels and lox are a thing in Vegas too.
6. Seafood
Despite its land-locked desert location and thanks to refrigeration, Las Vegas has access to excellent seafood that goes well beyond shrimp cocktails. Yes, shrimp cocktails are iconic in Vegas but they’re simply not the only seafood to eat during your visit. Las Vegas is also a great city for oysters whether you prefer to eat them freshly shucked or casino style, i.e. baked with bacon and butter. It’s also a great city for seafood gumbo, seafood soup and seafood pasta as well for as crab legs, crab cakes and lobster rolls.
7. Asian Food
Las Vegas’ Asian food scene is nothing short of extraordinary despite a distance between Asia and Las Vegas that exceeds 7,000 miles. That distance is reason enough to make the diversity of Asian offereings impressive. However, it’s the quality of the city’s Asian food that’s truly remarkable. Much of the best Asian food is found at restaurants in strip malls sprinkled along Spring Mountain Road. While that neighborhood, known as Chinatown, sports great Asian options, excellent new Asian restaurants are popping up all over town. Food options include dim sum, khao soi, Korean BBQ, pho, ramen, samosas, soup dumplings and sushi.
Dig Deeper: Great Asian Dishes
8. Hawaiian Food
Las Vegas is nicknamed the ninth island due to its popularity among Hawaiians, many of whom have relocated to the land-locked city. Other Hawaiians simply visit the gambling mecca on vacation. Whether or not that actually gamble while in Las Vegas, they get credit for introducing Las Vegas residents to Hawaiian food. There are now more than a dozen Las Vegas restaurants that serve dishes like poke, loco moco, musubi and spam-fried rice. Some fuse Hawaiian dishes with popular Asian dishes while others stay true to the original eight islands.
9. Croissants
Although Austrian bakers get credit for inventing the croissant centuries ago, the French are the ones who refined the pastriy into a laminated sensation. And, while there’s nothing quite the same as nibbling croissants in Paris, it’s entirely possible to eat excellent croissants at several Las Vegas cafes. Some of these cafes add almonds and chocolate to their croisants while others fill them with ham and cheese. Then there’s Dominique Ansel which famously bakes a croissant-donut hybrid that happens to be the original cronut.
Dig Deeper: Great Croissants in Paris
10. Decadent Desserts
Las Vegas is a city that takes dessert seriously. Prime examples are the outstanding desserts served at restaurants like Cut and Ichiza. We’ve also eaten great desserts at bakeries dedicated to baking sweet treats loaded with butter and sugar. Our best advice is to save room for dessert whether you crave a decadent dessert or something simpler like candy, ice cream or a donut.
Dig Deeper: More Great Desserts
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