I’ve been to Las Vegas over 50 times. Here are the 8 restaurants I always recommend to first-time visitors.

One of the main reasons I keep returning to Las Vegas is the city’s exceptional food scene. Wendy Lee As someone who’s been to Las Vegas over 50 times, I’ve eaten both on and off the Strip. My favorite fine-dining restaurants are The Mayfair Supper Club and Toscana Ristorante & Bar.

I also stop at more casual spots, like Nellie’s Southern Kitchen and Famous Foods Street Eats. During my 50+ trips to Las Vegas, I’ve eaten at countless restaurants both on and off the Strip. I enjoyed brunch at Spago, a popular Wolfgang Puck restaurant.

Wendy LeeThere are plenty of good reasons to visit Las Vegas, but the main reason I go is to eat.  This city is loaded with really good restaurants. Whether you’re looking to splurge at a white-tablecloth establishment run by a celebrity chef or you want something cheap and casual, Vegas always delivers.

Since I’ve been to Sin City over 50 times, friends often ask me for dining recommendations. These are the places I tell them to go. Mon Ami Gabi is a French bistro with a direct view of the Bellagio fountain show.

I ordered the chicken liver pâté from Mon Ami Gabi in Las Vegas. Wendy LeeMy husband and I have been eating at Mon Ami Gabi restaurants for over 20 years. During most of our trips to Sin City, we head to the location inside Paris Las Vegas for lunch or dinner.

The food is classic French bistro fare, featuring entrées such as steak au poivre and trout almondine. We always start with a baguette and one of its excellent starters, like chicken liver mousse pâté. But be sure to ask about the seasonal specials.

During our last trip, the menu featured a delicious gazpacho. Top it all off with a glass of wine or one of Mon Ami Gabi’s classic cocktails. More often than not, we opt for a martini.

Weather permitting, we like to sit outside on the patio since it’s directly across the street from the Bellagio fountains. The show times vary throughout the year, so I usually check the schedule on the Bellagio website and make our dining reservations accordingly.   Eataly serves a wide variety of delicious, high-quality Italian food.

Toscana is an upscale option at Eataly’s Las Vegas location. Wendy LeeI’ve been to four different Eataly locations in the US, but the one in Las Vegas is my favorite. This Italian superstore inside Park MGM features several eateries and sells imported food, wine, and liquor.

 If you’re looking for lunch or an afternoon snack, head to La Cucina del Mercato, where you’ll find pasta, pizza, and sandwich stations. While you wait for your order, grab a glass of wine or a cocktail from the bar. For a casual sit-down meal, try classic pasta dishes and Napoletana pizzas from La Pizza & La Pasta.

If you’re celebrating a special occasion or just want to splurge, make a reservation at Toscana Ristorante & Bar. Pasta lovers should order the Lasagna Rustica Al Forno (Italian beef lasagna), and meat lovers shouldn’t skip the Fiorentina (Florentine steak).  Be sure to ask the sommelier for wine recommendations.

Spago is the ultimate brunch spot, but you have to make reservations weeks in advance. The patio at Spago has a direct view of the Bellagio fountains. Wendy LeeThe best brunch in Las Vegas is definitely at Spago in the Bellagio Resort & Hotel.

Wolfgang Puck opened his first Spago location in West Hollywood in 1982 and has since expanded around the world. The restaurant has been going strong ever since.  It’s never easy to get a table at any Spago, and this one is no exception.

So, be sure to make your reservations a few weeks in advance. After all, Spago’s brunch might just be your most memorable meal in Vegas. The restaurant has a large terrace overlooking the hotel’s fountains in the foreground and the Strip in the background, but seats on the terrace aren’t guaranteed.

I recommend showing up before popular meal times and asking the host if an outdoor table is available. The star of the Spago show is definitely the rolled French omelette stuffed with crab. For dessert, be sure to order the Instagram-famous Spiked Lemon, a chiffon cake with yuzu cream, yellow-tinted white chocolate, and gold-flecked spikes.

Pair the courses with a glass of Champagne.  Din Tai Fung has a large menu with some of the best soup dumplings I’ve ever had. Din Tai Fung serves incredible soup dumplings, and I recommend sampling several types.

Wendy LeeDin Tai Fung, a Taiwanese-based dumpling chain, is well known for xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. We have a location near our home and have been enjoying its food for many years. The Las Vegas restaurant is in the Aria Hotel & Resort and has a large menu featuring a variety of dumplings, noodles, rice dishes, and vegetables.

 If you’ve never been, start with a few of the dumpling dishes. Our all-time favorite is the crab-and-pork dumplings with a spicy sauce. Supplement them with some vegetable sides and at least one noodle or rice dish.

Carson Kitchen’s menu has something for everyone, and diners can watch the chefs prepare each course. My favorite cocktail at Carson Kitchen is The Bee’s Knees. Wendy LeeMost of my favorite restaurants are on the Strip, but Carson Kitchen has become my go-to place when my husband and I are downtown.

 With a menu describing the offerings as “creative American cuisine,” the restaurant has something for everyone.  Everything on the menu is delicious, but the bacon jam with havarti and toasted baguette and the Iron Chef burger are our favorite dishes. Save room for dessert because the glazed-doughnut bread pudding is irresistible.

Carson Kitchen has a decent wine list, but it’s really known for its craft cocktails. I recommend The Bee’s Knees, a prohibition-era cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, and honey. Whenever we dine here, we request a seat at the counter overlooking the open kitchen, which is the centerpiece of the cozy dining room, so we can watch the chefs at work.

Famous Foods Street Eats makes it easy to sample multiple cuisines at once. At Famous Foods Street Eats, you can try out numerous different cuisines thanks to the kiosks inside. Wendy LeeFood halls have become popular in Las Vegas, and, in my opinion, the best one in the city is Famous Foods Street Eats in Resorts World.

During our first visit to this hotel, which opened in 2021, we ate there three times in two days.  Famous Foods Street Eats features fare from highly regarded restaurants and food stalls around the world, with a strong emphasis on Asian cuisines. They carry dumplings from Shanghai, clay-pot chicken from Singapore, and yakitori from Japan.

Our favorite was Boon Tong Kee’s Hainanese chicken rice.  Kiosks throughout the food hall make it easy to order from multiple vendors. You just select the items you’d like, enter your cell phone number, and receive a text message when your items are ready for pick-up.

Then, you can head to the bar to order your favorite beverage. The Mayfair Supper Club is an extravagant fine-dining establishment with live musical performances. The Mayfair Supper Club is an upscale dining experience that’s perfect for special occasions.

Wendy LeeLas Vegas has many excellent fine-dining establishments, but when you want to combine delicious food with live entertainment, The Mayfair Supper Club is the place to be. Just entering the dining room is a treat. After your eyes adjust to the dimly lit interior, you’ll see plush, upholstered booths, tables draped in floor-length white linen cloths, large chandeliers, and stylishly dressed patrons.

And as if that isn’t enough, the Bellagio fountains explode with color through the window. Singers dressed in formal attire perform classic songs accompanied by a piano and strings, and waiters wearing white jackets provide top-notch service. The menu offers classic entrées, like lobster thermidor and prime rib, along with a selection of sushi and raw seafood.

The Mayfair Supper Club is pricey, but it’s so much fun and great for celebrating a special occasion. Nellie’s Southern Kitchen offers a relaxed dining experience with classic Southern flavor. Nellie’s serves Southern cuisine, like biscuits and shrimp and grits.

Wendy LeeOne of the newest restaurants to open on the Strip is Nellie’s Southern Kitchen in the MGM Grand, and it’s the perfect place to enjoy Southern comfort food. Started by Kevin Jonas Sr. — Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas’ father — this restaurant is a tribute to his grandmother’s cooking.

 You can enjoy lunch or dinner at Nellie’s, but I recommend coming in the evening to enjoy the live music. Then, order tasty Southern classics like biscuits, fried chicken, and shrimp and grits.  Nellie’s also has a full bar that carries a large selection of whiskeys and bourbons.

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