27 Best Restaurants in South Strip, Las Vegas

Top Chef star and James Beard Award–winning chef Tom Colicchio presides over this streamlined spot tucked into a corner of the MGM Grand’s Restaurant Row. The menu is as sophisticated as the surroundings, with an emphasis on top-shelf beef, including Japanese Certified A5 Wagyu as a rib eye or New York strip, plus domestic Wagyu, dry-aged and prime beef, and seafood, including lobster, diver scallops, a raw bar, and a tower. Combine the two in a surf and turf, or opt for the three-course menu.

When "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto opened his restaurant in what he proudly called "the most famous city in the world," it marked his first foray into teppanyaki, sure to be popular with conventioneers. There's also sushi, of course, and some of his standbys: braised black cod with a ginger-soy reduction, and tuna pizza with anchovy aioli, olives, and jalapeños. The menu includes oysters with foie gras and uni, as well as ishi yaki chashu bop and ishi yaki buri bop—pork or yellowtail-rich dishes cooked at your table in a hot stone bowl. It's all served in an expansive, streamlined spot on MGM Resort's restaurant row. Morimoto After Dark is the place to go for small bites and cocktails with a DJ, from 10 pm to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Grandiose, spectacular, and heart-stopping are three words to describe NoMad Library, the restaurant at NoMad Las Vegas. Inspired by the celebrated library of NoMad New York, the restaurant has 40-foot ceilings and is ringed with shelves of books—a backdrop that creates an intimate and sophisticated vibe. The food is worthy of this setting. Most dishes are communal, meaning they're designed to share. A signature dish is an American Wagyu prime rib (rubbed with porcini and black garlic) for two. Towers of seafood from the raw bar are nice starters, and tuna tartare is prepared tableside. Next door, in the NoMad Bar, a more casual menu is available for dinner and late-night bites. On weekends, there's jazz brunch, too.

With tufted leather banquettes and dark lighting, Bavette's, inside Park MGM, offers a much stronger dose of Gallic flair than the typical Las Vegas steak house. The restaurant offers a full complement of popular steak cuts ranging from bone-in rib eye to fillet, as well as baked crab cakes, oysters on the half shell, and a small vegan menu. The peppered duck and goat cheese terrine is a starter you'll be dreaming about for months. The bar pours strong cocktails in a classic style and curates an international wine list. In the back, a speakeasy-style lounge provides an exclusive experience to eat and drink.

Famous Los Angeles chef Roy Choi debuted in Las Vegas with this lively concept inside Park MGM serving Korean BBQ as well as a panoply of favorites from Choi's Koreatown experience. While a DJ spins tunes at a turntable in the corner, the meal starts with a sampling of banchan: tiny dishes that include kimchi, broccoli, cucumbers, spinach, and more. From there, try the slippery shrimp, the kimchi fried rice, the kogi short rib tacos, and the pork belly hot pot. Service is family style, meant for sharing. Before you leave, be sure to peruse the shelves at the working convenience store out front.

Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger are the popular, green-minded chefs who created this cheery, sophisticated outpost of their now-closed Santa Monica restaurant. Service is snappy, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a tastier margarita in town—particularly the blood orange and chili-citrus versions. Starters include green-corn tamales, three citrusy ceviches, and house-made guacamole, and grilled sustainable fish and hormone-free meats, such as skirt steak and short ribs, make healthful, flavorful fillings for tacos and tortillas. For dinner, opt for dishes such as jamon Serrano pollo relleno, seafood molcajete, or portabello mushroom mulitas with black beans and roasted peppers. The all-you-can-eat weekend brunch, served from 10 to 3, features creative small plates, such as horchata French toast, diablo chicken with a churro waffle, and cajeta churros with cinnamon and raspberry sauce.

This pub serves up some of the best comfort food Vegas has to offer. Dishes include a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich; chicken and waffles; a prime rib dinner; and loaded nachos with corn chips, black beans, jalapeños, and your choice of meat. Citizens, as it's known, also offers a mélange of side dishes and signature cocktails. Try the Sam's mac and cheese, or maple bacon coffee cocktail. This handy space between the hotel and convention center is lively but casual; sometimes it can get loud during peak hours.

Della's is of the new school of updated, farm-to-table resort coffee shops. Both breakfast and lunch are available all day. For breakfast, consider a ricotta toast with local honey, hot smoked salmon or carnitas Benedict, or the pumpkin pie stuffed French toast. At lunch try the barnyard chopped salad or toasted cheese with tomato soup. The restaurant squeezes fresh juices to order.

Chef Emeril Lagasse's first restaurant in Las Vegas dates back to the opening of the MGM Grand, but it's still a popular choice and has been periodically updated. The menu still puts the spotlight on the chef's Creole-inspired cuisine, such as barbecued shrimp, Louisiana-style jambalaya, and oysters on the half shell with cucumber and seaweed mignonette. Sides like Creole fries, creamy Anson Mills grits, and sautéed local mushrooms provide hearty accompaniments for a prime ribeye steak or whole Mediterranean sea bass for two. The central bar is great for a glass of white with Emeril's barbecued shrimp or a beer with chilled blue crab aguachile at lunch. Be sure to finish with a slice of banana cream pie or pecan praline bread and butter bread pudding.

Chef Hubert Keller's Fleur has two dining spaces, one fairly intimate and one open to Mandalay Bay's restaurant row, so you can watch the world (or at least Las Vegas) go by. Small plates perfect for starting include foie gras with beignets and a seasonal fruit preserve, or grilled octopus with crispy garbanzo. Steaks include a bone-in New York, ribeye, or 7-ounce filet mignon, and the seasonal menu may offer such choices as halibut with black mussels and shrimp, risotto carbonara, and butternut squash agnolotti. For a side, consider fontina mac and cheese or charred broccolini. Call ahead for the Fleur Burger 5000, a Wagyu beef hamburger with foie gras, truffles, and a bottle of 1996 Chateau Petrus, costing—you guessed it—$5,000.

This credible remake of the famed 1927 Manhattan original offers an old-school carnivore experience inside the cleverly decorated New York–New York casino. The convivial tavern's walls are lined with black-and-white photos of sports stars, actors, and politicos, and the hardwood floors and tray ceilings transport guests directly to Gotham. You can admire the aged steaks in a big cooler visible from the cobblestone promenade near the entrance. The menu's refreshingly simple: pick your main dish (center-cut filet mignon, bison ribeye, and so on) and maybe add one of the six sauces (béarnaise, brandied peppercorn, Stilton blue cheese, among others) to accompany it.

This soothingly neutral Italian restaurant will satisfy carb cravings as well as yearnings for dishes that Grandma used to make. Crusty loaves of freshly baked bread, pasta, and dough for the excellent thin-crust, wood-oven pizzas are all made in-house. You can not only taste the love in your lasagna, but also feel the comfort that comes from watching it prepared in the exhibition kitchen, whence seasoned fish, grilled meats, and pork osso buco are also created and plated with fresh ingredients. Tiramisu is a must and best enjoyed from the terrace, where you can watch passersby. Buy a loaf to go in the diminutive bakery, just steps away; other foodie finds are also available.  Il Fornaio is a great place for breakfast and brunch or for pastry takeout from the bakery.

Kumi presents a Japanese menu with a slight Korean twist in a sleek space with natural woods and hammered steel. Among the cool shared plates are a bluefin tuna pizza and steak tartare with Japanese milk bread; the warm shared plates highlight dishes like Wagyu gyoza and pork belly bao buns. There also are salads, sides, entrées from land (chicken katsu) and sea (pan-seared ora king salmon), rice and noodles dishes, sashimi, nigiri sushi, and sushi rolls. Two tasting menus are available, showcasing dishes like Jidori chicken with kimchi Brussels sprouts and hirame carpaccio with dried shallots, as well as more conventional tataki, tempuras, and a wide variety of sushi. 

If you’re looking for something a little more sit-down-and-relax than Eataly’s forage-style food hall, consider this mid-priced part of the Italian behemoth. Two towering, gold-tiled pizza ovens turn out Neapolitan-style pies in numerous varieties, while the pasta side offers house-made fresh pasta dishes, such as pappardelle con funghi, lasagna Emiliana, and ravioli di zucca, and others made with dried pasta imported from Gragnano, Italy, such as spaghetti cacio e pepe, and linguine con frutti di mare. Antipasti and salads are also served.

This casual spot from James Beard Award–winning chef Shawn McClain and modern mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim puts the emphasis on "social." The food's fun but seriously good: try the caviar fried egg, in which fish eggs are paired with a chicken one and corn pudding, or boards like charcuterie, house-baked bread or pretzels, bacon-wrapped dates, or short rib flatbread. Among the entrées are a skirt steak and a filet mignon, and other large plates might be a truffled half chicken or seared scallops. There are conversation-inducing seating areas and a cocktail program that include swizzles for four, finished at the table with an original swizzle stick custom cut in the Caribbean. There's also a to-go window for those who want the flavors but don't want to leave the tables or the pool.

Michael’s has long had the somewhat dubious distinction of being arguably the most expensive restaurant in Las Vegas; suffice it to say South Point owner Michael Gaughan knows how to treat his high rollers. That ladies’ menus don’t have prices (and you’ll have to hunt long, and probably in vain, to find them online) feels like more of a throwback than a misogynistic move. And throwbacks are what this menu is all about, with dishes like coquilles St. Jacques and shrimp, lobster, or lump crab cocktail to start, plus entrées of Chateaubriand, Dover sole, veal saltimbocca, and prime steaks. Service and decor are definitely on the elegant side.

The Jonas Brothers have captured the hearts of a generation of music fans, and Nellie’s has claimed dominion over their stomachs. Named after their great-grandmother and an offshoot of the original in North Carolina, the restaurant serves appropriately Southern riffs-on-classics at lunch and dinner. You can start with a basket of biscuits with cinnamon butter and jam, pimento cheese or collards and artichoke dip, or fried green tomatoes, and proceed to dishes like fried chicken with four-cheese mac and drunken collard greens, a waffle with lobster tail dipped in Nashville hot sauce, meatloaf, or a rib-eye steak. Live music is, as you might expect, a staple.

The sunlit Primrose perfectly reflects the all-about-nature theme of Park MGM and is a great place to stop for a quick morning coffee or pressed juice, a bountiful breakfast, or sparkling rosé all day (or at least until 2 pm). Breakfast ranges from the traditional to the likes of deep-dish pancakes with almond whipped cream, with pastas, poultry, burgers, and salads for later on.

The Rainforest Cafe moved out of its longtime berth in the MGM Grand in 2015, but its current location just up the Strip on Harmon Avenue still has plenty of animatronic animals. The menu offers an eclectic mix of classic American food like fried chicken and pot roast, with a mix of seafood, pastas, and burgers with Caribbean and South American influences. The atmosphere is kind and includes weather and jungle sounds, as well as a 25-foot faux boa constrictor, Julius Squeezer. The menu is kid-friendly, too, with selections like Python Pasta and Jurassic Chicken Tidbits created just for them.

Culinary lion Alain Ducasse replaced his renowned Mix with the equally stunning Rivea, offering unparalleled views of the Strip and Riviera-style interpretations of his cuisine from the 64th floor of Delano Las Vegas. It's suitably more casual fare, with shared plates like paccheri pasta with braised short rib, and sautéed calamari and prawns with artichokes and crushed red chilies. Traditionalists will find comfort in dishes such as pepper-crusted bison tenderloin and Alaskan wild halibut with gnocchi. The wine list is among the best in all of Vegas. Try one of Ducasse's famous babas for dessert, but with a limoncello twist.

This fast-casual favorite born in New York City now has five locations in Las Vegas, and the only thing different about it is that the lines aren't so long. It's a great place to stop for a Shack Burger and fries, and don't forget the shakes and frozen custard. The Strip location has been joined by others around town and at Harry Reid International Airport.

When a restaurant has been around long enough to warrant a full renovation, you know it’s become a Las Vegas classic—and that’s the case with StripSteak. James Beard Award–winner Michael Mina puts his modern touches on the traditional steak house with a wood-burning grill turning out numerous cuts of beef that extend to large-format choices such as a 36-ounce dry-aged porterhouse or a 40-ounce Creekstone tomahawk, either of which will serve two. Or try something classically Mina-quirky, such as the 16-ounce duck-fat prime rib with blue cheese popover and fresh horseradish, or a caviar jelly doughnut. There are more conventional caviar selections, and an extensive raw bar.

Tender is the requisite steak house that every Las Vegas hotel-casino seems to have, but it sets itself slightly apart from the pack with steaks such as a butter-poached filet and a coffee-rubbed New York strip. Start with a classic shrimp cocktail or burrata and prosciutto, and consider moving on to the pan-roasted chicken or short-rib ragù. The six steak "enhancements" available range from Bearnaise sauce to Maryland crab or a cold-water lobster tail. Be sure to try a side of pork belly mac and cheese. 

Fried-chicken sandwiches are all the rage now but The Crack Shack is the OG, dating back to San Diego in 2015. Its more recent outpost in The Park between New York–New York and Park MGM serves the brand’s nearly irresistible sandwiches, such as The Royal Hangover (biscuit with sunny egg, maple sausage, American cheese, and hot garlicky aioli) or The Cali Drip, which has pollo asado piled with fries, chipotle-bacon mayo, pickled onions and jalapenos, and melty Oaxacan queso on a crunchy torta roll. Whole fried chickens in half or whole birds, sides including fries and Mexican poutine, and bowls and meals fill out the flock.

From restaurant-industry veteran and Smashburger founder Tom Ryan, this gastropub bridges a space at New York–New York between the casino and the Brooklyn Bridge that runs along the Strip, delivering great views of the action. The large menu of drinks and beers is matched by an extensive food menu, including burgers, pizzas, and other entrées. It's a good spot to try the salted caramel skillet French toast or crispy chicken and cornbread pancake for brunch, and butter-poached lobster and shrimp tacos or Tom's Famous Prime Rib dip for lunch or dinner. It's also open late (till 2 am) on Friday and Saturday.

Though a bit of a sleeper on the South Strip, Twin Creeks is a fairly budget-friendly steak house that’s become a favorite of locals. All the beef is Certified Black Angus, in cuts including filets, rib eyes, porterhouses, and New York strips, as well as a 40-ounce Creekstone Farms tomahawk for two and prime rib. Start with smoked beef tartare or a grilled artichoke, then a choice of your favorite cut—or choose crab legs, rack of lamb, or wild mushroom risotto instead of beef—and consider sides like foraged mushrooms, butter-poached lobster potato puree, or fried Brussels sprouts and bacon.

As the signature restaurant at the Four Seasons Las Vegas, Veranda serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea in a light, airy space that extends outdoors to a poolside terrace. Breakfast specialties include the likes of avocado toast on sourdough charcoal bread, apple cobbler French toast, and short rib hash and eggs. Later, consider a caprese parfait, salads like beet quinoa with citrus and raisins, rigatoni Bolognese, or a baked mushroom casserole. Weekend breakfast brings a buffet and selection of mimosas; afternoon tea is traditional with a twist.