Great eats in Las Vegas

My friend and I will be in Vegas for a wedding, so our two main dinners have already been planned for us.

Any recommendations for a great breakfast or lunch on the strip...in a hotel or elsewhere? Nothing high end, but a Vegas favorite or a good find?

It is my first time to Vegas so I am not too sure how easy it is to navigate around elsewhere.

Also any other must sees since it is our first visit? We are both in our late twenties...

Thanks for any suggestions.

BTW...
The wedding is at Rao's (a spin off of New York's elite hot spot with reservations passed on from generation to generation). I'll definitely have to report back on our meal.

Check out this threadfor some ideas. I'd recommend the Peppermill for your breakfast needs. It's right on the strip, so it's easy to get to for the transportation challenged.

The only downside of the Peppermill is that their servings are so huge (10-egg omelets, f'rinstance), you may be too full to partake of other chow for hours. Certainly a Peppermill breakfast shouldn't follow, say, a Bellagio buffet dinner.

Where will you be staying?

You can easily cab or walk anywhere (though I will warn you that Vegas this time of year is HOT. I mean HOTTTT), but sometimes grabbing some breakfast is as easy as heading down to your hotel's buffet (if you're staying at the Wynn or Bellagio or Planet Hollywood), but if you're feeling like an experience, definitely check out Bouchon at the Venetian for brunch. Reasonably priced, and the ambience is fabulous.

Lunch is one of those meals that you can either take or leave in Vegas, it's not super necessary if you've have a big breakfast and you know you have a dinner planned, and most usually skip it in order for more time at the tables. On that note, Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay is a good choice. Or hoof it to the In 'n Out offstrip.

Out of curiosity, when is your friend's wedding? I have a friend who's getting married at Rao's this month as well.

I'll rec 2 that are not previously found on LTH:

Togoshi Ramen
855 E Twain Ave Ste 107
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 737-7003

bona fide ramen house in a strip mall east of i15. it's a place frequented by Japanese gamblers and Hawaiians who crave ramen. Think Sunshine (or better yet, Toriishin) of Las Vegas.

Food Express
2003 S Decatur Blvd Ste B
Las Vegas, NV 89102

rec'd to me by a Mandarin speaker while we were @ LOS as the only Chinese joint worth eating at in LV. not horribly fancy but a place where the local Chinese eat.

and one of my own:

Bistro Buffet @ Palms Casino
4321 W Flamingo Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89103
(702) 942-7777

only open for a few months, lunch is ~$10 and offers the highest quality/price ratio in town. everything here tastes better than similarly priced offerings in Downtown LV. On par with higher priced buffets @ Venetian/Paris, etc. we were highly surprised by the tastefully modern decor and the non-plastic settings, etc. we will be back; currently my fave LV buffet spot, fully supplanting Makino.

enjoy and beware: daytime temps are alraedy topping 110degF.

You may be back already, but if not, there is a cute Italian place in the Venetian. It is designed to look like an outdoor cafe in Venice. Very charming and not too expensive. You really get the feeling that you are eating outdoors. Have fun!

chicalgal wrote:You may be back already, but if not, there is a cute Italian place in the Venetian. It is designed to look like an outdoor cafe in Venice. Very charming and not too expensive. You really get the feeling that you are eating outdoors. Have fun!

Which one, Postrio or Enoteca San Marco?

Postrio is Puck's California cuisine.

Enoteca San Marco is Batali's Otto transplanted to Vegas.

Both at The Ventian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Postrio
(702) 796-1110

Enoteca San Marco
http://www.mariobatali.com/restaurants_sanmarco.html

Now that I am back, I have a little more insight.

A few musts...visit the Venetian at a good time for dessert. They have a gelato stand that is the best I've seen since visiting in Italy. It's near the center where you buy tickets and board the gondola.

We wanted to go to craftsteak, Tom Collichio's place (Top Chef's judge), but we got there too late. A lot of the high end restaurants only serve dinner.

We grabbed "brunch" (they have both breakfast and more savory lunch options at Le Bouchon in the Venetian, but it isn't on restaurant row or in the plaza. It is to the right of the main lobby on the 12th floor I think, near the pool. It was like we were eating in France. A great find.

Overall, each newer casino has a few top restaurants. Didn't see too much to write home about in Harrah's, the Flamingo, Imperial, etc.