Las Vegas - June 2022 (Part 2)
(Here are a few of the places that I ate at on this trip)
Tacos El Gordo (North Strip)
I’m not into hyperbole and I hate when people overuse “the best” but these might be the best tacos I’ve had. Granted I’ve not been to Mexico City or done an LA taco tour but these were fantastic.
You queue up behind the type of meat you want and place your order while the guy behind the counter works with amazing speed at cooking, carving, and serving up your dish.
I think this chain originated in San Diego but it’s great food at a great value at the far north end of the Strip.
The place is pretty big too and can accommodate the crowds. People move through pretty quickly and I’ve always been able to find a seat. They even have some live music at times.
I tried their adoboda (which is their pastor), the asada, and the chorizo. The meat was flavorful, the toppings were fresh, and the tortilla had a nice texture. Everything about the taco was great.
Esther’s Kitchen (Arts District)
This is one of those places in the Arts District that makes the area a destination now. They have an award-winning chef who opened a high-quality restaurant in this hipster neighborhood and it brings the people in.
They have an open kitchen right next to the dining room so you can see and hear all the high energy action and yelling going on with the cooks.
They have an inventive menu along with great cocktails. It feels like high end dining but in a comfortable homey environment. The menu is Italian themed and everyone we ran into would ask us if we tried the bread here (which we didn’t). I guess the house made sourdough is a thing (can’t be better than Acme Bread though, right?). I suppose I can find out next time I visit.
Chengdu Taste (Chinatown)
Located one street off the main Chinatown area of Las Vegas, Chengdu Taste offers up some excellent Szechuan cuisine.
The food here is packed with flavor. The dishes are fairly spicy but not too much so it complements the food rather than just overpower it. The spice of course is the numbing Szechuan spice which slowly creeps up on you as you eat.
Pictured here are the Toothpick Lamb and the Spring Onion Chicken in Pepper Sauce. You’ll notice that it is only Chinese people in here which is a good sign.
The menu has photos so you know what you are ordering which I always find a bit helpful since Chinese dishes may vary a bit from place to place.
Herbs & Rye
Another great off-strip place to go is Herbs & Rye. Extensive cocktail list and I believe it won some award recently for having the best traditional cocktails. They have a great happy hour and the locals flock here for dinner because of the excellent deal.
The bartender told us that originally, they had a normal happy hour span where they offered certain menu items and some steaks for ½ price. I guess due to the pandemic they extended the happy hour to all the time until further notice – and as there has been no further notice - it’s always happy hour.
Since it’s so popular with the locals it’s probably wise to get a reservation.
Jaleo (Cosmopolitan)
This is a José Andrés property so I feel good about patronizing it. Someone please give that guy a Nobel Peace Prize already.
Jaleo is located in the Cosmopolitan so the location should be pretty central to wherever you may be on the strip They have an abbreviated happy hour tapas menu along with a few drink deals so going here during happy hour can get you high end tapas dining at a good price.
As you can see from the photos, the food is pretty inventive and everything is nicely done as you would expect from a place like this.
Brera Osteria (Venetian)
Brera is in the Venetian in the back corner of their mini-St Mark’s Square atrium. It is another place with great happy hour.
They do a version of the aperitivo custom (the original happy hour) where you get free food with your drink order.
Aperitivo is (unsurprisingly) much better in Italy where you will find students take full advantage of loading up on multiple plates of food after ordering a Negroni. Here they will provide you with a small version of one of their appetizer plates for every drink you order.
On top of that they have ½ price appetizers and pizzas along with some drink deals. I find the location a nice place to hang out as well since it is open to the square and a great place to people watch and see the activity in the square. It’s good food in a good atmosphere.
(I forgot to take a photo of the restaurant - I’m sure the Venetian won’t mind me using the stock photo off their site here)
Holsteins (Cosmopolitan)
Sometimes you just need a good solid burger and Holsteins delivers. They offer boozy shakes as well if you are into that kind of thing (I am not).
On the second floor of the Cosmopolitan next to the food court, they have an excellent burger. Another benefit (at least when I was there) was that it is a bit easier to get into as a few other places were just packed which is a bit frustrating when you are hungry.
Kale salad also pictured because if you eat something healthy it offsets the burger and fries right? (The salad was also excellent).
The Magic Noodle
This is one of those places you go when you have a car as it is located waaayyy over on the west side of town. The place is pretty popular as it was filled with locals on their lunch hour when I was there.
They offer sauced, stir fried, or soup noodles and you can get the noodles hand cut or hand pulled. The Chongqing style spicy soup noodles pictured here.
White Castle (Strip & Downtown)
Some people hate them, some people love them. I love them. Sure, it’s not the best idea to pound 20 of them but I find them tasty.
Las Vegas is also the closest place from the West Coast to get them as far as I know (the frozen ones don’t count – not the same and they don’t have pickles).
There are several locations here. The one on the strip previously was open 24 hours but that has changed since the pandemic. They never put locks on the doors so they actually have to chain them shut in order to close.
Istanbul Mediterranean (Strip)
This is a pretty good place to hit up if you are walking the Strip and get hungry. Great shawarma and in a convenient location in that outside shop area in front of Bally’s (soon to be Binion’s). There are actually a few good eateries in that location.
The only downside of this place is that it is just a counter with no indoor seating so when it gets a bit hot while waiting for your food in the summer.
Le Thai (Downtown)
This place is located in Downtown and is pretty popular – so much so that you need a reservation unless you want to hit it at the slower times like right when it opens.
It’s nice having a Thai restaurant here in the middle of the land of hot dogs and burgers. I think my favorite Thai dish might be larb and they do it well here.
Evel Pie (Downtown)
Another place in downtown that is pretty popular with the locals is Evel Pie. It is an Evel Knievel themed bar/pizzeria. Lots of inventive pizza options or solid mainstays available.
I think the locals like it for a night out because it’s easy and affordable. No fuss, no long lines, and good food. Full bar available which is always a plus.