My 15 Favorite Restaurants Off the Strip in Las Vegas
This classic post by a local with family in Las Vegas is worth revisiting before the summer holiday season.
Editor’s Note: Originally published in February 2023, this post became one of the most popular that year. We’re revisiting it just ahead of summer travel season for the legions of Hawai‘i travelers looking for off-the-beaten-path eats in their favorite destination.
I was never a fan of Las Vegas. Joke’s on me—now that my parents have permanently relocated to the Ninth Island, I call it home two weeks out of the year. I don’t gamble, nor do I seek out the shows. I do a little shopping, but after catching up on much-needed sleep and cuddles with the dogs, eating takes up most of my agenda. Luckily for me, Vegas knows food.
We go off The Strip to explore parts of the valley between Chinatown and Summerlin, with the occasional visit to downtown Las Vegas and the edges of Henderson. These Las Vegas area restaurants are favorites I look forward to visiting each time.
Al Solito Posto
Photos: Thomas Obungen
This grand restaurant at Tivoli Village is a bastion of Roman sensibility with East Coast roots. Inside is a gorgeous bar with Vegas’s best Negroni menu and soft lighting accentuating the huge dining room. The fare skews toward red sauce Italian with servings that rival Buca di Beppo and much tastier. It’s from the mind of James Trees, aka the chef-owner of Esther’s Kitchen in Downtown, after all.
Al Solito’s seasonal menu revolves around fresh handmade pasta, like rigatoni alla vodka with spicy Italian sausage ($29) and silky pappardelle bolognese ($31), and entrées including lamb shank osso bucco ($44) and chicken marsala ($31). Even the warm foccacia bread shouldn’t be missed. For dessert, the Italian Rainbow cake ($14) with scoops of gelato ($10) makes you feel like it’s your birthday even when it’s not. Attentive service and an intimate ambiance make this one of my favorite places in Vegas.
Open Monday to Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Friday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m. Inside Tivoli Village, 420 S Rampart Blvd. #180, Summerlin, alsolito.com, @alsolitoposto
Café Breizh
Photos: Thomas Obungen
Baguettes, croissants, brioche and crepes galore: Café Breizh is where we go when we’re in the mood for Breton and French pastries and sandwiches. This is one of my parents’ regular spots in Summerlin. For the quality and value, it does not disappoint. For Christmas, we stock up on croissants and eclairs from the case (from $4.50), plus a loaf of gruyere and bacon sourdough bread ($7.50) to eat with butter. It’s all tough to resist. Breakfast and lunch are casual affairs, especially when you go early on weekdays. The Croque Madame ($12) and peanut butter crepes ($7) are almost too good to be true.
Open Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday to Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., 3555 S. Fort Apache Road #141, Summerlin, cafebreizh.com, @cafebreizh
D E Thai Kitchen
A hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant on an eerily quiet street near West Charleston Boulevard and South Third Street, D E Thai Kitchen is a happy discovery. For as small as it is, it sure punches above its weight class when it comes to food and service. My pad si ew with crispy pork ($16) reminds me of what I’d order in Los Angeles’s Thai Town. The curries are rich and so full of protein and veg, I don’t think you could mess up with any order. Dining in is quick for an 18-seat restaurant, and takeout is a solid choice, especially after a day of shopping at the nearby outlets.
Multiple locations, dethaikitchen.com, @dethaikitchen
Esther’s Kitchen
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Located in the Arts District, Esther’s Kitchen is a prime hub of activity on any given day. I think it was a Monday when Mom and I stopped in for an early lunch and had to wait for a table. It’s worth it though. If your appetite was the Titanic, the hunk of country sourdough bread that rides sidecar to the platter of tomato bruschetta is an iceberg. So don’t go overboard and eat it all before your house-made pasta comes. Its sister restaurant, chef James Trees’ Al Solito Posto, is one of my other favorite spots and leans more East Coast red sauce, while Esther’s Kitchen brings California seasonal flair to Italian cooking.
Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 5 to 10 p.m. daily, 1131 South Main St., Downtown, (702) 570-7864, estherslv.com, @estherskitchenlv
Gäbi Coffee & Bakery
Photos: Thomas Obungen
Nothing prepared me for what lies beyond the heavy wooden door to Gäbi Coffee and Bakery in Chinatown. An entire greenhouse (the kitchen) sits in the middle of this warehouse-loft chic café with a mix of post-Chosun era décor and antique western touches. There are loads of seating arrangements from high-top tables to armchairs, sofas and even a set of bleachers at the back.
The menu is extensive and changes with the seasons, but standouts are the epic sandwiches, milles crepe cakes and espresso coffee drinks. Favorites include the open-face crunchy turkey salad sandwich ($13), grilled ham and cheese sandwich ($15) and the Galaxy Lemonade ($7.50).
Open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., 5808 Spring Mountain Road Suite 104, Chinatown, (702) 331-1144, gabicafe.com, @gabicoffeebakery
Guerrilla Pizza Co. (temporarily closed)
Photos: Thomas Obungen
Guerrilla Pizza Co. wasn’t an easy find, but if someone is making Detroit pizza, I’m seeking them out. Tucked in the Hard Hat Lounge, a dive bar near the North Outlets, Guerrilla is possibly the only Detroit pizza game in Sin City. Pies are consistent, loaded with toppings and framed with the signature crust of Wisconsin brick cheese. Every slice is a corner, so everyone’s happy.
We tried a pepperoni mushroom pizza ($21) to go, and realizing it was actually very good, returned a couple of days later and bought two pies and garlic knots. They survived the 30-minute drive home and kept my lap warm before being devoured in record time. The Gorilla Knots ($7) with marinara dip make for a good sidekick to the square pie when feeding more than a couple of people.
Open daily from 12 to 11:30 p.m., 1675 S. Industrial Road, Downtown, (725) 777-2949, @guerrillapizzadtlv
SEE ALSO: Parade of Poke: All the New Poke Coming to Frolic’s May 17 Poke Fest
Gursha Ethiopian Restaurant
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Food is the love language my partner and I share. If we can cook it, we most likely will, but in some instances a restaurant will satisfy our craving much better. Indian and Ethiopian are the two cuisines we look forward to on the Mainland because we can’t get enough (or any) back home. While visiting the Ninth Isle, we escaped for a date night and found Gursha Ethiopian Restaurant, and it turned into one of our best dinners in recent memory. Families clustered around tables while Eritrean music videos played on the television, and we knew immediately Gursha was going to slap.
The sole woman working the kitchen and counter confirmed we could bring our own booze, so we went next door to the liquor store to pick up a couple of bombers of Dos Equis and shots of tequila while she prepared our food. Thirty minutes later, the sizzling Gursha Shekla Tibs ($22) arrives: beef cubes sautéed with spices, jalapeños and onions served table side from a clay vessel heated with charcoal from below. It comes with rolled injera. Our veggie platter for two ($25) has a complete set of Ethiopian legume and veggie curries. We rip, dip and fall into bliss with the flavors of the Horn of Africa.
Open Monday and Tuesday 12:30 to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 12:30 t0 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12:30 to 10 p.m., (702) 818-7878, gurshaethiopianrestaurantlasvegas.com
Juan’s Flaming Fajitas
Is the whole tableside flame show a gimmick? Possibly. But how can you pass up Juan’s when the two-choice weekday lunch combos come in under $13? The pork tamales covered in salsa verde and Ranchero crispy tacos al pastor are my go-to picks and come with rice, beans and a basket of hot tortilla chips. Even if you’re not getting the flaming fajitas, the tables around you most likely are, so you can still enjoy the show.
Multiple locations, juansflamingfajitas.com
Katsuya Ton Ton
Photos: Thomas Obungen
Katsuya Ton Ton is the best katsu restaurant I’ve been to outside of Japan and Hawai‘i. For the price point, which rivals that of Tamafuji in Honolulu, you can expect huge portions, and it’s all very good. The tonkatsu tenderloin is bursting with juicy goodness while the seafood katsu is a treasure trove of delights. I also recommend the scallop katsu a la carte ($14) for a little something extra to add to your teishoku sets. One of the reasons it might be so good is the owner has ties to Japan and Hawai‘i, having previously worked at a famous katsu-ya in Waikīkī.
Open daily from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 8:30 p.m., 7225 S. Durango Dr. Suite 105, Rhodes Ranch, (702) 605-4402, tontonlv.com, @tontonkatsuya
SEE ALSO: I Got Into Tonkatsu Kuro at 8:15 on a Wednesday Night and It Was So Worth It
New Asian BBQ
Photos: Thomas Obungen
New Asian BBQ, or Tân Tùng Ký as it’s known in Vietnamese, is that restaurant. You know, the family-run spot in the tiniest Chinatown strip mall with 10 parking stalls that are always full and an outrageous line outside. But you go because it is worth the hassle it takes to get crispy roast pork, huge siumai and all you need for a New Year’s Eve feast. Because of the weather and the crowds, we get takeout, but inside, New Asian BBQ is like a portal to Hong Kong—round tables with lazy susans filled with platters of roast duck, baskets of dim sum and noodles for days. If you’ve tried Ping Pang Pong and you’re looking for a humbler experience, this is your spot.
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 150 Spring Mountain Road Suite 16, Chinatown, (702) 202-2262
Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Thai was the first ethnic cuisine my parents introduced my tastebuds to. I loved it so much, they insisted I find a Thai girlfriend, so she could cook panang curry for me. Thirty years later, I have a partner who cooks for me, although he isn’t Thai, his skills in the kitchen go far beyond one cuisine. When Mom and I are craving Thai, we drop into Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen in Summerlin. There isn’t one thing we haven’t raved about on the menu, from the nem khao crispy rice salad ($19) to the Siamese corn fritters ($14) and the stuffed chicken wings ($12).
Nittaya’s wine list is also impressive, going above and beyond what one might expect from a restaurant in a single-story strip mall. There’s a variety of sweet and dry rieslings, Albariño from the Rias Biaxas, a rose from Argentina and even a Sauternes for dessert. The restaurant is dark and moody but the service is cheerful and attentive. Nittaya’s is underrated, and a part of me hopes it stays that way, but it’s definitely worth a visit when you’re on this side of town.
Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Sunday and 11 a.m. t0 9:30 p.m. on Sundays, 8427 West Lake Mead Blvd., Summerlin, (702) 360-8885, nittayassecretkitchen.com, @nittayas_secret_kitchen
Oyster Bar
Many of the Station Casinos have an Oyster Bar branch. The most famous of them all is the 24-hour location in the Palace Station, which often has hours-long lines at all times of the day. My parents live closer to Santa Fe Station, which is where we go for our pan roast fix. Pan roast is neither a soup nor a stew, but something closer to a runny gumbo. It’s warm, full of shellfish and can be spicy. Ripe for a piece of crusty bread or a bowl of rice, pan roast is comfort grinds to the max.
Multiple locations, stationcasinos.com
Shàng Artisan Noodle
This spot gets a lot of hype, and I’ll gladly tell you it’s 100% real. Hand-pulled noodles, silky wontons, spicy soup noodles and a mighty wok hay fried rice that’ll blow your socks off: It’s all here at Shang Artisan Noodle, a cozy noodle bar with a view of the kitchen action. I especially love watching cooks pull noodles for each order, producing chewy strands in a crimson beef broth.
Pan-fried pork dumplings burst with juiciness (that’s your warning), and the Shang Fried Rice, with minced pork and loads of savoriness, are worth stretching for, even if you need to take home leftovers. If you can handle the numbing spice, the dan dan noodles are also a must-try. Go during off-hours for less of a wait, otherwise prepare to queue up.
Multiple locations, shangartisannoodle.com, @shangartisannoodle
SEE ALSO: Find Fresh, Spicy, Hand-Pulled Noodle Bowls at These O‘ahu Farmers Markets
The Bagel Café
Photo: Thomas Obungen
The Bagel Café sounds like it could be your average mom-and-pop bagel shop, but it is far from average. It just might be Vegas’s best Jewish deli. Pastrami reubens, knishes, lox, schmears and matzo ball soup: There’s a breakfast diner off to the side and, as you might expect, upwards of 29 different bagels to choose from, most $2 apiece. Sharing is encouraged if you need to be active after your meal here.
Open Tuesday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday to Monday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., 301 N. Buffalo Dr., Summerlin, (702) 255-3444, thebagelcafelv.com, @bagelcafelv
EggWorks and The Egg & I
Photos: Thomas Obungen
Breakfast is a sacred meal in our house, probably because we’ve always been morning people. So when we’re up early but don’t feel like cooking up a feast ourselves, The Egg and I is where we go. It’s a peculiar mix of Anna Miller’s and Koa Pancake House, with a solid menu in the form of a tabloid newspaper. Eggs are the specialty here, so definitely order them. They also serve Portuguese sausage, but not sliced into rounds—it’s an entire sausage split down the middle.
Multiple locations, theeggworks.com, @eggworksrestaurants
Thomas Obungen is the associate editor of Frolic Hawai‘i and HONOLULU Magazine.
