We love to recommend new dining spots, but some chefs and restaurateurs go above and beyond in Las Vegas, establishing culinary empires that deliver a variety of food in multiple locations — without skimping on quality.
🍝 It’s hard to overstate the importance of James Trees to the neighborhood dining scene. The chef’s farm-fresh Italian cuisine (and that bread!) at Esther's Kitchen helped establish the Arts District as a must-visit dining destination. He then set his sights on Tivoli Village with Al Solito Posto (a larger dining room with Italian-American classics done right) and Ada’s, which started out as a pizza and ice cream shop before transforming into a wine bar with food that punches well above its weight class. Back in the Arts District, Trees moved Esther’s into a larger location and brought in Ada’s to take over the old space. Down the street, the chef and his team run French bistro Bar Bohème and sister cocktail lounge Petite Bohème. Trees finally made it (almost) to the Strip with High Steaks Las Vegas, a steakhouse on the top floor of the Rio hotel tower.
🥩 We’re keeping celebrity chefs at bay on this list, but making an exception for José Andrés, who’s been especially active in Vegas. Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan presents a loyal take on Spanish cuisine, featuring a wood-fired paella grill that’s a show all by itself. é by José Andrés is an exclusive, restaurant-within-a-restaurant that celebrates the chef’s love of gastronomy with just two intimate seatings a night. The Cosmopolitan is also home to China Poblano, which serves both Asian and Mexican dishes (while resisting the urge to “fuse” them together). Andrés’ grandest restaurant, the Bazaar Meat steakhouse, feels new again after moving from the Sahara to the Palazzo, while Bazaar Mar shifts the focus to seafood inside the Shops at Crystals. The sleeper pick? Zaytinya, which combines Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and African flavors at the Forum Shops. A special $100 anniversary tasting menu (available through June 1) throws a little of everything your way with no choices to worry about — and worth it for the chilled yogurt soup and smoked lamb shoulder kleftiko alone.
🍸 Chef Oscar Amador turned a small Spanish tapas restaurant, EDO, into one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Chinatown before expanding the concept to the Gramercy with Anima by EDO, which brought an Italian influence into the mix. Amador closed the original, renaming it Amador Cocina Fina for a more personal, experimental take on Latin flavors. Meanwhile, his influence is felt at Braseria by EDO, which combines familiar elements (gin and tonic, anyone?) with French inspiration east of the Strip. The kitchen is in great hands under the direction of corporate executive chef Tayden Poha-Ellamar (a veteran of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon) and executive chef Roberto Higuera. If that’s not enough, a new gastropub is on deck to open this year at the Gramercy in the old DW Bistro space.
🥟 China Mama has only grown and gotten better under the ownership of Ivy Ma and husband Nick Lin. The Chinatown original was knocked out of action a few years ago due to a fire, prompting a second location in Shanghai Plaza and later, the brand’s first casino location at Palace Station. All three serve a spirited take on regional Chinese cuisine, from dumplings to crispy beef, under the guidance of longtime executive chef Bing Chou. The smaller China Mama Express is geared towards takeout orders in Summerlin and Spring Valley, while Spring by China Mama celebrates Ma’s Harbin heritage with tableside spring wrap presentations. Hao Chi by China Mama is more casual, serving beef rolls, soups, and other bites near Charleston Heights.
- Is there a culinary empire we missed? Let us know! 📬
