Distinctive Dining: Six Must-See Las Vegas Restaurants

Food should always be the main concern when visiting any eating establishment. But in a town like Vegas that’s bursting with superstar chefs from around the globe, weighing a few other factors will help narrow your plan of attack. These restaurants boast one-of-a-kind interior designs to go along with their top-chef menus, offering dining experiences all of your senses will appreciate in full.

There’s no hiding what this relatively new Las Vegas steakhouse (founded by noted mob defense attorney and former Las Vegas mayor Oscar B. Goodman) is all about: the words beef, booze and broads are literally on the wall. It’s an homage to the glory days of old-school Vegas; Oscar’s “Broads” are trained dinner companions who can “discuss subjects such as politics, sports, wine, Las Vegas history or things to do on the strip”. The main dining room, located inside the Plaza’s iconic dome, is a show stealer all on its own. Order the Mayor’s own legendary gin Martini and enjoy the view(s).

Two-time James Beard Award winner Chef Julian Serrano’s joint at the Bellagio requires no introduction for foodies tuned into the restaurant scene: Picasso has earned the AAA Five-Diamond Award 13 years in a row, a 28/30 rating on Zagat and two Michelin stars, and Wine Spectator has honored its 1,500-bottle wine cellar with its prestigious Grand Award. Combined with a rustic dining setting that boasts several original Picasso masterpieces on the walls as well as an intimate terrace with a prime view of the Bellagio’s fountain, the restaurant’s got something for anyone.

Joel Robuchon is one of France’s most decorated and famed chefs. His various restaurants around the world hold a total of 28 Michelin stars — more than any other group in the world. The L’Atelier offers visitors an incredible behind-the-scenes look into the culinary process, letting diners see tapas plates and entrees prepared right before their eyes at the counter.

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The MGM Grand’s Shibuya has repeatedly earned accolades as Las Vegas’s best Japanese restaurant for good reason. A la carte and multi-course tasting menus, combined with over 125 sakes (including the three private labels of Shibuya, Hachiko and NeoTokyo) and over 25 Japanese beers can overwhelm the unprepared diner. If that doesn’t leave an impression (or destroy your memory of one), the unique mixture of polished bamboo tables, digital color-changing screens and bold matchstick patterned walls, mirroring the feel of Tokyo’s famed Shibuya district, certainly will.

This Michelin two-star restaurant located on the second floor of the Augustus Tower places the attention where it should be — on the food. Large slated wood room dividers and restrained table decor make the sumptuous dishes the focus of the evening. Chef Guy Savoy is so adamant about his approach that no flowers are allowed inside and the wait staff are forbidden from wearing scents, lest the smells conflict with the aroma of the food. It’s a different story after the meal is over. The sleek Cognac Lounge brings high-style, after-dinner libation to new heights, a special accomplishment in a swank-saturated city like Vegas.

It’s hard being an attentive date when you’re perched atop the 64th-floor of THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, gazing through floor-to-ceiling windows at the neon glow of the city. Keeping your eyes strictly inside the confines of the restaurant doesn’t make things easier, thanks to the striking Patrick Jouin-designed all white interior, headlined by a 24-foot-tall Murano-glass chandelier made from roughly 15,000 hand-blown glass spheres. Luckily, signature dishes like pepper-crusted bison tenderloin and roasted Maine lobster “Au Curry” prepared by chef Bruno Riou are guaranteed to hold everyone’s attention at the table.