Is Las Vegas the New Fine Dining Capital of America?

For generations, the neon-lit city of Las Vegas was a beacon for glamour and entertainment. Famed for its helter-skelter nightlife and star-studded performers, “Sin City” has attracted millions of tourists from around the world, where legends like Elvis Presley and The Rat Pack once ruled the stage.

Given its showbiz roots, it’s no surprise that Vegas cemented itself as a playground for the rich and famous. However, its Strip-based casino resorts are what have drawn many to the Strip, eager to try their luck at the tables.

Casino resorts in Las Vegas are some of the biggest on the planet, with thousands of hotel rooms and tens of thousands of square feet worth of casino floor space. Vegas casinos have been synonymous with table games like blackjack and roulette, but the classic card game of poker has long held romantic appeal. It’s been the epicentre of the poker scene, staging high-stakes poker tournaments and welcoming some of the biggest names in poker. Nevertheless, as online poker rooms have made it easier to learn poker games and dynamics, resulting in declining footfall to land-based poker venues and encouraging Vegas to find new ways to captivate tourists.

Its diversification has centered on new forms of luxury lifestyle – fine dining. Today, Las Vegas has firmly established itself as a culinary capital for food lovers, featuring a spate of Michelin-starred and exquisite eateries.

Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand

The “Chef of the Century”, Joël Robuchon, has a hugely successful restaurant in the south end of the Las Vegas Strip at the MGM Grand. Specializing in French haute dishes, the interiors create a plush Parisian feel, ensuring a refined dining atmosphere for all guests. There’s intricate 16-course tasting menus to savor for special occasions, as well as signature dishes like Le Caviar Imperial, a fusion of crab, caviar and crustacean jelly. Black caviar is a genuine show-stopper due to its rarity and rich flavor. As a multiple Michelin star-winner, Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand should be right at the top of your hit-list for fine dining on the Strip.

Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace happens to be one of the most iconic resorts on the Vegas Strip and Guy Savoy decided to rock up to this mid-Strip venue and blow their guests away. Parisian flavors come to the fore once again at Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, with most of the menu’s signature dishes looking and tasting like a work of art.

The artichoke and black truffle soup, as well as the “Colors of Caviar” are some of the most popular dishes. The Krug Champagne room takes things up a notch too, allowing patrons to pair champagnes with each course – a truly decadent dining experience.

é by José Andrés at The Cosmopolitan

For more culinary artistry, look no further than The Cosmopolitan. Chef, José Andrés has surpassed himself with this intimate restaurant, bringing to light a whole new world of molecular gastronomy. The restaurant has just eight covers per sitting, creating an small but exclusive dining environment, allowing you to get up close and personal with the culinary artistry behind every tasty morsel.

The menu is a fusion of Mediterranean and experimental flavors, guaranteed to stir the tastebuds. Who knew that liquid olives and nitrogen-frozen food could be so impressive?

CUT by Wolfgang Puck at The Venetian

Wolfgang Puck is one of the most iconic chefs in all of America. He introduced his CUT steakhouse franchise to The Venetian. The restaurant serves some of the finest premium, dry-aged steak on the planet. Whether it’s Japanese Kobe beef or American Wagyu, it’s guaranteed to be flame-grilled to protein perfection.

Aside from the steaks, Puck has also introduced a string of innovative side dishes and there’s plenty for seafood lover to get their teeth stuck into too. It’s one of the top-tier modern-day steakhouses on the Strip, even if it lacks the charm of Las Vegas’ old-school steakhouses.

With the presence of Las Vegas’ celebrity chefs rife, it’s a clear vote of confidence in the Strip’s reputation as a foodie’s paradise. The Strip’s mission to diversify and appeal to new demographics of tourists appears to be working thus far.