Las Vegas has become the world capital of celebrity chefs and famous food figures, and these days the question is not who among such luminaries has a restaurant on the Strip, but who doesn’t? In 2014, several big names are making their debut on Las Vegas Boulevard, and the first is a person who really should have been here all along: Guy Fieri. The brash, excitable winner of The Next Food Network Star and now the host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy’s Big Bite and Guy’s Grocery Games is not only a restaurateur and cookbook author, he’s also a graduate of Las Vegas’ very own UNLV. His first Vegas joint finds a perfect home at The Quad, nestled into a colorful, comfortable spot right on the Strip.

Anxious eaters may be surprised to find Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar feels much more like an intimate, amped-up version of your favorite neighborhood bar and grill than a mega-restaurant like the one Fieri opened recently in Times Square. Subtle details from the Food Network star’s personality are woven into the fabric of the Vegas spot, including napkin designs inspired by his Day of the Dead skull tattoos. And then there’s the custom-made cold shot dispenser, because Guy is just like us and he doesn’t like his liquor diluted if it doesn’t have to be. It’s a nice complement to the bar’s stellar selection of craft beers and specialty cocktails.

An essential appetizer is the Vegas Fries, a tasty snack that actually originates in Las Vegas. During Fieri’s college days at UNLV, he couldn’t afford an order of buffalo wings at his favorite pub, so he applied his favorite flavors to more affordable fried spuds instead: hot sauce, blue cheese crumbles, shaved celery and carrots atop crispy potatoes. It’s a goofy guilty pleasure, a description that applies to much of this deliciously fun food.

If you watch any of Fieri’s numerous food TV shows, you know he’s not afraid to get a little wacky with the recipe if it might result in crave-able casual cuisine. His Guy-talian Fondue Dippers are thin, crunchy bread sticks wrapped in pepperoni and served with a provolone and sausage cheese dip. You can never go wrong with nachos, and these are pepped up with spicy chorizo. Want real chicken wings? How about meaty bites doused in a mix of buffalo sauce and Fireball whiskey? Fieri has also perfected the common onion ring, great slabs of sweet, plump onions with a slightly spicy, super-savory crust.

Once you’ve worked your way through apps, salads and maybe a hearty bowl of sour cream-topped chili, the main attractions come categorized as tacos, burgers and sandwiches. Choose wisely—all of them will fill you up. The carne asada street tacos or drunken fish tacos (made with tequila-citrus tilapia) are simple and satisfying, while the Mac-N-Cheese Bacon Burger and Off-Da-Hook Original Smash-Burger (with onion rings and bourbon brown sugar barbecue sauce) are as over-the-top as it gets. The Big Dipper, a twisted take on a classic French dip with shaved prime rib, pepper jack cheese and creamy horseradish, might be one of the best sandwiches on the Strip.

You know Guy Fieri. You know he’s big on flavor and big on fun, and he knows that’s what you’re expecting from his first Las Vegas restaurant.

The Quad, 10 a.m.-2 a.m. daily. 702.731.3311