If you’re visiting Las Vegas, odds are you plan on having lobster at least once. After all, this city has perfected many of the niche food groups that most Americans love (shrimp cocktail perhaps being the most famous), and lobster is right near the top of the list. The only unanswered question for most of you is: Where are you going to have it, and in what form?
Therein lies the real challenge, for Las Vegas offers lobster in so many forms it’s nearly impossible to know where to start. Luckily, we here at Las Vegas Magazine have eaten all over the city and have had every conceivable version of this tasty crustacean. So allow us to take you through some of our personal highlights.
Let’s start with the absolute classic, one you’ve no doubt had regardless of where you come from: Surf and turf. (Are there three more mouth-watering words when visiting a classic steakhouse?) No more of that frustrating choice of steak or lobster. This is the best of both worlds! One of the city’s newest restaurants features a fantastic version—Barry’s Downtown Prime at Circa Resort & Casino. This eatery is already one of downtown’s hottest spots, and this dish is no doubt a big part of that, featuring a sautéed 8-ounce filet mignon (medium-rare, please!) and a Maine lobster tail served with roasted garlic aioli and red wine sauce. For another terrific version of this classic combo, head to One Steakhouse at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, the new outpost by David and Michael Morton (it was formerly MB Steakhouse when the hotel was owned by Hard Rock). It's practically the same combo as the one at Barry's (an 8-ounce filet mignon with a Maine lobster tail), but it's no less delicious and satisfying.
Next up is the single lobster tail, so appetizing with the meat popping out of the shell, ready to dip into melted butter. Again, you can find this one almost everywhere, but we’d recommend making it part of a meal at Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse at the Golden Nugget, a wonderful accompaniment to one of the property’s world-class steaks.
Elsewhere on the Strip, you’ll find all sorts of wonderful variations on the lobster tail. One of our personal favorites is the 2 1/2-pound Cantonese lobsters at Catch at Aria. This is a serious dish with serious flavor, the lobster divided up into succulent bites and served with sake, oyster sauce, scallions and garlic. So amazing! And Harvest by Roy Ellamar at Bellagio, a restaurant that stresses sustainably produced proteins, serves up a stone oven-roasted Maine lobster with citrus and seaweed butter. Like everything else at Harvest, it’s unforgettable.
Then, of course, there’s the lobster roll, a favorite of New Englanders, and no place does this popular favorite better than Lobster ME, which has two outposts in Las Vegas—at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood and at The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Palazzo. Everything is served deli counter-style, and there are also some other lobster-based delights you’ll want to sample while you’re here: Lobster crab fries, lobster grilled cheese, and a “lobsicle”—a 4-ounce Maine lobster tail on a stick! For a true Vegas moment (especially if money is no object), we highly recommend the “One Pounder,” which is exactly what it sounds like: a full pound of Maine lobster meat. Sure, you’ll probably say that sounds like a lot, but let’s be honest: You’ll eat every bite and love it!
And what’s a story about lobster without mentioning the seafood tower? It seems almost inconceivable to experience Las Vegas without indulging in at least one. There are so many great version of this up and down the Las Vegas Strip. We’ve already mentioned Bugsy & Meyer’s Steakhouse, but that version definitely bears mentioning. It’s a terrifically displayed collection of seafood delights, with lobster (appropriately) towering over the rest. Another version that will satiate everyone at the table is the monster version served at Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian, piled high with not only lobster tails but oysters, red king crab legs and poached shrimp. This might just end up being your entire meal.
Now we start getting into some of the more off-the-beaten-path lobster options out there. For instance, if you’re a big brunch fan (and if you’re visiting Las Vegas, we would certainly hope so!), head to Green Valley Ranch Resort in Henderson and Bottiglia Cucina & Enoteca, where as part of your overall experience, you can order the lobster Benedict—butter-poached lobster, Parmesan creamed spinach and spiced hollandaise sauce.
Another option we see popping up on more and more menus is lobster mac and cheese. Needless to say, this is one menu item we always order when we see it, for every restaurant tackles this item differently. We’ve yet to have one we weren’t crazy about. We’d start with the version at VooDoo Steakhouse at Rio, as much for the side dish itself as for the ridiculously cool views from 50 floors up.
How about salads? There’s a splendid lobster salad at the newly opened Estiatorio Milos at The Venetian. This Greek restaurant celebrates the sea’s bounty, and this is one of the restaurant’s most popular offerings.
And what’s a salad without a soup? Again, there are plenty of lobster bisques to sample up and down the Strip, but we’re seriously partial to the one created by Top Chef Tom Colicchio at his Craftsteak restaurant at MGM Grand. Flavored with tarragon, it’s so creamy and decadent.
Finally, taco fans can rejoice that Nobu at Caesars Palace has a seriously amped-up version. Now go get your lobster on!
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