Let’s talk Mexican food. Las Vegas is stacked with a multitude of restaurants dishing up this favorite cuisine, and the offerings stretch far beyond one style of establishment or one specialty dish. Along the vibrant downtown stretch known as Fremont East, one of the most popular spots for locals and visitors recently reopened, just in time to celebrate the spring season. La Comida (702.463.9900), known for its casual, delicious fare and fresh fruit-flavored margaritas, is perfectly situated as the beginning or ending to a night strolling the bars and restaurants of Fremont Street.
Two very different, very exciting new Mexican restaurants are generating serious heat in the southwest portion of the Las Vegas Valley. From the creators of the Black Sheep (Vietnamese) and Locale (Italian) comes El Luchador (702.260.8709), a colorful cantina also big on margaritas that just happens to perfectly complement creative cuisine such as sweet potato and black bean quesadillas, roasted chicken with nopales (cactus) and chimichurri, and crispy shrimp tacos with mango pico de gallo. If you’re looking for an ideal lunch destination, look no further than Milpa (702.247.4147), a health-conscious new concept where heirloom corn is ground in-house to make fresh, flavorful tortillas every day. Use them to build your own tacos with chipotle roasted cauliflower, citrus-adobo grilled chicken or braised beef short ribs. This rustic food will stick with you.
If you’re strolling the Strip, saunter down the Linq Promenade and consider a leisurely afternoon of chips and salsa, guacamole or nachos with your tequila of choice on the energetic patio at Chayo Mexican Kitchen (702.691.3773). It’s the perfect place to watch Vegas go by, especially once you work through those appetizers and move on to carne asada fajitas, green chili chicken enchiladas and the addictive churros rellenos dessert with dulce de leche sauce.
Once you’ve had your fill, you should know about two more Strip offerings that just returned to action. At MGM Grand, a former sushi spot and noodle house has been reborn as Grand Wok Noodle Bar (702.891.7921), dishing up a full spectrum of hearty soups, Chinese barbecue, wok-tossed noodles and seafood specialties. Bold dishes like Thai basil beef fried rice, Hainanese steamed chicken and Singapore-style curry rice noodles display this new gem’s dynamic range.
Just across the street at New York-New York, Italian institution Il Fornaio (702.650.6500) also returns to serving its diverse menu, running the gamut from pastas and pizzas to lightly fried baby squid and rotisserie rosemary chicken. And don’t forget the refreshing bellinis and mimosas on the faux patio for brunch to align with fresh-baked pastries from the in-house bakery. So much goodness!
Speaking of weekend morning decadence, here’s a bonus brunch pick: Head west to Hearthstone (702.797.7344) at Red Rock Resort for buttermilk-fried chicken and bourbon maple syrup waffles, a chorizo-and-potato breakfast burrito, hand-shucked oysters and bottomless micheladas. Yes, that’s all from the same menu, and this off-Strip favorite has plenty more delicious ammunition where that came from.
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