Did you know that Las Vegas has a fabulous downtown area? Tourists know of downtown Las Vegas for its loose machines, low table minimums, cheap adult beverages, and the Fremont Street Experience.
Locals know of downtown Vegas because it’s a unique foodie paradise. Adventurous travelers will discover many one-of-a-kind restaurants, some of which have been featured on popular TV programs.
However, as with most vacation destinations, you will also find many tourist traps with overpriced mediocre fare. DTLV is my favorite part of the city and since becoming a foodie tour guide, it’s my job to share some of the best spots for hungry tourists to achieve happy tummies!
Here are some of the best eats in Downtown Las Vegas.
Pop up Pizza
Located near the south tower inside of the Plaza Hotel, Pop up Pizza was voted best pizza in Las Vegas for the 2018 annual Review-Journal readers poll. There is something special about the crust on their sheet pan pizzas that I’ve only experienced at this local gem.
It has the perfect crunch at the bottom, and a soft, chewy inside. One of their pizza sauces is called Fresh Onion Cream Sauce. At first I was skeptical. Then I tried a slice of Mike’s Hot Honey pizza which is pepperoni, serrano peppers, and a sweet honey drizzle with Fresh Onion Cream Sauce.
All I can say is that this is now one of my favorite slices of pizza at any pizza joint in town. Wash it all down with $3 beers and $5 shots of Jameson at any casino bar inside the Plaza Hotel.
Flock and Fowl
They were voted “Best Chicken Wings in Las Vegas” in 2018 by the Las Vegas Weekly and they were recently featured on an episode of No Passport Required on PBS. What I really love about Flock and Fowl is the simplicity of their menu and the people who run the place. I have always been met with friendly faces and wonderful service at Flock.
Their chicken wings are in fact, damn good. I personally love the gochujang, or “angry sauce.” It’s sweet, spicy, and addicting. On chilly, winter evenings, I love ordering a bowl of Laksa, a spicy, coconut milk-based soup with shrimp and chicken.
Happy hour at Flock and Fowl means dollar wings, $6 Vietnamese Coffee Manhattans and $3 pork or chicken bao. Flock is a beautiful sit-down restaurant located street level inside the Ogden condominium building located on the corner of Ogden Avenue and 6th Street.
Aloha Specialties
Founded in 1984 by a sous chef from Hawaii, this reasonably priced diner is located on the second floor of the California Hotel and Casino, across from Lappert’s ice cream shop. Voted “Best Hawaiian food in Vegas” in 2018 by the Las Vegas Review Journal, this place will sometimes be packed with a line of people down the hallway waiting for $6 teriyaki chicken bowls and $8 loco mocos.
There are two things I keep coming back here for: 1. the spicy Korean chicken which is sweet, flavorful, and spicy, and 2. the hamburger steak with grilled onions, mushrooms, and gravy because it takes me back to my childhood. (Mom served this regularly growing up.) Portions are huge and prices are very fair. Oh yeah…Spam is on the menu 😉 You know that Hawaiians love spam, right? If not, Google it!
Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery
Boyd gaming took over the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino in 1994. Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery is the oldest brewery in downtown Las Vegas opening its doors in1996. This award-winning brewery has eight beers on tap. My favorite is the Royal Red, similar to Killians, and is one of their six main beers.
The menu at 777 is outstanding. There is a wide variety of crowd-pleasing appetizers like calamari with shishito peppers and Korean short ribs. One of my favorite items on their menu is an ale simmered, half-pound all-beef chili dog. (My mouth is watering as I type this!)
Late night happy hour offers some of their regular menu items for $3, $5, and $7 and 23 oz. draft beers for $4. If that wasn’t enough, there is also a sushi and oyster bar, back by the brewery tanks. Once you’ve had enough beer, you can take a whiz on a 15-foot section of the Berlin Wall in the men’s restroom inside the casino.
Eureka! Discover American Craft
At the corner of Fremont Street and 6th Street, across from the historic El Cortez Casino, you’ll discover amazing handcrafted food and cocktails at Eureka!
Discover American Craft. Eureka is a craft restaurant that started in Redlands, California more than a decade ago. Everything in their kitchen is made from scratch.
Nothing mainstream is on tap or in the liquor cabinet either. Every time I dine at Eureka I receive picturesque dishes and top-notch service. What I love most about Eureka are their burgers. If you want an amazing take on a classic shroom and swi, you need to try the 28 Day Dry-Aged Burger.
The Fresno Fig Burger has goat cheese, bacon, fig marmalade, and porter mustard. The combination of sweet and savory is to die for! Eureka is a stellar spot for cocktails as well. My fave is the Penicillin, a perfect union of bourbon, ginger, lemon, and honey topped with candied ginger.
Oscar’s Beef, Booze and Broads
Oscar Goodman is the former Mayor of Las Vegas. He was also a former attorney for the Mob, and he isn’t ashamed of it. In 2003, he purchased the restaurant on the second floor of the Plaza Hotel and Casino. It just so happens that this restaurant was once a martini shaped swimming pool. The decor is somewhat stylish and classy but you may come as you are. Sit at the bar, order a Sazerac, and scope out the menu.
The steakhouse wedge salad was something to behold. It was as if they injected the lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing. The flavor was in every bite. If you love French onion soup, you have to try Oscar’s version. It’s made with sherry and it’s ahhhmazing! Very rich and tasty.
For my last visit, I ordered the short rib entree. I love rib meat of any kind, so this was a must. Oscar’s short rib was a good size, boneless, and melt in your mouth tender. The gravy was rich, flavorful, savory, salty, and drizzled on top of a bed of perfectly, creamy mashed potatoes. The service is top-notch at Oscar’s.
I’d say the same of the view, but since they built the zipline, the once stellar view of Fremont Street Experience has been obscured. If you want to know more about Oscar Goodman, his autobiography is an interesting read. The title is called Being Oscar.
There are so many scrumptious places to grab a bite to eat in downtown Las Vegas and I’m excited to share them with you. These are the best eats in Downtown Las Vegas. Subscribe to our email list which gives you access to other articles for the latest Las Vegas insight on places to eat and things to do.
And don’t forget to join me the next time you decide to make a trip to Sin City. I host the Downtown Delights Foodie Tour for Taste Buzz Food Tours, a guided, walking food tour through DTLV and the Fremont Street Experience. Complete with tasty nibbles from local, favorite eateries and fun historic tales of the characters and events that shaped our town, this is a fun and unique activity that will have you drooling. Visit www.tastebuzzvegas.com to book me as your guide today!
I look forward to showing you around my favorite parts of Las Vegas! Toodles!!
