Since 2009, many of the guides’ starred restaurants have closed. However, as of 2020, there are still 10 Michelin star restaurants In Las Vegas, with one holding the three-star rating. But there are also some honourable mentions of other fine dining restaurants which are owned by Michelin star chefs, some of them acknowledged as celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, and others seen as the best the world has to offer.
While many are housed in sky-reaching hotels with fantastic views of the Strip, others are located in adjacent Paradise and the International Airport. French cuisine appears to dominate in Las Vegas but many of them offer unique interpretations of French cuisine from classic to very contemporary and modern.
Let’s take a look at the best food on offer in Las Vegas.
Best Michelin Star Restaurants in Las Vegas
Joel Robuchon – 3 Stars
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Address: MGM Grand Hotel 3799 Las Vegas Blvd
The only 3-star Vegas Michelin star restaurant, Joel Robuchon also has restaurants in NYC. The restaurant’s decor resembles an Art Deco townhouse with marble floors, filled with a lush garden terrace. Joel Robuchon was named one of the most influential chefs globally and even got the ‘Chef of the Century” honour from Gault Millau in 1989.
Unique dishes like the osetra caviar served atop king crab in a crustacean gelee are served, all dotted with cauliflower puree. King crab and broccoli are served as a cold appetiser along with a hard-boiled egg stuffed with king crab. Another unique dish is the Le crabe royale which has Alaskan King crab, a salad of avocado and tomato in the heart of romaine and olive oil.
Restaurant Guy Savoy – 2 stars
Address: Caesar’s Palace 3570 S Las Vegas Blvd
Restaurant Guy Savoy is a fine French restaurant at Caesar’s Palace with many viewing it the best restaurant in Las Vegas. Chef Guy Savoy’s signature dishes include the Octopus terrine, colours Caviar, and the artichoke and black truffle soup that comes with toasted mushroom brioche and black truffle butter.
Picasso – 2 Stars
Address: Bellagio Hotel 3600 S Las Vegas Blvd
Picasso is a Forbes Travel guide five-star and AAA restaurant that celebrates Pablo Picasso’s renowned paintings serving dishes inspired by French and Spanish cuisines. The meals are perfectly plated by the executive Chef Julian Serrano. The famous Fountains of Bellagio can be viewed while dining on the patio. The main course included butter-poached Maine lobster, sautéed filet of black bass, roasted milk-fed veal chop, roasted pigeon, and sautéed medallions of fallow deer.
Wing Lei – 1 star
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Address: Wynn Las Vegas 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Wing Lei is the first US Chinese restaurant to earn a Michelin Star. The service at this Michelin star restaurant in Las Vegas is impeccable. Featuring dishes that showcase flavours from Cantonese, Szechuan, and Shanghai, the main menu includes Alaskan king salads, Crispy Wagyu beef rolls, honey-glazed BBQ spare ribs, garden dim sum, marinated jellyfish, chilled abalone, and pan-seared giyozas. Prices are surprisingly reasonable too.
Aureole – 1 star
Address: Mandalay Bay Resort 3950 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas
Aureole offers wine-inspired cuisines featuring a four-story climate-controlled wine tower. The restaurant offers an all-inclusive menu with seasonal delicacies prepared and managed by Chef Charlie Palmer and the award-winning Chef and Chef Anthony Taormina. The tasting menu consists of beets and burrata (prosciutto, pistachio, arugula), truffle fagottini (parmigiano brood), Alaskan Halibut (chestnut, soubise, Romanesco), wagyu rib cap (shishito pepper, black garlic), and coffee panna cotta.
Michael Mina – 1 star
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Address: 3600 S Las Vegas Blvd at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino
Michael Mina is an internationally renowned Chef and the restaurant specialises in seafood. The Vegas Michelin star restaurant has garnered many awards, it has been featured in Forbes and other major news and lifestyle sources. Michael Mina focuses on freshness, precision, and flavours that surpass many similar seafood restaurants. High-quality ingredients are always used, which are flown in by private planes daily. The restaurant features five-star services and food. The menu consists of Michael Mina’s signature caviar selections that feature Mina’s caviar parfait and traditional royal caviar service. There is a golden osetra on offer as well as Kaluga and Russian osetra.
Le Cirque – 1 star
Address: 3600 S Las Vegas Blvd at the Bellagio Hotel
Although still closed Le Cirque is worth listing and it is re-opening on 27 August 2022. This French restaurant is situated by the lakeside and provides diners with transcendent meals reminiscent of the surroundings. The cuisine style range from basic but well-made foods like the egg roll tasting sea bass to the impeccable truffle over sea bass. You can also opt for the potato-crusted Mediterranean Sea bass, braised leeks, and Pinot Noir Verjus.
Le Atelier de Joel Robuchon – 1 star
Address: 3799 Las Vegas Blvd S at the MGM Grand Hotel
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is a restaurant owned and run by Joel Robuchon, who is famously referred to as France’s ‘Chef of the Century. The chefs prepare food in front of patrons and there is a friendly interactive ambience. Must-try dishes include Le Burger, a beef and Foie gras burger that comes with Sautéed Bell Peppers, Le Foie Gras, or Le Cailler, a caramelized quail dish filled with foie gras and served with potato puree.
GJT – 1 star
Address: 2000 Fashion Shor Dr at The Trump International Hotel
DJT is an American restaurant serving modern American and Nouveau American cuisines. Dishes include jumbo shrimp cocktail, carrot-ginger soup, Mignon, salmon, shrimp, chicken, and Chinese braised short ribs. The décor of DJT is dramatic, think purple and rich eggplant-coloured walls with booths in the centre and plush curtains. Dimers can eat privately due to the private dining room that has a separate entry. There are also semi-private banquets which are perfect for a romantic meal.
Nobu – 1 star
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Address: Caesar’s Palace at 3570 S Las Vegas Blvd and 4455 Paradise Rd Virgin Hotel and Casino
Nobu is a Japanese and Asian restaurant found in the Virgin Hotels and Caesar’s Palace. Well-known for its superb imported seafood, Nobu also serves exotic delicacies and caters for vegan, gluten-free and meat-loving foodies. The exciting menu includes an exceptionally well-dressed salad with the firecracker shrimp and a sublime miso steak. The restaurant serves a fusion of Japanese and interestingly, Peruvian cuisines. Additional must-try dishes include: rockfish tempura with a lot of shrimp, the rib eye smothered with tasty sauce and has a light scrip, and the yellowtail jalapeno is memorable.
Honourable Mentions for Michelin Star Restaurants in Las Vegas
Mizumi
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Address: 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas
Mizumi sumptuous oriental interior with sleek wood and lacquer finishes faces a mystical Japanese garden and koi pond. Diners at the floating pagoda table outside are situated right next to a waterfall. The restaurant offers some of the most prized cuisine in Las Vegas. The sushi and sashimi are sublime, and flush diners can order the snow beef. Signature cocktails are equally expensive and beautifully prepared. Pure elegance.
Twist by Pierre Gagnaire
Address: Waldorf Astoria, 3752 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas
Twist by Pierre Gagnaire is the famed Michelin Three Star chef’s only restaurant in the US, housed in the Mandarin Oriental. Forbes Five-Star awarded Twist features globe lighting, not unlike twilight. Huge 20-foot windows also provide a spectacular view from the 23rd floor. Seating ensures every table in the restaurant dining room enjoys a view over the Las Vegas Strip. Must-try dishes include Dover Sole from Brittany, with spinach cream, shiitake duxelle, cauliflower, and mousseline sauce. Some of the world’s rarest and best wines are featured in the extensive wine list but try a signature cocktail first.
Partage
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Address: 3839 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas
A modern French restaurant with wood-panelled walls and minimalist brass light fixtures hanging over taupe banquettes. With a five, seven or nine-item tasting menu and an a la carte menu may not sport the expansive views of the Strip, but the food is superb with a fine wine list.
Michelin Star Chefs with Restaurants in Las Vegas
If diners can’t get into a Michelin star restaurant in Las Vegas, how about Las Vegas restaurants owned by Michelin-starred chefs.
- Twist by 3-Star Michelin Chef Pierre Gagnaire, which is listed above.
- Hell’s Kitchen by 3-Star Michelin Chef Gordon Ramsay
- Momofuku by 2-Star Michelin Chef David Chang
- 2 Star Michelin Chef Jose Andres.
The glittering city of Las Vegas sees the best ingredients from around the world flown in to the Mojave Desert daily as the demand for fine dining and the best money can buy continues to grow.
As one can see, Las Vegas has a lavish and luxurious side, a characteristic not often portrayed in popular culture movies. Serious foodies with means are well catered for in the US version of Paris, a City of Lights.