On a good night, one of the first things you’ll see when you sit down in the tiny kaiseki room at Yuzu is an impressively huge slab of otoro—the fattiest, most prized part of the tuna belly. It appears multiple times during the 11-course shou menu ($210), which changes monthly but always features sea urchin, grilled A5 wagyu, and foie gras. Plus, some gold leaf as a reminder that Chinatown isn’t that far from the Strip.

Both high-power execs and downtown artists eat at this Italian spot for dishes like tortellini verde and rigatoni carbonara. We can never get enough of the homemade sourdough bread that comes in eight variations (go with a group and get them all). Just be sure to save room for dessert—particularly, the smooth butterscotch budino served with whiskey caramel, honeycomb, and whipped cream.

Golden Steer is the oldest continually-operating restaurant in Las Vegas, which is only part of the reason why this institution, located in a strip mall off the Strip, is packed every night. Celebrities like Elvis Presley, Marylin Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Muhammad Ali, and the Rat Pack frequently ate here, so be sure to request the same red leather banquettes they once sat in. You can’t go wrong with any of the 35-day wet-aged steaks.

Vetri Cucina, one of our highest-rated restaurants in Philly, is the place to go for a fancy date night with a billion-dollar view of the Strip. Make a reservation timed to sunset when all the lights turn on for showtime, and order the $185 six-course tasting menu. It’s the best way to try a variety of the menu’s greatest hits, and the wine pairing is worth the extra $95 to make the evening feel even more lux.

This is the place to splurge in Vegas, so go ahead and commit to the $255 four-course meal. You’ll get to choose from French dishes like pan seared foie gras, rabbit cooked in dijon riesling sauce, and loup de mer en papillote. If you’re weighing whether you want to spend more on one of the extras like the King crab caviar, it’s better put toward a wine pairing—it’ll save you the trouble of sifting through the 900-bottle list.

Delilah is one of the toughest reservations to get in town, but it’s a night out you should work to secure. The Art Deco-inspired decor, which could please any picky interior designer, is something you really have to come see for yourself, as there’s a strict “no photos” policy. Order the Stepford Wife (their take on a French 75) the famous chicken tenders, and the carrot soufflé from the menu of throwback American dishes and cocktails.

Shanghai Taste is an undisputed local legend when it comes to Chinese food—it’s a tiny, no-reservations spot in Chinatown that’s a portal into soup dumpling heaven. You can feast on excellent xiao long bao and sheng jian bao, filled with steaming, savory broth. To keep yourself busy while the dumplings cool down, get a plate of the fried fat noodles to eat as your first round. You might be asked to order before you sit down, so be prepared with your picks ahead of time.

This Chinatown charmer might share a parking lot with an old Macy’s furniture store, but its ever-evolving, globetrotting menu makes it a Vegas standout. Servers rush through the crowded dining room carrying inventive dishes like Iberico jamon with cashew, black walnut and mustard seed, or golden tilefish pibil with charred lava beans and salsa verde. The cocktails are just as clever, and inspired by the neighborhood—if you pick only one, make it the simple Spring Mountain Sour.

Although it’s not technically a sushi restaurant, Other Mama’s rolls and sashimi are so fresh that you’ll forget that you’re in a desert strip mall—and you’ll wonder why anyone would want to cook their fish. Do as the locals do and order from the chalkboard, where you’ll find the daily catch for fish and oysters, and don’t you dare leave before destroying the French toast caviar.

The city’s artist types hang out and swap gossip over glasses of wine at EDO, a tiny tapas spot in a busy Chinatown strip mall. If it’s your first time here, go with the $80 chef’s tasting menu for six courses that include dishes like jalapeño avocado gazpacho, peruvian scallops in leche de tigre, and miso black cod with aji salsa verde. Come here for a relaxed dinner off the Strip, where you can actually hear your friend and order the sage-and-blackberry Monkey 47 cocktail.

A dinner at Restaurant Guy Savoy might cost more than a hotel room during CES, but if you’re going to completely ball out for a dinner, do it here. This is one of the most meticulously-presented experiences in town, with every piece of food looking like it was carved by tiny elves. The courses change every so often, but you’ll always get the signature artichoke and black truffle soup, which has a rich earthy flavor accented by shaved parmesan.

This high-end Chinese restaurant at the Venetian is great for a nicer sit-down dinner in a swanky dining room, decorated with a feather boa chandelier and terrazzo floors. The hot and sour Iberico pork Shanghainese dumplings are a must, as are cocktails like the Hong Kong Iced Tea with tequila and lillet blanc. Mott 32 also accommodates big groups, which turns spinning a platter of food toward you into a meal-time Wheel of Fortune.

La Strega in Summerlin is one of our favorite Italian spots, where you can have a low-key dinner off the Strip. The small but airy dining room is a great place to enjoy some peace, blistered-tomato pomodoro pasta, and a smoked olive oil-infused martini. Meet up here with a friend and dive into slices of the Spicy Pig pie topped with soppressata and the grilled Spanish branzino covered in crispy herbs.

Kame is one of the best omakase experiences in the city, and proves that there are many excellent restaurants in the strip malls of Las Vegas. They have two seatings every night that can accommodate eight people and only take reservations by phone. Courses go heavy on ingredients from Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, such as snow crab, baby congar eel, and live soft shell crab. Depending on the night, you’ll get stuff like caviar, uni, toro, and lobster with 24K gold.

Raku is one of the top Japanese restaurants in Vegas, with a menu of oden recipes and robata cooking. They import binchotan charcoal and condiments directly from Japan, and you can often find other chefs and hospitality workers eating here late (they’re open until 1am every night). Call at least three days ahead to reserve a premium or deluxe omakase, which is the best way to have a meal here.

For a fancy-yet-unfussy meal, make a reservation at LPM. Dining at this French-ish spot on the Strip starts with a DIY appetizer: grab the fresh tomato that’s been left on the table for you, cut it up, and dress it with the also-provided lemon and olive oil. Lean into the fantasy of doing this in a European villa, even if you didn’t come to a Vegas restaurant to slice your own produce. Then you can let the kitchen take care of the bigger plates.

Michael Mina’s Bellagio restaurant is all about seafood, with preparations from Japanese, French, and Mediterranean cuisines. Like all the billionaires eating here, the fish gets flown in by private plane daily, which means the hamachi provençal is so fresh that it’s easy to forget Las Vegas is hundreds of miles from the ocean. The restaurant is close to the Bellagio Conservatory, so after you go to town on charcoal-grilled oysters, you can take in the seasonal display of floral creations.

Make a reservation at Casa Playa when the vibe for a group dinner is going full glam while sipping margaritas. The whole place feels like a level from Tomb Raider, but with better graphics—the entrance is guarded by a massive Olmec head and tons of marigolds hang from the dining room ceiling. They even have a delicious mezcal cocktail called Temple of Doom, which you can get as a pitcher. Bring friends so you can share the massive pork belly al pastor served on a vertical rotisserie skewer.

This Chinatown gem does French tasting menus in five-, seven-, and nine-course seasonal options that change monthly. No matter how many courses you choose, you can expect a stream of well-executed plates like Alaskan king crab jelly with a touch of caviar and seared foie gras topped with cotton candy. If you want to get the full Partage experience, book the chef’s table. You’ll get nine courses with nine wine pairings and watch the kitchen plate each item.

Named after the flour used to make Neapolitan pizzas, 00 serves top-tier pies in a dimly-lit setting where you can catch a friend up on the last three months of your life. The sure bet on the menu is the pepperoni pizza with creamy vodka sauce and chili crunch, though the more creative options, like the eggplant caponata or salami rossa with garlic confit and preserved lemons, are also worth considering (get here on the earlier side around 4pm, since their pies sometimes sell out).

In a town full of celebrity chef restaurants and recycled concepts, it’s a breath of fresh air to step into an independent Las Vegas institution like Piero’s. If there’s a place where you could find Carrie Underwood sitting near Mike Tyson, and then Bill Clinton at the next table, this is it (and they have all actually been here). Start with the off-menu Garbage Caesar Salad, a twist on the classic upgraded with shrimp, avocado, and crunchy hearts of palm.

The Black Sheep specializes in international twists on Vietnamese dishes in a chill space about 20 minutes east of the Strip. There are so many good options on the menu, but you should definitely go heavy on the starters, like the salmon skin tacos and the crispy imperial rolls filled with Duroc pork, shrimp, and pickled carrots. Swing by for an easy dinner on the way back from a day trip hiking through Death Valley National Park.

Ferraro’s is a Las Vegas special occasion classic that’s been open since 1985. You’ll always find families and groups celebrating here, whether they’re singing happy birthday in one of the private rooms or passing around plates of tender osso buco on the surprisingly-quiet patio. Don’t miss their excellent pistachio passione dessert—the layers of cream cheese custard on a walnut crust are so good, you might have to order two so no one fights over the last bite.

It makes sense that Good Pie’s owner has studied under some of the best pizzaioli in the world. Almost every type of pizza here is delicious, whether that’s a New York-style slice, thick rectangular Detroit options, or the thinner rectangular Long Island grandma pie. While the window and sidewalk patio in the Arts District are casual, the dining room is a nicer place for some carbs, cocktails, and large pitchers of sangrias. The gluten-free pizza is also a winner.