Dining on a Budget in Las Vegas: A Guide

When members of the jewelry industry descend on Las Vegas in late May, they’ll be ready to see what’s new, catch up with old friends and learn a few things. In the midst of all this, they’ll need to eat.

The city’s dining scene is hard to beat, boasting restaurants from some of the world’s finest chefs, including Gordon Ramsay and Wolfgang Puck.

But how do retailers, designers and manufacturers, who come to town for the annual run of jewelry trade shows (many of them with staff in tow), dig into all the best eats without going over budget?

National Jeweler reached out to avid food bloggers and locals, as well as leaned on personal experience, to find out, and found these five spots.

Estiatorio Milos
Boulevard Tower at The Cosmopolitan
3708 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Level 3

Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily
Dinner: 5 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday
5 to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Food blogger Bea Felix of Tasting Vegas recommended Estiatorio Milos at The Cosmopolitan, one of the first Greek restaurants on the Strip. The glass-enclosed venue offers a clear view of the city skyline.

For those short on time—and isn’t everybody in Vegas—the restaurant offers a three-course, fixed-price lunch served within 45 minutes for just $29.

Appetizers include tomato salad with barrel-aged feta, grilled octopus, fresh Maryland lump crab cakes or toasted pita and raw vegetables served with a variety of Greek spreads.

For the main dish, diners can choose from several seafood options, including salmon and shrimp saganaki, a chicken breast skewer with grilled mushrooms, or a lamb chop with Greek fried potatoes.

Finish off the meal with authentic Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, baklava, or karydopita with kaimaki (a walnut cake with traditional Greek ice cream).

Reservations can be made online or by calling 877-893-2001.

Piero’s Italian Cuisine
355 Convention Center Dr.

Dinner: 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily

Across from the Las Vegas Convention Center, which will host the AGTA GemFair, the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show, and the new Premier show this year, sits Piero’s Italian Cuisine, a dining scene staple since the 1980s. It was recommended to National Jeweler by 27-year Las Vegas resident (and former American Gem Society President and CEO) Ruth Batson.

A slew of famous faces, including former President Bill Clinton, singers Justin Timberlake, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, and basketball legend Michael Jordan, have dined there.

(Another fun fact: Some of the 1995 movie “Casino” was shot at Piero’s.)

The restaurant’s antipasto menu features several options under $20, including roasted red bell peppers with garlic and olive oil, melon wrapped with prosciutto, fried calamari, and Roman-style stuffed artichokes.

For the main course, diners can choose from fettucine Alfredo, linguine with clams, eggplant Parmigiana, or chicken Milanese, all priced at less than $40.

The entire salad menu also is under $20 and includes Caprese, Caesar, hearts of palm, an avocado salad and an anchovy salad.

Diners can round out their meals with a variety of sorbet flavors ($9) or spumoni ($12), which is an Italian gelato often mixed with chopped fruit and nuts.

Reservations can be made online or by calling 702-369-2305.

Wicked Spoon
The Chelsea Tower at The Cosmopolitan
3708 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Level 2

Brunch: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday
8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday to Sunday
Dinner: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday
3 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
3 to 9 p.m. Sunday

What’s a trip to Vegas without a trip to a buffet?

The Las Vegas Review-Journal named the Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan the “Best Buffet” in the city and I can’t argue with that ranking.

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I headed to the Spoon for brunch to see what all the hype was about. I paid my $28 and was ushered into a sleek, brightly-lit room with rows and rows of trays.

A buffet might bring to mind quantity over quality, but the Wicked Spoon had both in spades.

Buffet goers can pick up a personal basket of fried chicken, their own takeaway box of fried rice, a mini pan of orecchiette pasta in tomato sauce, or choose from an array of sushi.

It won’t be easy, but those who visit the Spoon have to save room for the dessert buffet, named the best in Vegas by local NPR station KNPR.

The mini desserts are akin to art, each designed with an eye for detail down to the last sprinkle.
There’s a full gelato bar, cheesecakes, carrot cake, chocolate tarts topped with a decorative mini spoon, and glass candy jars filled with meringues.

From Monday to Thursday, brunch will run diners $28 while dinner is $42.

From Friday to Sunday, brunch is $36 while dinner is $49. If you’re in a hurry, you can do express takeout for $20 but that is, of course, limited to all you can reasonably carry.

Reservations for parties of 13 or more can be made online or by calling 877-551-7776.

Firefly
3824 Paradise Road

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday to Thursday
11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday

Another recommendation from food blogger Felix is Firefly, a tapas kitchen just east of the Sands Expo Convention Center, which is again playing host to the JCK Las Vegas show.

It’s a great spot for catching up and sharing plates with friends, trying a little bit of everything in the process.

Firefly’s cold tapas selection includes gazpacho, apple and manchego salad, a chorizo plate, and tuna tartare, all under $10 per plate.

The hot tapas menu offers bacon-wrapped stuffed dates, warm spinach salad, baked goat cheese, and stuffed peppers, also under $10 per plate.

For those who come in especially hungry and don’t want to share, the restaurant’s entree selection includes pasta, burgers, chicken and steak. There are extensive gluten-free and vegetarian menus too.

For diners who have saved room for dessert, Firefly has a lot of options to choose from in the $10-and-under range, including caramel flan with an almond cookie, banana-Nutella sandwiches, chocolate- cherry bread pudding and flourless chocolate cake.

Reservations can be made online or by calling 702-369-3971.

Bobby’s Burger Palace
3750 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday to Thursday
11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday

If you’re looking to visit the restaurant of a world-famous chef without emptying your wallet, celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s burger restaurant should be on the list.

Flay was once named a “Rising Star Chef of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation and, after a bite of one of his burgers, it’s easy to understand all the hype.

The burger menu has a slew of options, including a green chile cheeseburger, which features queso sauce, roasted green chiles, and pickled onions, as well as a brunch burger topped with a fried egg, bacon and American cheese. The burgers are priced between $8 and $10.

There are also vegetarian options, including a grilled cheese sandwich piled with American, Swiss, Monterey Jack and cheddar, and a veggie burger stacked with toppings.

For sides, diners can have French fries, sweet potato fries or onion rings or go with “the undecided,” which lets guests pick two options.

For those with a sweet tooth, the milkshakes ($7) will not disappoint. There are seven flavors, including vanilla bean, strawberry, pistachio and cookies ‘n’ cream.