A Taste of Vegas (North Strip restaurants)

posted on July 29, 2014 (updated on June 22, 2016)

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I know, my posts on Las Vegas were long overdue. I finally have time going through the photos taken on our Las Vegas trip. Looking through those food photos makes me want to go back there right now. Ah, so many nice restaurants. I can’t wait to share with you!!

Grand Lux Cafe (@Palazzo)

This is where we had our first meal in Las Vegas. We were exhausted after our flight and just wanted to grab a quick bite. The front desk staff recommended us here. Since it is a “cafe”, we were expecting it to be small and serves simple food like pasties and sandwiches (kinda like Starbucks). But no, this place is like a palace. The entire space was brightly lit by warm, golden lights. Its classy, elegant decor took our breath away. It created a welcoming ambiance for casual dining.

We were quickly brought to a table and served by an attentive staff despite it being busy. They had an extensive food and drink menu. Kev and I ordered the short rib grilled cheese sandwich (USD$13.5) to share.

Short rib grilled cheese sandwich

The sandwich tasted surprisingly good! The roasted short rib was sweet, tender and juicy. Together with the crispy, lightly grilled bread, caramelized onions, arugula and melted cheese… awesome! The sandwich also came with some french fries. The meal was large enough to fill us up.

Tasty food at reasonable price – great find in Las Vegas 🙂

California Pizza Kitchen (@Fashion Show Mall)

While waiting for the show, Le Reve, we went to California Pizza Kitchen opposite the Wynn hotel for dinner. There are CPK in New York and Taipei, but can you believe that I had never been to one before? Glad that I finally got a chance to try their pizza!

CPK is known for their innovative pizza, but if you are not a pizza lover or if you would like something different, they also offer pasta, tacos, sandwiches, salad etc. Since it was our first time dining at CPK, we were looking forward to try how tasty their pizza is. We ordered 2 pizza- the Hawaiian BBQ chicken (USD$13.99) and Jamaican jerk chicken (USD$13.59). In addition, we picked the spicy fennel sausage + poblano flatbread (USD$6.29) as appetizer.

While we waited, they served us bread and olive oil dip as starter. The bread crust was too hard to bite. We stopped eating the bread so we could save some room for the “real” food. In the meanwhile, we could smell the aroma of the freshly made pizza coming out from the open kitchen.

bread and olive oil with herbs

I loved the flatbread! The thin, crispy bread was topped with spicy marinara sauce, torn sausage, fresh mozzarella, fire-roasted chilies and Greek oregano. So flavorful with a spicy kick to it, yet not too overwhelming. Good appetizer!

Spicy fennel sausage + poblano flatbread

The pizza took some time to be ready. Between the two, I preferred the Jamaican jerk chicken pizza. First of all, the crust was crispy thin. Moreover, the pizza had a mixture of spicy and smoky sweet flavors (I love spicy!). Instead of traditional tomato sauce, they slathered the pizza dough with delicious sweet and spicy Caribbean sauce. Then, the pizza was topped with jerk chicken, smoked bacon, bell peppers and red onions. Tasty!

Jamaican jerk chicken pizza

The Hawaiian BBQ chicken pizza was quite normal. The crust was a lot thicker (which instantly filled me up), served with pineapple, chicken and BBQ sauce on top. It tasted quite sweet (sweeter than the Jamaican jerk chicken pizza).

Hawaiian BBQ chicken pizza

If you are an adventurous eater, you must try their innovative pizza creation. Let them surprise you!

Tacos el Gordo (north of the Wynn/Encore)

One of the best cheap eats you can find on the Strip! With a bit of walking, you can find Tacos el Gordo just north of the Wynn/Encore hotel. They are known for their authentic, fresh tacos.

They offer different types as well as different parts of meat to choose from, including cabeza (beef head), lengua (beef tongue), sesos (beef brains), buche (pork stomach), adobada (spicy pork), asada (steak), tripa (beef stomach) and suadero (beef shoulder). You can order them as a taco ( USD$2.00/order, except for the beef tongue, which costs USD $2.25/order). Besides tacos, you can also have them as quesadillas, sopes, tostadas, mulas or vampiro. Platters of fries (carne asada, adobada or campechana fries) are also available.

At first we were a bit confused about their ordering process. Should we pay first? Everyone lined up at different places – so where should we line up? Then, we finally understood that you are supposed go to different stations for different types of meat (or food). After you place your order and grad your food, you go to the cashier and pay. Kev and I ordered half order of lengua fries (USD$6) as well as tacos de asada, adobada and suadero (USD$2 each). (we were too chicken to try the other parts of meat). Condiments (like lime, onion, radish, cilantro) are complimentary if you want extra.

Taco el asada

Taco el adobada

Taco el suadero

Taco el asada (steak) was amazing! The grilled steak was tender. The guacamole, onion, cilantro, non-spicy red sauce gave it a refreshing touch. With the price of $2 per taco, the portion was considered generous. The adobada (spicy pork) taco also tasted delicious. The meat was moist and juicy and toppings (especially the creamy avocado sauce) gave it extra flavors. The suadero (beef shoulder) taco had a bit of meaty smell to it. Kev liked it, but not my cup of tea.

Lengua fries

Although we ordered half size lengua fries, the portion was still quite big for the two of us. The crispy fries were topped with lengua, avocado, cheese and sour cream. Very interesting combinations and extremely filling!

We will definitely come back again when we visit Las Vegas 🙂