LVGuide
Where To Get Great Late-Night Food In Las Vegas
photo credit: Gabe Bergado
There are a lot of reasons why you might need a late-night meal in Las Vegas. Maybe you just got out of the club and need something to soak up all the tequila shot sloshing around your stomach. Perhaps you just clocked out after a double shift at the casino and want to have your first real meal of the day. Or, it's very possible you fell asleep at 5pm after a Las Vegas pool party and woke up a few REM cycles later, ready for dinner.
While Vegas has plenty of places to go in the middle of the night, not all of them have great food. Here’s our list of the best ones that do, so you don't end up miserable with a plate of cold chicken tenders. And when you’re out and about during typical business hours, check out our guide to the best restaurants in Las Vegas.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Gabe Bergado
Open: 24 Hours
The Golden Tiki might be the tiki bar to end all tiki bars. Beyond the expected fake fluorescent flowers and fruity cocktails set ablaze by bartenders, there are: not one, but two, mini waterfalls, shrunken heads of Las Vegas legends, a back room you enter through the mouth of a giant stone beast, and many more details that are all fighting for your attention. They never close, which means you can roll up during peak gremlin hours for crab rangoons and tots served with a french onion dipping sauce. If you want one of the tables or booths, you’ll have to reserve one in advance. That can be annoying for walk-ins, but great for when you need to plan out a 2am meal before going to the after-after party.
Open: 24 Hours
We’re pretty sure the last person to come to Las Vegas and not eat at the Peppermill wasn’t allowed to come back for five years. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but we really wouldn’t be surprised if it were true. This 24-hour institution works just as well for middle-of-the-night breakfast food as it does for a reasonably-priced lunch. Our favorites are the crab cakes with roasted red pepper cream sauce and the chicken parmesan, which will be enough to feed you and your friend who bought drinks for everyone at the bar two hours ago. Just keep your receipt, because they might be checking it at your gate before you board.
photo credit: Gabe Bergado
Open Until: 4am Fri-Sat, 12am Sun-Thurs
After a night of overpriced cocktails and bumping into one of the Chainsmokers, it’s time for some food from Tacos Al Pastor. You’ll be mesmerized by the giant rotating spit of al pastor when you first walk in, but their other meats are equally delicious, especially the flavor-packed buche and lengua. This is also a great spot that’s usually much less touristy than the perpetually-packed Tacos El Gordo around the corner, where you might have spotted the other Chainsmoker on your way out looking for shorter lines.
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Open Until: 2am Thurs-Sat, 12:30 Sun-Wed
The late-night scene at Ferraro’s is extremely lowkey, and perfect for a more upscale wind down after tipping drag queens at one of the Fruit Loop bars. Our move is to come here for a nice Negroni nightcap or glass of red wine, split a pasta dish, and finish off with the excellent passione—a dessert of layered pistachio cream and cream cheese custard on a walnut crust. It’s a nice, quiet way to end your big night out, and you’ll probably love the food so much that you’ll consider coming back for a real dinner sometime soon.
Open Until: 4:20am Fri-Sat, 2am Sun-Thurs
We feel like there should be a disclaimer outside Evel Pie. Something along the lines of: “Trying to look at every piece of Evel Knievel memorabilia on-site may result in whiplash or slight dizziness.” As the name suggests, this spot downtown is dedicated to a certain daredevil, but once you get past the pizza mural and the red neon sign, you’ll find some of the best pizza in town. Order a slice of the Hog Heaven with pulled pork, candied bacon, and BBQ sauce. While you wait for your food, head over to that pinball machine you’ve been eyeing since you entered.
Open: 24 hours
You’re at that in-between point where you have an equal need for your bed and food. Roberto’s is the perfect place to stop by and get takeout to bring back to your mattress, because their burritos can stand up to a little travel time. But they also have lots of other options like quesadillas and chimichangas, that taste even better after being slathered in sour cream and salsa. There are a ton of locations around town, which means you’re usually never very far from one.
Open Until: 3am Fri-Sat, 2am Sun-Thurs
You’ve been a big spender all day, but you’re still buzzing and need some sustenance before going to bed. That’s when you head to Izakaya Go’s reverse Happy Hour (from 10pm to closing at 2am) for Japanese small plates and sushi dishes all under $20. It’s not a huge place so you may have to wait for a table, especially right when the deals start, but it’s worth hanging around for things like the tuna belly steak and yaki udon. Just be sure to put in your final order of oysters at 1:42am, before last call at 1:45.
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Open Until: 5am Fri-Mon, 4am Tues-Thurs
Walking through The Cosmopolitan to find Secret Pizza might sound like a journey after an entire night spent on your feet, but we promise it’s worth it. Ride the escalator alongside the massive chandelier bar to the third floor where you’ll find an unmarked, dim hallway decorated in record covers from every decade. You’ll know you’ve arrived once the smell of pizza finally reaches you. The slices are around $10 each, but they’re better than most of what you can find on the Strip. There’s limited seating inside, but the chairs right outside will be just what you need when simultaneously holding your plate and chewing is beyond your capabilities.
Open Until: 2am Daily
Osaka Bistro, which is just off the Strip, has been around for over 50 years. So sit down in one of their huge booths and debate what people talked about during the ’70s while taking advantage of the late-night menu. They have discounted half-rolls and small plates—the baked NZ mussels, steamed gyoza, yakitori (go for the heart and liver if you’re feeling iron deficient), and 911 roll are some of our favorites. Regular menu items are also still available if you want to go all out with things like live surf clams and abalone.
Open Until: 24 Hours
The original Starboard Tack opened in 1976, and became the place for celebrities and musicians to come after a show because it was one of the few restaurants open 24 hours. Now there are plenty of all-night spots, but the new iteration of Starboard Tack is still one of the best. This spot is a quick drive from the strip and has the biggest rum selection in town. Their decor is a mix of ’60s/’70s kitsch and tiki, so you’ll see booths made from patterned fabric loved by grandmothers and a stained-glass underwater scene on the walls. You also might catch the end of one of the many local indie or punk shows while finishing up some kimchi fried rice, katsu chicken strips, or pork adobo.
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Open: 24 Hours Fri-Sat, until 10pm Sun-Thurs
If you really want to see what the tour guides who whisper-talk into their microphones refer to as “Old Vegas,” make your way to Fremont Street. That’s where the El Cortez Hotel and Casino will come into view. Head inside and navigate around the slot machines to find Siegel’s 1941. The overnight menu has a little bit of everything, including corned beef hash with eggs and even a turkey burger named after famous Vegas mobster Virginia Hil. There’s also a plate of waffles with chicken tenders that is almost guaranteed to turn you into a mouth-breather slumped in one of their big red booths.
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Open: 10-2pm Mon-Wed, 11-2pm Thurs-Sun
Remember the joy you’d get as a child when you’d pass by a donut shop and see the neon “hot” sign glowing? That sign never disappointed, unlike your parents as they continued driving to your soccer practice. The Henry, located in The Cosmopolitan and open from 12am-2pm, can help you recapture that feeling of excitement. Get the tater tot nachos and the made-to-order beignets with fresh lemon curd.
