7.6 Min Read
Vegas is well-known for its acclaimed dining, but restaurants on and off the Strip have a lot to offer tourists and locals alike looking for a great meal. But just because you want a great meal doesn’t mean you will get one!
Even if you know a ton about the Vegas food scene, we think some of these tough-to-book restaurants might surprise you – including the one that tops our list. If you are a foodie, a planner or just want to impress your friends, this list is a must read!
Note, we consider a peak time reservation as 6 pm to 7:30 pm on a Saturday night.
Ranking Hardest to Reserve Restaurants
9. Kame
Hours of Operation: Two nightly seatings at 5:30 pm and 8 pm
Location: 3616 W Spring Mountain Rd Ste 103
Type of Cuisine: Sushi
How Far Out to Get a Peak Time Reservation: Less than one month
The Strip is not the only place to get great sushi in Vegas. Kame is one of a handful of uber-premium Omakase-only sushi restaurants in Vegas. Kame’s two pricing options are $350 for Premium Omakase and $500 for Signature Omakase. Reservations are made by phone only and require a credit card.
Two other excellent gourmet Omakase restaurants located in Chinatown are Kabuto and James Beard nominated Kaiseki Yuzu.
8. Delilah
Hours of Operation: 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm with Late Night Dining – Thurs – Sun from 11 pm – Close
Location: Wynn
Type of Cuisine: American
How Far Out to Get a Peak Time Reservation: One month (exactly)
Delilah is one of the most popular restaurants in Vegas given its Gatsby-esque decor, artwork, great food and live music. It’s a delight for the senses.
However, its not easy to get a prime time reservation. The way to make a reservation at Delilah is to call Wynn or go on the website after midnight exactly 30 days prior to the day you want to dine. So if you want to dine on July 19th, you have to start refreshing your browser after midnight on June 20th to try to get a reservation.
Important Note – Delilah does not offer reservations for parties of two so couples have to get in line and wait for seats at the bar to open.
7. Esther’s Kitchen
Hours of Operation: Sun, Mon, Thurs 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm, Fri – Sat 5:30 pm – 10 pm
Location: 1131 S Main St in The Arts District
Type of Cuisine: Italian
How Far Out to Get a Peak Time Reservation: Six weeks
Esther’s Kitchen describes itself as “an Italian neighborhood restaurant inspired by the bounty of the West Coast and the traditions of Italy.” Esther’s has become a tough reservation because of its great food and because it has been written up in numerous national publications. Reservations can be made up to two months out.
Important Note – In March 2024, Esther’s moved down the street into a new space from its original (somewhat cramped) location.
Esther’s Kitchen is also one of our favorite brunch places in Vegas!
6. Wing Lei
Hours of Operation: Sun, Mon, Thurs 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm, Fri – Sat 5:30 pm – 10 pm
Location: Wynn
Type of Cuisine: Chinese
How Far Out to Get a Peak Time Reservation: Six weeks
Wing Lei is a difficult reservation because of its small size, its great gourmet Chinese food and because it was the first Chinese restaurant in North America to earn a Michelin star.
5. Herbs & Rye
Hours of Operation: Mon – Sat 5 pm – 3 am
Location: 3713 W Sahara Ave. about ten minutes from The Strip
Type of Cuisine: Steakhouse
How Far Out to Get a Peak Time Reservation: Two months
The next one on our list may be a bit of a surprise.
Opened in 2009, Herbs & Rye has become well known by Vegas locals as a solid steakhouse. It has built a following not only by having ‘good steaks’ (their modest words, not ours!) but by having an extensive cocktail list sorted by era. Some of the glassware that the cocktails are poured into are perfect for Instagram, which hasn’t been bad for business either!
The pricing is also very reasonable for a Vegas steakhouse with happy hour pricing on many menu items/cocktails on Monday – Friday between 5 – 8 pm and midnight – 3 am.
If you can’t get into Herbs & Rye, the same restaurant group also owns Cleaver as well.
PREMIER TIP: If you don’t have a reservation, sweet-talk the bartenders to get seated at the bar faster.
4. Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen
Hours of Operation: 11 am – 11:30 pm
Location: Caesars Palace
Type of Cuisine: British
How Far Out to Get a Peak Time Reservation: At least two months
Located in front of Caesars Palace, Hell’s Kitchen is decked out like a TV set with the red and blue kitchens – just like you would expect.
For more Gordon Ramsay, see our article ranking the celebrity chef’s Vegas restaurants.
3. Carbone
Hours of Operation: Mon – Thurs 5 pm – 10:30 pm, Fri – Sun 5 pm – 11 pm
Location: Aria
Type of Cuisine: Italian
How Far Out to Get a Peak Time Reservation: One month
Some would never have guessed that a family-style Italian restaurant would be so high on our list. But it’s freaking Carbone! The uber-famous New York restaurant opened some years ago at Aria. And, it has just gained more and more popularity over the years as folks that can’t get into the New York location have realized there is a Vegas spot.
The way to make a reservation at Carbone is to call Aria or go on their reservation website about 8 am exactly 30 days prior to the day you want to dine. So if you want to dine on July 19th, you have to start refreshing your browser about 8 am on June 20th to try to get a reservation. They go quickly and are nearly impossible even for off-peak times.
2. é by José Andrés
Hours of Operation: Tues – Sat Two nightly seatings at 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm
Location: Cosmopolitan
Type of Cuisine: Gourmet Spanish
How Far Out to Get a Peak Time Reservation: Three months (exactly)
Along with Joël Robuchon (Joël doesn’t make the cut for this list), é by José Andrés represents the ultimate foodie experience in Vegas. é is located in a small private room adjacent to Jaleo on the third floor restaurant area in The Cosmo. According to its website, é “offers a clever and creative tasting menu of Spanish avant-garde dishes.”
é typically offers around two dozen small courses to each of the nine diners that eat around a bar area that encircles a food prep station. The chefs will gladly engage in conversation as they intricately prepare each dish.
Reservations for é can be made on its reservation website, but basically book up immediately upon being made available. That is a result of Mr. Andrés’ immense popularity and the limited number of seats.
é’s pricing is $490 per person.
PREMIER TIP: If you are lucky enough to eat here, be prepared to hear your dining mates brag to you about all the other mega high-end restaurants they have eaten at around the world. The last time that a member of The Premier Vegas team ate here, other diners would not shut up about their experiences at Eleven Madison Park, French Laundry and Per Se!
1. The Golden Steer
Hours of Operation: 4:30 pm – 10 pm
Location: 308 W Sahara Ave. just a block west of The Strip
Type of Cuisine: Steakhouse
How Far Out to Get a Peak Time Reservation: Five months
#1 might come as a shocker – but pick your chin off the ground and keep reading.
Five years ago, this ‘OG’ steakhouse would not have even made this list, but while you can still snag off-peak reservations a month or two out, you have to book about FIVE months out to get a peak-time reservation,
The Golden Steer has had a resurgence in popularity recently due to the great steaks and scotch, but also due to Instagram. There is probably no better place in Vegas to take group selfies. In addition to the rustic design, several tables are themed after celebrities such as John Wayne, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr and Mohammed Ali.
See our article for more information about The Steer and other fancy old-school Vegas restaurants. If you can’t get into The Steer, you may have a better chance of getting a reservation at some of the others.
PREMIER TIP: If you don’t have a Steer reservation and can go early in the evening, arrive at least 30 minutes before they open, get in line outside, and you might be able to snag a seat to dine at the bar.
Which Is the Winner?
Ramsay’s Kitchen may be an up-and-comer, but it’s not quite on top yet. According to the reviews, Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen is the highest-rated of Ramsay’s Vegas eateries.
The winner might also depend on what you’re in the mood for, but there’s no doubt each offers fantastic meals.
Decide for yourself and try them all out!
