Where Will You Be Having Lunch in Las Vegas

Lunch in Las Vegas usually consists, at least for me, a long drawn out meal where I end up with a few too many drinks and then a long walk along the strip dreaming about a two-hour roll on the craps tables. I usually look for a seat that affords me a great view and I almost always will start with a drink that dictates my meal. A Vodka Collins, a Gimlet, a Mojito, they all set the tone for an afternoon meal where I am not returning to the office, I'm just enjoying my vacation. The good food comes out as does the wine or a cold beer and, well, you can imagine how the rest of the day goes from there.  If you are going to have lunch you might as well do a good job of it.

How do you plan on spending your lunch in Las Vegas?

• The Park Las Vegas has plenty of options from Shake Shack to California Pizza Kitchen to Chicken and Waffles at Bruxie. Also, BeerHaus has plenty of snacks to go along with great beers. Liquid calories count as lunch in Las Vegas.
• The LINQ offers up pizza by the slice, Fish and Chips by Gordon Ramsay, The Tilted Kilt for a little culture and if you want to really simplify things, In-N-Out Burger.
• The Food Court at Caesars Palace has great pizza, cheap sandwiches, and some decent noodles. Don't overlook the food courts at the Venetian either. Yes, sometimes you have to eat like you are in a shopping mall but these spots are a step above what you would find at your local shopping center.

A mid-day meal on the patio at Bellagio with a view of the fountains and the Las Vegas strip is about as good as it gets, add in the small plates menu by Chef Julian Serrano and soon a few sexy small plates comes out followed by a cocktail or two and you can bet you know how the rest of the day will turn out. Lunch should always be this good.

This lunch location is all about the atmosphere, the view and the fact that you are slowing it down in Las Vegas. While the food is a part of the equation the experience is very Las Vegas.

LAGO at Bellagio Las Vegas open daily for lunch at 11.  Patio seating is ideal but you will have to reserve a spot in advance to get one of the outdoor tables.

Beers, fried food and big screen televisions all make for a perfect way to spend a lunch in Las Vegas at TAP Vegas inside MGM Grand. However, it is not as simple as that as you get to sample some great beers with a little-added knowledge from the beer aficionados behind the bar and the pastrami burger on the menu is a destination entree on the Las Vegas strip. Yes, this may look like a sports bar but that burger and the selection of beers are enough to make this a spot to visit even if you have no interest in watching a game while you eat.

Open daily Lunch, Dinner Late Night

You could have a liquid lunch but why would you do that when you can have your beer paired with poutine or quail or some fried pork. I'm a fan of the casual lunch in their lounge area right beside the bar simply because it's comfortable enough to extend the afternoon meal further into the evening. With over 200 beers and some good food why not relax and have another at Public House?

The only available at lunch fried chicken at Delmonicos at Venetian Las Vegas is the type of dish that is best reserved for when you want to indulge the diet with a crispy, savory serving of eating with your hands poultry pleasantry. Crunchy dissolves into juicy while your taste buds are surprised by tiny morsels of savory.

When faced with plenty of options to create the perfect pizza 800 Degrees takes customization to another level. You to start with a simple pie and create a masterpiece that is not only very good but quick and cheap as well. This is possibly the best-priced meal in Las Vegas. Don't be turned off by the great value because the pizza is legit.

Get there early because the Gordon Ramsay name packs them in for lunch. The beer is cold and the bangers and mash should make you happy. The Gordon Ramsay Pub burger is touted by plenty and the fish and chips are good (not great). However, I compare the fish and chips to the epic version at Gordon Ramsay Steak so they are still quite good.

You need a good buffet and you no longer hear anything positive about these all you can eat festivals on the Las Vegas strip. Well, hold on, buffets are more expensive these days but you get what you pay for so make sure to decide on one of these three and you will be more than satisfied. The Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, Wicked Spoon at Cosmopolitan Las Vegas and the Buffet at Aria should all be on your radar for a huge meal at lunchtime. Be prepared to eat and lay off the salad bar, go for the expensive stuff first.

When you need a good burger and you want to spend as little as possible Shake Shack at NY/NY is the ideal spot. It’s quick, it’s good and it is exactly what a fast food burger should be but rarely is. Great bun, good patty and a few options that help you personalize this burger make it one of your new favorite spots for lunch in Las Vegas.

Also at The Park Las Vegas, California Pizza Kitchen, Beerhaus and Bruxie.

Yes, I want you to go to a food court for lunch but listen! The pizza spot in the food court inside Caesars Palace is perfect for the cheap, low cost lunch alternative in Las Vegas. Drink and two slices for around $10. The pizza by the slice is better than you should expect at a food court. Quick, cheap and very convenient. Grab a sandwich next door at Earl of Sandwich and you can have a bit more variety in your lunchtime offerings.

Savory is taken to the spot between two buns in a burger that is habit inducing and has generated a cult following. The Parmesan crisp of the original Umami Burger mixed in with the ketchup turns your taste buds on and your appetite on overdrive. Grab a beer in the beer garden and bet on some sports in the sports book and you have the perfect lunch combination.

When you just need a slice of pizza and you are on the go this is a very good alternative. Yes, they do have an actual restaurant with an expanded menu but if you are at the LINQ and you just need a snack check out Flour and Barley's take out window.

Try the Banh Mi,  a simple Vietnamese sandwich crafted by a chef who understands what it should be and does not try to "elevate" it to some other level. Instead, he makes a solid sandwich that can be had as a slider at the Level 107 Lounge or a sandwich at Top of the World. Oh yeah, the view from way up high turns lunch time into an experience.

Pancetta wrapped meatloaf with the port wine sauce over mashed potatoes at Spago Las Vegas. That's it, followed by a glass or two of red wine. I have had this dish so often that I am sure my stomach would revolt if I ever stopped. I try to get a good view of the people walking by in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and simply waste away my afternoon in a meatloaf induced trance.

Simply put, this place is fun. A restaurant described as fun? Consider the fact that everyone is very nice and the food is great and you can see what I mean by fun. However, the wine is what you should go to Enoteca Otto for, the kind of selection that will make you melt if you are incredibly fond of Italian reds. Salad, pasta and wine for lunch, can you top that?

Tapas, Sangria and a mix of conversation and a little flirtation over lunch and you have the ideal Las Vegas lunch spot. Small plates are exactly the way I love to eat especially if the drinks are flowing. The space at Julian Serrano is great because the energy from the Aria Resort seems to flow through the dining room and it really gives you a reason to indulge in that Las Vegas way. In other words, you'll have good food, great drinks and possibly way too much fun.

This selection is simple, if I want to engage my taste buds, if I want to impress my palate and if I want to delight in a variety of flavors. You'll realize that you love ingredients that you never thought about and you will swear you want to move to Las Vegas just to put Wazuzu on a weekly rotation. My new "go to" dish is the Roti Panang to go along with the drunken noodles

Margarita, guacamole and a few shrimp tacos. If there is one lunch that says it all about a midday meal in Las Vegas it's going to be found at Hussong's Las Vegas. Simple, very tasty and the right amount of tequila to ensure that your vacation will be full of excitement. Back away from the chips and salsa or you might be full before the real food comes to the table. Better yet, beers and chips and salsa could also be considered a lunch entree.

The food is decent but the idea of a few Waboritas while sitting a few feet from the Las Vegas strip is enough for me to waste away an afternoon at Cabo Wabo Cantina. Don't get me wrong, the loud music, the fun crowd are also selling points but blended tequila is a huge factor. Lunch with a view!