Celebrity Chefs Make Las Vegas Restaurants Shine

Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, and Emeril Lagasse

By Zeke Quezada

Updated 06/11/18

There might be some debate as to what makes a chef a celebrity because these days chefs don't cook as much in front of the camera as they once did. But if you're on a weekend getaway or a longish vacation in Las Vegas, you're in for a culinary treat. Celebrity chefs are drawn to Vegas like a magnet, and all you have to do is try to find the celebrity chef restaurant that best suits your taste--or several of them. So along with all the other over-the-experiences in Vegas, you're in for the same level of dining thrills.

  • 01 of 07

    Gordon Ramsay

    Gordon Ramsay Burger
    ••• Gordon Ramsay's BurGR. Bryan Steffy/Getty Images

    Gordon Ramsay is probably the loudest celebrity chef out there right now, and in Vegas his restaurants are hot. You'll find one that suits your fancy no matter what you have a taste for, whether it's burgers, steaks, take-away fish & chips, or authentic pub food.

    Choose from:

  • 02 of 07

    Wolfgang Puck

    Trattoria del Lupo
    ••• Lupo, Wolfgang Puck's trattoria. Courtesy of Mandalay Bay

    Wolfgang Puck's known to just about everyone interested in restaurants, and his ability to create amazing food has helped him skyrocket to the top of every type of culinary list. He is the definition of a celebrity chef, and you get plenty of opportunities in Las Vegas to sample what he does best. Check out:

  • 03 of 07

    Giada De Laurentiis

    Giada De Laurentiis in Las Vegas
    ••• Giada De Laurentiis. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

    You know who she is, right? Giada De Laurentiis seems to be able to cook a ton of great things on television, and she's opened a restaurant in the revamped hotel The Cromwell on the Las Vegas Strip. And what better name could there be than Giada? Live music and brunch jazz up the weekends, and there's a wine dinner every month.

  • 04 of 07

    Emeril Lagasse

    Emeril's New Orleans Fish House
    ••• Emeril's New Orleans Fish House. Courtesy of MGM Grand

    If you watch chefs do their thing on TV, there's a good chance you've seen Emeril Lagasse scream "Bam" on television and say "take it up a notch" a lot. In Las Vegas, his restaurants take it up the right amount, and with four great ones to choose from you can't go wrong. 

    Continue to 5 of 7 below.
  • 05 of 07

    Scott Conant

    Spaghetti at Scarpetta
    ••• Spaghetti at Scarpetta. Zeke Quezada

    Scott Conant makes TV appearances, but it is much more satisfying to feast on his spectacular food. In Vegas, you can do that at Scarpetta, where Conant creates Italian food that's both sophisticated and down to earth, along with being seasonal.

  • 06 of 07

    Bobby Flay

    MESA Grill in Las Vegas
    ••• Mesa Grill. Michael Gray/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

    Bobby Flay is another Food Network celebrity, and you can sample his culinary creations at two Vegas restaurants. At Mesa Grill, you'll get to sample his trademark spice-rubbed pork tenderloin, 16-spice chicken, tostadas, tamales, and other Southwestern-infused favorites. Or check out  Bobby's Burger Palace, where you'll have your choice of 12 burgers, sinful shakes, several varieties of fries, and salads and veggie burgers if you feel saintly.

  • 07 of 07

    Buddy Valastro

    The Lobster Tail at Buddy V
    ••• The Lobster Tail at Buddy V at Palazzo Las Vegas. Flickr

    Buddy Valastro is famous as the "Cake Boss" on TLC, but in Las Vegas he gets his buzz from Buddy V's Ristorante at the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian/The Palazzo. As he says on the menu, "It's just home cooking. Just like I cook for my own family." But what grand Italian home cooking it is, with meatballs, spaghetti, carbonara, shrimp scampi, ravioli, pizza, and chicken piccata. And it wouldn't be Buddy's without to-die-for desserts like Nutella cake, butterscotch creme brulee, cannoli, tiramisu, and lemon raspberry cheesecake.