Where to Go When You’re Dining Between Meals in Las Vegas

Your plane touches down and you immediately feel the buzz found only in Las Vegas. The airport is so convenient that before you know it, you’ve checked into your accommodations and are raring to go, except for one thing: after hours of travel and an early wake-up call at home, you’re starving. But it’s the middle of the afternoon, not quite lunchtime and not yet dinner. Or maybe you landed late night, but it’s Vegas, and you’re not ready for bed. So, where to eat?

Las Vegas is one of the greatest food cities on earth, but if there used to be one weakness, it was a lack of options at “in between” hours. Fortunately, this is no longer an issue, thanks to a recent wave of gourmet food halls, elevated grab-and-go and 24-hour spots new and classic. No matter when hunger hits, you do not have to settle for ordinary, with great meals around the clock.

Reach for elevated grab-and-go

If you find yourself near Mandalay Bay, join savvy Vegas insiders making a beeline to a literal hole-in-the wall near Shark Reef Aquarium. BBQ Mexicana is a to-go counter built into the hallway wall, with a few high-top tables if you want to stay. Its entire Latin spin on slow smoked meats (and tofu) is wonderful, but the signature smoked brisket burrito is to-die for. The stand is a spin-off of nearby Border Grill, by its James Beard and Julia Child award-winning chef owners, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. It’s open from 11 AM to 4 PM on weekdays, and use nothing but natural antibiotic- and hormone-free meats. This chef-level comfort food has become so locally beloved that it is also served at Allegiant Stadium, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Ballpark and a South Las Vegas outpost on Sunset and Durango.

Perhaps the most famous living chef, Gordon Ramsay, has half a dozen Vegas eateries, but if you want to try his Mother’s fish and chip recipe and his favorite Scottish beer, Innis & Gunn, you have to visit Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, his hidden gem takeout spot in the LINQ Promenade. As you approach, you’ll see people on benches eating from distinctive Union Jack cardboard boxes, and when you taste the ethereal fried seafood, you’ll understand why.

The original American Coney Island is a famous family-owned Detroit hot dog emporium that has been popular for almost 110 years, with a 24-hour outpost at Motor City-themed D Hotel and Casino Downtown, on Fremont Street. Its secret recipe Michigan hotdogs slathered in Greek-style chili sauce bridge the gap between Vegas’ grab-and-go and 24-hour options.

All day dining—and all night, too

It’s one thing to serve food and drink 24/7, it’s another to offer the dizzying array of choices found at the Peppermill, an iconic Strip diner open half a century that was the setting for movies and TV shows such as Casino, CSI:Vegas, and Showgirls. Enjoy breakfast for dinner or vice versa, with signature breakfast specialties spanning pages, as well as burgers, sandwiches, salads, seafood, steaks and chops, or mashups like the 16-ounce T-Bone and eggs. A full-blown cocktail lounge is attached, and many locals think it serves the city’s finest Bloody Mary.

The partners behind one of America’s most beloved restaurants, Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, vowed never to take the name outside Michigan. So, when Michigan-themed Circa opened Downtown, they went with Saginaw’s Delicatessen after one of the founders. But it’s the same stunning pastrami, corned beef hash, matzoh ball soup, and Jewish-style deli food, served around the clock.

Shrimp and lobster fra diavolo for breakfast? Why not, you’re on vacation. The first shock is learning one of the city’s most beloved oyster bars sits in the middle of the Palace Station casino. The second surprise is that the Palace Station Oyster Bar runs 24/7 for those craving fresh shucked oysters or clams at 4 AM. But don’t overlook signature pan roasts, cioppino or jambalaya. Everything is cooked to order, so sit at the counter and watch them work. There’s a new all-night outpost in the Durango Resort as well.

Rise of the gourmet food hall

Las Vegas has outposts of famous gastronomic eateries from France, Italy, Japan and more, and recently took the same approach with gourmet food courts, importing beloved local eateries. These let groups mix and match diverse cuisines for reasonable prices at odd hours. Block 16 Urban Food Hall in the Cosmopolitan set the trend, with high-profile vendors beloved in their home cities, including New Orleans’ cult District: Donuts. Sliders. Brew.; Nashville’s legendary Hattie B’s Hot Chicken; David Chang’s Bang Bar By Momofuku; Italian sandwich specialist Lardo by Portland chef Rick Gencarelli; and New York’s Ghost Donkey, a Mexican mezcal and tequila bar. Eateries open as early as 7AM and serve as late as 2AM.

The latest is the new Durango Casino & Resort food hall, Eat Your Heart Out, with its 24/7 Station Oyster Bar spinoff. Other big names include James Beard award-winning Chef Marc Vetri’s Fiorella pasta bar; New York’s classic slice shop, Prince Street Pizza; and Hollywood eateries Uncle Paulie’s Deli and Irv’s Burgers. There are also original concepts, including sushi and Chinese specialties.

Eataly, the gourmet market from Italy’s Turin, moved into the Park MGM, with ultra-easy access from the Strip. Its La Cucina del Mercato has half a dozen food counters, from paninis to fresh pasta to pizza to a wine bar. Open as early as 10AM and as late as 2AM.

When Resorts World debuted in 2021, it created a new dining paradigm with Famous Foods Street Eats. Sixteen eateries surround a central bar and common seating, so any size party can mix and match cuisines. Offerings include several first-in-the-U.S. outposts of Michelin Plate and Bib Gourmand-recognized Southeast Asia vendors, alongside American specialties like spicy fried chicken by James Beard-winning Chef Marcus Samuelsson at Streetbird and slow smoked ribs and brisket by Blood Brothers Texas BBQ. There are noodles, bao, dumplings, ramen and sushi, plus regional Pacific Rim and Indian dishes such as Hainanese chicken rice and murtabak. From 11 AM to 10 PM daily.

ARIA’s recent renovation added Proper Eats Food Hall with 10 venues, including the first Wexler’s Deli outside Los Angeles; Parm, a classic American Italian spot from the group behind Carbone; London’s Seoul Bird; New York’s breakfast-centric Egghead; and even Pizzaoki, a first-of-its-kind pizzeria by world-famous DJ and frequent Vegas headliner Steve Aoki. Most run from 11 AM until 10-11 PM.