Riffle & Schilling | Summit Collective at Simply Vegas
There are approximately ten million “Best of Las Vegas” lists on the internet.
This isn’t one of them.
These aren’t restaurants I found by Googling “best restaurants in Las Vegas,” places that paid to be included, or a collection of whatever happens to be trending this month.
These are mine.
The places I actually go. The things I actually order. The restaurants I send friends and clients to when they text me asking, “Okay, where should we eat?”
I’ve lived and worked all over the Las Vegas Valley for years, and real estate has probably given me one unfair advantage when it comes to finding good food: I’m everywhere.
Summerlin in the morning. Henderson by lunch. Showing property near the Strip in the afternoon. Lake Las Vegas the next day. An open house somewhere completely different that weekend.
Eventually, you learn where to eat.
And apparently you also develop some very strong opinions about sandwiches, steak and matcha.
So consider this the first edition of Kristen’s Las Vegas.
No committee. No algorithm. No diplomacy.
Just 30 places I genuinely love — and exactly what I’d tell you to order when you get there.
Let’s start my steakhouse list with…a neighborhood tavern.
And I stand by it.
John Cutter isn’t the elaborate white-tablecloth Las Vegas steakhouse production. It’s casual, comfortable and very Summerlin.
But go on Sunday, when they do their half-price steaks.
I get the petite filet, and it is divine. A genuinely delicious, high-end steak in an atmosphere where you don’t have to turn dinner into a three-hour event.
Sometimes I want the fabulous steak without the fabulous production surrounding the steak.
This is that place.
Kristen’s order: Petite filet.
When to go: Sunday. Obviously.
T-Bones at Red Rock is a Summerlin classic.
When I want the full steakhouse experience without heading to the Strip, this is an easy choice.
Beautiful room, beautiful patio, great steaks and that polished Vegas steakhouse feeling without actually having to venture onto Las Vegas Boulevard.
There’s a reason this one has stayed in the rotation.
Kristen’s take: The proper steakhouse night without leaving the neighborhood.
Barry’s at Circa is completely different.
This is not Tuesday night and I don’t feel like cooking steak.
This is put something fabulous on and go have a Vegas night steak.
The room has that old-school Vegas glamour without feeling like someone recreated 1965 for tourists. Dinner feels like part of the evening rather than simply the place you stopped to eat.
Kristen’s take: When dinner is only the beginning.
Harlo understands atmosphere.
It’s sophisticated, dark, beautiful and polished, and thankfully, the food backs it up.
It works for a celebration, an important dinner, a client you actually like, or simply one of those evenings when you want the room to be as good as the steak.
And yes, you’re going to see Harlo again later.
I make the rules.
Kristen’s take: Come for the steak. Stay because everything around the steak is beautiful too.
Echo & Rig is one of those restaurants that works when you want a really good steak without making steak dinner feel like a federal holiday.
It’s approachable, consistently good and just easy.
And with locations on both sides of the valley, it has also solved more than one “Where should we meet?” conversation.
Kristen’s take: Upscale without taking itself too seriously.
My #1.
The taste. The atmosphere. The style.
They didn’t miss a thing.
Even the playlist is perfect.
And yes, I notice things like the playlist.
Some coffee shops make great coffee. Others understand that you’re buying an entire little experience along with it.
Broken does both.
There’s just something about this place that feels considered without feeling like it tried too hard to be considered.
Kristen’s take: If you’re asking me for one Las Vegas coffee shop to try first, this is it.
Mothership is already a Las Vegas coffee institution for me, but there’s one drink that immediately comes to mind:
Bourbon Vanilla.
On one of those chilly Las Vegas fall or winter mornings — yes, we actually have those — it is ridiculously good.
This is one of those drinks that tastes like the season it belongs in.
Kristen’s order: Bourbon Vanilla.
Amazing coffee. Incredible atmosphere.
And then there’s the plot twist.
Who would have thought I’d be sending you to Chinatown for one of my favorite bagel-and-lox situations in Las Vegas?
Yet here we are.
Gäbi is beautiful enough that you could almost dismiss it as one of those places people visit because it photographs well.
Don’t.
The food and drinks actually deliver.
Kristen’s take: Go for coffee. Go hungry.
Exactly what the name suggests.
Easy, relaxed and just a good place to be.
This is the coffee shop for the day when you want your caffeine but might also want to sit down, grab something to eat and stay awhile.
Not everything needs to be an event.
Sometimes you just want a place you genuinely like being in.
Kristen’s take: Coffee with good-vibes energy.
This one is for the people who really care about coffee.
Dark Moon in Henderson takes the actual coffee seriously.
This is less about creating some enormous drink that photographs well and more about what is actually happening inside the cup.
Beans. Roasting. Flavor. Craft.
You know who you are.
Kristen’s take: If you start talking about beans and roast profiles while everyone else is just trying to wake up, I’ve found your place.
Let me establish something before we continue:
It takes a lot for a Summerlin girl to drive across town to Henderson for a sandwich.
Golden Boy accomplished it.
The Chicken Caesar Sandwich. LORD. HAVE. MERCY.
One of the best sandwiches I have had in Las Vegas.
Period.
I’m not going to give you twelve paragraphs explaining a sandwich. It doesn’t need them.
Go eat it.
Kristen’s order: Chicken Caesar Sandwich. Don’t overthink this.
Worth the drive from Summerlin?
Irritatingly, yes.
Everything is fresh. Everything is delicious.
I’m a huge fan of the chicken taco, and with locations convenient to different parts of town, there’s usually one I can justify stopping at.
But we need to discuss the churros.
Warm. Fresh. Dangerous.
I always intend to save room for them.
And somehow I always manage.
Kristen’s order: Chicken tacos followed by the churros I said I wasn’t going to eat.
“I’ll just have one.”
Sure.
That’s how empanadas get you.
You walk in planning on grabbing something quick and suddenly you’ve ordered six different flavors because apparently you’re conducting research.
This is exactly what I want from a quick-bite place: easy, delicious and just dangerous enough that my original plan goes completely out the window.
Kristen’s take: Order several. Sharing is technically optional. Beef Ranchero Is my favorite.
I was born and raised in Miami.
Which means I take Cuban food seriously.
I don’t need Cuban food reinvented. I don’t need someone to deconstruct it, foam it or serve it on a slate.
I want the food I grew up around made well.
Cubanidad does that.
The Cuban sandwich they call The 305, the ropa vieja, the croquetas — this is what I want.
Kristen’s order: The 305, ropa vieja and croquetas.
Miami test: Passed.
This is one of those Las Vegas hidden gems you can live near for years and somehow miss.
Tucked away off Lake Mead near Sun City Summerlin, Wild Fig isn’t about a flashy dining room or some giant production.
It’s about BBQ.
They smoke it fresh, which also means this isn’t necessarily the place where you casually stroll in at the end of the day expecting everything to still be waiting for you.
Plan accordingly.
Kristen’s take: Don’t judge the book by its cover, and don’t wait until the end of the day to decide you want BBQ. Make sure the Mac n Cheese and Beans Is Involved.
Yes, Harlo is making a second appearance.
Again: I make the rules.
If you’re taking a lovely lady out and your intention is to impress her and spare no expense, Harlo understood the assignment.
Beautiful room. Great food. Cocktails. Service. The whole thing feels special.
Order the steak. Have dessert. Get another cocktail.
Just make sure you still have enough left for your down payment when all is said and done.
I’m kidding.
Mostly.
Rare Society at UnCommons is lovely.
Dark, intimate, warm and just lively enough.
It feels like you’re actually out for the evening without being so loud that you’ve spent two hours yelling “WHAT?” across the table.
There’s a sexy little neighborhood-steakhouse feeling to it that works perfectly for date night.
Kristen’s take: Beautiful room + great food + atmosphere = very easy date-night win.
Want to show someone you’re a true Las Vegan?
Take them to the Golden Steer.
This is the kind of place where the history is part of dinner.
The red booths. The old-school service. The stories. The feeling that countless people have sat in these rooms and had a very Vegas evening long before you arrived.
So many places try to recreate “Old Vegas.”
You don’t need to recreate it when some of it is still here.
Kristen’s take: Stop looking for Old Vegas. It’s still here and the sides are my favorite part.
Not every romantic dinner needs caviar and hushed voices.
Sometimes I want great food, a dark room, fantastic cocktails and an evening with a little energy.
That’s Herbs & Rye.
This is the date when you’re actually planning on having fun.
Kristen’s take: Have dinner. Order another cocktail. Stop looking at the clock.
For even more fun.
Sexy. Glamorous. Delicious food.
And super fabulous drinks.
Beauty & Essex is the date-night choice when dinner shouldn’t feel like the end of the evening.
It feels theatrical in exactly the right way — very Vegas without becoming a Vegas cliché.
Kristen’s take: Get dressed up and make a night out of it. Get the Shareables. They are all good and Its more fun this way! The Beef Wellington Is a dream!
One thing about me:
Thai is my favorite food.
And I try to go to a Thai restaurant in almost every city I visit.
So at this point I have accumulated a fairly ridiculous amount of unofficial research on the subject.
Nittaya’s is the best I’ve had.
And the Khao Soi is the best Khao Soi I have ever had in my life.
That’s the standard now.
Every Thai restaurant I visit in another city is competing with Nittaya’s.
That’s probably unfair to them.
Kristen’s order: Khao Soi. No hesitation.
The Monica Roll.
The Lamborghini Roll.
The orgasm sauce.
Yes, it is actually called that.
I didn’t make it up — but I could have.
Sushi Fever is fun, the sushi is delicious, and it has never felt like it needs to take itself too seriously.
Which I appreciate.
Kristen’s order: Monica Roll, Lamborghini Roll, and we’re not going to be shy about the sauce.
You can’t beat this place.
The blue tortillas are incredible.
The elote side dish is unreal.
And then you keep moving through the menu and realize there really isn’t a boring part of it.
This is one of those places where I inevitably order more than I intended because everything sounds good.
Kristen’s take: Go hungry. Order too much. The Chilaquiles are a must! Figure out the consequences later.
Delicious food meets Kill Bill.
There’s really no other way for me to explain it.
If you have a larger party, there’s a room that immediately gives you that legendary fight-scene feeling, which is obviously fun.
But themed restaurants lose me quickly when the food doesn’t hold up.
Here, it does.
And the lobster salad balls are beyond a must.
Kristen’s take: Come for the crazy room. Come back because the food is actually good.
My favorite Italian restaurant in Las Vegas.
By far.
Yes, I’m sending you all the way to Lake Las Vegas.
It’s worth it.
The menu is impressive, but my recommendation is the Trio di Ravioli — beef, pumpkin and mushroom ravioli in a creamy pesto sauce.
Every ravioli is done to perfection.
And when you combine the food with the setting at Lake Las Vegas, it becomes one of those places that feels like you left town without actually leaving town.
Kristen’s order: Trio di Ravioli.
Kristen’s take: My favorite Italian restaurant in the valley. The Lake Las Vegas setting is just a bonus.
Before we begin, I need you to understand something.
I take matcha seriously enough that I once did an entire TikTok series driving around Las Vegas trying different matcha drinks and rating them.
And I paid for them myself.
In fact, at one point I specifically announced that I wasn’t accepting free matcha from businesses because I wanted to give my actual opinion.
Apparently I was conducting independent matcha journalism.
So yes.
I have receipts.
The highest score I gave during my original matcha series.
This one was creamy, different and ridiculously good.
And when I originally scored it, there was no brand partnership, free drink or incentive involved.
Just me, my matcha and an unnecessarily detailed rating system.
Kristen’s original score: 9/10.
Remember Broken Coffee from my #1 coffee-shop pick?
Well, here we are again.
I ordered the Agave Double Matcha.
Then I ordered a second one and inhaled them both.
My actual review afterward basically admitted that, upon reflection, I probably should have scored it even higher.
Kristen’s original score: 8.7/10.
Kristen now: I owe Broken a few tenths of a point.
This one was such a cool experience.
The matcha itself, the presentation and the entire experience felt authentically Japanese, and mine came topped with matcha ice cream, which was such a delight.
My only issue at the time?
I nearly spent twenty bucks on one drink.
And then proceeded to say I would come back for another one anyway.
So apparently that complaint didn’t carry much weight.
Kristen’s original score: 8.5/10.
Worth every penny? Apparently, yes.
I believe my original review began:
“I got a BBL!!! Not the kind you think.”
I’m not sure there’s any reason to improve upon that.
Blueberry and matcha wasn’t necessarily a combination I expected to love.
I did.
Kristen’s original score: 8/10.
Kristen’s take: Possibly the only BBL I’ll ever recommend on KristenRiffle.com.
And Gäbi earns its second appearance on the list.
Because real favorites repeat.
We aren’t handing out participation trophies here.
The lavender matcha combined with Gäbi’s beautiful atmosphere makes this exactly the sort of drink that turns “grabbing a matcha” into a little outing.
Kristen’s take: Pretty place. Pretty drink. Thankfully, it tastes good too.
Apparently I will cross the entire Las Vegas Valley for a sandwich.
I take Thai food and Cuban food unusually seriously.
I can apparently be financially irresponsible in the presence of a good steak.
I have very strong opinions about matcha.
And yes, I will absolutely judge a coffee shop by its playlist.
But that’s also what I love about Las Vegas.
The version of this city visitors know is incredible, but it’s only one version of it.
There is another Las Vegas that happens on Spring Mountain and Lake Mead. In Summerlin and Henderson. At Lake Las Vegas, UnCommons and Tivoli Village. In neighborhood restaurants you’ve driven past a hundred times and tiny places tucked into shopping centers you’d never think to enter.
That’s the Las Vegas you start discovering when you actually live here.
And that’s what I want Kristen’s Las Vegas to be about.
Not another list of things you’re supposed to like.
The places I actually go. The things I actually order. The city I actually know.
And this is only the first 30.
— Kristen Riffle
Las Vegas Realtor®
Riffle & Schilling | Summit Collective at Simply Vegas
KristenRiffle.com
