Here is a response to a similar question appearing in the LVA's Question of the Day. I am going to add a few comment though I am hardly an expert.
Mediterranean: This seems to be a catch-all for everything from Spanish to Lebanese food these days, but what we think of as "Mediterranean" is typically Greek/Turkish/Middle Eastern fare, featuring lots of legumes, vegetables, interesting salads and, or course, lashings of garlic and olive oil. Typical dishes include stuffed grape leaves (sometimes with meat, but often VEGETARIAN; check), tzatziki (cucumber, yogurt, and mint dip), hummus (creamed garbanzo beans with garlic, sesame paste, and olive oil), baba ghanoush (a similar preparation made with roasted eggplant), spanakopita (spinach and cheese-filled phyllo pastry pie), lentil soup (just make sure it doesn't contain chicken stock), broiled Greek cheeses, falafel (a kind of spiced chickpea meatball), stuffed peppers, broiled vegetable kabobs, and a whole host of other dishes based on similar ingredients, plus tomatoes, green beans, and potatoes, served with the obligatory accompaniment of pita bread.
There are a number of places to choose from in Las Vegas, but our favorites include Paymon's Mediterranean Café* (two locations with full bars, late night menus, and hookah lounges at 4147 S. Maryland Pkwy., 702/731-6030 & 8380 W. Sahara Ave., 702/804-0293); Opa (2550 S. Rainbow Blvd., 702/876-3737), and, for a quick lunch bite, either Byblos Café & Pastries (4825 W. Flamingo, 702/222-1801) or the Pita Place (3429 S. Jones, 702/221-9955).
---------------Chandelier in Henderson is an excellent mid-East restaurant that offers an extensive mezzeh (appetizer) selection of vegetarian dishes that I am sure to please. We tried a sampler platter that included hummus, falafel, baba gahanouj and tabouleh that was accompanied by warm pita bread that we shared.
Asian: This cuisine is not as veggie-friendly as you might think, with the Japanese emphasis on fish and beef and so many seemingly VEGETARIAN Chinese and Thai dishes either containing meat stock or served garnished with dried shrimp. However, we do have a couple of suggestions. One is Swish*, a traditional Japanese Shabu-Shabu (hot pot) joint (7875 W. Sahara Ave., 702/870-7947), where you cook your own food, either in a small wok of boiling broth or stir-fried in a hot pan sukiyaki-style ("yaki" means to sauté or grill). While each choice is available with seafood or beef (ribeye or kobe) for any meat-eaters in your party, there's also a vegetable-only option. All dishes are served with noodles, tofu, and mushrooms. It's tasty and healthy, plus it's fun to cook your own.
-------------We really enjoyed our meal here though we both opted for the seafood shabu-shabu.
Another good Asian option we discovered recently is Komol Thai restaurant (Commercial Center, 953 E. Sahara Ave, E-10, 702/731-6542), whose clientele is 65% VEGETARIAN, they assured us. In addition to the standard menu, they have a full vegan version, featuring imaginative vegetable, tofu, and gluten dishes, from soups and salads to noodles, rice (white or brown available), curries, and desserts. Recommended.
-----------In this same shopping center is one of the best Thai restaurants in the country - Lotus of Siam. Many of their best dishes can be modified to accomodate a vegetarian - just seek advice from your server.
Indian: It's tough finding good Indian food in the U.S., in our experience, but we now have several options in Las Vegas, mainly centered around the Paradise/Flamingo axis, and all are good for VEGETARIANs. Typical dishes include samosas (spiced vegetables in a deep-fried phyllo parcel), pakoras (deep-fried battered vegetables), daal (lentils), and a whole host of curries and other entrées involving spinach, cauliflower, potatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, green peas, and cottage cheese. Our current favorite is Shalimar (3900 Paradise Rd, 702/796-0302), which serves high-quality authentic curries. Himalayan Cuisine (730 E. Flamingo Road, 702/894-9334) is also very good and features traditional Tibetan and Nepalese food (lots of noodle dishes) in addition to classic Indian. We hear that Origin India (4480 Paradise Rd., opposite the Hard Rock, 702/734-6342) is also good, serving "modern Indian" cuisine, but we haven't had a chance to try it yet.
-----------------We love India Palace on Twain, just off Paradise and not too far from the LV Hilton/LV Convention center.
Swiss: Yes, we're talking cheese, but not in a sandwich. The Melting Pot franchise has two branches in Las Vegas (8704 W. Charleston, 702/384-6358 & 8955 S. Eastern Ave., 702/932-0113) serving classic fondue dishes. While there are plenty of meat options for the carnivores in your party, there are also a number of strictly VEGETARIAN choices, where you dip hunks of crusty bread into a heated metal vat containing a heart attack-inducing but delicious blend of white wine and the melted cheese(s) of your choice. They also offer salads and non-fondue VEGETARIAN dishes.
Raw: Not just VEGETARIAN but organic and vegan, the Go Raw Café* has two branches in Las Vegas (on the east side at 2381 Windmill Lane, 702/450-9007, and in the west at 2910 Lake East Drive, 702/254-5382). It's definitely a café rather than a restaurant and everything on the menu is made from vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and organic vegetable oils. Absolutely nothing is cooked. It's pretty hardcore ("almond pâté served with organic carrot & zucchini chips w/ flax crackers and living bread," for example) and we wouldn't pretend that their "cheeseburger with fries” is going to satisfy a hardened McDonald's fan, but the house salad is delicious and all the dishes are imaginative ("Neat Loaf," "Zucchini pasta," "Purple Burritos," and "Sushi," for example) and beautifully presented. The salad bar is epic.
Italian: Although pizza and pasta can get tedious as the staple VEGETARIAN fallback, sometimes nothing hits the spot like a big bowl of spaghetti. There are myriad restaurants in Las Vegas, but some of our favorites for food and atmosphere include Nora's Cuisine* (6020 W. Flamingo Rd. # 10, 702/365-6713), Fellini's* (the original at 5555 W. Charleston Blvd., 702/870.9999, with additional branches at the Stratosphere and Sam's Town casinos), and Capozolli's* (3333 S. Maryland Pkwy., 702/731-5311).
-------------I would also Cafe Ba Ba Reeba at the fashion show mall. It is a tapas bar with an extensive menu that should meet your needs. The weekday happy hour, 4-7PM, offers 1/2 priced sangria and an assortment of $3 appetizers.
Last edited by westie; 12-23-2006 at 03:23 AM.
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Vegetarian or Vegan Restaurants or Regular Restaurants with Good Options?????
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Maggiano's is indeed fantabulous
Also, I think there is a Trader Joe's in Vegas? Good options there too, I hear. Not exactly "restaurants", but good places to get snax for the hotel, or to fill in the gaps when dining with hardcore carnivores
