Where to go and what to eat to get a taste of this year’s Beard-nominated Las Vegas cuisine

Thu, Feb 27, 2025 (2 a.m.)

In January, the James Beard Foundation announced the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists for the 35th annual James Beard Awards. Part of marking this significant milestone for these culinary championships are an expansion of boozy categories; new awards were added for Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.

Sort of shockingly, Las Vegas tallied only one semifinalist in these new categories—Cristie Norman from Delilah at Wynn for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service. But let’s not get petty about it. Instead, let’s go order a drink at Delilah to celebrate, and also at your favorite new Vegas bar and the cocktail spot where your mixologist takes the best care of you.

Las Vegas notched a handful of semifinalists in the Best Chef Southwest category, as usual, so let’s go eat their food by the time the finalists are announced on April 2, and well before the award winners are announced on June 16. Then if one of these talented local chefs brings it home, you can say you knew their food before they hit the big time.

DJ Flores - Milpa

Flores’s dedication to heirloom ingredients and Mesoamerican traditions continue to garner acclaim for Milpa. Regulars love the coffee program too, so head over for breakfast or brunch and enjoy blue corn pinole pancakes, crispy chilaquiles or yellow corn tetelas stuffed with black beans and topped with avocado, scrambled eggs and queso fresco. 4226 S. Durango Dr. #101A, 702-247-4147, milpalv.com.

Sarah Thompson - Casa Playa

The coastal-themed Casa Playa is a truly unique offering among the Strip’s many Mexican restaurants, where Thompson and her team wow diners with splashy, shareable dishes like whole fried snapper with mole amarillo, crispy skin carnitas with charred cucumber salsa, and over-the-top surf and turf with Wagyu carne asada, pork belly al pastor, lobster and shrimp.
Encore, 702-770-5340, wynnlasvegas.com.

Michael Vakneen - Double Zero Pie & Pub

He’s already a World Pizza Champion and Las Vegas has been feasting on Vakneen’s creations at Pop Up Pizza Downtown for years, so this new honor is not a surprise. At his edgy Chinatown pub, start with the Wagyu carpaccio along with a dram of fine Japanese whisky, then move onto one of the “neo-Neapolitan” pies. We love the pepperoni, not so classic with vodka sauce, Fior Di Latte, basil and chili crunch, or the vegetarian funghi pizza with white sauce, mozzarella, garlic butter mushrooms and charred green onion. 3853 Spring Mountain Road, 702-463-0755, doublezeropie.com.

Eleazar Villanueva - Joël Robuchon

One of the most respected dining rooms in Las Vegas and the world, Joël Robuchon has always been a place to indulge in a once-in-a-lifetime epicurean experience, and current tasting menu options start at $235. And you’ll get to choose your own dishes from the kitchen governed by Villanueva, who started his Vegas career at the equally epic Le Cirque at Bellagio before climbing to the top rung of the top ladder on the Strip. If we’re invited, we want to try the potato and foie gras carpaccio with shaved black truffles, the candele pasta stuffed with eggplant and braised lamb, and the fig-chocolate cremeaux for dessert. MGM Grand, 702-891-7925, mgmgrand.mgmresorts.com.

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