Restaurants of 2026
Restaurants of 2026
John’s ventures throughout the year…
As seen on X/twitter.
(if a number is skipped, he didn’t post about it)
2026 Restaurant Meal No. 1: The very expensive ($300) but highly underrated Tomahawk Rib Eye (which DOES feed 8😅) @Cipriani. 🥩🍷@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/X3yCpiT5Vh
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 5, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 2: All the pastries 🥮 🥐🍪🥯🥖🍞 at #PublicUs — better than ever (and thriving) 11 years on in Las Vegas’s worst location. 😉😍😋🍾🥂@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/79wf32tw6J
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 5, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 3: The devilishly spicy/thin “Jersey Devil” pie from @MetroPizza.😋🥵👹🍕@EatTalkRepeat
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 5, 2026
🍕🍕🍕 pic.twitter.com/vGKRTLggxJ
2026 Restaurant No. 4: Extraordinary Issan-Thai at the original WEERA THAI on west Sahara — 15 years old and better than ever. 🇹🇭😋 pic.twitter.com/ESJbwKRZ3k
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 6, 2026
Dat sum dim sum: The Boyz take down the entire menu at #NEWASIANBBQ in #Chinatown #LasVegas. 🦆🥟
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 8, 2026
Restaurant No. 5 #2026 @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/9vbK2Fulu0
2026 Restaurant No. 6: @Cipriani (again)…because #Friday. @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/y4bNs9D79v
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 9, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 7: Disappointing pastries procured at a place not as pristine as in the past.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 11, 2026
My prediction: propositions for our continued patronage are kaput. 🥐🥮🙁#DelicesGourmands @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/PidzUmPrIf
2026 Restaurant #8: Cured & Whey - might be whey out of your whey, but the sandwiches might be the most curated (and best) in #Vegas. 🥪🍞🧀🦃🥓@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/r1OjA75fuF
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 13, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 9: Ta’Chingon - because no lengths are too great (nor names too obscure) for us to go to in pursuit of decent Mexican 🇲🇽 .@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/WFixtwI73g
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 14, 2026
Holy pepperoni! Robbie Cunningham’s #GuerillaPizza 🍕is back and packed in #DTLV. #Detroitstyle🍕 #restaurant10 #2026 @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/lBGJbEPW9F
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 15, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 11: Alpine Mike’s is not just for cocktail imbibing. 🍸
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 16, 2026
Yurt not going to believe how great the sausage (and the German-Alsatian wine list) is. 🥂😋🍾#DTLV#ALPINEMIKESVIKINGYURTBAR@ashtheattorney @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/MAdP4z6uwb
2026 Restaurant No. 12: (almost) all the pastas @Cipriani — which make up for in authentic toothsomeness what they lack in cartwheeling creativity. 😋🍝
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 17, 2026
Also, artichokes, then our weekly around-the-world in wine, and finally, a wee dram of grappa-the ultimate digestif.🍷 🥃🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/IYbqmSHx2v
A quick detour to New Orleans, LA!
2026 Restaurant No. 13: Gulf drum 🐟 , Bayou 🍤 , pumpkin-crusted redfish, Gulf 🦪 and “Scalibut” w/ local grits at #GWFins …I gar-UN-tee we be eatin’ local in N’Awlins. 🥳😋#NOLA pic.twitter.com/uQFwWvEqKY
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 19, 2026
2026 Restaurant(s) No. 14: For purposes of our ongoing list, we’ll combine one of the world’s iconic sandwiches (the #muffuletta) with New Orleans’ most revered fried dough (the #beignet). #lunch #CAFEDUMONDE#CENTRALGROCERY#NewOrleans pic.twitter.com/nFwWc9LUAN
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 19, 2026
In New Orleans, unless half your meal is on fire, you’re doing it wrong.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 20, 2026
No. 15 - the iconic (since 1918) #ARNAUDS 👏🔥🍌🥳🍦 pic.twitter.com/YY8smNo9wk
Gumbo, jambalaya, muffuletta, po-boys, and Pimm’s Cups — basically all the Louisiana food groups in one, lip-smacking lunch.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 21, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 16: #NAPOLEONHOUSE #NewOrleans pic.twitter.com/ephAKp2osJ
2026 Restaurant No. 17: Commander’s, of course, because you can’t come here without bending the knee to the grand dame.@Commanders_NOLA 😋🥂🍾👏🙇🏼 pic.twitter.com/Dy3Kr1zDMP
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 21, 2026
2026 Restaurants No. 18, 19: FLANAGAN’S Thibodaux for étouffée/jambalaya, then lunch #2 — crawfish-crammed po-boy/gumbo at BON CREOLE in New Iberia.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 22, 2026
Fair warning: you don’t like fried crawfish 🦞 around here, you’ll be more out of luck than a vegan at a Georgia pig-pickin’. 😉😋… pic.twitter.com/E7wPdi6AnZ
Luzianna ‘ersters and gumbo from the gods — No. 20 was all that and a bag of mud bugs. 🦪🦀🌶️🦞#DUPUY pic.twitter.com/cmUCFy3gt0
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 22, 2026
After eating this food for a week, I now know why the late, great Paul Prudhomme weighed 400 lbs. 😲
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 23, 2026
No. 21 #DONSSEAFOOD pic.twitter.com/GiIqBOKjUM
Holy crustacean! These cornflour-crusted soft shell 🦀 could turn a heathen into a man of the cloth. 🙏🤲😋
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 23, 2026
No. 22: #PELICANSONTHEBAYOU pic.twitter.com/AlCTXcRwep
2026 Restaurant No. 23: Watching A.J. Lagasse command his kitchen at the newly anointed @Emerils. 👏🍾🥂🥳😋 pic.twitter.com/I9zM4fMqNY
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 25, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 24: Inventively ingratiating cuisine on the edge of the French Quarter at #MAMOU — the sort of tiny (36 seats) personal restaurant that only exists in a food-obsessed city. 😋🥂🍾👏🥳 pic.twitter.com/TzbozilNF6
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 25, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 24: the incredible, inimitable, indelible Mr. B’s — a classic that never goes out of style, right in the heart of the French Quarter, with (still, after all these years) the best goddamn gumbo in New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/vNofDALSaP
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 25, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 25: The legendary#HERBSAINT by #DonaldLink — a restaurant I’ve been trying to get to for 25 years. 🤩🤔😋🥂#finally#yolkporn 🍳@EatTalkRepeat @ashtheattorney pic.twitter.com/kpY3HI1oXM
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 26, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 27: MISS RIVER @FourSeasons #NOLA never disappoints — a classy 3-meals-a-day joint with astonishingly good grub (spicy jambalaya, crackling fried yardbird 🍗 , buttery biscuits, shrimpy bisque 🍤)…but what’s with the avocado 🥑 garnish ??? 😆😋 pic.twitter.com/tACe2njAiX
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 26, 2026
And that is the end of the Louisiana Crawl…
Back to Vegas!
2026 Restaurant No. 28: The thing we miss most when we leave Vegas for any length of time — Asian food!
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 28, 2026
Specifically, Chinese noodles at #SPECIALNOODLE 🍜🇨🇳🥢🥟@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/kdoNrmKXat
2026 Restaurant No. 29: If “clothes maketh the man” (Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3), then most certainly ingredients maketh the sandwich…and you won’t find a more savory assemblage than the Italian hoagie at #PROPERSANDWICHCOMPANY. 🥖🥪@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/7UAhd5HVfp
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 28, 2026
2026 Restaurant No. 30: Fridays at @Cipriani (where else?😉) with The Great Vincenzo! 🍝@EatTalkRepeat #baccala 🐟 pic.twitter.com/wGQJkeCSND
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) January 31, 2026
2026 Restaurants Nos. 31,32:
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 1, 2026
French Benedict brekkie - #LECAFECENTRAL
Korean cornucopia - #SOYO@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/sYrFFMs0oB
Restaurant No. 33: light, bright, spicy #shoyu (🐓stock based) ramen 🍜 (with soft, springy, house-made noodles) at #HASHI.🥣🎌#SpringMountainRoad #Chinatown #LasVegas @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/SZnq0mUNdE
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 3, 2026
Restaurant No. 34: Sushi w/ specific instructions — #Ehomaki sushi 🍣 roll from #KAISEKIYUZU — “good fortune” wrapped in rice, roughly the size and weight of a small tuna 🐟. 🎌😋😀@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/bojpZ6XGvE
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 4, 2026
Restaurant No. 35: Return to #Panevino after 20 year absence (don’t ask). Old school romantic Italian giving total “Goodfellas” vibes. Wonderful room, views, acoustics, service. The food fits the clientele and vice versa. 😋😉🍷@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/aBVe5HddMX
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 4, 2026
Restaurant No. 36: Indelible double-double, iconic Chinese chicken, and compelling chocolate cherry sourdough at #1228Main 🐓🥗🥖🍔
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 5, 2026
All of which will be discussed on tomorrow’s @EatTalkRepeat. pic.twitter.com/yZdg60Ro8d
No. 37: The Boyz take down the entire menu at #PhoSaigonese — because Asian food just tastes better with a crowd. 🇻🇳🍜#SpringMountainRoad #LasVegas pic.twitter.com/rv29YLWwzJ
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 6, 2026
No. 38: Old-ass wine (tasting of prune juice 😬) at our usual Friday retreat.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 8, 2026
Pro tip: not all red wines are built to last 57 years. 🤯🍷😉
🍝 @Cipriani pic.twitter.com/L6kVPxzfMI
No. 39: The name may sound like an American diner, but we were the only gwailos in the joint. And it was packed with fellow travelers…who acted like it’d been open for years, not just a few weeks. 😋🇨🇳🥢🍚#ELLIESRESTAURANT@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/suPXIIp29g
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 11, 2026
No. 40: Mead me at #VIKINGMIKESALPINEYURTBAR@EatTalkRepeat #skoal #mead #DTLV pic.twitter.com/ye4I7jbgLr
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 12, 2026
No. 41: Dim sum 🥟 lunch + Cantonese 🦆 (w/ 🍷 of course) at #ELLIES — because when a new joint opens in Chinatown, we’re on it like white on rice. 🍚 🥢🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/3LOtv9bLpf
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 13, 2026
No.42 Chef’s Table @DelmonicoSteak — all the steaks 🥩 + The Best Steakhouse Burger 🍔 in Vegas.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 15, 2026
Also: BBQ Shrimp and The Food Gal’s birthday 🎉 🎂 😉😁😍 pic.twitter.com/4bWD3o7yPh
No. 43: All the Stay Tuned Burgers 🍔 + Tots from the Hard Hat Lounge. Courtesy of @ashtheattorney (ordering on UberEats, no less.😱😋) pic.twitter.com/Wi8xzmi7Zb
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 15, 2026
No. 44: When @ashtheattorney talks tacos 🌮 , we listen….then go and order all of them + aquachile at #OLEMANNYS in #DTLV.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 16, 2026
Not cheap ($7/🌮), but way above average. 😋@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/Szm1Yood6O
No. 45: I came, I saw, I conquered (the pizza 🍕, at least😉) at a hidden Internet cafe where I was 3Xs+ older than the average patron. @ashtheattorney said the pizza was good (on @EatTalkRepeat) and no lies were detected:
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 17, 2026
- wood-fired
- well-proofed dough
- thin crust
- proper… pic.twitter.com/hpqH2Bndci
No. 46: an old favorite, better than ever, packed with punched-up flavors (and consistently fully-booked) in its 10th year. 🥂👏🍶🍾#SPARROWANDWOLF @EatTalkRepeat @ashtheattorney #BrianHoward pic.twitter.com/bcqQhvAYFt
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 18, 2026
Báhn cuõn habanero/coconut sauce
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 19, 2026
Insanely toothsome sourdough
Dry aged tuna tacos
Issan-Thai sausage w/ mango nam pla
Milk-braised salsify "cacio e pepe"
….nothing says “don’t try this at home” like a showstopping Brian Howard menu. 😉🤩😋#SPARROWANDWOLF pic.twitter.com/92N9br9qKC
No. 48: @VintnerGrill — Where the elite meet to eat. 😋😉🤩
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 20, 2026
Alert the media! Mr. Curtas has returned after a 5 yr. absence. 🤯@EatTalkRepeat #boulliabaise #charcuterie pic.twitter.com/geaBMu2kxf
No. 49: A mashup brasserie on Paradise Road…where the Spanish- inspired EDO boys lean heavily into the French catechism.🇫🇷🇪🇸#BRASERIA @EatTalkRepeat @ashtheattorney pic.twitter.com/xo3naIbc75
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 21, 2026
No. 50: Return to #TAMBA — now busier than a whisky booth at an Irish ☘️ wake. 🇮🇳🥃@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/gVylfBfA3k
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 23, 2026
I used to say, “Barbecue is like sex: the worst I ever had was still pretty good.” — which was true until I met Lucille. 😬
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 23, 2026
No. 51: #LUCILLESBBQ 🙄@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/7D0TOTAobc
No. 52: #HĂOCHĪ - Crispy beef 🥩 and crusted eggplant 🍆 and 🐖 🥟 — at the only Chinese restaurant on W. Charleston Blvd (excluding Panda Express 😉). 🤔@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/wtiWJJvM5i
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 24, 2026
No. 53: Giving #LANDWER a second chance? Or are we just gluttons for punishment?
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 25, 2026
A little of both. 😉
We don’t really GET this restaurant, but the pita 🫓 is great, the shawarma decent enough, and the under-seasoned food perfect for a clientele who must be allergic to salt and… pic.twitter.com/c19lQvlmFR
No. 54: Does #KJs have a chance? (To succeed where The Pepper Club flamed out?)
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 25, 2026
Yes, if they lean into the groovy, old-school steakhouse vibe (and keep the top-shelf roast chicken 🐓).
No, if the keep the world’s worst logo. @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/GDhNu4nARQ
No. 55: 2nd night of service at #BRASERIA - trying more of the menu, giving feedback, and celebrating the best thing to happen to casual, bistro-brasserie cooking since @DanielBoulud left town.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 26, 2026
BTW: wine list is well-curated in excellence (and price), and something LOTS of local… pic.twitter.com/z0Su19naJ3
No. 56: Dining w/ the 1% of the 1% at #GENOS at the Summit Club — reconnecting with Geno Bernardo, the man, the myth, the Italian cooking stallion. 👨🍳🤩😋🇮🇹@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/k3nUdNDoca
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) February 27, 2026
No. 57 - lunch with The Great Vincenzo @Cipriani - where refined, table-side service feels as natural as Parm on pasta. pic.twitter.com/6yYHgG6OVR
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 1, 2026
No. 58: All the sandwiches (and then some serious charcuterie) at The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills pop-up @redrockcasino. 🤩🥪😋@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/Jj04aCvxhk
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 2, 2026
No. 59: Ham/cheese croissant 🥐 at #LECAFECENTRAL — and finding a real French Béchamel in #Chinatown. 🤔😋🇫🇷@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/mQtHUinHEZ
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 4, 2026
No. 60: No matter how many chances we give it, Henderson never fails to live down to its reputation. From our worst cocktail in decades, to a fish ‘n chips both burnt AND undercooked (no small feat that🤔) #BOOMBANG is the early favorite for our Worst Meal of 2026.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 5, 2026
🙄… pic.twitter.com/i6yeVrChna
No. 61: Violating one of his apodictic aphorisms (“Never eat Japanese anywhere but Chinatown” 😉), the Grumpy Gastronome took a chance on #TANUKI in Boca Park and found little to complain about. 🇯🇵🥢🍣🍱@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/2TVuREjJCm
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 5, 2026
No. 62: The Chinatown Boyz had sum Beef Chow Fun (and a passel of stews, soups, squid, chicken, lamb, and stir-frys) yesterday at #SKSEAFOOD — one of the best Chinatown options for classic Cantonese cooking. 🇨🇳🍜🦑🐓🥢@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/pJOMQmRv9p
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 6, 2026
No. 63: So. Much. Sake. (4 bottles + 8 courses) at #RAKU — which saw us moving up the rice polishing ladder into rarified sipping air at our No. 1 #izakaya. #IYKYK #MitsuoEndo
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 7, 2026
🍶🍚🤩🎌🍣 pic.twitter.com/id9TRNGGHU
No. 64: We were interviewed last week about “secret menu items” for an upcoming episode of @CityCastVegas — so we thought we’d post an insider tip about the off-menu #focaccia @Cipriani. It’s really more of an herb-scented, cheeseless, Neapolitan 🍕, but no matter what you call… pic.twitter.com/T8qvsRPOuO
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 9, 2026
No. 65: All the things (it seemed) at #AMADOR - Chinatown’s Spanish-Latin fusion superstar. Simply (and not-so simple) astonishing food in the ultimate intimate gastropub. 🇪🇸🇲🇽@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/ICmibasPw6
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 10, 2026
No. 66: Super salads, pizza, porchetta, and…wait for it…chicken Parm 😱 at #ESTHERSKITCHEN. @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/FvYRXhUZQX
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 11, 2026
No. 67: Salmon toast brekkie + an exceptional Basque cheesecake at #1228MAIN.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 12, 2026
Good service, excellent 🍞, superior salmon, BUT simply awful cappuccino - the worst we’ve had in #DTLV (which is really saying something). 😩☕️ @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/6C3FeIMviB
No. 68: Liquid lunch @cipriani — where some solid Italian was housed (pizza, pasta, John Dory, Milanese), and convos were copious, but vino took center stage.@whatsrightsam @EatTalkRepeat
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 14, 2026
🍷🥂🍷🥂🍾 pic.twitter.com/G6yxjNDJJn
No. 69: Holy hotcakes! We finally listened to @ashtheattorney and made it to #ECHOTASTEANDSOUND for…wait for it…#brunch! 😉
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 15, 2026
Yes, the flapjacks are fab, but the chicken/blt/club might be even better. 🥪 😋🥞🍳#themightyhavefallen @EatTalkRepeat #DTLV #MainStreet pic.twitter.com/FFUOEo25p0
No. 70: #YUIEDOMAESUSHI has a new “Just Sushi” menu (dispensing with various kaiseki/wagyu contrivances) to concentrate solely on exquisite Tokyo-style sushi…and it’s less expensive, less time-consuming, and glorious. 🍣🗼🎌🎏🍶@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/LifkvKFsVv
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 16, 2026
No. 71: Dropping into #JIPATA for some quick #namkhaotod and a glass of 🍷, and running into a table of true foodies with exquisite taste in vino, Thai food and podcasts. 🇹🇭😋😉@EatTalkRepeat #Chinatown#LasVegas pic.twitter.com/tqZdlv03ky
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 17, 2026
No. 72: Pit perfect and quite the smash - the 🥑 🍳 🍞toast at #PublicUs.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 18, 2026
Avo nice evening. 😉😋😆@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/AodHxJOUsq
No. 77: We snuck into #ZEROBOND and couldn’t believe how cool/classy it was.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 21, 2026
Then we remembered we would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like us as a member. 🥸😋😉🥂🍾🍷@EatTalkRepeat @ashtheattorney pic.twitter.com/mMW1bhCYIF
No. 76: My wife (the long-suffering #FoodGal) asked me, “Why are you looking at yourself with that #grappa?”
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 20, 2026
I said, “Because my doctor told me I should watch my drinking.”
🇮🇹🥃@Cipriani @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/pfhrRC6Voy
No. 75: #BRASERIA Blowout! Celebrating our friend’s 43rd birthday…for the 10th year in a row. 😆🎉🥳🥂#saucy@EatTalkRepeat @ashtheattorney pic.twitter.com/nxpQh0RVoI
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 19, 2026
No. 80: D’Agostino’s redux — improved and enlarged, with better-than-ever Ital-American classics, and a pic of me looking skinnier than I’ve been since 1972. 🍝🇮🇹😆🥂@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/VSJpqIAhj6
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 26, 2026
No. 79: Return to #AMADOR — which is becoming our benchmark for Las Vegas’s ultimate “foodie” destination. For as much as we loathe the overused/misapplied moniker, don’t even think of calling yourself one until you’ve explored Oscar Amador’s jaw-dropping/palate-challenging menu.… pic.twitter.com/OVcmki5rzV
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 25, 2026
No. 78 - Don’t even talk to me about your Chinese expertise until you’ve tackled a big steaming bowl of “sauerkraut fish.” 😉😋🥬🐟🇨🇳🌶️#FISHWITHYOU #Chinatown #LasVegas @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/gSEpXKV6sR
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 23, 2026
No. 83: We venture into the wilds of Hendertucky (again) and FINALLY find something good to eat — in the form of western Indian (dots not feathers😉) cuisine — shot-through with sub-continent spice and savor.*#TASTEOFGUJARAT 🇮🇳😋@EatTalkRepeat
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 31, 2026
* pictured: Ringan Bhartha… pic.twitter.com/HDbitZqDtm
No. 82: The perfect breakfast sandwich* at #BUNGALOWCOFFEE.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 30, 2026
* muffin, ham, cheese, egg, and jam
🍞🥓🍳🧀🍓@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/SVY48N9UVE
No. 81: Truly atrocious dinners are few and far between for us these days, but when you let others choose the venue, you are at the mercy of their modest standards.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 28, 2026
And by “modest standards” I mean complete obliviousness to properly cooked and seasoned food.
🙄#BESO 🇧🇬… pic.twitter.com/Vv8JIZavw8
No. 86: Everything on the menu, it seemed, at #LEGENDSOYSTERBAR — a restaurant whose commitment to quality, in a restaurant desert (Durango/Desert Inn), will never cease to amaze me.😋🦪🐟🎏🤔 pic.twitter.com/XnFTMPDwSt
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 3, 2026
No. 85: Next to Indian 🇮🇳, we nominate Japanese curry as the most #uglydelicious food in the universe.#CURRYZEN @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/cEC4XAv3iI
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 2, 2026
No. 84: Guy Fieri’s Asian food chops generally equal my knowledge of frosted tips, but even a blind food bro finds a spicy 🌶️ acorn sometimes…and #WHATSZAAP? (bedecked w/ GF fotos) is all that and a bag of chilis.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) March 31, 2026
Srsly, one of our top Thais, way out on west Trop. Spiky hairdo… pic.twitter.com/pVBi5QOiAi
No. 89: Country-fried, collard-ized, and satisfied — pretty sure we had the best soul food in Vegas Saturday, as chef Nat Young returned to her roots and put out a classic Southern spread worthy of a revival meeting.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 6, 2026
- fried chicken 🍗
- ribs 🐷
- collard 🥬
- corn 🌽
- 🌽🍞… pic.twitter.com/3f9R6tdpZC
No. 88: Lunch for breakfast @cafebreizhlv — If there’s a better Croque Madame and Jambon Beurre in town, we haven’t found it. 🥪🥖😋🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/DOONQFUj8w
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 5, 2026
No. 87: Spring has sprung @Cipriani …which means lamb chops, Super Tuscans, and fugasse. 🐑🍷🍰🇮🇹@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/hNAxlNMp2z
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 5, 2026
No. 92: Korean beef, banchan and wine that’s a #COTE above. @EatTalkRepeat
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 12, 2026
🥩🇰🇷🍷 pic.twitter.com/msrrq3Cjnv
No. 91: Return to terrific Thai at #WHATSZAAP, because yes, it’s that tasty. 🇹🇭😋@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/DGgFo9JYi5
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 9, 2026
No. 90: Easter time is taverna time at #ELIAAUTHENTICGREEKTAVERNA - which, as the name says, is the most genuine, delicious, and soul-satisfying slinger of Hellenic vittles in #Vegas.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 8, 2026
What its name doesn’t tell you: it’s also quite a bargain.
🇬🇷🐟🐑😋🥰🍷🥂👏@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/44IV1PZHeb
No. 95: The best xiao long bao in town. Don’t even think of arguing with me about it. 😉🥟😋🍜#SHANGHAITASTE #Chinatown@ChinatownReport @ChinatownVegas @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/DpUH8lYiXJ
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 16, 2026
No. 94: We took a Pole about Eastern Euro eats and pierogi’d ourselves to Summerlin. What we Warsaw’d was a Polish joint so charming we practically kielbasa’d over. Sometimes you can’t beet this food, especially when it doesn’t cost a lot of cabbage.#PIEROGIVILLAGE 🇵🇱… pic.twitter.com/EOo5bILfEL
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 16, 2026
No. 93: High-end, ingredient-driven, south-of-the-border seafood finally gets its Vegas flex 💪 😉at @contramar @fblasvegas — which (you heard it here first) will soon be considered the best Mex in town.🇲🇽🐟🐠🦐🍤🦀🐙@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/0wJSeIKo91
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 13, 2026
We hit the century mark last week (for this year):
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 20, 2026
99 - Cipriani
100 - Landwer Cafe
101 - KROK THAI
…as we span the globe to give you the constant variety of Las Vegas’s wide world of restaurants.@EatTalkRepeat @Cipriani pic.twitter.com/CRjlDRriNO
No. 98: The Golden Steer isn’t the only Las Vegas restaurant that came out of COVID with guns blazing. #HACHI has been one of the toughest tickets in #Chinatown for 4 years now. Always busy; always spot on. #izakaya 🇯🇵🍡🍚🍢🥢@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/cSLHB6M6Dr
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 19, 2026
No. 96: Cruising Water Street in Henderson, looking for signs of life, settle for decent “Beef on ‘Weck” 🥩 at #JOHNNYMACS…then a too-warm glass of 🍷 at a comfy-but-empty wine bar. 😕
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 17, 2026
Gotta hand it to @cityofhenderson — they’ve given these blocks a nice sprucing up, now they… pic.twitter.com/4s4H361lN7
No. 105: At @ashtheattorney ‘s insistence, we gave #OLEMANNYS another chance, and it came through in spades. Pictures don’t do justice to the octopus 🐙 chicharron and chopped shrimp 🍤 “Gobernador” tacos 🌮. Standard-issue Mexican fried fish these are not. The quesadillas… pic.twitter.com/4cepeCwyD3
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 23, 2026
No. 104: News flash! This shoebox of Chinese bbq excellence will be expanding to Chinatown this summer — where it belongs and where it will make $$$ by the boatload. 🦆🐓🐖🍚🍜
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 22, 2026
Most importantly, it will be moving 12 miles closer to our house, so we can chow down on chow fun more… pic.twitter.com/tEybwwTAT0
No. 103: Probably had our last meal at #HAOCHǏ last night — tired, bland, barely spiced, with the pork roll giving whiffs of rancidity (cooking oil). Seeing a kitchen worker stick his finger in his nose (albeit briefly) didn’t help matters. 😬@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/9ZfW9APeak
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 22, 2026
107) I would travel 2,000 miles for #friedchicken this good...and I do! #meatandthree #IlaGA #iLaResturant pic.twitter.com/vbPGf3Wt5g
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 19, 2021
John & Food Gal leave Las Vegas for Hawaii...
No. 106: South Asia seasonings fuses w/ Euro technique and Island style at UMI by Vikram Garg — the kind of high wire act that needs a deft touch to avoid overwhelming the senses. Subtle, intense, and refined — no mean feat that. 🐟🥟🌺😋🥂 pic.twitter.com/7cPAHAeheG
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 26, 2026
No. 109: Inventive/intense Vietnamese like we don’t often see in Vegas (where sometimes it seems every 🇻🇳 restaurant gets its food from an industrial kitchen under Spring Mtn Rd). #CHAO was the sort of insider treat you only find w/ the right research, or the right foodie… pic.twitter.com/8Iv0KOUJt0
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 28, 2026
No. 108: Not to engage in too much hyperbole, but my buddy Sean Morris (Honolulu’s Incurable Epicure) swears this is the best burger on the islands…and maybe the mainland. Three bites in, I was in no mood to argue with him. An umami-dinger of beef and cheese. 🥩🧀😋🍔🤩
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 26, 2026
🏆… pic.twitter.com/hzw1uYHoCB
No. 109: #CHAO — inventive, intense Vietnamese like we don’t see in Vegas. 🇻🇳🥣🍜🦀 pic.twitter.com/LtqqZYE4pq
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 27, 2026
No. 118: Seaside Lunch at the lovely “House Without a Key” @HalekulaniHotel — which gives lie to the notion that beach eats have to be boring. (Yes, that’s a boffo loco moco in the first photo.) We even loved the 4-cheese pizza, and the famous coconut 🥥 cake 🍰🤩…is worth… pic.twitter.com/FkdcQOy6Vi
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 3, 2026
Alan Wong — one of the pioneers of modern Hawaiian cuisine — is back in the kitchen @KahalaResort, and rainbows 🌈 are shining on Oahu and his pitch-perfect cooking.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) April 30, 2026
No. 115: #ALANWONGS pic.twitter.com/4JkyT8euRS
No. 117: Extraordinary kappo ryori (one-on-one counter cooking/slicing/serving) dining at #SUSHIGYOSHIN - a sliver of a 7-seat sushi bar near the Ala Moana Mall. Tough to book, terrific fish, tweaked and tuned in unforgettable fashion. 🍣🎌🍶🎏 pic.twitter.com/0QIs7gTXAs
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 1, 2026
No. 119:
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 3, 2026
“You, in Hawaii?” they scoffed.
“No one goes there for the food.”
“It’s just like Vegas, with a beach.”
“There’s no wine.”
“There’s no French food.”
“You’ll be bored stiff.”
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong.#ISLANDVINTAGEWINEBAR w/ the @incurablepicure 🥂🍷🙏 pic.twitter.com/r8R0ZJe9D1
No. 121: Sublime Euro-Asian-Island cooking, up a flight of steps to cozy quarters in a toney hotel 🏨, across the street from Waikiki Beach. Quite a find for our anniversary dinner, thanks to @incurablepicure Sean Morris. 🙏🌺🥂😋🇫🇷🎌#MUGEN @espaciowaikiki 😍 pic.twitter.com/wXnMikoCfT
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 4, 2026
… they finally say “Aloha” and return to Vegas!!!
No. 123, 124: Back from Hawaii and getting back into the Vegas swing of things with 2 old favorites — reliable Thai at #LeThai2 and some comforting buttermilk hotcakes 🥞 at @DuParsRestauran at the Suncoast.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 7, 2026
More about both + how we “Hawaii” on this week’s @EatTalkRepeat, w/… pic.twitter.com/aTMEU2yA6T
Decisions decisions…
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 8, 2026
Small bites (incl. the ultimate mini🍔) + incredible champagnes or the full French + awesome BTG options? 🤔🇫🇷🥂🍷
No. 127:#LECLUBBYPARTAGE @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/hawnhKn2P3
No. 128: At first glance, everything seems the same, but two bites in, you realize everything is different at #AMARI — from the pasta e fagioli to the chicken parm — Nicole Brisson has turned an average Italian into the class of the southwest. 🇮🇹🍝🍕🐙🥣@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/W9r7RuZL6X
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 9, 2026
No. 129: So I goes to an ritzy private club for a post-prandial libation with the swells, and before I can say “no thank you”, the chef (Geno Bernardo) hits us with an an avalanche of eats …🍕🍣🇮🇹🍝
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 11, 2026
…and then a dance party broke out.#TheSummitClub 🕺😉😋🍕🇮🇹🍝🍣@EatTalkRepeat… pic.twitter.com/f3991Kj7WM
No. 130: Wining (and Jamon-ing) the night away at #WINEAUX #2 (the one at the resort in Summerlin that keeps changing its name). If there are better nibbles matched with wine in town, we haven’t found them.🍷🥂🤩@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/X1L99YV434
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 11, 2026
No. 131: Been overdue to try this good-not-great izakaya on SMR. Priced right, but #RAKU, #IZAKAYAGO and #HACHI have nothing to worry about. Service great; raw fish, not so. Get the katsudon (pork cutlet) and call it a day. 🎌🍚🍶🐷🍣@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/8c4FkUrrpg
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 13, 2026
No. 132: #MAROON, muchachos.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 14, 2026
Could this be the steakhouse that saves Las Vegas? @SAHARALasVegas #KwameOnwuachi
🥩😋🤩🤔@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/BB2Dpwvqvr
…JOHN WENT COASTAL ON US!!!
The Food Gal & her Passenger Princess (John) went to SoCal…
A tradition like no other: Whenever we head to SoCal — mandatory stop for #dimsum in San Gabriel Valley (dim sum’s spiritual home in America). 🥟🍚🥢🦐
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 15, 2026
Jonathan Gold 👨🏼💻would be proud…even if I did beat him to the SGV by a decade. (Yeah, I’m old .😉👴🏼)
No. 134: LONGO SEAFOOD… pic.twitter.com/x9zMsP7FbW
Life’s a (Manhattan) Beach 🏖️
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 16, 2026
Eating cheeseburgers 🍔 in paradise at #ERCOLES - the original dive bar burger. 😉😋#IYKYK #nofries
No. 136 @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/ux9h8TmaM1
No. 137: Being an aficionadough, the yeast we could dough is mozzarella on down to Laguna Beach where it was slice to meat Vegas’s own pizzaiolo Mike Vakneen 🍕and casino vet Donna Baldwin 🤩 — who asked us to crust them, and then stole a pizza our heart with their SoCal concept… pic.twitter.com/k3lDxZpmYa
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 18, 2026
… and he’s back in Vegas!
The name is Bond…#ZEROBOND.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 25, 2026
Incredibly good food at eye-wateringly high prices overlooking the wallet-bending Wynn Golf ⛳️ Course. 😋🤑
Grazie, @whatsrightsam for No. 138.🙏🥂🍷@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/U8IxnuQe8p
Good morning, Las Vegas! ☀️
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 26, 2026
By all means, bread downtown to @PublUsLV if you knead some pastries — because you doughn’t want to miss what chefs Jairo Bahena and Oscar Paniaqua are baking up. Crust me, it’s the yeast you can do. 🥐🥖🍞🍪🧁😋👏@EatTalkRepeat
No. 140 pic.twitter.com/BK86E0kjkd
I have seen the future of Japanese food in Las Vegas and it’s on South Rainbow at Russell Rd.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 27, 2026
Refined, subtle, yet in-your-face flavors like neighborhood sushi/sashimi has never seen. 😋🍣🍶🎌🤩
No. 141 #DOANBURI @EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/byZUrQHwHa
Holy Henderson! #HAYWORTH finally gives this food forsaken place a topflight Eastern European steakhouse to call its own.
— John Curtas (@eatinglasvegas) May 28, 2026
No. 143 🥩🥂🍷👏😋@EatTalkRepeat pic.twitter.com/EBcSk8GHqv