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Top 16 Celebrity Chef Restaurants in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is one of the top food destinations in the world, thanks in large part to the bevy of acclaimed celebrity chefs who have opened splashy restaurants here.

The Las Vegas Strip has grown into a mecca for the world's top chefs known for their best-selling cookbooks, popular television shows, and elite Michelin stars.

Tasting award-winning, signature dishes from favorite chefs is a must-do on any visit to Vegas. If you're a fan, you can't pass up a chance to check out their restaurants.

Here are the best celebrity chef restaurants in Las Vegas:

1. Hell's Kitchen

Michelin-starred chef and feisty TV personality Gordon Ramsay brings the brash flavors and atmosphere of his hit show, "Hell's Kitchen," to life at Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesars Palace.

Fans of the TV show will recognize touches like the red and blue teams in the restaurant's show kitchen.

You can try all of Ramsay's signature dishes, including beef Wellington with potato purée and glazed root vegetables, and pan-seared scallops with celery root purée, braised bacon lardons, and pickled Granny Smith apples. Don't even think about skipping Ramsay's famous sticky toffee pudding for dessert.

Hell's Kitchen also serves creative craft cocktails like the "Notes from Gordon," a blend of dry gin, lemongrass, green tea, peach, and lemon. It's garnished wittily with a special note attached that includes a friendly little insult from Gordon.

Gordon Ramsay has four other restaurants in Las Vegas, including Gordon Ramsay Steak, Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, Gordon Ramsay Burger, and Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips.

2. Mesa Grill

You know chef Bobby Flay from his many cookbooks, Food Network shows, and appearances on "Iron Chef."

For a taste of his signature dishes, head to Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace, where he combines his love of grilling and his penchant for the Southwest to create big, bold, spicy flavors.

Start with the tiger shrimp roasted garlic corn tamale. The masa filling is topped with a roasted garlic sauce, sautéed shrimp and a corn cilantro sauce.

Another must-do on the menu is the New Mexican spice-rubbed pork tenderloin with bourbon ancho chile sauce. It's served with a sweet potato tamale with crushed pecan butter.

Mesa Grill also offers an expansive tequila selection. At weekend brunch, be sure to try the blue corn buttermilk waffle with blackberry bourbon syrup, and vanilla crème fraiche.

Flay's other restaurants in Las Vegas include his casual Bobby's Burger Palace, and a seafood restaurant, Shark by Bobby Flay.

3. GIADA

Emmy Award-winning chef, cookbook author and TV personality Giada De Laurentiis serves Italian cuisine with light-bright California influences at her namesake restaurant, GIADA at The Cromwell.

Dishes at GIADA that shouldn't be passed up include lemon spaghetti with lemon, basil shrimp and mascarpone cheese; vegetable Bolognese rigatoni; and lemon ricotta cookies for dessert. The to-die-for cookies are made with butter, ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and get slathered with a glaze of powdered sugar and lemon.

Fans of De Laurentiis' cookbooks can attend her Book Club brunch at GIADA, which features classic dishes from Giada's various cookbooks.

De Laurentiis also operates a quick-service restaurant, Pronto by Giada, at Caesars Palace, where you can grab pastries and breakfast sandwiches, and have a sip at the adjacent wine bar.

4. Morimoto Las Vegas

Chef Masaharu Morimoto is famed for being one of the original "Iron Chefs" on the cult-classic original Japanese TV show, as well as a star on the succeeding "Iron Chef America." He has written cookbooks, and operates several restaurants worldwide, one of which is conveniently located in Las Vegas at MGM Grand.

Morimoto integrates Western and Japanese ingredients to create his signature style. At his Morimoto Las Vegas restaurant, enjoy sushi and sashimi, inventive cold dishes like tuna pizza, toro tartare, and Hamachi tacos, as well as hot items including sticky ribs, pan-fried pork gyoza, and rock shrimp tempura. For hearty appetites, there are steaks that top out with a 54-ounce Tomahawk ribeye.

A Morimoto signature is ishi yaki buri bop—his take on the traditional Korean bibimbap, which is typically topped with vegetables or meat. Morimoto swaps out the beef for yellowtail that's cooked at your table in a hot stone bowl.

5. Buddy V's Ristorante

Buddy Valastro is TV's "Cake Boss," and the owner and head baker of Carlo's Bakery. He owns several bakeries around the country, and opened his first restaurant at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

Buddy V's Ristorante features Italian-American favorites based on Valastro's family recipes like Nonna's Lasagna al Forno, Lisa V's Linguine and Clams, Valastro Sunday Gravy, and My Dad's Bucatini Carbonara.

It goes without saying that dessert is a highlight, especially when it includes cannoli, Nutella cake, and Valastro's famous lobster tail pastry (there's no lobster in it, but the flaky pastry is shaped just like the crustacean's tail).

Buddy V's next venture is PizzaCake at Harrah's Las Vegas, which will serve as the first location of the fast-casual concept serving pizza and – wait for it — the Strip's first Cake ATM, stocked with slices from Carlo's Bakery.

6. Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen & Bar

Popular restaurateur, author, and Emmy Award-winning Food Network TV host Guy Fieri is known for his over-the-top personality and food. A graduate of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, he has kept ties here by opening two restaurants in town.

At Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen & Bar at The LINQ, taste some of Fieri's signature food. Just be sure to bring an appetite to do justice to the ample portions.

Don't miss Fieri's award-winning Bacon Mac 'N' Cheese Burger, topped with crisp applewood smoked bacon, six-cheese mac 'n' cheese, onion straws, and Guy's Donkey Sauce. It all comes on a garlic buttered brioche bun.

Another signature is the Trash Can Nachos, which features chips, house-smoked pork, black beans, Guy's Super Melty Cheese, cheddar, pickled red onions, pico de gallo, jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, and chipotle barbecue sauce.

If you think you're up to the challenge when it comes to dessert, try the Cheesecake Challenge – a half New York-style, marble cheesecake topped with potato chips, pretzels and hot fudge.

Fieri also offers his take on authentic Mexican dishes at El Burro Borracho at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

7. Craftsteak

Celebrity chef, social activist, and restaurateur Tom Colicchio has garnered five James Beard Foundation Awards for his cooking accomplishments. TV fans also know him as the head judge of Bravo's "Top Chef."

At his Craftsteak at MGM Grand Las Vegas, the menu features ingredients from small, family farms, artisanal producers, and day-boat fishermen.

Steak is a highlight with options such as a 30-day dry aged ribeye, domestic Wagyu, roasted bone-in filet, and surf and turf.

Other specialties at Craftsteak include fresh salmon, lobster, and 24-hour braised beef short rib with cipollini onions. Save room for the warm monkey bread dessert a la mode.

You can also find Colicchio's cuisine at Heritage Steak at The Mirage in Las Vegas.

8. Nobu Restaurant Las Vegas

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa is one of the world's foremost sushi chefs who operates restaurants worldwide, where he spotlights the best Japanese fish and impeccable seafood, as well as creative sushi rolls, and new-style Japanese dishes.

Nobu Restaurant at Caesars Palace features a lounge, dining room, sushi bar and teppan tables. Must-try dishes include the black cod miso. The fish is marinated in a sweet and savory white miso for several days before being broiled, and served over fried garlic chips and ginger in a butter lettuce cup.

Another delicious signature is Nobu's yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno. Thin slices of the mild white fish are dappled in minced garlic and topped with slices of jalapeno and yuzu ponzu sauce.

Nobu also currently has an outlet at Bally's Las Vegas.

9. Spago

Wolfgang Puck is often credited as being the original celebrity chef to bring fine-dining to Vegas in 1992 when he opened Spago restaurant inside the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. The restaurant was a hit there for 25 years before it relocated to the Bellagio.

Born in Austria, Puck, who moved to the United States at age 24, opened his first restaurant, Spago, in 1982 in Los Angeles. He now runs more than 20 fine-dining restaurants, more than 80 Wolfgang Puck Express operations, and sells a multitude of kitchen and food items.

The dining room and patio at Spago at Bellagio overlook the showstopping Bellagio fountains. Try the House Smoked Salmon Pizza with dill cream, red onion and salmon, a creation that put Spago on the map. For an extra charge, top it with caviar.

Other menu items include house-made pastas, veal wiener schnitzel, crispy skin branzino, Maine diver sea scallops, and farmer's market vegetable ragout. Desserts include the beautiful Spiked Lemon with Japanese yuzu cream, chiffon cake, and citrus mousse.

Other Las Vegas restaurants from Wolfgang Puck include CUT, Players Locker, Cucina, Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, and Lupo.

10. Delmonico Steakhouse

If you're an ardent Food Network fan, then you know that "bam!'' and "kick it up a notch" can only apply to one chef – Emeril Lagasse. The acclaimed restaurateur, cookbook author, and TV personality, is a James Beard Award recipient for his mastery of Creole and Cajun cuisine.

At his New Orleans style Delmonico Steakhouse at the Venetian, dine on steaks that are hand-cut from Creekstone Farms, then Creole seasoned, before charbroiled.

Other options include prime bone-in ribeye, chateaubriand, filet mignon, and double cut Kurobuta pork chops. Delmonico also features fresh seafood appetizers and entrees, and chicken and lamb dishes.

Emeril's famous banana cream pie is worth every calorie. The pie is topped lavishly with caramel sauce, chocolate shavings, and whipped cream.

Other Emeril Lagasse restaurants in Las Vegas include Lagasse's Stadium and Emeril's New Orleans Fish House.

11. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

For a truly chic, singular, gourmet dining experience, dine at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand.

Robuchon was one of the most revered chefs in the world. In fact, the France native was named "Chef of the Century" by Gault Millau in 1989. He published several cookbooks and hosted culinary television shows in France. He operated more than a dozen restaurants worldwide, and amassed a record 32 total Michelin stars among them, the most of any chef in the world.

Diners at Robuchon's restaurant get an up-close view of the kitchen, as the skilled chefs prepare stellar dishes. Prix-fixe and tasting menus are available. The dishes are often seasonal, but some standards include seared Dover sole Meunière, Wagyu beef ribeye with potato purée, and spiced Maine lobster over tagliatelle pasta.

For dessert, you can't go wrong with Le Chocolat, done up with crémeux à l'Araguani, and Oreo cookie crumbs.

12. Michael Mina

After jump-starting his career in kitchens like Charlie Palmer's Aureole in New York, chef Michael Mina went on to become an impressive restaurateur with more than 45 establishments worldwide. He has earned numerous accolades, from James Beard Foundation awards to a Michelin star.

Michael Mina's flagship restaurant in Las Vegas is at the Bellagio. MICHAEL MINA offers the finest seafood selections flown in by private plane daily. The chef-driven menu features innovative seafood preparations.

Specialty dishes include Michael's Lobster Pot Pie with brandied lobster cream, black truffle, and baby vegetables. For a little taste of everything, order the charcoal-grilled hot shellfish, a selection of king crab, Pacific and Atlantic oysters, Gulf prawns, Maine lobster, and diver scallops, with yuzu kosho butter and miso.

The Egyptian-Style Rice Pudding pays tribute to Mina's heritage. The dessert is finished with
cinnamon ice cream, poached cherries and loukoumades (addictive little honey fritters).

Other Michael Mina restaurants in Las Vegas include Bardot Brasserie, International Smoke and STRIPSTEAK.

13. Jaleo

José Andrés has transcended the culinary world. He is not only a world-famous chef and restaurateur with numerous James Beard awards, but a revered humanitarian, as well. Andrés founded World Central Kitchen, a non-profit that provides meals in the wake of natural disasters. His heroic endeavors have earned him a National Humanities Medal.

His most well-known establishment in Las Vegas is the tapas restaurant Jaleo at The Cosmopolitan. The centerpiece of the space is the immense circular paella grill, an open-fire wood grill specially designed to cook Spain's most famous dish. It is one of only three such grills in the world.

The menu features traditional Spanish tapas including patatas bravas with spicy tomato sauce, fried salt codfish fritters, and jamon Iberico, the fabled, hand-carved, dry-cured ham from free-range, acorn-fed Iberico pigs from Spain.

With a setup like that, traditional paella like the rossejat negra is practically mandatory. It's unforgettable with toasted squid ink pasta, squid sofrita, and octopus.

Other must-try José Andrés restaurants in Las Vegas include Bazaar Meat, China Poblano, and é by José Andrés.

14. Restaurant Guy Savoy

Michelin-starred French chef Guy Savoy's restaurant in Paris was named Best Restaurant in the World by La Liste.

Save on airfare and dine at his Las Vegas outpost, Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace. The Forbes Five-Star winner boasts a menu that emulates the one at his Paris restaurant.

Artichoke and truffle soup is one of Savoy's most well-known dishes. This rich, velvety soup is made with artichoke puree, and topped with fresh black truffle, and Parmesan shavings. It's served alongside warm brioche with truffle butter.

Another Savoy signature is Colors of Caviar. This colorful, layered dish is served in a glass to show off all its different colors and textures at their finest. Colors of Caviar starts with caviar vinaigrette, followed by caviar cream, green bean puree, more caviar, and finally frothy sabayon.

For a more casual experience, visit Brioche by Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, a walk-up counter with sweet and savory brioche, as well as other French pastries and breads.

15. Bouchon

Chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry in California's Wine Country has won every award imaginable, including becoming the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide.

Experience his more casual French bistro fare at Bouchon in Las Vegas at the Venetian.

Besides the raw bar offerings, other popular dishes include steak frites; roasted leg of lamb; Mediterranean sea bass; and steak Bouchon, a grilled ribeye with duchess potatoes, forest mushrooms, and Bordelaise sauce.

Bouchon also serves a delectable brunch with eggs Benedict, chicken and waffles, omelets, steak and eggs, and more.

For impeccable buttery baked goods, make a beeline to Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery at the Venetian.

16. Momofuku

Michelin-starred restaurateur, author, and star of his own Netflix series, "Ugly Delicious," David Chang is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group, which started in New York and now includes restaurants around the world.
Diners can check out Momofuku in Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan.

The ever-evolving menu takes influences from across the United States, China, Korea, and Japan. Choose between enjoying a snack and drink in the Peach Bar, hanging out at the chef's counter for buns and a bowl of noodles, or sharing a family-style meal or large plates in the dining room.

Signature dishes at Momofuku include shishito peppers with smoked salt and lime, shoyu pork ramen, and five-spice roasted duck. The eclectic menu also includes black truffle ramen, caviar and fried chicken, pork belly buns, and whole grilled black bass.

For more David Chang restaurants in Las Vegas, check out Majordomo and Moon Palace.