Restaurants in Spring Valley

Named one of Las Vegas's best new attractions by Travel + Leisure magazine in 2011, The Barrymore suffuses its old-school vibe with a modern menu of steaks, seafood, and seasonal recipes. The cozy, 50-seat restaurant is a visual soiree, where walls dressed in damask wallpaper and lined with octagonal mirrors surround velvet banquettes, leather chairs, and a ceiling made of golden film spools. Chef Anthony Meidenbauer dots sizzling griddles with buttermilk pancakes in the morning, then fills lunch plates with grass-fed burgers, grilled fish tacos, and seasonally inspired pasta recipes as the hours advance. During dinner, hearty steaks and veal chops don a choice of sauces, including bordelaise, béarnaise, and the restaurant's eponymous steak sauce. An expansive drink menu gilds palates with the flavors of signature cocktails and 50 wines priced at less than $50, leaving dollar bills free to canoodle with cheeky dinner napkins after meals.

Situated on the premises of the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel and casino, Biscayne Steak, Sea and Wine mirrors the property’s chic South Beach ambiance in both décor and flavor. The restaurant populates its island-inspired menu with Angus steaks and Safe Harbor–certified seafood, which has been tested to ensure a low mercury concentration and high tolerance for cocktail sauce. Offering fresh pairings each month, four-course tasting menus match regionally inspired dishes with coordinating vinos from Biscayne’s 200-bottle wine list—a well-balanced selection rife with international and rare vintages that earned a 2011 Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator.

Located within 215 Saloon on The Strip, throngs of salivating mouths are drawn into South Chicago Deli and House of Pizza by the aromas of Italian and Windy City sustenance. Offering up an eclectic, hearty menu, the cooks bake Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas along with casual Italian cuisine and traditional pub grub. As diners entertain their taste buds, communal TVs captivate eyes with live feeds of breaking news and sporting events—hosting a welcoming atmosphere for fans to cheer on their favorite team or full-contact ping-pong champion. In addition to its noshing headquarters, the restaurant offers late-night delivery and takeout options.

Lauded as one of the best Thai establishments in Las Vegas by epicure John Curtas, Weera Thai Restaurant diverges from standard central Thai dishes with the sour and spicy flavors of the Issan region. Chef Weera Thonguthaisiri tosses a crisp catfish salad in green-apple dressing, while seasoning boneless duck with spices, herbs, lime juice, and chili to craft traditional larb ped, a dish that Curtas extols as "quite a treat—both because of its extraordinary flavor and the way everyone's face lights up after each bite." Lunch specials pair egg rolls, salad, soup, and steamed rice with red curry or spicy eggplant entrees, and wine and traditional Thai drinks dampen palates throughout the day. Flora fills the carpet underfoot, forming a foundational jungle upon which stand rough, exposed-stone columns, cushy red booths, and tables topped with white cloth and sheets of glass.

Twin brothers originally from St. Louis, Michael and Mark Goldenberg opened their comfort-food-focused eatery to fulfill a shared dream to “make something different,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Their brainchild—Chick & Benny’s—thrives on the universal appeal of poultry and pastry, mingling Texas-style chicken with the light-and-fluffy beignets popular in France and New Orleans. The menu, like the best Lilliputian wedding cakes, is short and sweet, showcasing golden chicken tenders that may show up solo or basking on a nest of homestyle g-fries dusted with garlic seasoning. When not busy serving customers beneath the hand-blown glass-pendant lamps that adorn their modern restaurant, Chick & Benny's owners spend their time giving back to the Las Vegas community by sponsoring Little League teams and awarding an annual scholarship to a high-achieving high-school senior.

Burrowed inside Treasure Island Hotel and Casino is Kahunaville Island Restaurant & Party Bar––a triple-threat dining, drinking, and party venue boasting big-island flair-style bartending and an epic selection of rums. The flashy mixologists "transcend the typical role of a bartender and become a source of entertainment," writes Justin Lawson for Vegas.com. Bedazzled bartenders such as Essie from Stockholm and Nicola from Milan turn ordering a tropical cocktail into an acrobatic exhibition of flipping bottles, throwing flames, and convincing pimento olives to jump rope. Meanwhile, seasoned chefs whip up eclectic eats for diners of all ages that feature Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Asian flavors sprinkled over steaks, seafood, and burgers.

Sporting a tiki-hut motif, the restaurant's indoor faux palm leaves shade diners noshing at vibrant tables of blue, green, yellow, and orange patterns. A stone water wall glows phosphorescent, while stone pillars accept the snug embrace of flowery vines and confused tree-huggers. Outside, patrons enjoy mixed drinks on the patio under huge palm trees or beside a sapphire pool. On Wednesday–Sunday, DJs add an upbeat soundtrack while patrons dine and view sporting events on one of three projection screens or 22 HD flat-screen TVs.