Vegetarian in Vegas, 2k8 edition

August 11, 2008 3:40 PM

Vegetarian food in Vegas, take 2. On a four-day trip to Las Vegas, with a car, where can I eat? Also, other Vegas suggestions welcome.

This question is essentially what I'd like to ask, but I'm hoping there's some new information from the last couple of years, since that thread has very little activity. I've heard all the good things about Lotus of Siam, will check out Gaylord Indian Restaurant, maybe the Hash House a Go Go, Enoteca San Marco, but that won't quite fill our four days in Vegas. Where's the best place to get cheap sushi? Is Freakin' Frog still the best (only?) place for craft beer?

After perusing all of the posts tagged with "vegas" in the past couple of years, doing some research, here are the things we're planning to do:
Pinball Hall of Fame
Neon Museum (I emailed for a tour reservation to see the Boneyard, too)
Atomic Testing Museum
LV Art Museum
Natural History Museum
And probably a day trip to Valley of Fire

Our interests are heavily skewed towards geeky/nerdy and a bit away from the typical gambling deals, and unfortunately, it'll be around 104* so too hot for most outdoor things. Our budgets won't be allowing for super posh dining or helicoptor rides (librarian and grad student salaries), but we'd still like to celebrate a minor dating milestone year-anniversary in style.

posted by booknerd to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

Oh hey, and we're driving out from San Diego, so if there's anything interesting on the way... I don't believe there is, but maybe someone knows something I don't. That is what MetaFilter is for, right?
posted by booknerd at 3:43 PM on August 11, 2008

My favorite thing I did when I visited Vegas for work was visiting the Hoover Dam. I was very impressed.
posted by fancypants at 3:57 PM on August 11, 2008

When you ask for cheap sushi, are you only interested in strictly vegetarian, animal-product free sushi, or do you eat some seafood?

There's a Todai in Vegas, which could be a pretty fun way to do the Vegas buffet experience if you do eat some seafood and enjoy cheap sushi. They have a huge selection of absolutely decent, tasty, small-batch sushi and salads and desserts. It's not what I'd call gourmet, but it's a lot of fun.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 4:00 PM on August 11, 2008

Oh hey, and we're driving out from San Diego

it's a bit out of the way, but on my first trip out there from L.A. I stopped by Joshua Tree. And there's the world's biggest thermometer in Baker.
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:07 PM on August 11, 2008

Whenever I'm in Vegas, I eat almost all my meals at Rainbow's End. It's pretty close to the strip, near the Sahara.

The food is fantastic.

http://www.rainbowsendlasvegas.com/
posted by mrunderhill at 5:25 PM on August 11, 2008

Charlie Vegas is a cheap tiny hole-in-the-wall Thai joint, right next to Fremont Street Experience. They can do vegan or veggie. I hated Vegas and it's "only $40 for dinner" deals, so the $8/serving Pad Thai was just about right.
posted by holyrood at 5:35 PM on August 11, 2008

Take a gander at HappyCow. You'll find vegetarian and vegetarian friendly restaurants all over the world. Here's the list for Las Vegas.
posted by purephase at 6:26 PM on August 11, 2008

Lotus of Siam is widely regarded as America's best Thai joint. Off the Strip; grab a cab.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 11:32 PM on August 11, 2008

World's Tallest Thermometer is bit scuzzy these days, as is all Baker.
posted by A189Nut at 2:26 AM on August 12, 2008

As a local, I unequivocally recommend Frank and Fina's Cocina for Mexican food. The food is outstanding the menu has a vegetarian section. It's very popular with local bicyclers and "health nuts".
posted by nedpwolf at 8:47 AM on August 12, 2008

You should also hit the Springs Preserve. It's a nature preserve right in the heart of Vegas and is truly a great time.
posted by nedpwolf at 8:52 AM on August 12, 2008

Thanks for all the responses so far! We went to Joshua Tree as part of an earlier vacation. It's very nice, but I think hiking would be almost unbearably hot this time of year.

No, I don't eat any fish, but the boyfriend does. He's fond of sushi, and I go along for the cucumber rolls and veggie tempura. There's a Todai in San Diego that I'm not really crazy about though, so we'll probably skip that one.

Re: the Happy Cow link, I was hoping people could actually vouch for some of those places. In the past when I used Happy Cow for traveling, I found the restaurants listed had frequently moved or didn't exist anymore. Other than Frank & Fina's (which I'll check out), has anyone been to the places on the list?
posted by booknerd at 10:59 AM on August 12, 2008

I took a look at the Happy Cow site and saw Gandhi listed. I've eaten lunch there several times, and it's quite good.

I always thought naming a restaurant after a famous faster quite ironic.
posted by nedpwolf at 2:57 PM on August 12, 2008

For anyone looking at this later on, we ended up eating several meals at Himalayan Cuisine. It was so delicious, we're going back to Vegas this week for our two-year anniversary, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit it's more than just a little bit because I want to eat there again. Lotus of Siam and Enoteca San Marco were both also top notch.
posted by booknerd at 2:50 PM on August 6