|
Las Vegas has some pretty good mid and low price Mexican restaurants but does not fare very well at the high end. If you are on a budget, Mexican food in Vegas is a good deal but if you are visiting from Chicago, San Antonio or Houston you might want to stick to buffets, French food and steaks. The top choice for Mexican on the Las Vegas Strip is Isla at TI. Isla does not reflect owner chef Richard Sandoval’s Mexico City background as much as his other restaurants. A fan of Pampano’s might find the Isla Las Vegas menu slightly surprising. His 9 other restaurants use ingredients such as Nopal (green bean tasting cactus leaves), Huitlacoche (corn smut akin to truffles), Epazote (pungent cilantro-like herb), etc. The Vegas menu has Maine lobster. This is probably the most Tejano of his restaurants which is not a bad thing at all because most Americans and also the French prefer it to Mexico City cuisine. Vegas Made Easy.com favorites include roast pork pipian, carne asada and decent guacamole. The tequila goddess is a great Las Vegas style touch. Prices are reasonable at less than $15 for some main courses and cheap for fine dining on the Strip. Tacqueria Canonita (Venetian) has good chips and salsa and fair tacos. It is the best Mexican with a view because you can see all the Gondolas go by. This is recommended more for snacking, sipping and watching. Near-Strip, Garduno’s at the Palms and the Fiesta Rancho (North Las Vegas) are equally good with decent adovada and machaca enchiladas and tacos. If you like Garduno’s a lot, join their rewards program where you get a point per dollar and 140 points is $10 credit (about a 7% discount). Points expire unused in a year just like Golden Nugget comps. Pink Taco (Near Strip) at the Hard Rock is loud and fun with great people watching, especially when the Rehab pool party (late March starts up again) is in full swing. The food is fair with the pink taco not recommended. However, the happy hour (2 for 1 drinks) is highly recommended if you want to get bombed on large margaritas. El Sombrero is the top Mexican in the Downtown area with very good combination plates. However, it is small and the area is not recommended for dining at night. Early lunch is recommended. Prices are cheap even by Old Vegas standards.
|
