With a multitude of marvelous French restaurants from which to choose, Las Vegas is at the epicenter of a 21st-century French revolution.
Following the buffet and coffee shop eras of the 1940’s and 1950’s, the first wave of fine dining in Las Vegas began reshaping the emerging Strip’s culinary scene in the 1960’s. Original French-inspired entries included The Sultan’s Table at The Dunes, where Bellagio stands today. Designed after the menu at historic Fouquet’s Paris brasserie on the Champs-Élysées, “La Menu Classique du Sultan” featured selections such as Coq au Vin Chambertin and Louisiana Frogs Legs Provençale.
Other gourmet rooms serving classic French fare included The Regency Room at the Sands, now Venetian Las Vegas, and Le Gourmet Room at historic Tropicana Las Vegas, which closed this past April ahead of its announced demolition to make way for a proposed ballpark for the potentially Vegas-bound Oakland A’s.
Guy Savoy (Photo by Caesars Entertainment)
Arriving in 1971 following stints on the East Coast, French-born chef Andre Rochat is among the patriarchs of French cuisine in Vegas. Following turns at the Tropicana and Sands, Rochat, seeing an opening for a classic boulangerie in the market, opened Savoy French Bakery in 1973. Liberace and James Caan were regulars, presaging Rochat’s later celebrity appeal with his downtown restaurant, Andre’s.
Debuting in 1980, his romantic rustic-style refuge was a hit with Sinatra and other stars. Relocating to the former Monte Carlo, now Park MGM, in 1997, he furthered his success with Alizé on the top floor of Palms Casino Resort in 2001. His last venture, Andre’s Bistro and Bar, closed in 2018. Another beloved local institution from 1973, Pample-mousse (French for grapefruit), ran for 44 years before closing in 2020.
The seeds of the next culinary revolution were planted in 1992, when Wolfgang Puck, rolling the dice at a time when Vegas dining lacked star power, brought his legendary Beverly Hills flagship Spago to The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. Puck and Vegas never looked back, as his gamble catalyzed the transformation of Vegas into a world-class, celebrity chef-studded foodie destination.
Among the maestros answering the call was “Chef of the Century” Joël Robuchon, the most Michelin-decorated chef ever with 32 stars for restaurants in 13 different cities. Having retired in 1995 over health concerns, Robuchon returned to action in 2003 with his pioneering L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon concept. Giving patrons a front-row seat on the action in the kitchen with counter seating, he launched his more casual “culinary workshop” in Paris before expanding globally.
In 2005, he brought L’Atelier to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Other French stars followed, with Guy Savoy, Alain Ducasse, Pierre Gagnaire, and Daniel Boulud contributing restaurants in the ensuing years. Gagnaire and Boulud have since departed Vegas, as the other three maintain their crème de la crème presence in the market.
Robuchon’s legacy continues at L’Atelier and adjacent Restaurant Joël Robuchon, which opened in 2006 and won three Michelin stars in 2009, the last year that the Michelin Guide reviewed Las Vegas.
MGM Grand Joel Robuchon Dining Room (Photo by Scott France)
Emulating a luxurious Art Deco townhouse, this jewel box from world-renowned Parisian design firm Pierre-Yves Rochon remains one of the most desirable reservations in town. Checkered black and white marble floors usher you into the 12-seat dining room. Royally dressed in purple, black, white, and gold, and featuring a garden terrace with a living wall, the intimate space sets a velvety stage for gastronomic opulence and French culinary tradition.
Resist the siren call of the bread cart. The sourdough, milk bread, puffy gougères, bacon-studded baguette and other freshly-baked seductions, served with a scoop of salted Brittany butter, could dash the evening on the rocks of over-indulgence. Rather, embark fully- masted on the eight-course degustation menu to best savor the essence of French culinary technique.
The first course, Le Caviar Impérial, communicates the essence of Robuchon’s classicist touch and the practiced hands of the chefs that faithfully carry on his work. While dotting is de rigeur in French fine dining, the late master elevated it to a fine art on one of his most emblematic dishes. Seventy-two evenly spaced dots of cauliflower purée, each dabbed with parsley purée, decorate the crustacean gelée that surrounds a circle of ossetra caviar-topped lobster. It may look like culinary theater, but as French newspaper Le Monde once wrote of Robuchon, he was “leery of stylish exercises and fashionable effects.”
Rather, the plate spoke to his adherence to tradition, technical skill, meticulousness, and culinary artistry. Paired with a rare 2007 Piper- Heidsieck Champagne, it was the start of a transporting three-hour experience of like-constructed dishes accompanied by choice French and Portuguese wines.
Other wonders included La Langoustine, truffled langoustine ravioli with simmered cabbage and foie gras sauce; Le Black Cod, caramelized black cod in Malabar pepper sauce with butternut and black garlic; and Robuchon’s peerlessly creamy and smooth mashed potatoes. Finishing with La Sphère, a sugar orb filled with fig compote, rosemary Chantilly, and fig sorbet, and the sinful petite desserts on the classic mignardises cart, it was a night to remember.
An equal study in French culinary craft and tradition is Restaurant Guy Savoy. Opened in 2006, this elite hideaway in the Augustus Tower of Caesars Palace mostly replicates Savoy’s original 1980 restaurant in Paris.
Designed by renowned French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who also fitted out the Paris flagship’s move to Hôtel de la Monnaie in 2015, the elegant three-room space makes a dramatic statement with its tall windows and towering ceilings. Offered as the seven- course Five Star Celebration menu or a la carte, seasonal dishes include all signature offerings from Paris, with many ingredients flown in from France.
I’ve dined here three times, mostly recently in October 2023, and it’s the same command performance each time, bookended by bread and mignardise presentations as impressive as Robuchon’s.
ARIA Bardot Brasserie French Toast (Photo by Jordan Balderas)
Served on plates with hand-painted smiling faces a la Paris, emblematic dishes include Savoy’s artichoke and black truffle soup, served with toasted mushroom brioche and black truffle butter. “Sea” and “Land” highlights included the richly layered Colors of Caviar parfait; the American Wagyu Filet with braised beef cheek and seasonal vegetables in jus bordelaise; and the innovative Salmon Iceberg, a cut of sashimi-grade salmon “cooked” on dry ice.
Unique features include the only Krug Room in the United States. Situated within view of the kitchen, this six-seat Chef’s Table is for multi-course tasting menus paired with Krug’s renowned cuveé Champagnes. Guests with boss wallets can also savor rare Cognacs in the modern Cognac Lounge. The Paris restaurant offers views of the Seine and the Louvre. The Vegas outpost, featuring an outdoor dining patio, gazes at Paris Las Vegas and its replica Eiffel Tower.
Like its Parisian counterpart, which houses two Michelin-starred Le Jules Verne on its second floor, Vegas’s half-scale Iron Lady offers enticing dining at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. Christened by legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve along with the tower and the resort in 1999, the restaurant, perched 110 feet above the Strip, rises high above its seeming tourist gimmickry. Accessed via a private elevator that opens directly into the kitchen, the room is an instant swoon with its old school feel and panoramic bank of windows overlooking the Fountains at Bellagio and Center Strip resorts. The siren call is not lost on lovers and celebrants—marriage proposals and parties are big business.
With renowned French-American chef-proprietor J. (Jean) Joho calling the shots, the seasonal tasting and a la carte menus, mixing French classics with other styles, are equal to the scenery. After diving in with the French lobster bisque, steak tartare, and cold foie gras, I hit the main road with the Rossini-style filet mignon, served with foie gras and truffle sauce, and the slow-roasted wild salmon steak with pinot noir butter. The crème brulee to finish was classic as advertised.
Caviar Bar offerings include “The Trilogy Of American Caviar”, comprising roe from hackleback sturgeon, Alaskan salmon, and golden whitefish. Focused on France’s major producing regions, the wine list encompasses some 1,200 selections and 12,000 bottles.
Modeled after the city hall of Paris, Hotel de Ville, Paris Las Vegas is also home to the Vegas outpost of all-day spot Mon Ami Gabi. Located just inside the main entrance to the resort, the restaurant’s interior section, evoking a Parisian bistro, is a lively spot for French classics, including steak frites. Mon Ami Gabi’s signature cocktail, the Kir Royale, features Champagne poured over sweet crème de cassis liqueur. Directly facing the Fountains at Bellagio (when not obscured by Las Vegas Grand Prix grandstand seating), the lengthy Strip-level outdoor section is a prime people-watching spot.
The Michelin star parade resumes along the MGM Resorts- dominated section of the Center Strip corridor, where the Bellagio claims the one-star Vegas outpost of late restaurateur Sirio Maccioni’s iconic Le Cirque, which debuted in NYC in 1974. Another legend of the hospitality world, Adam D. Tihany, designed the opulent silk-draped 16-table dining room. The tasting menus are a festive match, with temptations such as frog legs sautéed in brown butter and topped with garlic mousse. Le Cirque also offers an impressive wine list and lakeside seating.
LPM Bar & Restaurant at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas (Photo by MGM Resorts)
Sail away to the French Riveria at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’s new LPM Restaurant & Bar from the London-based LPM (formerly La Petite Maison) group. Celebrating “food, drink, art, and design,” this suitably bright Côte d’Azur-inspired concept goes the French-Mediterranean sharing plate route.
The oysters with smoked tabasco and crispy quinoa were a great kickoff, along with the white truffle-topped burrata. Staying with the full page of hors d’oeuvres, I also enjoyed the sliced octopus with green chili dressing and savory Burgundy escargots. On the Les Plats side, top marks go to the juicy, meaty marinated lamb chops, and lobster risotto with mushrooms.
Stars of the cocktail menu, inspired by French artist Jean Cocteau, include the Tomatini. Billed as “the essence of LPM (which also stands for Life’s Perfect Moments) in a Martini glass,” this mix of vodka with tomato, white balsamic vinegar, simple syrup, and cracked pepper is a refreshing taste of the South of France.
Celebrity chef Michael Mina, whose growing Vegas portfolio includes his eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant at the Bellagio, has another prize in Bardot Brasserie at ARIA Resort & Casino. Designed to “transport guests to a café along the Champs-Élysées in the 1920s,” this authentically Parisian gem has been my long time go-to for Mina’s creative French comfort food like the Royale cheesesteak burger with raclette cheese and duck fat fries. The brasserie is also a beacon for weekend brunch. Recover from your Friday night escapades with the decadent deviled eggs and Petrossian caviar, amazing brioche French toast, Beef Wellington, or anything else on the menu.
Chef Michael Mina (Photo courtesy MGM Resorts Intl)
Cruising to the southern end of the Strip, it’s another marriage of French and Italian cuisine with spectacular views at Rivea from Alain Ducasse. Distinguished as the only chef to have held three Michelin stars for three establishments simultaneously, in Paris, London, and Monaco, the French-born master has only one other restaurant in the U.S., Benoit in NYC.
Debuting in 2015 on the 64th floor of Delano Las Vegas, the menu expresses Ducasse’s love of the South of France and the food markets of Provence and Italy. The adjacent Skyfall Lounge is for craft cock- tails, small bites, and an outdoor deck offering supreme sunset and nighttime views of the Strip and Las Vegas Valley.
Brasserie B Ribeye Piquant Avec Frites (Photo by Caesars Entertainment)
Back at Caesars Palace, celebrity chef Bobby Flay threw his toque in the French ring last November with Brasserie B. Flay, who graduated in the inaugural class of NYC’s renowned French Culinary Institute in 1984, has long been enamored of brasserie and bistro culture from his extensive travels to Paris.
Inspired by the Art Deco era of the 1930’s and 1940’s, the spacious room is authentically transporting. Evocative touches include blown glass chandeliers, cane-backed cafe chairs and oversized subway tiles in the main dining room, and the weathered marble, fluted wood, and zinc accents on the L-shaped bar.
Caesars Palace Brasserie B Bobby Flay portrait (Credit Caesars Entertainment)
Daily brunch and dinner offerings include raw bar selections, salads, burgers, and sandwiches. Stars of the show include the French fries. Scratch-made over two days, these golden wonders, mirroring the room’s lighting, accompany flavorsome grilled dishes including the lobster, pork chop with Calvados and orange vinegar, and ribeye with spicy-sweet glaze and chili butter. Tasty sides include the thick- cut bacon and creamy mashed potatoes.
Coming soon just down the way from Brassiere B, Caspian’s Caviar Cocktails is the reinvention of Caesars’ legendary Cleopatra’s Barge night- club. Opened in 1970, the venue’s boat-shaped centerpiece featured a Cleopatra statue at the bow with prominent breasts that gamblers rubbed for good luck. The new venue will reportedly feature a hidden music lounge that pays decorative homage to Art Deco’s Parisian roots.
Celebrating 20 years at the Venetian Las Vegas in 2024, Bouchon is another Adam D. Tihany-designed jewel. Created by Thomas Keller, the celebrated chef-owner of three Michelin-starred gems The French Laundry in Napa Valley and Per Se in NYC, this rendition of a classic French bistro, originally hatched by Keller in Napa, comes with all the trimmings. I’ve been to multiple private breakfasts, brunches, and receptions here and the service and culinary standards are consistently excellent.
Deep blue velvet banquettes, antique light fixtures, French artist Paulin Paris’s hand-painted Surrealist-inspired murals and other touches set the scene for fixtures including seared foie gras, steak frites, roasted leg of lamb, steamed mussels, and Keller’s definitive roast chicken, along with seasonal fare. Add to this, oysters and other Fruits de Mer, caviar, and the unique Vin de Carafe wine program focused on local wine producers.
Flying the French flag at the northern end of the Strip, La Fontaine is one of 36 planned restaurants and bars at the new Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Design elements including curvy interiors, chandeliers, soft pastel colors, and pink staff uniforms create an air of classy playfulness that evokes Miami Beach, home of the Fontainebleau’s legendary sibling. I breakfasted here in early January, choosing the Eggs Benedict Le Royale of smoked salmon on a Brasserie B Ribeye Piquant Avec Frites brioche, and L’Orange Tonique of pressed ginger, pineapple, carrot, orange, and strawberry juices.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas La Fontaine Interior (Photo by Connie Zhou)
With a multitude of marvelous French restaurants from which to choose, Las Vegas is at the epicenter of a 21st-century culinary revolution.
The restaurant has since added dinner service, which holds major promise based on French-born Executive Chef Laetitia Rouabah’s resume. After meeting Alain Ducasse in 2004 while working at the legendary Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris, Rouabah worked at Ducasse restaurants in London, Paris, and NYC. With other successful posts to her name, her La Fontaine dinner menu is a strong bet for a follow-up visit.
Vegas is always full of surprises, and that includes Partage. Located in a Chinatown Las Vegas shopping plaza, this co- creation from Executive Chef Yuri Szarzewski, Executive Pastry Chef Vincent Pellerin, and Manager Nicolas Kalpokdjian is one of the most inventive and rewarding French restaurants anywhere.
Partage Venison Pithivier Pie (Photo by Photo: Sabin Orr)
The French trio bring more than a decade of European Michelin- starred credentials to the table. Recognized as a Master Chef of France by The Association of Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, Szarzewski’s background includes Michelin-starred restaurants in Switzerland and France, and world-class hotels such as Palace George V in Paris. In 2015, the partners relocated to Vegas “looking to build their own American dream.” Meaning “sharing” in French, Partage has been a dream date since day one for their imaginative and beautifully plated modernist riffs on French cuisine.
Partage Executive Chef Yuri Szarzewski (Photo by Sabin Orr)
The element of surprise is a key ingredient in the rotating five-, seven-, and nine-course tasting menus, which are paired with select French wines and signature cocktails. Flexible seating options include the cozy main dining room, the bar, the kitchen-facing Chef’s Table, and 12-seat private dining room, which can be animated with digital projection technology for private gatherings. Offered on Fri- days and Saturdays, the exceptional Grand Cru experience combines a seven-course tasting menu with premium French wines and fetching digital visuals of French landmarks and countryside scenes.
Other off-Strip pearls include Ohlala French Bistro in Summerlin and Rosallie Le French Café in Spring Valley, while anticipation is building for the forthcoming French concept from Beard-nominated local son James Trees in the ever-evolving Las Vegas Arts District.
Illustrating how threaded Michelin-starred French and other fine dining lineage has become in the fabric of the Vegas culinary scene, Trees trained with Eric Ripert, Michael Mina, and Gordon Ramsay. Ripert, of NYC’s three Michelin-star Le Bernardin fame, was mentored by Joël Robuchon, who along with Guy Savoy, trained Gordon Ramsay who has six restaurants in town. Thomas Keller is another Savoy mentee.
In February, 2024, Trees reopened his wildly successful Arts District restaurant Esther’s Kitchen in a much larger space steps away from the original. For his next act, Trees is reportedly planning to transform the original Esther’s into “a ticketed experiential fine dining restaurant, with cuisine motivated by globally-minded creativity and technique, rather than a particular cuisine.”
Anticipation is also building for his proposed Bar Boheme & Petit Boheme. Aiming for fall 2024, his concept of a classic Parisian bistro with Vegas flair, located nearby on the Arts District’s dynamic Main Street, will reportedly offer “precisely executed French dishes in a lush escapist indoor-outdoor compound” with several bars and garden seating.
Las Vegas Resources
THE STRIP
Bardot Brasserie. 3730 Las Vegas Blvd South. Tel: 702-590-8610. With five restaurants on the Strip, including just-opened Orla, his homage to his Egyptian heritage, at Mandalay Bay, and a sixth on the way, James Beard award-winning chef Michael Mina is synonymous with high-end Vegas dining. Celebrating ten years at ARIA Resort & Casino in 2025, his stylish Parisian bistro is for modern interpretations of traditional brasserie fare, inventive cocktails, vintage spirits, and exceptional French wines. michaelmina.net
Bouchon. 3355 Las Vegas Blvd South. Tel: 702-414-6200. Working in Rhode Island in 1977, California-born Thomas Keller took passionately to French cuisine after meeting certified master chef Roland Henin. Keller spent 1983 in France, working in Michelin-starred houses including Guy Savoy. Holding three Michelin stars for The French Laundry in Napa Valley since 2007 and another three for Per Se in NYC since 2006, Keller is the only U.S.-born chef with multiple three-star Michelin ratings. He was also the first American male chef recipient of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest award. Savor his skills and success at this inviting bistro at the Venetian, celebrating 20 years in 2024. thomaskeller.com
MGM Grand Joel Robuchon Le Caviar Impérial (Photo by MGM Resorts International)
Brasserie B. 3570 Las Vegas Blvd South. Tel: 866-227-5938. Bobby Flay furthered his nearly 20-year partnership with Caesars Entertainment with this new Parisian-styled bistro at Caesars Palace, close to his Italian-driven Amalfi. The groovy Art Deco entranceway opens into the expansive subway-tiled dining room and L- shaped bar. French fries are a true measure of a bistro’s worth, and Flay’s pommes de frites, twice-cooked over two days in a dedicated prep area, are par excellence. caesars.com
Eiffel Tower Restaurant. 3655 S Las Vegas Blvd. Tel: 702-948-6937. Incorporating 5,000 tons of welded steel and 300,000 decorative rivets, construction of the 541-foot-tall Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas followed precise calculations to produce an exact half-scale replica. Like its sibling, home to two Michelin- starred Le Jules Verne, the Vegas version offers romantic dining at this 11th-floor perch. Window seats cost extra, including iconic corner Table 56, but are worth the price for spectacular views matched by the service and French classics. eiffeltowerrestaurant.com
La Fontaine. 2777 South Las Vegas Blvd. Tel: 702-678-9000. Coming from the world of Michelin-starred master Alain Ducasse, Executive Chef Laetitia Rouabah brings serious chops to this pretty French refuge at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Brunch standouts include the pancake soufflé, while dinner showcases include the prosciutto-wrapped Dover sole in red wine lobster sauce, and crispy skin duck breast with parsnip puree. fontainebleaulasvegas.com
LPM Restaurant & Bar. 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Level 3, Boulevard Tower. Tel: 702-698-1889. Taking over former Estiatorio Milos space at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, this new French Riviera- inspired eatery similarly emphasizes Mediterranean ingredients at peak fresh- ness. Original Provençal style murals adorn the walls, the outdoor terrace offers Strip views, and the dishes, from the fresh tomatoes and meaty escargots to the juicy lamb cutlets and sweet vanilla crème brûlée, are a flavor parade, complemented by delicious rosés and other selections from the impressive wine list. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Restaurant Joël Robuchon. 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South. Tel: 702-891-7925. Holding court inside MGM Grand since 2006, along with three Michelin stars and Forbes Five Star, AAA Five Diamond and Wine Spectator’s Grand Award recognition, this purple-velveted dream is the late Robuchon’s lasting contribution to the elevation of Vegas dining. From the bread cart to classics like Le Caviar Impérial, “la cuisine de Joël Robuchon” is perfectionist practice on the plate. Double your pleasure with a counter seat at his neighboring “culinary workshop” concept, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. jrobuchon.com
Restaurant Guy Savoy. 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South. Tel: 702-731-7286. Since opening his eponymous two Michelin-star flagship in Paris in 1980, Guy Savoy has been hailed as one of the world’s top chefs. Paris- based La Liste, which compiles reviews from 1,070 guides and publications in 200 countries along with millions of online consumer reviews, ranked the Paris restaurant number one in the world (in a six-way tie) for the seventh consecutive year in 2024. The Vegas sib- ling, Savoy’s only restaurant in the U.S., carries two Michelin stars plus Forbes Five Star honors for the past 13 years. Celebs including Sir Elton John dine here and you’ll feel like a culinary VIP too. caesars.com
OFF-STRIP
Partage. 3839 Spring Mountain Road. Tel: 702-582-5852. In 2015, with much Michelin mileage among them, partners Yuri Szarzewski, Vincent Pellerin, and Nicolas Kalpokdjian ventured to Las Vegas from France to pursue new opportunities. Along with their backpacks, the intrepid trio brought their bold interpretation of modern French cuisine to town. Debuting in 2018, their uniquely creative showcase in the heart of Chinatown Las Vegas is a must for expanding your Vegas map and appreciation of new possibilities in French cuisine. partage.vegas
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