27 Essential Women-Owned Restaurants You Should Know in Las Vegas

With it being Women’s History Month—actually, no, we don’t need a special month to celebrate all the hard-working, inspirational women busting their butts in Las Vegas’ food and beverage industry, as these ladies deserve credit and support all year round. Here, we celebrate some of the women who are shaping the local culinary scene as owners and chefs of some of the most popular and renowned restaurants in Sin City.

And while this list places a focus on restaurants owned by Vegas locals, we’d be remiss not to at least nod to the celebrity-backed, women-owned restaurants on the Strip like Giada at The Cromwell and Pronto by Giada at Caesars Palace, owned by Giada de Laurentis; CHICA Las Vegas at The Venetian, owned by Lorena Garcia; Border Grill at Mandalay Bay, owned by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken; Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesars Palace and the forthcoming Vanderpump à Paris at Paris Las Vegas, owned by Lisa Vanderpump; and Martha Stewart’s first-ever restaurant The Bedford, coming soon to Paris Las Vegas.

Whether you’re sticking to the Strip or eating your way through the greater Las Vegas area, make it a point to support these worthwhile restaurants not just during Women’s History Month, but all throughout the year.

Resorts World (North Strip)
After garnering the esteemed accolade as semifinalist for the Best Chef: Southwest Award from the James Beard Foundation for her work in Locale Italian Kitchen in Mountain’s Edge, chef Nicole Brisson has moved on to the recently opened Resorts World, where she has launched two new concepts with business partner, Jason Rocheleau. Brezza serves modern, upscale coastal Italian fare with handmade pastas and high-end beef and seafood, while Bar Zazu is a fun little romp of a restaurant with playful tapas and cocktail menus. These ventures mark Brisson’s return to the Strip (north end notwithstanding), after more than a decade spent cutting her chops at Strip resorts like The Venetian, where she worked as chef di cucina at OTTO Enoteca and executive chef at Carnevino, and Park MGM, where she became the first female executive chef of an Eataly in the U.S. She’s also competed on several reality TV shows and serves on multiple food-focused philanthropic boards in the local Las Vegas community.
How to order: Make reservations for Brezza online here and for Bar Zazu here.

Chinatown
When new owner Ivy Ma took over the long-time local favorite China Mama, she managed to breathe new life into an old institution that had become somewhat stale—still beloved, but generally agreed upon to have seen better days. Under Ma’s stewardship, China Mama has reclaimed its rightful spot at the top of every local foodie’s “hidden gem” list. It’s not a fancy place, and it’s not a trendy place; it’s just a damn delicious place, with pan-fried pork buns that die-hard fans are willing to wait upwards of two hours for and a Dry Pepper Chicken that should come with a disclaimer (here it is: don’t eat the peppers).
How to order: Walk in for dine-in or order pickup online.

Henderson
Top Chef finalist Elia Aboumrad-Page opened Boom Bang Fine Foods and Cocktails in Henderson late last year to much buzz. As chef Joël Robuchon’s first female sous chef in Paris, Aboumrad-Page brings her traditional French culinary training and Mexican heritage to this American brasserie concept. She fuses a variety of flavors and techniques into Boom Bang’s global, seasonally driven menu of comfort food favorites: think gourmet versions of corn dogs, spaghetti, and fish and chips, elevated in a way that only an accomplished chef could pull off.
How to order: Make reservations online.

Downtown Las Vegas, Santa Fe Station
Chef Leticia Mitchell—aka Letty—operates two Mexican restaurants around town, Leticia’s Mexican Cocina in the Santa Fe Station near Centennial Hills and, more recently, Letty’s in the Downtown Las Vegas Arts District. Located a bit off the beaten path on Main Street, Letty’s is a fast-casual Mexican eatery serving traditional Mexican dishes in a bright and airy space lined with colorful murals inside and out. Hit them up for tacos and tortas for lunch or dinner and enjoy one or a few of their killer margaritas (especially during happy hour).
How to order: For Leticia’s Mexican Cocina, make reservations online or order delivery through DoorDash; for Letty’s, order pickup through Toast or delivery online.

University District
One of the most-written-about restaurants in Las Vegas is not on the Strip. In fact, it’s in a humble strip mall near UNLV, where owner and chef Saipin Chutima has garnered numerous accolades for her Northern Thai cuisine and extensive wine list—including a 2011 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest, a Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator , and even kudos from Anthony Bourdain himself in his Vegas episode of Parts Unknown. The Flamingo location is their second; the original location on Sahara remains temporarily closed due to pandemic staffing issues.
How to order: Make reservations on Resy or order for pickup on Chownow.

Summerlin South, Henderson, Allegiant Stadium
Co-owners Alexandra Lourdes and Lin Jerome have built something of a local empire in Las Vegas, with three locations of the unapologetically girlie and Instagram-famous Café Lola (and a fourth location at the Forum Shops on the Strip coming soon), the couture doughnut bakery Saint Honoré, and the Pizza Anonymous pop-up that takes over Saint Honoré and Café Lola Henderson at night. They also co-founded the Refined Agency, which, among other things, produces the Women Who Slay event series, celebrating the hard work and success of female entrepreneurs and influencers in Las Vegas.
How to order: Visit the restaurant website for specific ordering information.

Downtown Las Vegas
Jolene Mannina, originally from New Orleans, has over 20 years in the hospitality industry and is a fixture on the Las Vegas culinary scene. Honestly, if there’s some kind of foodie-happening in Las Vegas, it’s probably safe to assume she’s involved in some way. As head of culinary for the Life is Beautiful festival, she shaped the festival's renowned food and beverage offerings, and as founder of Secret Burger, she created unique off-menu food experiences at restaurants on and off the Strip. She runs the Vegas Test Kitchen downtown, a start-up food business incubator and restaurant space that hosts several different rotating vendors, guest chefs, and food events. Several women-owned restaurants are popping up in the kitchen at the moment, including Pop ‘N Pies, This Mama’s House, and Paradise City Creamery. Most recently, Mannina partnered on operating Peyote, a “glamorous desert oasis” at Fergusons Downtown, with arguably one of the best patios (and Sunday party brunches) in the city.
How to order: Make reservations or order takeout online.

Rhodes Ranch
Chef Jamie Tran is co-owner of The Black Sheep, a restaurant in Southwest Las Vegas that serves refined Vietnamese American comfort food in a stylishly modern space. Tran infuses flavors and ingredients from her Vietnamese upbringing with the French techniques she honed in the kitchens of Charlie Palmer's Aureole at Mandalay Bay and Daniel Boulud's DB Brasserie at The Venetian. Tran began planning out The Black Sheep when she and her business partner, who worked alongside her at DB Brasserie, got word that the restaurant would be shuttering. It was an instant hit, furthering Tran's reputation as a top chef in Vegas and seeing her all the way to becoming a contestant on Top Chef: Portland last year.
How to order: Reservations can be made online.

Green Valley North, Downtown Las Vegas, Henderson
Owner and CEO Juanny Romero has grown a much-beloved coffee house on Sunset Road into a local business empire. The popular Sunrise Coffee is the longest-running independent coffee shop in Las Vegas, serving coffees from organic fair-trade, single-origin farms and a hearty selection of breakfast and lunch items made from scratch, with an emphasis on vegetarian and vegan offerings. Since opening Sunrise in 2008, Romero started her own roasting operation under the label Mothership, and there are now three additional Mothership Coffee Roasters locations in Las Vegas, including the impeccably designed space at the DTLV community hotspot Fergusons Downtown. A fourth location will be opening soon at The Bend, a 10-acre retail and restaurant development currently under construction in Southwest Las Vegas.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome at Sunrise or order pickup via Toast.

Downtown Las Vegas
When chef Natalie Young opened eat. in 2012, DTLV was a very different place. Her restaurant was one of the first businesses funded by billionaire Tony Hsieh's Downtown Project, opening at a time when not many people were paying much attention to Vegas's then-neglected downtown area. It was practically an overnight sensation, quickly turning into a multi-million-dollar business and leading to several more restaurants for Young. The original location is still going strong, and Young also operates Old Soul in the World Market Center downtown, a gorgeous space inspired by the pre-Prohibition era and packed full of vintage china and crystal, currently only open for special events and corporate gatherings. Young has a serious passion for vintage things (china, cars, you name it), and her newest concept, a vintage furniture and home goods store called Authentik Furniture DTLV, is a full-on celebration of that passion.
How to order: Order pickup for eat. on Toast.

Downtown Las Vegas, Rhodes Ranch, Henderson
Tacotarian is a 100% plant-based Mexican eatery with three locations: one in the hip DTLV Arts District, one in Southwest Vegas, and their newest location in Henderson. Owned jointly by two husband-and-wife teams, Tacotarian is helping to cement Las Vegas' growing reputation as something of a vegan haven. Most recently, co-owner Kristen Corral launched LoCo Las Vegas, a local food delivery co-op that pushes back against the exorbitant fees charged by third-party delivery apps like Postmates and Doordash by offering local restaurants cooperative ownership, reasonable commissions, and living wages for drivers.
How to order: Select your location and order online.

Multiple locations
Debbie Roxarzade developed Rachel's Kitchen (named for her daughter) as a quaint café serving fresh, reasonably-priced bistro fare with a gourmet touch in a casual atmosphere, with plenty of options for different diets, from paleo to vegan, as well as classic comfort food for the times you need it. With eight locations around the Las Vegas Valley, Rachel's is also available for franchising.
How to order: Order online for delivery or pickup.

Green Valley South
Owned by Magnolia Magat and chef Jackie Lim, Truffles N Bacon started as a humble café inside an antique market and has grown into a local favorite with a cultish following. Known for its decadent and often over-the-top (not to mention highly Instagrammable) comfort food creations, Truffles N Bacon has been featured on the Food Network's Ginormous Food Show for their 10.5-pound "Belly of the Beast" burger. But the items that really cemented TNB's local cult food status are the gorgeously indulgent ube French toast and ube pancakes (since expanded to also include pandan pancakes, ube and pandan waffles, ube bread pudding, and ube horchata).
How to order: Make a reservation by joining the Yelp waitlist or order pickup and delivery online.

Summerlin
Celebrated restaurateur Elizabeth Blau's flagship restaurant Honey Salt is the one she is best known for, though she is partnered with many others, including celebrity chef Buddy Valastro's Buddy V's inside The Venetian. This from-scratch, farm-to-table restaurant was arguably among the first of its kind in Las Vegas, introducing Las Vegans to the concept at a time when "farm-to-table" was still pretty niche (and certainly not a presence in Vegas). On the menu you’ll find comfort-driven plates like Buttermilk Fried Chicken served with mac n cheese, and a bacon-wrapped Farmhouse Meatloaf. Blau founded her restaurant development and consulting company Blau & Associates in 2002, which boasts a national client roster of high profile and multinational restaurants.
How to order: Order takeout, delivery, or make a table reservation online.

Spring Valley
Chef and owner Nina Manchev opened Forte Tapas when she was just 22 years old. For more than ten years now, she has been sharing her Bulgarian culture and cuisine with the Las Vegas community through the popular European tapas bar, preserving old traditions and recipes for new audiences to enjoy. Her pastries, like the savory adjarski khachapuri bread boat, are divine.
How to order: Make reservations online or order pickup and delivery via Toast.

Summerlin South
Chef Gina Marinelli's La Strega, which translates to “the witch” in Italian, is one of our favorite Italian restaurants in Vegas, where she focuses on the cuisines of Italian coastal communities, with house-made pastas, pizzas, piadines (Italian flatbread sandwiches), and beautifully prepared dishes, from Whole Branzino to Braised Rabbit. Don’t neglect the dessert menu, which features Italian staples like Bay Leaf Panna Cotta and Pumpkin Budino.
How to order: Make reservations online or order via Chownow for pickup.

Multiple locations
Bad Owl opened as a semi-homage to the Harry Potter franchise, with some menu selections (ButterBrew lattes) and decorative details (a white owl statue in a cage) serving as a nod to the beloved books and movies. But the theming is more of a playful nod than all-out gimmick, and Bad Owl's house-roasted coffees and menu of loaded-up toasts and hearty croissant sandwiches would have garnered a following with or without its association with The Boy Who Lived. Owner Bailey Cheng and her husband and partner Yuko Kono have found so much success with their cheery coffee spot that they now have multiple locations throughout the Las Vegas Valley and even expanded to Chicago.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome or order pickup on their website.

Downtown Las Vegas
Despite everything that happened in 2020, the DTLV Arts District still managed to thrive, with a head-spinning number of fantastic new bars and restaurants opening in the midst of it all. Yu-Or-Mi Sushi is one of those hotspots, opened by partners Melissa Robinson and Johnny Lee. It's the first Japanese restaurant in the Arts District and has a chic, modern design; a playful drink menu (hint: sound out the cocktail names out loud), featuring high-end Japanese whiskeys and sake; and an inventive menu by chef Virakone Vongphachanh, who previously worked at Nobu at Caesars Palace.
How to order: Order pickup or delivery via Toast.

Downtown Las Vegas
Another pandemic-era newbie in the Arts District, Nevada Brew Works is as much a restaurant as it is a brewery. Though the kitchen operation is limited to beer-friendly bar foods like pizza, burgers, and wings, these are some of the best from-scratch bar pizzas, burgers, and wings in Vegas. Owners Lauren and Jason Taylor are also passionate about supporting charitable causes in the Las Vegas community. If you purchase a pint of their Ariana RyePA, a portion of proceeds go to benefit the Ariana Rye Foundation—named after their daughter Ariana Rye, who has cerebral palsy and auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder, the foundation helps families in need of medical equipment for their disabled children.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome or order for pickup or delivery on their website.

W. Charleston
The centerpiece of the endlessly charming Coffee Religion is an 11-foot-tall sculpture of the second Buddha, designed by shop owner Lotus Leeventan's grandfather for a king who decided he wanted a bigger one (of course), so this one has been in her family ever since and she had it shipped overseas to preside over her space. In the roughly two years it has been open, Coffee Religion has become a huge hit among the local foodie influencer/Instagrammer set for their beautifully presented afternoon tea service with a generous selection of delicious homemade pastries and sandwiches, as well as their handmade Nepalese steamed dumplings ("momos"), pretty lattes, and other flavorful (and Instagrammable) eats.
How to order: Reservations for high tea available on their website; order in advance for dine-in or pickup via Clover.

Downtown Las Vegas
Yet another fantastic and much-anticipated opening in the DTLV Arts District in 2020, Main Street Provisions—owned by seasoned restaurant industry professional Kim Owens—was getting major buzz in the local culinary community long before their doors were even open. The American comfort food melting pot menu helmed by celebrated local chef Justin Kingsley Hall garnered several nods for MSP as one of the best new restaurants in Las Vegas, and Owens' stewardship ensures a top-notch experience from start to finish.
How to order: Reservations can be made online.

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