By now, you know that I travel every year to Vegas to work a trade show for a company I used to work for in Boston. I truly look forward to this trip every year. I get to see all my old friends and clients, get paid to party for the most part, and actually really enjoy the tasks of event planning and execution. Last week was my sixth trip to Sin City, and I am consistently amazed at how much the vegan options have grown over the years.
When I first started working this show, there were virtually ZERO options. I spent the first three trips living off potatoes, granola bars or chips and other snacks I got at the hotel lobby gift shops. It was truly sad. I was always hungry. And I actually got SUPER sick one year, that landed me in the hospital. Sure, the lack of sleep and excess amount of alcohol were mostly to blame, but the fact that I was severely underfed, certainly didn’t help my condition.
But for whatever reason, after that horrific stint three years ago, Vegas shifted. In a major way.
Since then, my biggest struggle has been trying to narrow down which places to hit every year. Most eateries have awesome vegan options, even if they’re just a “normal” restaurant. Every place at the Wynn now also has a full vegan menu. Every January, almost every spot on the strip makes sure to have a plant-based option for Veganuary. Not to mention, the dozens upon dozens of incredible fully vegan spots that have popped up over the years. I never would have imagined that Vegas would end up as one of my favorite places to eat. And now, I can proudly proclaim that is definitely in the top five of my favorite vegan cities to travel to, joining the ranks of places like San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago and Portland.
So enjoy the food porn and make sure to check out all of these spots if you’ve ever in Vegas!
Of all the over-the-top, ridiculous vegan meals I’ve indulged in, this chicken and waffles dish with mashed potatoes and bacon at The Modern Vegan might take top spot. TMV has one of the largest and most decadent menus I have ever seen, boasting some of the guiltiest pleasures in existence. Though they have tonssss of options, literally everyone else in the restaurant while I was there, also ordered this insane brunch dish. And you heard audible moans and proclamations of joy all around the place as people were diggin’ in. I also HAD to have their mac and cheese, just because it sounded so damn good, and I fancy myself somewhat of a mac and cheese connoisseur these days. And of course, it was effing delicious, creamy, rich and flavorful. If I had to eat here every day for the rest of my life, I would be 150% OK with it.
BUT. If I also had to eat at Tacotarian everyday for the rest of my life, I would be thrilled with that, too. I’d been drooling over their IG since they opened a few months ago and was constantly reading the rave reviews about it. The space is adorable, their swag and decor are super fun and the food is INSANE and very well priced. Taco options are plentiful and individual ones range from $2-$4 and are worth every penny. I was tempted to order one of each because they all sounded so damn amazing. I ended up going for a mashed potato one, which seemed simple, but bursting with rich, buttery flavor and topped with cheddar, lettuce, sour cream and pico de gallo. I also had to try their chicken Milanese, which was some of the most realistic faux meat I’ve ever had, topped with lettuce, mayo, pico de gallo and queso fresco. I could have at LEAST ate seven more. My absolute favorite though was a Beyond Meat stuffed version of a Taco Bell crunchwrap, as it was a loaded ground beef crunchy taco, then wrapped in a refried bean stuffed flour tortilla. ABSOLUTE HEAVEN. Hands down, the best tacos I’ve ever had! And for just $6 I also got a massive batch of loaded nachos, which were also delightful. They’ve also got street corn, desserts, tamales, burritos, quesadillas and enchiladas, and I assume they are all beyond awesome. I’ve already started tracking cheap Vegas flights for the future, JUST so I can go back here and stuff my face again.
Slice of Vegas has been my go-to spot from the get-go and I’ve posted about it since my first Vegas trip. They are my OG fave, and I go there the most frequently since they are located in between my hotel room at Luxor and my convention rooms at Mandalay Bay. They have an entirely separate vegan menu that’s loaded with things like faux meat pizzas (like the buffalo chicken ranch I’ve gotten every single trip), meatball subs and sandwiches, including this killer Beyond Meat burger and lots of awesome pasta dishes and appetizers. I’ve probably tried every single one of them over the years, but I always gravitate to the same things. The gardein buffalo wings are some of my favorite ever, and I got not one, not two, but THREE orders of them this trip. Thank you for always being there for me, Slice of Vegas!
Hussong’s has also been there since day one, and it’s a company favorite among the rest of the staff I travel with. It’s also between Luxor and Mandalay Bay so we stop here multiple times for their awesome chips and salsa, over-the-top margaritas, and of course, the amazing food. They also have a separate vegan menu with any Mexican-inspired fare you could imagine. I always opt for their massive gardein fish tacos, which my very non-vegan co-workers even order now! They chicken and beef quesadillas are also legit and I always get a few of those, too.
Finally! Something sweet! Since I didn’t have time to hit the donut spots I wanted to go to, I decided to follow up my Tacotarian tacos with this rich and delicious coconut ice cream with Oreo and cookie dough at nearby Nourish Creamery. They’ve got lots of vegan options in the form of juices, smoothies, chia puddings and of course, ice cream. Their seasonal options are truly spectacular with things like a CBD crunch topping and cookie monster blue ice cream sandwiches. Will definitely be going back after every Tacotarian trip I make 🙂
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