Essential Guide to Delicious Thai Food on the Strip in Las Vegas

One of the most essential ingredients in cooking Thai food is lemongrass. It’s considered essential to the cuisine and offers a variety of benefits including medicinal uses like pain relief and circulation improvement. It also has a fantastic fragrance and fresh flavor. No wonder this ARIA restaurant is named after it.

ARIA’s Lemongrass explores authentic Thai fare along with creative and refreshing variations. They open for dinner daily at 5:00 p.m.

Some palate pleasuring pot stickers can be found on the appetizer menu. Similar to dim sum, Thai pot stickers are pan fried pork dumplings served with a chili-vinegar soy sauce, making them a must-order item for guests. Another Lemongrass favorite is their Shrimp Pad Thai, which is about as classic of a Thai dish as you can get. They also offer a dedicated vegan menu with all types of dishes to satisfy your senses.

While these descriptions likely don’t do the cuisine justice, the images on the Lemongrass Instagram page certainly will. 

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A post shared by NIGHT+MARKET Vegas (@nightmarketlv)

Located at one of the hottest new resorts in Las Vegas, chef Kris Yenbamroong’s Night + Market is the perfect blend of California chill and Bangkok frenzy. His menu offers a unique variety of traditional Thai recipes and amalgamations of other cuisines, all served with modern and fresh flair.

Night + Market does not shy away from bold flavors. Start your meal at the Thai Raw Bar which features oysters served with nam jim mignonette and scarlet prawn sashimi flavored with garlic, chili and fish sauce. One enticing menu highlight is the nam khao tod and crispy rice salad on their Larb, Yum, Tum section of the menu.

Not only is that option gluten-free, but there are vegan options as well. There’s also the Thai boxing chicken, an Isaan style option. Chicken thighs are lathered with BBQ and coconut, sliced and served with ‘jaew’ northeastern chili dip and sweet and sour chicken sauce. They offer an award-winning list of natural wines and offer half specials when ordering by the bottle on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during Market Hour. As the menu states, “it’s always appropriate to order a bottle of wine!”

The ultra-trendy Night + Market is open for lunch Friday and Saturday only and again opens for dinner at 5 p.m. daily. Food is served family style, as shareable plates for your entire party of friends. Sound appealing? Park in the Virgin Hotels garage just off East Harmon Avenue for easiest access to this can’t-miss restaurant serving up “Thai drinking food.”

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With two locations in Las Vegas, Lotus of Siam prepares delicious award-winning Northern Thai cuisine for dinner guests daily. They are also open for lunch Monday and Friday.

Northern Thai cuisine is typically milder than that of other parts of Thailand, as their food incorporates elements influenced by neighbors Myanmar, Laos, South China and many others. Lotus of Siam has received the James Beard Foundation Award for Excellence led by chef Saipin Chutima.

One of their most popular dishes on the menu is the Khao Soi. This traditional Burmese influenced dish consists of crispy duck on a bed of egg noodles and curry base sauce. Another mouth-watering option is their Garlic Prawns. Prawns are deep-fried with their shell and sautéed with their signature garlic sauce, before being topped with black pepper. Both options will be found under Featured Dishes and Chef’s Choice portions of the Lotus of Siam menu.

To quote the late, great Anthony Bourdain on his opinion of Lotus of Siam: “Mmm. That’s perfection, man.”

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To check out local favorite, Pin Kaow, you will need to travel a bit off the Strip. The restaurant atmosphere is that of a traditional Thai house and the focus is upholding the honor and integrity of their Thai heritage in all aspects of presentation.

A favorite and necessary feature for Thai food newbies is the visual menu. When you are up for the adventure of trying new cuisine, you read a lot of words that may need Googling. Tom Kha? The visual menu at Pin Kaow will show you that Tom Kha is a beautiful soup with colorful and fresh ingredients. It features coconut milk, chicken, mushrooms, lemongrass, scallions, cilantro and galangal root. 

Galangal root is another word in need of possible Googling. Possibly the most eye-catching dishes include the Wok Stir-Fried Dishes. Bold colors, bold flavors. Try it with your choice of protein including grilled pork, tofu, chicken, shrimp or beef.