Zuma

There are several high-end Japanese restaurants chains (many by beloved celebrity chefs) with outposts in Las Vegas casinos -- and on our lists. What sets Zuma apart, and what landed it here, is the restaurant’s unusual decision to put its robata grill front-and-center.

Sure, it has pristine sushi -- from traditional nigiri to creative American-ized rolls. There are also fantastic entrees, from steaks to lobster to a truffle-infused rice hotpot. And the cocktails are top-notch, with an emphasis on Japanese whiskies, and ice that’s sawed and chiseled down to size in full view of the bar. But no trip to Zuma is complete without some skewers of meat or vegetables cooked over white binchotan coals at the large robata grill in the main dining room.

The dining room is gorgeous. Large and sprawling, its décor channels nature through generous use of wood and stone. Step onto the covered patio, however, and you have a front-and-center seat to the neon of The Strip. It’s no wonder Zuma won the 2017 Eater Vegas award for Design of the Year.