Nevada

For the classic, glitzy Vegas shopping experience, don’t waste valuable time and energy wandering through every mall: head straight for the Shops at Crystals (located in the Aria). The mall has all of the classic big-name designers, but in a space designed by Daniel Libeskind: For whatever reason, perhaps because it's not attached to a casino, it's always nicely quiet, too.

José Andrés’s taco and dumpling bar is a totally authentic taste of Mexico City that just happens to be situated inside the bustling Cosmopolitan hotel. It’s a fun, casual set up serving incredibly fresh tacos, BBQ oysters, and an avocado margarita that sounds strange but tastes incredible. For a great alternative to room service, there are also hearty noodle and fried rice dishes.

This off-the-beaten-path shop is home to tons of vintage homewares and a solid collection of mid-century antiques. It’s the kind of collection that feels like a labor of love, with furniture and art pieces that have been sourced from antique auctions to local garage sales.

Bauman is one of the biggest rare bookshops in the world, and this location is the only outpost that’s not on the East Coast. Their staff is wonderfully helpful if you’re looking for something specific, and their finds always make the most thoughtful gifts.

This open-air shopping center, built entirely from stacked shipping containers, was the first major step towards the revitalization of the downtown neighborhood. There’s a playground for kiddos in the center (careful with young ones—the slide is really long) and most of the stores are focused on local wares, like art and jewelry. The food options run the gamut from sit-down restaurants to frozen yogurt and hot dogs.

All of the best chefs in Vegas go to Brett Ottolenghi to source hard-to-find luxury ingredients like truffles, foie gras, and caviar, which he sells out if his cozy gourmet food shop, Artisanal Foods. This fall, he teamed up with long-time Vegas chef Johnny Church to set up a tiny six-seat restaurant that serves a tasting menu during lunch five days a week. It's an incredibly intimate, special experience, and the combination of Church's experimental style and Ottolenghi's penchant for sourcing exotic ingredients makes each meal more unusual and innovative than the next. If you don't have time for a full meal, it's still worth stopping in to taste the rare cheeses and cured meats. Needless to say, it's a mainstay if you're doing any cooking during your stay.

The vegan donuts at this no-frills strip mall bakery are nothing short of legendary. And it’s not just the exceptional quality that keeps fans coming back again and again (they taste just like the real thing, if not better), it’s also the sheer size of the selection: fritters, Boston cream-filled, jelly, maple, classic glazed, and the list just keeps going from there. It's kind of the perfect pit-stop on the way to the airport.

With more than 30 years of experience and legions of loyal locals to back it up, this Vegas standby is known for churning out some of the best old-fashioned frozen custard in the state. The cash-only walk-up counter is in a somewhat out-of-the-way part of town and usually has a bit of a wait, but don’t let that deter you—the creamy sundaes (hot apple walnut is unreal), thick milkshakes, and floats are well worth the wait.

Although the indoor lava cove, designated pirate's lair, and leopard print booths may suggest otherwise, this six-months-old Chinatown tiki bar is actually genuinely good, not gimmicky. There’s an authentic Polynesian food menu to support a cocktail offering that includes the Painkiller (rum, OJ, and Dole pineapple whip), Trader Vic’s Mai Tai, and a Dark & Stormy that's really solid for a landlocked city.

While the bar menu at this local watering hole is all about hearty, well-prepared comfort staples—sliders, fish & chips, and a really good cobb salad—the real draw here is the beer. The selection is as vast as it is far-reaching, with some of the 200+ brews (regulars are awarded loyalty cards) hailing from as far as Jamaica and Scotland. And lest you forget you’re still technically in Vegas, it’s open 24/7.