The 9 Best Ways to Do Breakfast in Vegas

Not too long ago, nobody cared much about breakfast in Las Vegas, and other than a few lavish Sunday brunches, it was all pretty standard and predictable. Today, though, like many cities, Vegas has gone a bit bonkers for brekky, with interesting options all over town, each more decadent than the next. So, rating them all is a more daunting task than it might seem (and we can’t even start with the weekend brunch options). Not that I expect much sympathy for having to tackle two-pound muffins and overstuffed bloody Marys. Here are my nine best ways to breakfast in Las Vegas—now let me get to my nap!

Go French on the Strip

Considering that the French actually go light on breakfast (even the name petit déjeuner implies it’s NBD), it might seem odd that they totally dominate breakfast on the Las Vegas Strip with savoir faire. The three powerhouses in this category, all solid, would be:

Mon Ami Gabi has a great Strip-side patio to complement fresh omelets, crepes, waffles, and fresh fruit selections.
Bouchon, perfectionist chef Thomas Keller’s foothold in Vegas (they also have a quick-serve bakery counter elsewhere in the Venetian), offers house-made pastries, sausages, and rillettes to accompany the pain perdu and gaufres.
Morels is another Strip-overlook patio with a bloody Mary cart, a lengthy organic egg selection (from mushroom soufflés to huevos rancheros), and of course, more crepes.

Go Eggslut

The obsession is real. If you’ve heard about the former food truck turned market counter in Downtown Los Angeles—perfecting the breakfast sandwich with gently cooked eggs and pillowy brioche buns—you’ll be psyched to hear the Cosmopolitan wrangled a Vegas outpost. Be prepared for a line (hopefully not as long as in L.A.), and be prepared to call it worth the wait. Hate lines? Juice Standard, on the same floor, offers some tasty toast varieties.

Go Big or Go Home

Vegas being the city where decadence is not only allowed but encouraged, even our breakfasts tend to be over the top. Multi-city chain Hash House A Go-Go (five local locations)—home of hub-cap-size flapjacks and 18-oz. pork tenderloin benedicts—may have launched the craze, but now some of our favorite “whoa”s include:

Spice-Rubbed Rib-Eye Chilaquiles and Bacon & Egg-in-the-Hole French Toast at Rise & Shine (two locations)
Crunchberry French Toast at the Original Sunrise Café
Avocado Bacon Jam Toast and Breakfast Mac (that’s mac & cheese with bacon, ham, mushrooms, hash browns, a fried egg, and truffle oil) at Truffles n Bacon Cafe
Savory Thai Basil Wafflewich (chicken or vegan) and Tiff’s Churro Waffle Macchiato at Tiabi Coffee & Waffle Bar (two locations)

Go… to Henderson

Who knows why, but for some reason, Las Vegas’ suburb to the south has gathered some of the valley’s hottest eggy/carby hot spots, like:

Kitchen Table, possibly ground zero of Sin City breakfast (expect a wait, even on weekdays), offers such unique takes as Suckling Pig and Quail Egg Tostadas, Bacon and Egg Shooters, Mac & Cheese Duck Confit Omelets, Foie Gras and Apple Skillets, and Fried Green Tomato Benedicts.
Craft Kitchen do a deft job of balancing healthy and decadent, with an impressive house made pastry selection, pulled turkey bennys, pork carnitas omelettes and, yeah, a great avocado toast.
Served, almost next door to Kitchen Table, has all kinds of creative takes, mixing Korean, Filipino, Hawaiian, and American influences.
Munch Box offers a zillion build-your-own bagel sandwich options, as well as the “Everest” pancakes, a triple stack with applewood bacon, home fries, and sausage links layered in.

Go Healthy

Looking to treat your body and the planet a little better? Summerlin’s Daily Kitchen has nine different organic egg sammys, wraps and bowls, as well as a killer açai bowl. Skinny Fats (now four local locations) devotes 50 percent of their menu to creatively healthy choices, like Almond Milk French Toast With Blueberry Chia Jam, a Chicken Spinach Egg-White Burrito, or the Cluck Moo Egg White and Shaved Steak Omelets.

Go Asian-Pacific

Not every culture does breakfast the same way. This may seem like an extreme effort, but if you’re looking for Japanese-style breakfast, considering booking a stay at the Nobu Boutique Hotel in Caesars Palace, where the Nobu Matsuhisa–created in-room dining menu features both traditional Japanese breakfast and fusion items, like Green Tea Waffles.

Hawaiians love breakfast, and Vegas being the “ninth island,” you can find a good number of island-style spots, including two favorites: Babystacks Café (four locations), with specialties like White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pancakes, Spam Scramble, and Adobo Fried Rice; and Hawaiian chain Cinnamon’s (this is their first mainland address), with Kahlua Pork Benedicts, Guava Chiffon Pancakes, and three different Loco Mocos.

Go French off the Strip: Though Andre’s Bistro & Bar has probably the best off-Strip French breakfast (seriously, that quiche!), it’s served only on weekends. However, French cafés and bakeries dot the Vegas valley, including two favorites run by expatriates:

Rosallie—Le French Café has some of the very best French pastries in the city.
Maison du Maggie features a wide menu of savory and sweet crepes and galettes made to order in a classic countryside setting.

Go Lulu’s Bread & Breakfast

While I risk sounding biased because I work with them, I’ll stake my reputation on Lulu’s remaining one of the best all-around breakfast experiences in town—from the coma-inducing Benicio Del Porko pulled pork/cornbread benny, to the fresh yogurt and fruit parfait with house-made granola. There isn’t a dish or pastry here that isn’t well thought-out and executed—and breakfast pizzas are coming soon, too. It’s located far northwest, but it’s worth the drive.

Go Diners, Dives, and… More Diners

Diner culture isn’t necessarily strong in Las Vegas, but if you’re looking for that archetypal breakfast experience, you’ll find a great version at Metro Diner (no relation to Vegas’ Metro Pizza)—a Florida-based, family-owned chain that, yes, has been featured in Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins. The menu includes fun French toast variations like croissant, pound cake, and stuffed challah, Breakfast Pie (crustless—like a skillet-omelette), and (I know it’s not breakfast, but I have to mention) the Vortex Burger, a patty loaded up between two grilled-cheese sandwiches.

Three other great local diner variations:

Mary’s Hash House—not to be confused with the other HH—is a homey spot run by an ex-Ohioan, offering a number of different hash varieties (lamb, salmon…) and their own house-made jams and jellies to accompany. Well, actually, everything is house-made. It’s an underrated gem.
Vickie’s Diner, a 24-hour counter originally part of the pharmacy where Elvis used to get his prescriptions filled, has fairly priced, honest grub.
Peppermill, the neon-lit legend that keeps the flame of ‘70s Vegas alive, serves massive omelets, a Fruit Fantasia waffle, and even Brotato Skins (not a typo). No one will judge you if you just roll over to the swanky Fireside Lounge after you’re done.

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