Las Vegas is one of those cities that has become dramatically more vegetarian friendly in the time I’ve been traveling there (since 2003). Here are some options if you’re visiting “sin city” as a vegetarian or vegan.
Although you might associate Las Vegas with booze more than food, remember that a lot of folks like in Las Vegas for lifestyle reasons. They like living the good life. Las Vegas is pretty close to L.A. and some of L.A.’s health conscious vibe is seeping through to Vegas.
1. Wholefoods!!
If you’re from outside the US and have never been to a Wholefoods, it’s like vegetarian nirvana. Vegas has a big one that’s on the South End of Las Vegas Blvd.
The great thing about Wholefoods for travelers is that they have a microwave and dining area so you can even try options that need heating. They have a great salad bar with a ton of vegan and vegetarian options.
2. Vegan donuts!!
Ronalds donuts in Las Vegas is super famous for vegan donuts. Check out these bloggers who ate there.
3. Coffee shops.
If you fancy an afternoon sitting relaxing in a coffee shop, try Sunrise Coffee. They offer vegan burritos and some other vegan options, as well as gluten free options.
4. Wynn Casinos.
The two Wynn Casinos in Las Vegas have vegan menus because owner Steve Wynn is vegan. While I loudly applaud them having a vegan menu, the menu itself is not particularly inventive and uses some commercial vegan prepared foods (e.g., vegan cheese). I would love to see them offer some vegan fine dining type food or at least rely less on commercially produced vegan substitutes that are already on the consumer market.
HOWEVER, if you need a hangover cure then a vegan burger and chips might be exactly what you feel like. Check out this post by British vegan blogger Jojo who ate her way around Las Vegas with her significant other http://veganinbrighton.blogspot.com/2013/09/vegan-vegas.html
Getting Around Las Vegas
You can get around Vegas without a car if you’re staying on the Strip. It’s a bit of a pain to get down to the Wholefoods if you’re staying at the North End of the Strip. If you have a car, you can generally get free parking at the casinos for up to 24 hours. Therefore staying a few miles off Strip is not a problem if you are driving to Las Vegas.
Getting to Las Vegas
If you’re coming from the UK/Europe or AU/NZ then your best bet might be to look for a flight deal to Los Angeles, then hop budget Southwest Airlines flight from LAX to Vegas. For US travelers (or anyone), you’ll find that mid-week travel is much cheaper than weekend travel, unless some huge convention is happening. If you have a luxury budget and would rather spend your prep-time practicing your card skills than doing trip research, you might like to bokk a package deal online. One of the best things about short breaks to Vegas is that the airport is super close to the Strip so you don’t waste hours in airport transfer time.
