(Hotel restaurants are not eligible in this category)
Best Mexican Restaurant
RICARDO'S
Multiple locations
A repeat winner with fans of honest, few-frills and well-priced Mexican food, Ricardo's was one of the first family restaurants to envision the value of expanding to strategic parts of the valley. Adding a prime spot in the MGM Grand adjacent to the hotel's arena was a good idea, for instance. Wisely, it offers margaritas to go, which sell particularly well when Jimmy Buffett is in town. Macayo Vegas, another well-established local chain, placed second.
Our Pick:
LA BARCA SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
953 E. Sahara Ave.
This Commercial Center hideaway is worth the search if you need an instant lunchtime trip to a Mexican coastal city -- minus unlimited bottles of Corona, fireworks, party-prone women in bikinis and that unbelievable sunburn that's waiting the next morning. The one-time Commercial Deli is now decorated in sombreros and Mexican artifacts, and pastrami and Swiss and matzo ball soup has given way to perfect fish tacos, an otherworldly chopped clam tostada and a 48-ounce seafood cocktail brimming with shrimp, scallops and other fresh-from-the-sea surprises. The low-cost checks are pleasant surprises as well, and the already energetic evening scene on weekends is boosted by excellent mariachi bands.
