Aurelie Nicholas and Leo Rodrigues await their order as they sit at the sushi bar at Lahaina Grill at 1:30 on a recent weekday morning. Photos by Jane Kalinowsky. Kelly Kriner picks up a customer's order from Mateo Becerra at 3:30 on a recent weekday morning at SuperMex. Lisa Barnes and Michael Galster share a quick meal at nearly 2:30 on a recent morning at McMullan's Irish Pub.

Do you remember -- or have you heard about -- the days when some Las Vegas shows started at 2 or 2:30 in the morning? When staying out all night could easily involve a multicourse dinner before or after the show?

Researchers tell us we're getting less sleep these days, but that's difficult to comprehend when we consider the Las Vegas of the era when midnight buffets were not only common but crowded. Today, the fragility of Las Vegas' reputation as a 24-hour city becomes obvious the first time you try a late-night visit to a favorite restaurant, only to find that it stops serving at 10 p.m.

On weekends.

But Las Vegas does offer plenty of wee-hour options. Any resident or savvy visitor knows he or she can get a decent meal at 2 or 3 a.m. in the 24-hour

cafes in nearly all casinos, as well as at some chain restaurants and the poker bars that dot the valley and the smaller bars that, at least here and there, offer surprisingly good food.

We've come up with some less-obvious options, which represent numerous cuisines.

Note that some restaurants with late-night hours may close earlier if it's a slow night. If the restaurant is out of your way, call ahead to be sure it's open.

And when specific days are mentioned in the following listing, it's because the restaurant closes earlier on other evenings.

* Becker's Steakhouse, 2400 N. Buffalo Drive. Steaks, seafood and poultry, and a house-special chopped salad. Open 24 hours.

* Bootlegger Bistro, 7700 Las Vegas Blvd South. Traditional Italian food from family-run restaurant; graveyard specials from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Open 24 hours.

* Casa di Amore, 2850 E. Tropicana Ave. Traditional Italian with an extended seafood selection and live entertainment nightly. Open 24 hours.

* Chicago Brewing Co., 2201 S. Fort Apache Road. Dishes that particularly complement site-brewed beers. Open 24 hours.

* Crown & Anchor British Pub, 1350 E. Tropicana Ave. English specialties, plus sandwiches, salads and other options. Open 24 hours.

* Firefly on Paradise, 3900 Paradise Road. Traditional Spanish tapas (small plates) plus many that borrow from other cuisines; sangria and mojitos by the pitcher. Open until 3 a.m. daily.

* Green Room, 4490 Spring Mountain Road. Traditional Korean food. Open until 3 a.m. daily.

* Hamada of Japan, 365 E. Flamingo Road. Extensive Japanese menu including teppanyaki, sushi, noodles and tempura. Open until 4 a.m. daily.

* Joyful House Chinese Cuisine, 4601 Spring Mountain Road. Chinese-American selections, plus more traditional Chinese dishes. Open until 4 a.m. daily.

* KimChi Original Korean BBQ, 3049 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Korean barbecue, hot pot and other specialty dishes. Open 24 hours.

* Lahaina Grill, 4570 Hualapai Way. Pacific Rim specialties and sushi. Open 24 hours (sushi bar open until 4 a.m. daily.)

* McMullan's Irish Pub, 4650 W. Tropicana Ave. Traditional Irish food and a variety of American dishes. Open 24 hours.

* Osaka Japanese Bistro, 10920 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson and 4205 W. Sahara Ave. Traditional Japanese dishes and sushi. Open until 2 a.m. daily (last order taken at 1:30 a.m.).

* Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe & Hookah Lounge, 4147 S. Maryland Parkway. Variety of foods from numerous Mediterranean cuisines. Open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

* Peppermill Coffee Shop, 2985 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Huge salads, entrees, burgers, breakfast. Open 24 hours.

* Pho Kim Long, 4023 Spring Mountain Road. Vietnamese soups, rice, porridge, noodles, live fish. Open until 3 a.m. daily.

* Rainbow Bar & Grill, 4480 Paradise Road. "All-American comfort food" until closing, usually between 4 and 6 a.m., daily.

* Rocco Capozzoli's, 3333 S. Maryland Parkway. Traditional Italian with occasional surprise appearances by visiting performers. Open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

* Satay Malaysian Grille, 3755 Spring Mountain Road. Traditional Malaysian and other Asian specialties. Open until 5 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

* Super Mex, 3460 E. Sunset Road. Traditional Mexican-American cuisine. Open 24 hours.

* Tenaya Creek Restaurant & Brewery, 3101 N. Tenaya Way. Steaks, pasta, seafood, pizza and other items. Open 24 hours.

* Tiffany's Cafe at White Cross Drug, 1700 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Traditional diner specialties. Open 24 hours.

* Tipps Thai Cuisine, 5740 Spring Mountain Road. Authentic Thai cuisine. Saturday nights open until dawn.