Downtown features fresh lunch spots for hungry diners

Friendly faces and fresh food are frequent features of popular downtown lunch spots. Triple George Grill, a neighborhood staple on Third Street that was voted "Best Place to Power Lunch" for the fourth straight year in the Las Vegas Review-Journal's 2011 "Best of Las Vegas" poll, continues to serve entrée salads, seafood, steak and delicious bargains from its "Ten under $10 section," in an atmosphere well-suited for both business and pleasure.

In the nearby Las Vegas Arts District, Bar+Bistro @ the Arts Factory offers an array of tapas, as well as sandwiches, sliders, pizzas, soups and salads. To top it off, a meal at Bar+Bistro doubles as a trip to the art gallery: Decorative pieces throughout the space are available for purchase.

A variety of charming new options joined longtime neighborhood favorites in the past year, including The Beat Coffeehouse & Records, serving homemade soups, salads and sandwiches inside the Emergency Arts building, a creative collective of galleries and studios on East Fremont Street across from the El Cortez. The menu reflects the funky personality of the café with items such as the signature Slap and Tickle sandwich, a twist on the classic peanut butter and jelly that includes bacon and jalapenos.

Also new to the neighborhood is Res-nicks Grocery, a downtown bodega on the first floor of Soho Lofts that offers a variety of to-go lunch options, including sandwiches, breads, salads and sushi -- all made fresh daily. Though perfect for a busy downtown employee on-the-go, white tables on the store's shady lawn invite one to linger and enjoy.

Just across the street from Resnicks Grocery on Las Vegas Boulevard, The Verdict's Inn café now serves its wildly popular chopped salad and other lunch favorites in the space that formerly housed the Potato Valley Café. Super-sized black and white photos on the walls pay homage to some of the most iconic lawyers and judges of film and television.