No shortage of restaurants with a view of the Strip

When longtime Las Vegas resident Olga Scheel has out-of-town guests, she makes sure they get a unique perspective on the city.

"I think every person who comes to Las Vegas should be taken to the Stratosphere," Scheel says. Specifically, she is referring to the resort's Top of the World restaurant, which looks down on the valley from 800 feet above Las Vegas Boulevard.

"The view from there is magnificent," Scheel says. "It's as breathtaking during the day as it is during the evening." Scheel notes that the Top of the World rotates; it makes a full rotation every hour and 20 minutes.

"It takes one long lunch or a dinner to do the rotation," she says. "Everybody is actually awestruck."

The Top of the World may be the highest restaurant in Las Vegas, but there are numerous others across the valley that offer views -- not always lofty, but sometimes interesting, sometimes soothing.

"One of the most iconic vistas in the world is that of the Las Vegas Strip and the surrounding areas," says Erica Pope, senior manager of public relations for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. But in addition, she says, "one of the most intriguing aspects about visiting Las Vegas is the people-watching potential that is offered here. I think people like being part of that." Restaurants with streetside dining, she says, are "yet another occasion to have a front-row view of the spectacle."

Scheel couldn't agree more.

"I love going to Mon Ami Gabi" at Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South, she says. "It is just absolutely wonderful if you sit out on the porch and watch the world go by."

Among her other favorites:

• Maggiano's at the Fashion Show mall, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South, "especially if you get a corner table." There's a great view of the Strip, she says, and prime people-watching -- Fashion Show shoppers and people going to and from Wynn Las Vegas, diagonally across the street.

• The Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris Las Vegas, because "there isn't a better place to see the dancing waters" of the Fountains of Bellagio across the street.

• Olives at Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South, for an up-close view of the fountains.

• Cili at the Bali Hai Golf Club, 5160 Las Vegas Blvd. South, which offers a view of the course.

• Panevino, 246 Via Antonio Ave., which has a view of the Strip and also the airport just across Sunset Road.

You'll note that most of these restaurants are clustered on or near the Strip; Pope says that's no coincidence.

"Our resort community has been very visionary in realizing that these are great selling points for their properties to be able to offer such an amenity," she says.

Here are a few more Strip rooms with views:

• Mix, atop The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South: the Strip in all its glory.

• Picasso at Bellagio: the Fountains of Bellagio.

• Cafe Bellagio: the Botanical Garden.

• Bouchon, The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South: gardens and pool area.

• Trader Vic's, the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South: pedestrian traffic on the Strip.

But other spots in the valley offer pleasing views as well. They include:

• Ventano, 191 S. Arroyo Grande Blvd. in Henderson: a glittering view of the Strip from a distance.

• Springs Cafe by Wolfgang Puck, Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.: views of the preserve and the city in the distance.

• Viaggio, 11261 S. Eastern Ave., Henderson: view of the Strip in the distance.

• Duffer's Bar & Grill, Desert Pines Golf Course, 3415 E. Bonanza Road: soothing view of the course.

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0474.