Cheap ethnic eats, off the strip

[Rick]

I'll be visiting for first time since 2008 and am looking for any and all cheap ethnic eats. Have a car, will travel. I've already done Lotus of Siam a few times and my gf isn't a big Thai fan. Other than Thai, anything is up for grabs. We really like Indian, mexican, dim sum, sushi, banh mi, korean bbq, dumplings, chinese, ramen, burmese, etc., and are really open to anything. Would love to keep it under $10pp but up to $20 pp is fine (plus tax, tip, no alcohol). We'll be staying in a room with a kitchenette, so also wouldn't mind anything we could buy and prepare at home.

I know from reading a lot of chowhound posts that people may reply with just about everything is ethnic blah blah blah. I say ethnic because I'm not looking for pizza, steak specials, burgers, pancakes, hot dogs, wings, etc.
Thanks for the help!

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Lotus of Siam
953 E Sahara Ave Ste A5, Las Vegas, NV 89104

[tnsquire]

there are 2 great german food places.one is called hofbrauhaus its on harmon and paradise across from the hard rock.I have been going there for over 20 years and they have lunch specials.also there is cafe heidelberg on sahara about a block before lotus .its good as well and has specials of the 2 i like hof better but hof leans on the bavarian side and it has live music.as a side note in the same center the heidelberg there is a marie callenders thats where frank " lefty" rosenthal was blown up.like in the movie casino but in the movie it showed a tony romas .

[Rick]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, we just recently got back from our trip. We ended up going to:

Sushi Mon, both locations (different owners) and both were great, but we liked the one out South Maryland Parkway better, they had a better nigiri selection.

Ellis Island for the BBQ, great as always. Got a few slices of Metro Pizza too, liked that as well.

Pho Thanh Huong we loved, better than the banh mi that we get in Northern Virginia which has a lot of banh mi shops.

Tofu Hut for Korean BBQ, loved this too, also better than what we get in NOVA which also has a ton of Koreaan BBQ places.

Technique, it was a solid good, my Halibut was perfectly cooked, gf's burger wasn't bad, my risotto wasn't great, desserts were very good, bread basket was very good. For $10 pp an excellent deal and I'd easily go back.

Tacos El Gordo, we weren't impressed, kind of greasy, looked better than it tasted.

In n Out, always make a visit when in Vegas, it is what it is and we enjoyed it.

Wicked Spoon for brunch, really enjoyed this, the pastas ended up being our favorite thing there (butternut squash ravioli and gnocchi which both were excellent). Loved the dessert section, especially the gelato.

Wynn buffet for lunch, really enjoyed this too, the quality seemed maybe a half step above Wicked Spoon, but preferred Wicked Spoon's desserts over Wynn's.

Thanks everyone for the help!

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Sushi Mon
9770 S Maryland Pkwy Ste 3, Las Vegas, NV 89183

Tofu Hut
3920 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Pho Thanh Huong
1131 E Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89119

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

On your next trip you might want to try Namaste for Indian. It is located next to Lotus of Siam.

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Lotus of Siam
953 E Sahara Ave Ste A5, Las Vegas, NV 89104

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I live Northeast of Vegas, but I get into town pretty regularly.

For Sushi I would say to check into Sage Sushi on Craig up on the North end of town. I have a friend who was stationed in Japan for 10 -11 years, and he said that it was the best sushi he had had.

I have had good meals at Paymons Mediterranean, Great Wall of China on Charleston (not all oily like some Chinese places), and I would say to skip Tacos El Gordo-not impressed at all with the adobado tacos.

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Paymons Mediterranean Cafe
107 E Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89104

[westie]

Some ethnic restaurants that I think would fit into your budget:

Tacos El Gordo - the adobado tacos and burritos are excellent. There are now two locations.

Los Molajates -share a combination molajates. Cash only.

Milos - $20.11 3-course lunch is outstanding.

Ellis Island - BBQ combination platter of a 1/2 rack of ribs & 1/2 chicken will cost less than $10 each and you can bring either the ribs or chicken back to your room for a 2nd meal.

Ping Pang Pong - dim sum served daily from 10A-3P should fill you up for under $15 per person.

Cuba Cafe - we used a restaurant.com certificate and had to take a couple of desserts with us to hit the $35 purchase requirement. Cost of meal, tax, gratuity and certificate was $20.05.

India Palace is pretty decent and you can purchase a restaurant.com certificate. Our last meal including tax, gratuity and cost of the certificate at $20.84 total.

Twin Creeks Steakhouse serves tapas at 1/2 price Tue-Thur. You will be hard pressed to spend more than $20.

Technique has a 5-course tasting menu that will set you back only $15 per person before tax and gratuity. There is also a 3-course option for somewhere around $10.

Tofu Hut - Korean BBQ. I purchased a certificate from KSHP (google it) and we enjoyed an all inclusive dinner for around $25. Note: you can not use the KSHP certificate for the AYCE.

There are a number of Ethiopian restaurants in Las Vegas where spending $20 total would be difficult.

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Ping Pang Pong
4000 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89103

India Palace
505 E Twain Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89169

Tofu Hut
3920 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Twin Creeks
3333 Blue Diamond Road, Las Vegas, NV 89139

[mocozeke]

Only potential add is Firefly on Paradise. My wife and i had an outstanding lunch there last trip.

[jackattack]

For $20 per person you can have a fantastic little spread at the Mundo Happy Hour. I think, currently, it is 4 to 7pm Sundays through Friday in the bar, but check the website. Mundo has terrific food, sort of mexican tapas at Happy Hour, and $2 bottled brews, $3 margaritas. It's on Grand Central Parkway between Charleston and Downtown, just off the 15 freeway ...Charleston West exit. Turn left after you see the crazy Cleveland Clinic brain building on the right. It's hidden in the World Market Center but well worth finding, especially for happy hour. (Regular hours is above your price point).

www.mundolasvegas.com

[Jase]

One of my fave recommendations is Rincon Buenos Aires for Argentinian. They have good food there and it's essentially a bunch of tables inside a grocery and deli. But if you have a kitchenette, you could take a look at their case and take some stuff back to prepare. They have different kinds of meats, cold cuts, empanadas, etc.

[Dave Feldman]

I've never had a kitchenette in Las Vegas, but it just occurred to me, I might want to drive to International Marketplace, at 5000 S. Decatur (just south of Tropicana) and check it out. It's worth the trip even if you don't have cooking facilities, but if you do...

[citywayne]

Been there. I didn't think it was a good use of my time. I would rather go to DiHo or Ranch, both Asian markets on Spring Mountain Rd. DiHo is further west, Ranch 99 (I think is the full name) is in Chinatown Mall. They have large (over 4 pound) lobsters for relatively cheap.

[Dave Feldman]

You've already gotten many great recommendations. I want to echo the recommendation of Monta. I just had ramen last night at one of the most touted places in New York, and Monta easily beats it. Gyoza and a tonkaotsu ramen is a Platonic meal.

A few other ideas:

Noodle Pot has Taiwan-style noodle soups featuring hand-pulled noodles for a fraction of the cost of China Poblano and Beijing Noodle #9 on the Strip. But I find the Zha Jiang Mian, or "fried sauce noodles" to be at least as addictive as the beef noodle soups -- ground pork stir-fried in fermented soy. 4215 Spring Mountain on the ground floor, just to the left of the opening to the big entrance of the mall.

Hue Thai Sandwiches -- 5515 Spring Mt. is not Thai but Vietnamese. The pho isn't as good as the recommendations below, but if I'm having a big dinner, I love to stop by for a bahn mi and an iced mango drink. On the second floor of a large Asian mall, which is worth exploring.

La Mexicana is a personal fave of mine for antojitos, Los Angeles-style (look for tacos and tortas, and the special soups and stews). 3675 S Decatur Blvd but if you have a kitchenette, maybe it would be even better to get some provisions at Mariana's, a Mexican supermarket at West Sahara and Valley View). The snack bar is terrific, although it can be hit-and-miss at time. Tacos El Gordo has spectacular adobada. I've tried many other things but I go back for the porky goodness: 1724 E Charleston Blvd. It's hard to spend $10 here.

Monta is the only place where you even can spend $20 per person.

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Hue Thai Restaurant
, Las Vegas, NV 89146

[zepheria]

It sounds like you would enjoy exploring some of the other options at Commercial Center.

Beyond those, here are some that I like that fit your price point:

Mint Indian Bistro has a creditable $9.99 lunch buffet and they're really nice folks. India Palace is also very good but a little more expensive. India Oven at Paradise and Sahara is another good moderately priced Indian option.

Banh mi from Pho Thanh Huong; their pho is excellent too, but my favorite pho is Pho Saigon 8.

Monta Ramen fits your price point & is out of this world. Closer to the strip and slightly more expensive is Yokohama Kaigenro. Sushi is probably outside your price range but there are decent all you can eat options that run around $25 pp - Sushi Mon for example.

For breakfast or lunch, Harrie's Bagelmania has good bagels and deli options, and Merkato in the same strip mall offers tasty Ethiopian food. Daytime is best for visiting this strip mall.

You'll find many dim sum recommendations on this board. I like Chang's Hong Kong Cuisine.

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Bagelmania
855 E Twain Ave # 120, Las Vegas, NV

India Palace
505 E Twain Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89169

Sushi Mon
9770 S Maryland Pkwy Ste 3, Las Vegas, NV 89183

Pho Saigon 8
5650 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89146

Yokohama Kaigenro
4503 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89169

Sushi Mon
8320 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89117

Pho Thanh Huong
1131 E Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89119

India Oven
2218 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89104

Mint Indian Bistro
730 E Flamingo Rd, Paradise, NV 89119

[Philber]

Los Molcajetes at Eastern and Owens is authentic Mexican. Nothing fancy and no liquor license so no margaritas, only beer and/or wine. There food is very good! Check the board for reviews. Prices are well within your desired range. Finally, they are CASH only.

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Los Molcajetes
1553 N Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101

[Rick]

Would definitely like to do an all you can eat sushi place. I looked it up on Yelp and was surprised how many ayce sushi places there are in Vegas! Is sushinmon your favorite?

[shamu613]

Sushi Mon is good and well liked by locals. When I lived on the west side of town, my favorite was a place called Brian's Beach of Flamingo and Durango.

Having moved near the Green Valley Resort, I've had to reset my local favorite go-to restaurants of all cuisines. Just last week, my meetup.com group dined at Sushi Wa on Eastern and Coronado Center Dr. We were stunned by the portion size of both the nigiri and rolls.

I generally have low regard for sushi restaurants in the Vegas valley and even more so for the AYCE places. Just look at my posts on the subject of sushi and you confirm that I'm no fan of desert sushi. In fact, I usually wait until I visit Los Angeles to go my favorite sushi place and get truly fresh fish. That said, I was impressed by our visit to Sushi Wa.

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Sushi Mon
9770 S Maryland Pkwy Ste 3, Las Vegas, NV 89183

Brian's Beach
8665 W Flamingo Rd Ste 106, Las Vegas, NV 89147

Sushi Mon
8320 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89117

Sushi Wa
790 Coronado Center Dr Ste 125, Henderson, NV 89052