My kind of Vegas trip
My grandparents and I love going to ARIA. We love drinking Bloody Marys and gambling, going to the pool, and eating at restaurants. We also love watching TV and the news, playing games in the room, taking naps, and getting gelato in the lobby. A Vegas trip does not have to mean going nonstop.
ARIA has been super friendly with scooters for my grandparents' mobility issues. My grandma likes to go fast on her scooter. It has turtle-to-rabbit speed settings, and she likes rabbit mode. That matters when we're deciding where to spend our time. These are my food picks, with room for the pool, a nap, and the tram to Bellagio between meals.
Carbone
Spicy rigatoni vodka is the pick here. Carbone is an Italian-American restaurant inspired by the mid-20th century, with tableside service and a sense of showmanship. This is a proper sit-down dinner, rather than a quick bite between stops on the casino floor.
The restaurant's old-school setting is part of the experience: the meal is about the room and service as well as what's on the plate. If you're choosing between the places on this list, Carbone is the Italian dinner option. The spicy rigatoni vodka is where I'd start.
Javier's
At Javier's, I love enchiladas, a spicy margarita, guacamole and queso. That is the order. Something to drink, something to dip, and then the enchiladas.
The setting has its own personality, including a large wood carving with an Aztec motif. Javier's sits off the casino floor, so this is a restaurant stop within the ARIA day rather than a trip across town. Hand shaken margaritas and fancy Mexican food for Javier's.
Din Tai Fung
If you haven't been to Din Tai Fung before, put this one on your list.
It's known for its Taiwanese dumplings and noodles, and honestly, I think it's one of the best places at ARIA to order a bunch of things for the table and share. That way you get to try a little bit of everything instead of committing to one giant entrée.
Since I'm vegetarian, I usually build my meal around the vegetable sides and noodles, but there are also some must-orders for the meat eaters at the table.
What We Order
Cucumber Salad
Cool, crunchy cucumbers tossed in a light, tangy dressing. This is one of those dishes that is especially good between all the richer, saucier things.
Garlic Green Beans
Exactly what they sound like - green beans cooked with lots of garlic. A vegetable order is obviously required so we can pretend we're being responsible.
Peanut Noodles
Chewy noodles tossed in a savory, nutty peanut sauce. They're rich and really satisfying, and they're one of my favorite vegetarian things to order.
For the Meat Eaters: Xiao Long Bao
You cannot talk about Din Tai Fung without talking about Xiao Long Bao, aka soup dumplings.
These are delicate steamed dumplings filled with savory meat and hot soup. You bite into them carefully because that little dumpling is basically holding a tiny pool of broth inside.
They're one of Din Tai Fung's signature dishes and the food that put the restaurant on the map.
Pro tip: Don't just pop the whole thing in your mouth! Pick it up carefully, place it in your spoon, poke a little hole to let the steam escape, and let it cool before eating.
And honestly, watching someone try their first soup dumpling is half the fun.
And Then There's the Cocktail...
I usually get the lychee martini, but if you know, you know about the Sailor Moon.
It's an off-menu cocktail that combines the flavors of a Cosmopolitan and a lychee martini. Basically, two of my favorite cocktails had a baby.
If you're a Cosmo or lychee martini girlie, ask if they can make it.
And please save room for dessert. We love the chocolate dessert with sweet cream - because apparently after dumplings, noodles and cocktails, I still have room for chocolate.
Always.
Salt & Ivy
For breakfast or brunch, I love Salt & Ivy - especially when we can grab a table outside by the pool.
And you need to try the Dutch baby.
If you've never had one, it's basically a giant, skillet-baked pancake. Unlike traditional American pancakes, which are usually fluffy little stacks cooked one at a time on a griddle, a Dutch baby is baked all at once in a skillet. It puffs up dramatically around the edges while the center stays soft and custardy.
Then they finish it with powdered sugar, which makes the whole thing feel like a giant breakfast dessert.
Obviously, I am not complaining.
I also love ordering crispy hash brown potatoes and scrambled eggs alongside it because apparently one breakfast carbohydrate wasn't enough for me.
The patio overlooking the pool is my favorite spot when the weather cooperates. Vegas weather can be... aggressive, though, so if it's 110 degrees, we are absolutely eating inside.
I love my grandparents, but I am not putting Grandma into rabbit mode through a heat wave for pancakes.
Lemongrass
Thai food is one of my favorites, and yellow curry or green curry is usually my choice as a vegetarian. Lemongrass has silk-factory-inspired installations, a dining room and lounge seating, so the setting is different from the Italian and Mexican restaurants on this list.
Thai food can be vegetarian friendly, but it is not always fish-free. I would check the sauces and curry ingredients rather than assume that a vegetable dish is vegetarian.
I also love cream cheese wontons and mango sticky rice anywhere I can get them. Those are my general Thai-food favorites, not a promise that every restaurant will have them. Curry is my starting point here; anything else depends on the menu and what can be made vegetarian.
Lobby gelato
The gelato stop is in the lobby by all the chocolate sculptures. My favorite combinations are lemon and raspberry or pistachio and chocolate. One is fruity, the other is the pistachio-and-chocolate direction, so it depends on what sounds good that day.
Getting gelato is part of our ARIA routine, alongside the pool, restaurant meals and naps. It does not need to be a whole event. Sometimes the stop between everything else is the one you keep coming back to.
The tram to Bellagio
My grandparents and I like taking the tram to Bellagio casino. It gives us another stop outside ARIA without turning the whole day into a long list of plans.
For me, this guide is about the little rhythm of the trip: eat, spend time together, take the tram, and leave room to rest. We love gambling and the pool, but we also love games in the room and a nap. Both can belong in the same Vegas trip.
The perks of being a VIP player
The benefits we enjoy are getting to book rooms for free, food free, and shows and tickets comped. Those are the perks I want to talk about, rather than money or points.
For us, it is another part of spending time at ARIA and doing the things we enjoy together. These are our own trip experiences, not a list of benefits every visitor should expect.
