Arts District Lip Smacking Tour

Let award-winning Lip Smacking take you on a culinary journey to this exciting epicenter of creativity, an urban community where former industrial spaces have been revamped into the newest booming neighborhood full of vitality and allure.

A whiff of fresh air, this tour involves minimal walking, making it ideal for any weather or any time of year. In one easy outing, you’ll visit three prominent independent restaurants that don’t follow trends, but set them. Each one is owner-operated by a renowned chef who passionately crafts crowd-favorite dishes loaded with inspiration but minus the fuss and formality.

Get escorted immediately past host stands to the best tables in the house to enjoy a parade of signature dishes at every restaurant. It’s a feast of more than a dozen dishes in all that includes indulgent desserts, making for absolute bang for the buck. At each establishment, you’ll be greeted by a waitstaff at the ready to meet every need, too.

Best yet, Lip Smacking specializes in easily accommodating dietary and allergy restrictions. At the time of booking, you’ll be prompted to include any such restrictions – be it vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian or gluten-free or other – so that Lip Smacking can do its best to adjust menus accordingly in advance.

With more than a decade in business in Vegas, Lip Smacking has nurtured exclusive partnerships with the most sought-after restaurants and resorts in the city, making it the envy of others.

Who better then to lead you through the Arts District, a lively mix of vintage clothing boutiques, antique stores, theaters, and of course, bars and restaurants with personality to spare? It’s an authentic neighborhood where people live and work, and proudly put their imagination on display. It’s where “First Friday’’ began 23 years ago, the city’s premier arts and culture festival that draws upwards of 15,000 people on the first Friday of each month to stroll and admire one-of-a-kind art. It’s where the transformative Midtown project is taking shape, an expansive new corridor of urban living with the area’s first boutique property, the English Hotel, which you’ll get to visit.

The first stop is Esther’s Kitchen, where long lines are the norm. It’s one of the toughest reservations to land, as diners simply can’t get enough of its scratch-made, supple pastas and cutting-edge, hyper-seasonal Italian cooking that’s served on handmade plateware fashioned in a pottery studio just steps away. Lip Smacking, however, gets you seated pronto to enjoy the finest dishes from Chef James Trees, a Vegas native who has worked for culinary luminaries such as Gordon Ramsay and Eric Ripert, and who was a 2020 James Beard finalist for “Best Chef: Southwest.’’ Trees has doubled down on his success in the Arts District by opening his impressive new Bar Boheme, which is winning raves far and wide, that you’ll also get to visit.

Then, it’s on to the new Palate, helmed by Chef Sterling Buckley, former executive chef of Gordon Ramsay Steak on the Strip. He brings a more personal side to a modern canvas of Southern specialties with colorful brushstrokes of Latin American, Pan Asian, and European flourishes. Buckley, who has competed on TV’s “Chopped’’ and “Beat Bobby Flay,’’ is all about giving diners a grand and entertaining time.

Between restaurants, you’ll stretch your legs at an art gallery that’s one of the crown jewels in the art world for its rotating exhibits that include the most thought-provoking, and relevant pieces for the times. You’ll also get to view a unique, globally-recognized artwork and learn the story behind it: the provocative “Chain Migration’’ by artist Izaac Zevalking, aka Recycled Propaganda, which depicts the Statue of Liberty in handcuffs.

The final stop is Bar Boheme, the newest venture by Chef Trees. This chic French bistro with an edgy industrial vibe was named one of the “Top 100 Restaurants’’ of 2025 by the Las Vegas Review-Journal even before it was a year-old. Insiders are already betting that it gets a nod from Michelin when that influential authority debuts its first-ever Southwest U.S. guide in 2026. Enjoy signature savory courses, along with fantastic house-made desserts.

An optional beverage package is available that provides a cutting-edge craft cocktail served promptly at every restaurant. While you’re free to order a beverage upon arrival at any restaurant, this package, which includes all restaurant taxes and gratuities, means no waiting and no distractions from the overall experience.

A knowledgeable and personable professional guide leads the way to every stop, educating with fun facts and intriguing stories along the way. Our guides know Vegas inside and out, and can provide more helpful and personalized recommendations, including the best shops to explore or craft breweries that shouldn’t be missed. So, take this advantage to get fully immersed: Come for our Arts District Lip Smacking Tour, then linger at your leisure afterward to explore even more of this dynamic area on your own.