For a long time, BYOB in Las Vegas was pretty hit-or-miss. Some restaurants welcomed BYOB diners with open arms, some charged outrageous corkage fees, some said they didn’t allow BYOB, while others said it was illegal [I believe it actually was in some parts of LV, maybe still is]. Some of these inconsistencies occurred at different restaurants on the same hotel property.
Since the onset of the most recent recession, my wife Karen and I have noticed an overall loosening of these policies. I’d like to share with you some of our favorite restaurants in Las Vegas – including our most recent exciting find – that do allow diners to bring their own wine, but first…
In any article about corkage, I feel obligated to mention a few rules. First, please bear in mind that BYOB is a privilege, not a right. You, as a diner, should appreciate when a restaurant owner allows you to bring in an outside product for consumption. Part of showing this appreciation is to bring in a wine appropriate to the meal, not some budget product hurriedly picked from a supermarket shelf en route to the dining establishment. Offer a taste of the wine to the manager, owner, or sommelier. And remember to include the service being provided in your gratuity; the server should not be punished due to you bringing in your own bottle instead of ordering wine from the restaurant’s list.
Please note that all of the restaurants listed below have very good wine lists. The owners just choose to provide their diners with the choice of bringing their own wine. Quite often, we will order a glass of something from a restaurant’s list before drinking the bottle we brought with us.
Also, should you choose to dine at any of the restaurants suggested below, I recommend that you verify in advance that the corkage policies I’ve listed are still in effect.
On the strip…
Paris Las Vegas
3655 Las Vegas Blvd South
Well priced menu in the style of a classic French Bistro. My favorite menu item is the Hanger Steak for about $23. Great view of the Bellagio fountain.
Corkage: $35
The Venetian
3355 Las Vegas Blvd South
Another French Bistro, this one with the added bonus of being in the Thomas Keller family of restaurants.
Corkage: $25
We often prefer to dine off the strip, not being huge fans of the crowded celebrity chef dining experiences. Here are a couple of our favorites…
2620 Regatta Dr Ste 106
Las Vegas, NV 89128
Not your typical BYOB place. Actually a great wine store with a restaurant attached, or a great restaurant with a wine store attached, depending on how you look at it. The idea here is you pick a bottle [or two] from the wine store and bring it to your table for an additional $10. I don’t know if they actually allow outside wine. But with the terrific selection and reasonable pricing, who cares? Menu is French bistro [kind of a recurring theme here, I know] with some pastas to add a touch of Italian. On the shore of a man made lake in Summerlin. Wine tasting on Saturday afternoons.
4350 E Sunset Rd Henderson, NV 89014
No French Bistro here. At this strip mall restaurant in Henderson, Chef Todd Clore creates his menus based on what he feels will taste good that day. Sample dishes:
Chipotle fried Calamari and Rock shrimp, spicy aioli
Goat Cheese Wonton raspberry basil sauce
Boneless Short Rib, jalapeño mashed, caramelized onion sauce
Breast of Duck pomegranate red wine sauce, mashed sweet potatoes
Grilled Skirtsteak “ON FIRE” chili cheese fries and black bean chili sauce
Todd’s also has monthly wine dinners.
Corkage: $20 [$0 on Wednesday]
Sam Marvin, Echo & Rig
440 S Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89145
Our latest “find” in Summerlin, and the reason I wanted to write this article now. In Tivoli Village, a picturesque outdoor shopping mall of high-end stores and delicious restaurants, Echo & Rig is a combination butcher shop and steak house.
From their website:
“Sam Marvin and Frank Fronda have introduced a pioneering new concept which transforms the long-held theories behind the steakhouse formula while simultaneously reintroducing the neighborhood butcher shop. The Echo & Rig Butcher Shop is a stunning homage to meat featuring a large open glass meat locker, vertical displays and an exhibition/demonstration area.”
Excellent personal service. Great selection of small plates and plenty of choices for non-steak eaters as well. I could have made a meal of just the small plates, but I wanted one of those steaks. So we got a salad of Tomato, Cucumber, Watermelon & Red Onion as well as an order of Bone Marrow Carne Asada. Karen got the Bouillabaisse while I ordered the Skirt Steak. The most expensive steaks were $34.80 and the one I got was $25.70. Delicious and reasonable. And, dig this…
Corkage: $0.00. That’s right, zero, nada, the big bagel.
They do have a very nice wine list, so we had a couple of glasses of Lambrusco to start.
Even better, later next year they plan on opening in Calabasas. Closer than Vegas, baby.
Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com