CHICA Las Vegas — Restaurant in Paradise

There are a ton of overpriced and disappointing restaurants on the strip in Las Vegas. I'm always apprehensive about spending $50-$100 a person(with no alcohol) for fancified ingredients prepared in a lazy and mediocre way.

Chica is different. It's pricey, but it's actually worth it. The quality of food preparation and the service experience is worth every cent. If you get the chance to go on a Friday or Saturday night, it's a wild and fun time! They sell an experience that is unique, fun and delicious.

The empanadas are fantastic. The pastry is perfect, the filings are balanced and the sauce is full of flavor. They are a savory starter that you must try.

The beef tartar is fresh, vibrant and focuses on what the dish is really supposed to be—beef! Overall, it was very enjoyable. I wanted to sink my teeth into some succulent beef and it exceeded my expectations.

We got every dessert. Look, I could go into each one, but they were all incredible, so I'll just focus on two:

At first I thought the flaming skull dessert was all show. We didn't care though, we wanted the show, and it was great. Again, Chica provides a great dining experience, and the experience of the flaming skull is unlike any I've had. Sure, I've had flambe'd baked Alaskas and other desserts, but watching the skull melt away to reveal the treasure hidden inside was next level. Let me say though, the quality of the chocolate and the gooey rich contrast of the cake was executed with precision. The ice cream that came with it was also excellent. Everything on that dish was out of this world.

We got the corn dessert, haha. Again, we got it just for the kitschiness of the concept. But again, I tasted it to find that it was unlike anything I've ever had. The flavor was cheesecake but better, the texture was soft and creamy. The crumbles on the plate, the white chocolate shavings on top, everything about it was just plain impressive. This is a Michelin star quality restaurant dessert.

Our server Miranda was great. We never felt unattended for a moment. She was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Everyone who works there seems happy to be there. The managers Beau and Glenn came by to check on us and they were friendly and ready to help us with anything we needed. The service here is just incredible.

There is no good reason to not go here. I highly recommend Chica at the Venetian in Las Vegas. It has everything you'd expect and so much more. There are so many dining options on the strip in Las Vegas, I've had many, and this is unequivocally the very best...

Chica is one of our favorite restaurants in the world. We basically come to Vegas for it. The food and atmosphere are both exceptional. That’s not to say every menu item is a home run, but many of them are. During our recent visit we went twice, ordering off of their dinner and brunch menus. Here’s what we ordered and how I’d score them.

Tijuana Caesar Salad (5/5): My wife said this was the best Caesar she’s ever had, and we ordered it twice. It’s excellent, although the pickled grapes can be a bit overpowering in their sweetness.

Quesa-Birria Empanadas (5/5): Feels like it should be cheating to put queso and birria in an empanada, but fortunately it’s not and these things are incredible, although they were also the first item we ordered and we were pretty hungry.

Oaxacan Rotisserie Chicken (5/5): We didn’t order the chicken this trip but did on our last visit. It was extremely tasty and the highlight of that meal.

Spicy Mamacita (5/5): Amazing cocktail.

Prime Skirt Steak (4.5/5): Excellent steak and seemed like good value vis-a-vis the other steaks on the menu. It was recommended to us by our server, and I was pleasantly surprised she didn’t automatically recommend the tomahawk that costs almost 4x as much. The steak is simple and I ran out of the garnishes relatively quickly.

Jalisco Old Fashioned (4/5): Simple but tasty provided that you like mezcal.

Papas Bravas (3.5/5): Really tasty with the perfect amount of cream and kick, although my wife felt like they tasted too much like potato wedges. Can’t please everyone!

Fried Fish Tacos (3/5): Nothing wrong with them but nothing that special either.

Quesa-Birria Tacos (3/5): Not bad but basically the same as the empanadas but less queso and in taco form. Tortillas were a bit soggy and they don’t come out piping hot like the empanadas did. Still, it’s the closest thing you can get to the empanadas on the brunch menu.

Churros con Cafe (1/5): We love churros but they need to be hot and soft and these were neither. There was also nothing to dip them in. They were accompanied by tiramisu which wasn’t anything special and seemed an odd pairing. Lastly, I have no idea why the name includes “con Cafe” because there wasn’t any cafe!

Tres Leches (4/5): The cake is literally soaked with milk which makes this dessert amazing. It’s a cold cake and I prefer them hot which is the only reason this...

I took my mother & baby girl to Chicago Valentines Day 2021. I’m a Vegas local & I enjoy trying out new restaurants all the time. I found Chica while exploring options at various hotels along the strip. Booking was made easy via Open Table & adjusting my reservation was made completely easy when I called the restaurant (on the day of). We were greeted by two lovely front of the house staff / receptionists & seated immediately. The restaurant was full of diners that appeared to be enjoying themselves with good banter, laughter drinks & food. The aura was calming n chic. The lights were really low throughout the restaurant and that immediately set for a more intimate mood. Our table was set for two and gave me enough apace to park my stroller alongside the table. When I visit again, I would request the same table across from the wine cellar and a few feet from the kitchen. Our servers name was Mia! She was super friendly. She was efficient, prompt and thorough. She explained the menu if we had questions, about anything, checked for allergies (always a plus), checked on us regularly but not overwhelmingly and had good conversation. She’s a gem! Our food was GREAT. We started with the chica salad. It was refreshing. The dressing was light but tasty. The chicharrones de pollo took a nice twist on the traditional with deep fried chicken breast. It was seasoned perfectly and the dressing it came with was so good. I enjoyed the salmon while my mom devoured the Venezuelan beef short rib. We shared rice and beans, street corn (GOOD!) & fried sweet plantain (a Vegas rarity). To top it off, we had Sprite, but not your typical “American” Sprite from the tap. We loved the fact that we had bottled Sprite (aka Mexican Sprite). Overall, our dining experience was worth every dime spent. Before leaving, we came to find out that the young man at the front desk is the general manager. He asked us about our dining experience which we shared and encouraged us to join them again for dinner or brunch (popular there). He too was very nice and personable. Needless to say, all three of us enjoyed Chica and will be...