Las Vegas is fairly good for Italian but lags behind other cities for fine dining and especially for Pizza. There are some good choices for fine dining and a few for big eaters and locals.

Our top choice is B&B at the Venetian based on unique flavors and combinations such as beef cheek ravioli not found in other Italian restaurants (except Babbo in NYC). It is also one of the best choices if you are visiting Vegas to hit a celebrity restaurant (Molto Mario, Iron Chef Mario Batali). It is not recommended for those looking for spaghetti and meatballs.

The Vegas Valentino (Venetian) wine bottle inventory is not even 1/4 the size as the Valentino’s in LA but is still a great list that leaves everyone else in the dust. They mark up their wine about 2-2.5X which is actually very low for Vegas which averages about 3-4X up to 8X the wholesale price.

If wine is important to you, you will probably prefer Valentino’s. Their food is also very good with gnocchi and veal particularly strong. Similar to B&B, this is not a spaghetti and meatballs joint.

Bartollotta’s at Wynn has fish flown in from the Mediterranean daily. They price it in a similar way to Bradley Ogden and Okada’s per ounce pricing of Kobe beef except that you always have to get the whole fish. It is the top choice for Italian seafood in Vegas. The tomato based sauce for the whole fish is recommended.

Osteria del Circo or just Circo at Bellagio has a great view of the fountains and very good lamb and ravioli dishes. It is owned by the same owner of Le Cirque. They have recently inched up some prices but it is still very much worth the large amount of money (though less than Le Cirque). If you want a view and excellent Italian, this may be the best combination for you in Las Vegas.

Il Mulino fills you with complimentary appetizers and brings on good sized main courses starring chops, lobster and ravioli. If you like garlic, cream, butter, etc. a bit on the heavy side, which many do, this may be the best fit. If you prefer mastery of nuances, B&B and Valentino have the edge. Abruzzo purists may wonder about the heat and authenticity.

Alex Stratta of Bartollota fame has taken over Corsa Cucina (Wynn) which was actually not bad before. If willing to take a chance on a restaurant after a chef change, this may be a great gamble but Vegas Made Easy.com has not had a chance to update its review. Corsa Cucina is on our watchlist for a possible upgrade.

• B&B (Venetian)
• Valentino (Venetian)
• Bartollota’s (Wynn)
• Circo (Bellagio)
• Il Mulino (Caesars Forum Shops)

If visiting from a Pizza haven such as Chicago, Phoenix or New York, you will probably find Las Vegas Pizza disappointing. There are some bright spots but not near the Strip.

For New York coal-fired oven purists, Grimaldi’s (in Henderson) oven gets up to 1800 degrees. It is an offshoot of Patsy Grimaldi’s in New York and the only coal pizzeria in Vegas.

However, also in Henderson, Settebello offers true Napoletana pizza with a smoky charred crust similar to Grimaldi’s except that it follows the Verace Pizza Napoletana rules about only using a wood fired oven. Of the two, Vegas Made Easy.com gives the nod to Settebello for slightly tastier crust as well as toppings although neither are the loaded pizzas that you find with Chicago deep dish style.

For Chicago deep dish, the closest to a recommendation (and they are not that close) are Anthony and Mario’s Broadway Pizza (Off-strip) and JB’s (Off-strip). Anthony and Mario’s is a pretty good all-around restaurant but not a pure deep dish shop. For JB’s, order a side of marinara to spoon on the pizza to make up for a lack of sauce as they only use tomato chunks.

If stuck on the Strip without a car and want really good pizza, you are stuck. Just keep in mind that Pizza is not a strong point of Vegas cuisine unlike Buffets and French food.

There are no free-standing Italian buffets although all the major casino buffets have Italian sections that range from not very good to definitely not very good. However, for big eaters, Maggiano’s (Fashion Show) and Buca di Beppo (Near-Strip) can be a moderately priced way to eat large quantities similar to a buffet.

Buca di Beppo has good garlic bread and okay large meatballs. Baked dishes are usually passable but sometimes overdone. Maggiano’s has better food in general and family style will allow you to avoid starvation. They have a good Strip view as well.

If seeking excess, Battista’s (Near Strip) wine is all you can drink which means it can cover up the so-so food quality, if not immediately, later on when your memory becomes impaired. All 3 of these can be quite fun and less than half as expensive as the fine dining choices with the tradeoff being that the food is not as good. Maggiano’s puts up a good fight though.

The top choice for Locals or visitors with a car who prefer Locals’ joints is Nora’s. Their cuisine is American-Italian with good red sauce and a good spaghetti casserole. They tend to do pasta past al dente which some like and others don’t. If you can’t drive to Henderson, their pizza is okay and tops for their part of town.

Marc’s, like Nora’s, is located in a strip mall. They have a good hot antipasto and fried meatballs. If you like hot peppers and steak, their Steak Elchico is a good combination.

Café Chloe has a good puttanesca and rack of lamb. It only has about 40 seats so try going early or late or getting reservations.