Downtown Lip Smacking Tour

Get to know the real downtown that’s filled with history, culture, incredible public art, hip mom-and-pop boutiques, and unique, chef-driven independent restaurants that you won’t find elsewhere. It may be near the Fremont Street Experience, but it’s a world apart.

Let award-winning Lip Smacking Foodie Tours, the original home-grown culinary experience company, show you this colorful, urban core, known as the Fremont East Entertainment District, that’s full of distinctive personality that you probably never knew existed.

Named “America’s Best Food Tour’’ recently by Thrillist, Lip Smacking will take you to four different acclaimed downtown venues in one effortless outing to savor a parade of signature dishes at each one – a total of more than a dozen specialties in all for a bountiful feast. It’s mouthwatering food without pretense that’s approachable and familiar, but taken up a notch with premium ingredients and savvy creativity.

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, Lip Smacking has nurtured long-standing, exclusive partnerships with the most in-demand restaurants in Vegas that are the envy of others.

At each establishment visited, you’ll be treated to VIP service from the get-go. You’ll be whisked immediately past the host stand to the best table in the house, then greeted by an attentive waitstaff at the ready to meet every need.

A knowledgeable and personable professional guide will lead the way, educating about the history and lore of this fascinating Fremont East Entertainment District, and pointing out all the fresh, dynamic concepts that have injected new vigor here. It’s an easy stroll from place to place, with minimal distance covered, making for a comfortable experience no matter what the weather or time of year.

A neighborhood not to be missed, downtown is alive with show-stopping murals, witty signs, and eclectic landmarks. Wander through the super cool Downtown Container Park, where shipping containers have been converted into lively restaurants, boutiques stocked with locally made goods, and a spirited venue for free live music. At the park entrance stands a 40-foot-tall metal praying mantis sculpture straight from the Burning Man Festival, with antennas that shoot 6-story flames.

Lip Smacking offers both an afternoon and an evening version of this 2 ½-hour experience. The afternoon one is perfect for all ages; while the evening one is exclusively for those 21 years and older.

Either way, you’ll visit three restaurants plus a bonus establishment to enjoy a signature craft cocktail, beer, wine or mocktail that’s included in your tour price, along with all restaurant taxes and gratuities.

The restaurants on the tour will include three of the following hot spots, depending on the day or evening: Carson Kitchen, La Mona Rosa, Le Thai, and 7th & Carson.

Named “Best New Restaurant in Vegas’’ by Eater, Carson Kitchen was founded by the late-great Kerry Simon, the legendary “rock ‘n’ roll chef.’’ Its exciting open kitchen serves up elevated modern American fare with the finest ingredients.

You know you’re in the right place at La Mona Rosa, Spanish for “pink monkey,’’ when you spot the 7-foot-tall neon pink monkey clinging to the restaurant’s exterior. Step inside to be blown away with its electrifying vibe, punctuated by vivid colors, disco balls, more neon, and Mexican churchlike stained glass. The food will impress even more. After all, it’s by Chef Isidro Marquez-Castillo, who honed his skills at the upscale é by José Andrés. Inspired by his heritage, family recipes, and travels, he crafts meticulous dishes that reflect Mexico’s diverse regions, flavors, and culinary techniques. No wonder this is the restaurant that those-in-the-know flock to regularly.

So many Thai restaurants in the United States tend to dumb down their robust cuisine for timid American palates. So much so that few Americans have actually enjoyed Thai food the way that Thais do. Not so at Le Thai. One of the top Thai restaurants in Vegas, this proud, family-owned, hole-in-the-wall is a stickler for authentic flavors, ingredients, and recipes. Its setting may be modern, but its soul is old world, grounded in the dishes that have made it one of the greatest cuisines in the world. Not surprisingly, this institution often draws long lines. Fortunately, Lip Smacking gets you through door just like that.

Named “Restaurant of the Year’’ by the Nevada Restaurant Association, 7th & Carson is a true downtown gem that’s off the beaten path. Helmed by a veteran chef who has cooked at high-profile restaurants on the Strip, most everything is scratch-made in-house. The restaurant exemplifies hyper-seasonal cooking that showcases peak-fresh ingredients. The focal point is a hearth oven that’s used for everything from baking flatbreads to roasting stocks to finishing desserts.

On the afternoon tour, the bonus stop will be at Oak & Ivy, named one of the “Top 50 Whiskey Bars in the United States’’ by Double Neat website. Besides inventive cocktails, it also offers keg beers, a top selection of wines, and inspired zero-proof drinks.

On the evening tour, the added stop will be at Glitter Gulch Tiki, where you’ll enjoy a tiki experience like no other with smoke, fire, and over-the-top libations. This rousing venue offers only limited reservations to the lay public. But Lip Smacking has got you covered with automatic entry.

In addition to your included drink at the bonus stop, there is an optional beverage package, inclusive of all taxes and restaurant tips, that provides for a pre-selected craft cocktail served promptly at each of the three restaurants. While you can always order a beverage on your own at each restaurant upon arrival, this package ensures there’s no waiting or distractions to take away from the overall experience.