Love ’em or hate ’em, strip malls are a ubiquitous feature of our cityscape. The good ones have a certain organic charm to them, which is why this list of our favorites doesn’t include master-planned behemoths like Downtown Summerlin, The District, or Town Square. Here we go:
Better known as the Pho Kim Long building, is actually three rows of long, skinny buildings with (surprise!) parking tucked between them. There are so many gems here: Pho Kim Long, the long-beloved Vietnamese late-night eatery; Take it Easy Roasters, with Colombian pastries; Partage for a high-end date night; the Golden Tiki for fanciful cocktails; and Chengdu Taste, our favorite Szechuan in town. Plus, it also houses the Las Vegas Little Theater!
This one is for people with a sweet tooth! Between Freed's Bakery, Krispy Kreme, Freddy's, No. 1 Boba, and Nothing Bundt Cakes, you are spoiled for choice. Walk it off at one of the big chain stores or get pampered at Diva Beauty. If you are a tea-lover or looking for a fun gift, pop into Sheffield Spice & Tea Co. With all the shopping and eating, you can spend a whole day here.
This strip mall has the highest ratio of amazing food to terrible parking anywhere in the valley (we challenge you to find a place with better food and worse parking). But the fight is worth it for gems like EDO Tapas, Chubby Cattle hot pot, District One, Hachi Izakaya, and Cafe Maiko with its green-tea-swirled desserts.
Let’s say you’ve just enjoyed an event at the Sahara West Library, and you want to take that elevated energy somewhere. Here’s the place. There’s a ridiculous wealth of eateries: Khoury’s, considered one of the city’s best neighborhood restaurants; Archi’s Thai; Settebello, for fine Napoli-style pizza; and the oddball gourmet hotdogs of Buldogi’s. There’s also a bike shop, suit-maker, golf store, and comic-book joint.
The city’s OG strip mall, you know it had to be this list’s anchor tenant. There are so many varieties of cuisine here — Thai, Korean, Nigerian, Colombian, soul food. Culture, too, with galleries and creative businesses galore. And shops, from the funky to the fabulous. This isn’t just a mall, it’s a day trip.
Sonja Cho Swanson and Layla Muhammad contributed to this list.
