a delicious Shrimp Cocktail with avocado lettuce and mayonnaise. Vegas is famous for making the shrimp cocktail a culinary treat.
SGAPhoto via Getty ImagesLas Vegas, Nevada: This city is known for gambling, entertainment and strippers...I mean showgirls. But we are also known for some damn good food. Yep, Vegas is also known for its culinary prowess. We have some of the best restaurants and fine dining choices in the world. Ands the most famous thing this city serves, besides bad beats, is shrimp cocktail.
True, we may not have a lot of .99 cent choices anymore, but do you really want to risk your life over the bottom feeder? I meant the shrimp, not your ex.
Anyways, Vegas has a storied history with the little and sometimes not so little prawns. A Raw headless delicacy shrimp cocktail made its mark in Sin City. According to Delishably, sure, some say the dish was first introduced to the public during prohibition as an oyster cocktail. Others say it was first invented in San Francisco, when a miner took raw oysters and dipped them in ketchup. That just sounds nasty, but I digress.
Shrimp Cocktail Is No Pip-Squeak
According to Food Republic, shrimp cocktail may have come from prohibition or a miner in San Francisco. But it wasn't until the dish made its way to Vegas, and shrimp became the main ingredient that it became popular.
According to Golden Gate Casino's website, in the 1950’s casino owner Emilio “Gumba” Giorgetti was catching some grief from local authorities here in Las Vegas because they didn't think he should operate a casino. So “Gumba” contacted his Bay Area lawyer for advice on how to proceed. His lawyer put together a group of San Francisco investors and they began to look for a new business venture. They found it at a casino called Sal Sagev, which is Las Vegas backwards. They leased the first floor of the casino, and eventually named it The Golden Gate.
One of the partners in the Golden Gate, Italo Ghelfi, introduced the .50 cent shrimp cocktail in 1959, as a promotional item. It clearly became a huge hit, according to the GOlden Gate Casino.
And here we are today. The Shrimp Cocktail capital of the world. Well, I don't know if we really are, but we are the entertainment and sports capital. So, we might as well add shrimp to that.
Anyways, here’s my five favorite Shrimp Cocktails in Las Vegas
#3 Mariscos Playa Escondida
I'm down for any Mexican restaurant that specializes in seafood. There's just something special about the way they make their food, even the non-seafood dishes. Mariscos Playa Escondida located at 1204 E Charleston Blvd Suit 140 is no exception. The menu is packed full of all the good stuff. Plus, their shrimp cocktail is one of the best in Vegas. It's colorful, fresh, add a beer and you are doing it right. There are a plethora of shrimp dishes and other seafood items that are delectable. Fried snapper, shrimp cocktails -- duh -- and even oysters are some hot items on the menu.
#2 Chile Caliente Restaurante & Bar
Chile Caliente is by far one of the best places to grab a bite to eat in Las Vegas. The menu makes one's mouth water, and quite frankly, it's tough to pick a dish off the menu because you'll want to order the whole damn thing. And their shrimp cocktail? Well, as you can see, it's basically Mexican sushi. Yum. This is a spot that is a hidden gem and loved by locals. You can get breakfast, burritos, tacos and amazing seafood. The shrimp cocktail is a family recipe that's tangy, fresh and has the right amount of shrimp and avocado. It's the perfect marriage of flavors. Plus, scoop the shrimp cocktail on some crackers, and it's truly divine.
