Jaleo Las Vegas—A Most Memorable Experience
A perennial favorite in Washington, D.C., Jaleo was one of the country’s first successful tapas restaurants, setting the standard for Spanish cuisine in the United States. Chef José Andrés serves creative tapas at his restaurant inside the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. But there is more than tapas on the menu. Don’t miss the paellas, cooked over olive and orange wood–burning fires in an open cooking area. The best choice is probably the paella valenciana, which features rabbit and chicken, but the seafood paella is also quite wonderful.
Other house specialties are excellent chicken croquettes, a Catalan sausage stew with braised onion and mushrooms and Jamón ibérico de bellota. This acorn-fed pork ham is a signature item of Jaleo, which was the first restaurant in the US to offer it.
José Andrés once cooked with Ferran Adrià at elBulli in Roses, Spain, so he’s comfortable with both traditional and cutting-edge Spanish cuisine. The patatas bravas—small, blistered potatoes served with a salt crust—come with a pair of exotic sauces from the Canary Islands.
Seating is at small tables on one side of the room and at communal wooden tables that seat more than one party. The restaurant is tastefully decorated with contemporary art from Spanish painters and sculptors.
Tucked away within Jaleo Las Vegas is é by José Andrés, which offers avant-garde Spanish cuisine. For this special tasting menu, make reservations because it’s by prior arrangement only.
Jaleo is located mid-Strip, inside The Cosmopolitan, on 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. until midnight. Reservations are a must. For more information and reservations, visit their website or call 702-698-7000.
For more information on where to dine, check out The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas by Bob Sehlinger.
