On most trips to Las Vegas I like to take in at least one dinner from a locals type restaurant. This trip I ended up at Casa Di Amore which had great recommendations on both Yelp and the Las Vegas Trip Advisor Forum.
Casa Di Amore is located about 15 minutes from the strip (on Tropicana) and since I didn’t have a car the offer of a free limo ride was enticing and helped seal the deal for this being a dinner selection. The limo was an older, (very) worn and essentially an extended town car. The free ride was nice as my group would have needed two cabs, so we saved a few bucks there.
As we drove up into the strip mall I knew this place was going to either be awesome or awful. The restaurant was next door too a gun shop, so this kind of set the tone. I don’t think the insides have been updated in about 30 years and I think that was by design. The restaurant had photographs of the old Las Vegas casinos and performers.
The photo above is where the 2-man band performed holiday and cover songs. We were treated to a couple of sets by George Bugatti. Normally I hate live music when I’m trying to eat, but the volume wasn’t too intrusive and the selections were fun enough not too bother me.
If you couldn’t guess by the name Casa Di Amore is an Italian restaurant. Everything tasted as if it was made by a friends mother. For my main course I shared a fantastic Chicken Piccata and Gnocci Bolognese. Sharing is not only fun, but it’s a good way to sample the flavors and not to overeat – something that happens a bit too often.
Casa Di Amore was a very wholesome type dinner. It’s another nice off the beaten path Italian restaurant in Vegas. The last time I went a little out of the way for Italian was to Nora’s, which was phenomenal. Nora’s is pretty popular and crowded since it’s been featured on the Travel Channel.
If you’ve been there and done that and want another local Italian joint Casa Di Amore is another good option. The food was very good, but not the best ever. The decor was nothing fancy, but everything was good and fun. I’d rate this above average but not great.