Beauty and Essex Las Vegas

The entrance of Beauty & Essex in the Cosmopolitan is one of the most iconic on the Las Vegas Strip. When you first encounter the pawn shop storefront, you wouldn’t immediately know that one of the hottest restaurants in Sin City was tucked away behind it if you weren’t already familiar with the brilliance of Beauty & Essex. 

The lavish pawn shop entrance isn’t just a facade – it’s an actual pawnshop entrance. You can purchase items, but be warned – they’re pricey. We’re talking about items like exquisite jewels that cost a whole lot more than just pocket change for the average person. 

You can even shop from the lavish pawn shop online at ByGoldGirl.com.

Once you make your way past the pawn shop, you’ll discover true Las Vegas Strip glam as you enter the dining area, which includes several jewelry box rooms, each with its own character and elegance. 

As we mentioned, Beauty & Essex is a stunning restaurant that invites discovery from the moment you walk in until the last bite of luscious dessert. 

The first Beauty & Essex was opened in the lower east side of NYC, and the Las Vegas location carries over that same energy, except it’s fused with the touches of glam that Sin City is known for. 

It isn’t just the food that makes Beauty & Essex one of the best restaurants in Las Vegas. The atmosphere, excellent service, and focus on shared plates also help to make this restaurant perfect for date night or an enjoyable meal with a group of close friends. 

There isn’t just one single large dining room at Beauty & Essex. Instead, there are several jewelry box rooms, each gilded and decadent, with a distinct personality. We won’t go as far as to say the decor at Beauty & Essex is whimsical, but it does lend a feeling of stepping into a different world. 

The intimate ambiance of Beauty & Essex is intentional – anything else just would vibe with the dining philosophy. Instead of offering individual plates, the menu offers dishes that are meant to be shared among the table so that not only are you enjoying a great atmosphere and conversation, but you’re also sharing the entire culinary experience. 

At Beauty & Essex, the menu serves dishes that are designed for sharing. This makes enjoying the excellent food a fully immersive experience and one that’s more memorable than the typical dining experience. 

The menu offers several sections for you to linger over and indulge in. Here’s a brief synopsis of what you’ll find on each. 

Shareables

As the name implies, these are little dishes that are meant for sharing. One of the most popular is the grilled cheese, smoked bacon & tomato soup dumplings. If you’ve never tried grilled cheese dumplings before, trust us; you’re missing out, 

Another of the unique sharing plates is the lobster bao buns with Calabrian chili aioli. For a fresh take on shareable plates, the kale and apple salad is perfection and beats any house salad you could have. 

Raw Bar

The raw bar at Beauty & Essex is as delectable as the rest of the menu, featuring wonderfully fresh coastal cuisine. Tuna wonton tacos are a favorite, and honestly, we’ve never had a tuna taco that was presented like this. East and west coast oysters are another popular menu item, which can be ordered by the dozen or half dozen. 

The yellowtail sashimi is perfect, served with avocado yuzu mousse, ponzu, and black sesame seeds. For the ultimate experience from the raw bar, go with the pearls of the sea, which includes oysters, shrimp, lobster, and Alaskan king crab legs. 

Jewels On Toast

This fun little portion of the menu features dishes like little French dips, deep dish focaccia bites, and Kalua-style pulled pork with yuzu vinaigrette. We wanted to try one of everything from the list but limited ourselves to two. 

For the Table

These are the main entrees that are meant to be shared among the table. The oven-braised chicken meatballs with ricotta and wild mushroom are delicious, as is the spaghettini with parsley pesto, zucchini, lemon, and a sunny-side-up egg. Order a couple of dishes from this portion of the menu and debate amongst yourselves which is the best. 

Steaks

Yes, you can order steaks to be shared with the table, too – although you might have a difficult time choosing which cut to indulge in. The classic thick-cut filet is always a winner, but so is the tomahawk ribeye or beef Wellington with filet mignon and foie gras mousse. 

Desserts

And, of course, there are desserts! Choose the little doughnuts with amazing sauces that include caramel, berry, and dark chocolate fudge. The black-bottomed butterscotch pots de creme is also irresistible, but for a showstopper, order the Beauty’s Wonder Wheel, which is a Ferris wheel-style presentation with multiple chef’s choice desserts. 

Beauty & Essex offers one of our favorite cocktail menus in all of Las Vegas. The signature cocktails are some of the most creative – and delicious – that we’ve tasted.

On the menu of signature cocktails, you’ll find beauties like Earl the Pearl, which is Earl Grey tea, Japanese vodka, cold-pressed lemon, and mint. Another favorite is the Old Dirty Bramble, which is Cazadores tequila, smoked blackberries, cold-pressed lemon, ginger, and honey. 

If those cocktails aren’t tempting you, we don’t know what will. But in case those don’t strike your fancy, maybe you’d be more interested in one of these not-so-classic cocktails instead:

• Old Woodsman – Old Forester Bourbon, allspice dram, maple, muddled pears (notorious for making guests order a second round), and cold-pressed lemon. 
• Emerald Gimlet – This sweet emerald gimlet has just three ingredients – vodka, basil, and cold-pressed lime 
• Bubbles & Berries – muddled strawberries in a glass, sparkling champagne, St Germain, and vodka added on top – delicious! 
• White Whale – mezcal, vermouth, Cocchi Americano, peppercorn, and honeysuckle

Wines & Spirits

We’re equally impressed with the wine list at Beauty & Essex as we are with the signature cocktails. A few notable mentions on the list include: 

• Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
• Dr. Herman H Riesling
• Lu & Oly Columbia Valley Chardonnay 
• Sonoma Curter Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
• Foley Estates Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
• Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet
• Nigori, Rock Sake, ‘Cloud,’ Forest Grove, Oregon
• After dinner, dessert wine Inniskillin Vidal Blanc

Chef Chris Santos has a long history with Beauty & Essex. More than a decade ago, in 2010, Chef Santos welcomed Beauty & Essex to NYC, which was the now-famous restaurant’s first location. 

With the iconic pawn shop storefront, this location masterfully combined lower east side grit with classic glamor. Chef Santos stepped his foot outside of New York when he brought Beauty & Essex to the Las Vegas Strip in 2016. 

Since its opening in Sin City, Beauty & Essex has been consistently named one of the hottest restaurants in the city, thanks in large part to the culinary mastery and creativity of Chef Chris Santos. 

Chris Santos has been a repeat guest chef on television, including the Rachael Ray Show, NBC’s Today Show, the Martha Stewart Show, and CBS’s Early Show.

In addition, you probably recognize his face and name from the Food Network’s hit show “Chopped.” As if this isn’t enough, Chef Cris Santos has also recently made a name for himself as a City Harvest board member. 

Beauty & Essex in Las Vegas doesn’t specifically state a dress code, but it’s safe to assume, based on the ambiance and menu, that upscale casual attire is appropriate. Nice jeans are passable when paired with a collared shirt for men and a nice blouse for ladies, but you can certainly glam up more than this and fit in. 

Athletic wear, sandals, flip flops, casual tank tops, shorts, baseball caps, and ripped jeans might not get you through the entrance into the dining room. 

Beauty & Essex Las Vegas is open daily from 5 pm until 10:30 pm. Cocktail hour happens every Wednesday and Thursday from 6 pm until 7 pm. 

You can find Beauty & Essex located on level three of the Boulevard Tower at Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. 

Cosmopolitan Las Vegas is located at 3708 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, 89109.

• Beauty & Essex has been named OpenTable’s hottest restaurant, among earning other high accolades.
• With a pawn shop entrance and jewelry box-style dining rooms, Beauty & Essex invites exploration and wonder.
• Beauty & Essex is known for world-class service and delicious shareable food – like grilled cheese, smoked bacon, and tomato soup dumplings.
• Beauty & Essex is open at night for dinner service.