There are days when you just need to feed into your carnivorous appetite. There are more than a few options for this in Las Vegas, but few get your mouth watering like Cleaver Butchered Meats, Seafood, and Classic Cocktails.
About Cleaver Butchered Meats, Seafood, and Classic Cocktails
Cleaver is pretty new on the scene in Las Vegas, opening in 2018. In the few years since its opening, this restaurant has tantalized and satisfied many hungry guests. Cleaver Butchered Meats, Seafood, and Classic Cocktails is the sister restaurant to the award-winning Herbs & Rye in Las Vegas.
Cleaver Butchered Meats is one of those restaurants that’s a great place to meet friends, have a few drinks, and enjoy the somewhat sultry atmosphere inside the somewhat unassuming building. If you’ve visited here before, you know that there’s almost a speakeasy vibe to the place. It’s a bit dimly lit, with decor that’s reminiscent of Vegas past. The dining room is large enough to hold a decent-sized crowd, but it also feels intimate, warm, and welcoming.
Whether it’s with a group of your favorite people or the mood is more intimate with that one favorite person. Cleaver Butchered Meats is a restaurant with great food and even more amazing service.
If you’re in Las Vegas and have a craving for a steak, or steakhouse fare, here’s everything you need to know about what to expect during your visit to Cleaver Butchered Meats, including a sneak peek at the delicious menu.
Cleaver Las Vegas Menu
Given the name, it’s no surprise that the menu at Cleavers centers around seafood and all things meaty. High-quality steaks and seafood are the core of the menu items, with delicious sauces, rubs, butters, and sides that make this steakhouse honestly one of the best in Las Vegas.
Here’s a peek at the highlights of the best menu items.
Starting Your Meal – Cocktails and Appetizers
You’re sipping on drinks and looking over the menu, navigating the tough decision of what to eat. This could take a while, so the only thing to do is order an appetizer or two to enjoy while you’re taking it all in. Cleaver’s appetizer menu runs the gamut from simple and satisfying to truly decadent.
A simple favorite is a loaf of the house bread, served warm and steamy with whipped butter. Try the bone marrow with a blueberry demi-glace or the steak tartare with shallots, capers, egg yolk, and truffle oil if you’re in the mood for something a bit more decadent.
Other irresistible items on the starter menu include confit wings with your choice of sauces, carpaccio, calamari, and spicy mussels.
There are few salads on the menu if you’re after something lighter to start your meal. There’s the classic Caesar with white anchovies, a double wedge salad, and a chopped salad that’s loaded with all sorts of goodness and dressed with a vinaigrette.
The Cocktails
We don’t want to ignore one of the best parts of the menu! Whether you’re after a pre-meal cocktail or something to finish the meal off with, the cocktail menu at Cleaver Butchered Meats, Seafood, and Cocktails features a long list of perfectly mixed drinks. Some of the cocktails are classics, some offer a sophisticated twist, and then there are the creations that border on edgy.
The drink menu is displayed by “era,” so you’ve got the modern Dale DeGroff era, the Post War era, the Tiki Revolution, the age of European Influence, the Golden Age, the Gothic Age, and the Turn of the Century Cocktails.
A few unique choices to consider are the Ready Fire Aim, with mezcal, honey, pink peppercorn, pineapple, lime, and Hellfire bitters, or the Absinthe Frappe, Champagne Julep, and the Ramos Gin Fizz. Of course, there’s always a list of beer and wine on hand if that’s more your speed.
Cleaver Favorites
The Favorites section of the menu highlights some of the most unique and popular dishes. The Squid Ink Pasta with bacon, Masago, parmesan, and egg yolk is a house favorite among the menu items, as is the Short Rib Gnocchi and Cherry Lamb Chops with Scotch Herbs Risotto. All the pasta on the menu is made in-house, so it’s fresh, tender, and perfectly al dente when you order.
Raw Bar
No seafood restaurant worth its weight in Las Vegas would be caught without a raw bar. Cleaver’s is no exception. Their raw bar features a shrimp cocktail with their house cocktail sauce, an oyster shooter with a blood orange bloody mary, oysters on the half shell, Alaska king crab legs, and a chilled seafood platter with all sorts of delicacies from the sea.
The Butchered Meats
And now we come to the stars of the menu. Everything is perfectly delicious at Cleaver Butchered Meats, Seafood, and Cocktails, but it’s really all about the protein. This section of the menu is where you’re going to find the really good stuff, like the Filet Mignon, New York Strip, and ribeyes, including the Cleaver ribeye and a tomahawk ribeye steak.
If red meat isn’t your thing, you can stick your knife into a 12 oz pork chop or double-cut pork chop. There are also the surf & turf options, with your choice of a filet mignon lobster tail, asparagus, and red wine glaze or the version with a tomahawk ribeye, two lobster tails, and whiskey potatoes.
There isn’t a chicken dish on the Butchered Meats menu, but don’t worry. Just glance back up at the Favorites, and you’ll find the Hunter’s Half Chicken with hunter sauce, glazed brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and pancetta.
Dressing It Up
Once you’ve picked out the meat and seafood that will take center stage on your plate, it’s time to think about how you want to dress it up. In all honesty, you don’t need to add anything to the amazing meats and seafood, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not interested in leveling up the flavor even more.
Cleaver in Las Vegas offers some delicious ways to dress your steak. You can add a crust or rub to your steak for just a few dollars more, like a blue cheese crust, peppercorn crust, cajun blackened rub, the Cleaver spice rub, or the parmesan and balsamic crust.
There’s also a selection of sauces, like the Cleaver steak sauce, chimichurri, brandy peppercorn, creamy horseradish, a red wine glaze, or bearnaise sauce. Add an organic egg or thick-cut bacon to your steak also, or choose to do it up Oscar or Cleaver style and enjoy a truly indulgent meal.
Just Desserts
With all the richness on the menu, you wouldn’t think for a second that Cleaver’s would leave out a selection of sweet treats to enjoy after your meal – or to take with you if you’re just too stuffed.
Of course, there’s a dessert menu, and it has just the right amount of sweet decadence to end your meal on a perfect note. There are the required cheesecake and lava cake options, but the doughnuts, sticky toffee pudding, and passion fruit tart really deserve your attention.
Happy Hour
Just like its sister, Herbs & Rye, Cleaver also offers a happy hour that has developed somewhat of a cult following in Las Vegas. Sure, there are drink specials, just like you’ll find at all the other cocktail bars, but here, you’ll also find great cheap happy hour deals on some serious eats.
Happy Hour runs from 5 pm – 8 pm daily, and during this time, you can claim one of their famous steaks as your own for half the normal price. Bring your appetite and some friends to share with. Keep in mind that happy hour is a pretty busy time for Cleaver Butchered Meats, Seafood, and Cocktails, so it’s best if you make dinner reservations ahead of time to avoid a long wait at the door.
Hours & Location
Cleaver is located at 3900 Paradise Rd in Las Vegas. It’s located only a couple of miles away from the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. There are a lot of great local restaurants to enjoy in this area, but Cleaver really should top your list of “must try” spots.
Currently, Cleaver Butchered Meats, Seafood, and Cocktails is open from 5 pm to 12 am daily (sorry, not open for lunch!). Due to the changing nature of Covid-19, it’s always a good idea to check online or with their Facebook page for current hours of operation.
This location was once open until 3 am like Herbs & Rye, so it’s worth a quick check to see if they’re open if you’re in town, and craving a blue cheese crusted, perfectly prepared steak or something from their late-night happy hour menu.
Bottom Line
If you want a taste of the incredible food that Las Vegas is known for, Cleaver isn’t going to let you down. Enjoy a romantic dinner, a meal with the family, or happy hour with friends at this favorite steakhouse in Las Vegas. Bring your carnivorous appetite and enjoy!
