What Carbone is and why it is so hard to book
Carbone is Major Food Group's homage to the mid-century Italian-American restaurants of Manhattan — the Rao's and Il Mulino tradition of red sauce, tuxedoed captains and enormous portions — created by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick in Greenwich Village in 2013. The Las Vegas branch opened at ARIA in 2015 and became one of the group's most successful rooms, then a full-blown phenomenon once the spicy rigatoni went viral on social media. On a weekend it is arguably the hardest reservation on the Strip.
The appeal is the theatre. Captains in burgundy tuxedos arrive with a cart of antipasti, make the Caesar salad tableside, hand-carve the veal parmesan and pour the limoncello at the end. The soundtrack is Motown and doo-wop, the lighting is dim, the room is a warren of booths and banquettes. It is unashamedly a performance, and the food is good enough that the performance never feels like a cover for something weak.
What to order
Start with the complimentary bread basket and parmesan chunks that arrive as you sit, then the Caesar alla ZZ, made tableside. Among the antipasti, the spicy Calabrian-chili tuna tartare and the mozzarella and tomato are the reliable calls. The pasta course is the reason people come: the spicy rigatoni vodka is genuinely excellent — a heavily reduced, chili-spiked pink sauce over al dente tubes — and the linguine vongole is the underrated alternative. For a main, the veal parmesan is a slab the size of a dinner plate, pounded, breaded and baked under a blanket of cheese; one feeds two. The lobster fra diavolo and the bone-in ribeye Diana, flambéed tableside, are the showpieces. Dessert is the carrot cake or the lemon cheesecake, both huge.
Portion strategy matters. The kitchen will split pasta between two plates on request, and a table of four doing a shared antipasto, two pastas and two mains is the right amount of food.
Prices in 2026
Carbone is expensive in the specific way New York is expensive. As of 2026 and subject to change: antipasti $20–40, pastas roughly $35–60 (the spicy rigatoni sits in the low-to-mid $40s), mains $60–200 with the veal parmesan around $90 and the ribeye well above $100, sides $20-plus. Cocktails are $20–28 and the wine list, heavy on Italian and Californian labels, starts around $90 a bottle. Expect $120–200 per person before drinks, tax and tip for a full three-course meal, or closer to $80–100 if two people share a pasta and a main. Check the ARIA or Carbone site for current menus.
MGM Resorts properties do not add a separate concession fee, but large parties carry an automatic gratuity. Corkage is available and expensive.
Getting a table
Reservations are released through Resy and the ARIA site, and weekend slots between 6:30 and 9:30pm disappear within minutes of release, typically 30 days out. Strategies: book on the release day at the exact release time; take a 5pm or 10:30pm seating, which are far more available; book a Sunday to Wednesday, when a few days' notice is enough; use the Resy "notify" feature for cancellations; and consider the bar and lounge, where the full menu is served to walk-ins and a seat can be had with a 30–45 minute wait on most nights. MGM Rewards members with Gold or higher status and ARIA hotel guests can ask the concierge, who often holds tables.
Do not be discouraged by "fully booked" a month ahead — a meaningful share of Carbone's covers come from cancellations the day before and on the day. Check at 10am and again at 3pm.
The room, dress code and who it suits
The dress code is smart casual leaning smart: collared shirts and jackets are common, and the restaurant enforces no athletic wear, swimwear or hats. Allow two to two and a half hours; service is deliberately unhurried and the captains want you to settle in. The room is loud, in a good way, and better for groups of two to six than for a very large party. Request a booth when you book.
Carbone suits couples celebrating, groups of friends who want a scene, and anyone who loves classic Italian-American food done at the top level. It is less good for people who want quiet, for strict budgets, or for vegetarians (the pasta list helps but the menu is built on meat and seafood). It pairs naturally with a show at Park MGM or T-Mobile Arena next door — see shows and nightlife — and ARIA's tram connects to Bellagio and Park MGM.
Carbone versus the other Strip Italians
If Carbone is full, the Strip has excellent alternatives at every level. Cipriani at Wynn Plaza does Venetian classics with a similar sense of occasion. Sinatra at Encore is the romantic choice with a patio and the Sinatra songbook. Rao's at Caesars Palace is the real New York original's only reservable outpost and its meatballs rival Carbone's rigatoni for fame. Eataly at Park MGM is the family-friendly, walk-in option. Off the Strip, Esther's Kitchen in the Arts District makes better pasta than most of them for half the price — see downtown dining. For the wider celebrity landscape, see celebrity chef restaurants.
Tips and mistakes to avoid
- Share the veal parmesan. It is designed for two and the kitchen will plate it that way.
- Do not skip the tableside Caesar. It is the best version on the Strip and part of the show.
- Pace the bread. The basket is generous and the pasta course is enormous.
- Try the bar. Full menu, no reservation, and the captains are just as attentive.
- Book the early seating if you have a show. Two hours is the minimum; 5pm gets you to an 8pm curtain.
- Do not turn up in gym clothes. The dress code is enforced at the host stand.
