What Scarpetta is
Scarpetta was created in New York in 2008 by Scott Conant, whose spaghetti with tomato and basil — a plate of pasta, a sauce of cooked-down tomatoes, butter and basil, nothing else — became one of the most famous dishes of the decade and the subject of a running argument about whether any spaghetti can be worth $30. The restaurant group has since changed hands and Conant is no longer involved, but the Las Vegas branch at The Cosmopolitan, open since the resort launched in 2010, has kept the recipes, the Italian-leaning modern menu and, crucially, the view. It is a consistently good, occasionally excellent, upscale Italian restaurant whose position on the Strip is almost unfair.
The room and the fountain view
Scarpetta occupies a corner of the Cosmopolitan's third-floor restaurant row with a floor-to-ceiling window wall directly across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Bellagio fountains. The window tables are the best view of the fountains from any dining room in the city — closer and lower than the rooftop restaurants, with the show erupting every 15–30 minutes through the evening. The room itself is warm and contemporary: dark wood, leather, a long bar, an open kitchen, a private room. Noise is moderate; the fountains are behind glass, so you see them without hearing them.
Window tables cannot be guaranteed but are allocated to those who book earliest and ask; it is worth phoning as well as booking online. See view restaurants for the alternatives.
What to order
The spaghetti tomato and basil is mandatory and is, in fact, very good — the argument is about the price, not the plate. The short rib and bone marrow agnolotti is the pasta regulars actually prefer, and the black cod and the braised short rib are the mains. Start with the bread basket — stromboli, focaccia and a mascarpone butter — the yellowtail crudo and the creamy polenta with truffled mushrooms, which is a Conant original and arguably the best thing on the menu. A tasting menu is available and is a reasonable way to see the greatest hits. Desserts are competent; the coconut panna cotta has survived every menu change for a reason.
The wine list is Italian-heavy and fairly priced by Cosmopolitan standards, with a good by-the-glass selection.
Price range
As of 2026 and subject to change: starters $20–35, pastas roughly $30–50 (the spaghetti is in the low $30s), mains $50–90, sides around $16, the tasting menu around $130–160 per person. Two people with a starter, a pasta each, a shared main and a bottle will spend about $250–350 before tip — noticeably less than Carbone for a comparable evening and with a far better view. Check the Cosmopolitan site for the current menu.
Reservations and dress code
Book via the Cosmopolitan site or OpenTable, a week or two ahead for a weekend window table and a few days for a weeknight. Ask for the window in the notes and call the restaurant to reinforce it; the 5:30–6pm seating is the easiest way to get a window and lands you the fountains in daylight and at dusk. Card guarantee applies. Dress code is business casual — collared shirt or equivalent, no shorts or athletic wear — and enforcement is moderate. Children are welcome and the spaghetti is an obvious child-pleaser; it is a good family celebration room by Strip standards.
Best for
Couples who want a romantic dinner with the fountains and without the roar of a scene restaurant. Families celebrating something. First-time visitors who want the "Vegas dinner with a view" experience in one booking. It pairs neatly with a show at Bellagio or Cosmopolitan or a walk down to the fountains after dessert, and Cosmopolitan's bars are steps away — see the resort guide.
Pros and cons
- Pro: the best fountain view from any dining room, and no surcharge for it.
- Pro: polished, reliable Italian cooking with two or three genuinely great dishes.
- Pro: cheaper and calmer than Carbone; family-friendly.
- Con: the founding chef has moved on and the menu has become safer over the years.
- Con: a window table is not guaranteed, and a non-window table loses much of the point.
- Con: the famous spaghetti remains a $30-plus plate of tomato pasta, however good.
Verdict
For a romantic, view-led Italian dinner on the Strip, Scarpetta is the smart booking: better food than the rooftop rooms, better view than the Italian rooms and a gentler bill than either. Book early, insist on the window, order the polenta, the agnolotti and the spaghetti, and time dessert for a fountain show. For the best Italian food in the city irrespective of view, see our Italian roundup.