Las Vegas Destination Guide

Casual Eats On or Near the Strip

If you feel like dashing off for a bite between meetings, consider one of these eateries, recommended by Steve Carlson of the restaurant review site Food Smackdown (foodsmackdown.com).

All the cool kids in town get their slices from Secret Pizza, a 24-hour joint hidden on the third floor in the Cosmopolitan (cosmopolitanlasvegas.com). Once you've found it, place your order in the tiny, garlic-scented waiting area and then take your food to a table or a nearby couch. The white pizza is especially popular. (702) 698-7860

The Earl of Sandwich in the Planet Hollywood Resort (planethollywoodresort.com), also open around the clock, features both classic and original sandwiches. A favorite is the Full Montague -- freshly roasted beef, turkey, aged Swiss and sharp cheddar, lettuce, Roma tomatoes and the Earl's own mustard sauce. Too much? Choose a creative salad from the menu. (702) 463-0259; earlofsandwichusa.com

The Fukuburger Truck whips up Japanese-influenced items such as the Kinoko mushroom burger -- a beef patty piled with grilled shiitake mushrooms, pickled red ginger, teriyaki and wasabi mayo. Look for the distinctive red truck sporting a giant burger on its side at various spots around downtown (Fukuburger's Twitter page, @fukuburger, is updated regularly with the vehicle's current location). And it's pronounced "foo-koo burger," in case you wondered. (702) 217-0758; fukuburger.squarespace.com

On the second floor in The Shoppes at The Palazzo (palazzo.com), First Food and Bar is known throughout Vegas for its mouthwatering lollipop Buffalo wings, though the menu includes a full complement of creatively restyled comfort food. The owners describe its trendy atmosphere, with furniture ranging in style from modern to gothic, as "intimate and edgy." (702) 607-3478; firstfoodandbar.com -- Hannah Laymon