Welcome back to my solo series and today we are off to Carbone Riviera at the Bellagio! This has to be the hottest new restaurant in all of Las Vegas and I still can’t believe I managed to get a last-minute reservation. Not only that, I got to actually sit front row out on their patio as well. This was truly one of the most memorable solo dining experiences I had and I can’t wait to share everything with you so you can do it too!

• Related Article: Best Use of the $300 Amex Platinum Hotel Credit: Bellagio Las Vegas (Part 2)

 

What Will My Solo Series Be About?

My solo series will mostly cover places I go out to eat, where I stay, and any mini adventures I do solo. The thing that makes this series hopefully a little more special is the “deal” portion that comes with it. Any solo traveler (or solo person for that matter) knows there’s a hefty “solo tax” when it comes to things like spending on hotels, eating out, gift-giving, etc. So, hopefully through this series, not only can I inspire you to get out there and do your own solo adventure, but hopefully make it more beneficial because you ARE solo. But don’t worry if you are a couple or a group, these deals will apply to you too!

 

Why Carbone Riviera?

I’ve been wanting to try Carbone (the one at the Aria) forever, but getting a reservation is always a mission. Maybe it also has to do with that fact that the menu isn’t that appealing to me. A lot of people have been raving about Carbone for years and I definitely do want to try it one day, but for the price, I rather go to a steakhouse than get pasta. But, when I heard Carbone was opening up a seafood-centric version of their restaurant, I knew FOR SURE I had to go try this one out. Seafood is absolutely my favorite and the fact that the restaurant also faces the Bellagio fountains… SAY LESS!

 

The Deal: $100 F&B Credit (Amex FHR or Amex Resy Credit)

If you have the Amex Platinum or Centurion Card, you’ve got two ways to save $100 on your meal. You can either book a stay at the Bellagio through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and get a $100 food and beverage credit, or use your quarterly $100 Amex Resy credit since Carbone Riviera is now on Resy.

I needed to use my $300 Amex Platinum hotel credit so I decided to book a night at the Bellagio through the Fine Hotels + Resorts portal. Booking this way comes with perks like early check in, 4:00 pm late check out, possible room upgrades, and of course, the $100 food and beverage credit. Just charge your meal to your room and the credit should automatically come off your bill. Always double check your folio, because they ended up making a mistake on mine but they eventually corrected it.

Now, for the Resy credit, I just heard that Carbone Riviera is now a part of Resy which is weird because I checked last month and it definitely did not show up on the app. But it looks like the app has since been updated and there are a whole bunch of new restaurants on there now. If I had known this ahead of time, I would have tried to see if I could have room charged $100 of my meal and then pay the rest with my Amex so I could hit BOTH credits! Again, I haven’t tried this out, but this is what I would have done.

 

Advice on Snagging a Reservation at Carbone Riviera 

The first piece of advice I would give is to look up reservations on Seven Rooms vs. Resy. For some reason, Resy reservations are very hard to come by and is always sold out, but Seven Rooms seems to have more availability. That’s what I used to get my reservation. Also, if you’re wondering if you need to book through Resy to use your Amex Resy credit, you don’t. But make sure you enroll for the Resy credit through Amex’s website before your meal. The credit is NOT automatic and it requires you to sign up first. After you sign up, you don’t have to keep doing it. 

My second piece of advice is if you can’t get a reservation is to go to the restaurant itself the day before or whenever you get into Vegas and see if they have any availability for your other nights. Restaurants sometimes hold a certain amount of tables for themselves and you might luck out just by going to the hostess stand.

For example, originally I had a 10:00 pm reservation for indoors but I wanted to change it to a 5:00 pm reservation. The night before, I went to the restaurant and asked if I could change the time of my reservation even though it showed it was sold out online. They said that they could do it! I also asked if it was possible to sit outside on the patio and they said YES! The only requirement was that there is a $175/person minimum spend to sit on the patio. 

 

The Dress

For anyone who wants the same dress, you can find it here or here! The best part is if you order of the Saks Fifth Avenue site and you have the Amex Platinum card, you can use the $50 Saks Fifth Avenue credit towards the dress!

 

My Solo Date Night at Carbone Riviera Las Vegas

Usually when I dine solo, I prefer sitting at the bar so I’m not taking up a table. But since I really wanted to sit on Carbone Riviera’s patio, tables were the only option. I ended up at a four-top in the front row, and with a 5:00 pm reservation, I was literally the first one out there. I was so excited because I get so nervous filming myself when other people are around, so having that quiet moment to grab a few quick shots was perfect.

Was the Patio Cold?

I went in the middle of December so I thought for sure it was going to be freezing on the patio. I brought a coat with me I ended up not using it at all. The heaters outside on the patio were amazing! With that being said, I know the night I went was particularly a little bit warmer than usual (still cold) for a Las Vegas December night. There’s no harm in bringing a coat, but it was just more stuff for me to carry that I didn’t need at the end. 

What Did I Order?

• Champagne, Laurent-Perrier, La Cuvée ($28): Since this was a solo date, I decided to treat myself to a glass of champagne to get this dinner started!
• Chardonnay, Failla, Sonoma Coast 2023 ($26): I love Sonoma chardonnays so this was kind of a no-brainer. I wanted a good white wine to go with my pasta.
• Lightly Grilled Chu Toro ($40): Amazing! Definitely worth the money. Not a lot of people talk about it on Yelp or Google but I loved this dish.
• Beef Carpaccio Piemontese ($36): I originally wanted to get the clams casino but my server said that the portion was huge for one person so he suggest the beef carpaccio instead and it was fantastic! If you love truffle, this is the dish for you!
• Capellini Crab AOP ($46): To be honest, I was expecting more and I LOVE crab. I was hoping that it would be a better version of clams linguine but it just felt like the skinny noodles were too much. A thicker noodle would have done better in my opinion. Also, for the spice, they used jalapeños which I thought was interesting choice. Again, I would have preferred something like red chili flakes. The crab meat was great, but the pasta as a whole was just okay. I would choose something else if you’re in the same boat as me.
• Total ($176): Wow! I got surprisingly close to the $175 minimum didn’t I? I knew I needed at least make the minimum but I didn’t think I would actually be close. 

The Service

My server was amazing and very attentive. I actually felt bad because I was taking so many pictures but he never made me feel like I was a burden. He was a nice person to talk to especially since I was dining by myself. He also let me know that the restaurant before was Picasso and apparently a lot of staff from that restaurant came back to work at Carbone Riviera which I thought was pretty cool. 

 

Carbone Riviera Pictures

 

 

Instagram Reel

I did a whole IG Reel if you want to check it out!

View this post on Instagram                         A post shared by May | Travel • Food • Solo Adventures (@theluxurylowdown)

 

 

Conclusion

Overall, the restaurant was AMAZING and it was totally worth it to spend $175 to sit outside on the patio. My bill came out to $176 (before tax and tip) and thank goodness because I couldn’t eat a single thing more. I would definitely come back again but will probably order a different pasta. Or maybe I would just grab a drink at their bar. The bar looked absolutely  beautiful when I walked in so I definitely want to experience it one day. Also, maybe the bar is a good option if you’re a solo diner and ended up not being able to grab a reservation. Food for thought. Okay, that’s it for now. See you on the next solo adventure!