Acclaimed chef Jeff Weiss grabs the flame-thrower and shouts across the kitchen “fuego” before blasting the flames full force on to the paellas cooking over fire. His restaurant, Valencian Gold, shuttered during the pandemic. During that time, Weiss took the restaurant, which originally was a fast-casual build-your-own paella joint and turned it into a sultry, Spanish sit-down restaurant. Thankfully, Valencian Gold is a vegan-friendly Las Vegas restaurant and offers a variety of vegan options. We all get to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
@thedianaedelman Vegan Spanish eats in Las Vegas 🥘 @valenciangoldofficial #lasvegasfood #lasvegasfoodie #lasvegastiktok #vegantravel #vegantravelgirl ♬ All For Us – from the HBO Original Series Euphoria – Labrinth & Zendaya
Spanish food typically isn’t vegan; it’s meat and cheese heavy. But, Weiss has made an effort to offer the Spanish tapas dishes which are vegan, as well as vegan takes of traditional Spanish dishes.
Vegan options at Valencian Gold
Before we even dive into the food, let’s talk cocktails. Valencian Gold has a range of craft cocktails that are gorgeous and tasty. It’s hard to pick, so our advice is to grab a couple the first time you go and see which is your favorite.
Tapas
Start your meal off with an assortment of vegan tapas. At Valencian Gold, the vegan tapas include patatas bravas (just ask for them to be made vegan). These crispy potatoes come drizzled with a spicy brava sauce and aioli.
There’s also pan con tomate, a personal favorite from our days living in Madrid. Fresh, thick bread is spread with a tangy blend of pulped tomato, olive oil, garlic and salt.
Other vegan options include gazpacho, a chilled soup made with tomatoes, piparrana and EVOO.
There’s also padron peppers and loaded vegan bar fries.
For greens, choose from the kale salad with lemon and tahini or Catalan greens.
Vegan paella
Next up is the main attraction — the paella. It’s cooked to perfection here. Crispy on the outside of the pan and creamy everywhere else.
There are two vegan options for paella. First, there’s the incredibly photogenic Vegan AF paella. It features farm veggies, vegan aioli and edible flowers.
Second is the Super Mario paella. This comes with wild mushrooms, chickpeas and green beans.
Vegan Dessert
Finally, there’s the vegan dessert. The fluffy-yet-thick dark chocolate pudding is the perfect way to end a meal. It comes drizzled with olive oil with sea salt flakes sprinkled on top.
7960 S. Rainbow Blvd., Las Vegas, 89139; 702-776-7707; Tues. – Weds.: 4 p.m. – 9 pm.; Thurs. – Sat.: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
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