3555 S Town Center Dr Ste 105,

Las Vegas, NV 89135

Dine In: Tues-Sun: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Takeout: Wed-Sat: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Credit cards accepted 

At this chic, yet simplistic restaurant filled with cultural authenticity, Chef/Partner Gina Marinelli uses Italy as the muse for her menus. Providing the best items for her customers, Marinelli is putting her own unique twists on Italian favorites by using fresh and simple flavors. 

An eye-catching image of the interior of La Strega initially grabbed the attention of my family and I. Itching to try new foods, we had ventured out to try their delicacies after being quarantined for months. Usually, my family eats inside restaurants but due to Covid-19, we decided to choose the safer option, takeout.

We went on their website and found their menu which had multiple categories that made it easier to find what we wanted. When looking at their menu we saw categories such as “greens,” “ocean,” “mains,” “farm,” etc. I thought it was a nice touch to use unique categories for their offerings, rather than the usual, “meats” or “seafood” labels. While looking for the dishes I wanted to try, I soon realized that most titles of the items were written in Italian. I did appreciate the thought of allowing customers to engage with the real language, but I do think it was a little difficult to figure out what each title meant. I was constantly using Google Translate which was a bit of a hassle.

When it comes to the COVID-19 guidelines, La Strega is doing a pretty good job of following the rules. They had specific time slots for customers to pick-up their orders, ensuring social distancing guidelines were in effect. As we walked in to pick up our food, we could see that every worker was wearing a mask and gloves. 

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The first dish that we chose was “Athena” ($19.00), a pizza with fennel sausage, oregano, mozzarella and a variety of vegetables. The pizza was soft when bitten into and had the perfect bit of seasoning. I really enjoyed the sausage as it was tender and the cheese complimented the flavors of the sausage and vegetables nicely. The crust, being my favorite part, was soft and had a garlic flavor to it. My family and I were hoping for a larger portion size based on the price, but overall this was a great dish.

Pasta is one of my favorite foods, so I knew that I had to try one. I chose the Orecchiette ($18.00), a thick, tough pasta with chile, truffle and maitake, which is an edible polypore mushroom. The pasta was served in a rich sauce with a hint of some spice that was beyond delicious. On the other hand, the mushrooms were overpowering and took away from the other flavors of the pasta. They also had a bit of a weird flavor, almost bitter, leaving a foul aftertaste in my mouth. Again, I was expecting more for the price and certainly wish the mushrooms could’ve been less pungent.

Finally, my family and I ordered the Polenta cookies ($8.00), which came with “Champagne zabaglione,” an airy custard. The size and presentation of the cookies made me suspicious as to how it would taste. However, although it looked more like a balled-up piece of dough, the taste made up for it. When eaten together, the two go well together, with the crunchiness of the cookie and the creaminess of the custard creating a delightful taste. The cookie by itself was a little dry, but had a nice flavor to it. 

La Strega’s overall environment was pleasant to everything from the friendly workers, intriguing decor and great customer service. And while the portion sizes might not have been as large as we would have liked, the food itself was still delicious. Keeping the originality from authentic Italian cooking, La Strega has great tasting food and offers an elegant setting as well.