Balla Italian Soul
Italian restaurant · Northern Strip ·
Southern Italian dishes, handmade pasta, Roman pizza, fire-roasted meats
Southern Italian dishes, handmade pasta, Roman pizza, fire-roasted meats
"With touches of coastal Italy and a menu of light and flavorful pasta, chef Shawn McClain’s Italian restaurant inside the Sahara celebrates all things pasta, pizza, and Aperol spritzes. His Roman-style pizzas incorporate the crust that McClain developed when he was running Five50 Pizza Bar. And Balla’s pasta dishes, like the casarecce — a dish of chewy noodles in a tangy sauce brimming with tomatoes, garlic, and Calabrian pepper — draw on flavors that are bright, vibrant, sometimes citrusy, and often a little spicy. —Janna Karel, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest Best for: Early evening date nights that call for lighter fare before the night gets underway." - Matthew Kang
"With touches of coastal Italy, and a menu of light and flavorful pasta, chef Shawn McClain brings seasonal Italian fare to the Sahara Las Vegas. The domed and tiled ceiling floats over a dining room decorated with small trees and twinkling fairy lights, rustic setting for casarecce — a dish of chewy noodles in a tangy sauce brimming with tomatoes, garlic, and Calabrian pepper — and Roman-style pizzas, like the Gotham with cured meats, pomodoro, and fennel pollen." - Janna Karel
"With touches of coastal Italy and a menu of light and flavorful pasta, chef Shawn McClain’s Italian restaurant inside the Sahara celebrates all things pasta, pizza, and Aperol spritzes. His Roman-style pizzas incorporate the crust that McClain developed when he was running Five50 Pizza Bar. And Balla’s pasta dishes, like the casarecce — a dish of chewy noodles in a tangy sauce brimming with tomatoes, garlic, and Calabrian pepper — draw on flavors that are bright, vibrant, sometimes citrusy, and often a little spicy." - Janna Karel
"James Beard award-winning chef Shawn McClain serves a robust and hearty garganelli in a spiced fennel sausage ragú with stracciatella cheese that explodes with flavor. Conversely, a plate of casarecce is bright with flavors of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and Calabrian pepper — light enough to keep you on your feet even after wrapping up with a heaping bowl of tiramisu." - Janna Karel
"It’s not only one of the best celebrity chef restaurants in Las Vegas right now, it’s also one of the most affordable." - Janna Karel