Isabela’s

One of the worst experiences I ever had, the only thing they have going for them is the location, it’s too bad that they can’t have good service or food it would really be a nice place to go.

Oh my goodness. If you want to try something out of this world try to figure out when he has his special tasting menus. Went to one with tequila pairings and it was one of the most divine things I’ve even had and I’ve eaten at Daniel’s in NYC. He is next level. Anything you order there is amazing.

Very disappointed ! We made reservations for this restaurant for New Years Eve dinner with my daughter and her friend… they did not update their menu and when we got there the place was practically empty! The childrens menu was no longer available and the things I saw on their menu like lobster tails and stuffed pork chops with chorizo were off the menu… we walked out very let down!

Had Sunday brunch — my parents wanted to try it. First thing the signage was absolutely not clear. Two big signs advertising SOHO Pizza and Isabela’s and behind it was door for the valet guy/​keys — doesn’t make sense. A bunch of doors with no clear signage. When you walk in the right door it’s SOHO pizza — huh. You have to walk thru one restaurant to get to Isabela’s — in my opinion that’s a no go… I would have walked out but my parents wanted to try the Tapas. Thought they would have tapas at lunch well they don’t. Only one waiter for the whole restaurant… Guy did his best but I think he didn’t know the whole menu. Décor was all over the place. Ordered 2 fish and chips but no malt vinegar whaaaat? Was offered sherry vinegar but my wife liked the one sauce provided but damn no malt vinegar… The best thing beautiful views but as goin back not high on my list.

Wonderful atmosphere!! the crab and 5 cheese mac is to die for. The little pollo is seasoned perfectly. Staff very accommodating and friendly. The view of the lake is very serine. Will definitely be back to try more food.

Isabela’s has a nice Happy Hour. Choose indoor or outdoor seating. The grlilled Mahi Mahi tacos come 3 to an order with jimaca slaw a tasty mango salsa and roasted tomatilllo sauce. Drinks are reasonably priced. Service was friendly and prompt. The highlight is the beautiful view of the lake. Hope the restaurant gains a following as the location is one of the best along with established competition nearby.

Great ambiance by the lakeside! The food was delicious! Most especially the Honduras fire and ice lobster, Seafood paella and the chocolate genache! Must go back again! Thank you the chefs and Jon L for keeping the food flowing!

Went to Isabela’s for the first time with my mother and a friend. We had a lovely table on the outside patio overlooking Desert Shores lake. We ordered 3 different entrees, and all 3 were amazing. I highly recommend the Spicy sea bass, salmon salad and ahi tuna salad.
The salmon is listed on the menu as seared but you can request it fully cooked.
Our waiter was friendly and the food arrived promptly. Lots of spacious parking, beautiful ambiance and great prices. If you haven’t been, you should go.

One of my favorite dining experiences in Vegas was happy hour at Café Ba-​Ba-​Reeba. $ 3 tapas and half-​price sangria! The only bad side was that it was at the Fashion Show Mall. But despite its location, we would gladly trek down to the Strip occasionally for our Spanish-​food fix, and we were sad when it closed up shop a few years back.
Now we’ve discovered Isabela’s. The location is perfect: a quaint group of dining rooms overlooking the water at Desert Shores. The prices were reasonable, especially at happy hour ($ 5 wines and sangria, and a few $ 7 tapas). And the food was tasty, although nothing could compare to the meatballs at Café Ba-​Ba-​Reeba!
We each had a few glasses of sangria (delicious!) and split orders of the garlic chicken, carnitas mofongo, lobster roll sliders, and jamon sliders. As I said, the food was good but nothing really stood out, although I did enjoy the fried plantain chips our server brought out as a starter. The sangria was refreshing and not overly boozy. And our server was prompt and pleasant throughout. The menu was huge, but there were surprisingly few items listed on the happy hour menu. (We ordered the sliders off the regular menu, at $ 15 and $ 13, respectively, each.)
The best part of Isabela’s is the location. This lovely setting would be great for a birthday party or wedding reception. It’s also a great place to meet friends for happy hour, and we saw a few groups of young ladies doing just that.
I plan on returning to Isabela’s to sample more of their dishes; maybe there’s something great on the menu that we just didn’t try. (Paella? Tostones? They have them both.) And I hope more people take advantage of this hidden gem at Desert Shores. You don’t have to trek down to the Strip for a restaurant with a water view; for many of us, it’s right in our own backyard! (Along with the neighboring Marché Bacchus, another great find …)

A hidden gem in an area I rarely get to see. The establishment is more than a tad confusing to get into and around once you’re in! There are multiple rooms and outdoor areas and the entrance is in a bizarre place. Don’t give up!
I would head for the seating area with a view of the lake and go from there! Plan to visit during sunset.
The red sangria was a treat and really hit the spot on this 105 degree day!
The menu looks great and there are plenty of appetizers to pair with the red or white sangria!

Beautiful restaurant with a fabulous view. Chef Beni has some amazing dishes that capture such a wonderful and succulent flavor. The atmosphere and view isn’t something you will find anywhere in Las Vegas. The restaurant offers astounding views of the lake, and if you’re fortunate enough to sit outside, you’ll want to stay all night!
Great drinks, awesome food, beautiful view, amazing atmosphere all make Isabela’s an oasis that will delight anybody.

Originally opened in the old Garfield’s space under the name Latin Fish, but quickly rebranded as Isabela’s by Chef Beni Velazquez of Downtown’s Bar + Bistro fame, it has been a slow start for the beautiful restaurant set beside a man-​made lake off Regatta Drive, and yet sitting down with four friends who know a thing (or ten) about dining around Sin City the results of a chef-​selected tasting menu showed plenty of bold flavors and an adept hand for balance, though the run-​amok menu and awkward servers remain in desperate need of some tweaks.
Selected as a meeting place in part due to location, but also to see if low marks amongst Unilocalers and local ‘critics’ were anywhere near the truth, it was at prix-​fixe with arrangements made directly through Chef Beni that the menu was set, and given plenty of room to spread out amidst a square table in large private room it was with long discussion of the city’s dining scene that the twenty-​plate lunch unfolded, the opening bites of warm cornbread with three spreads followed by a crabcake atop mashed plantains each highlighting flavors sweet as well as savory, a hallmark of Velazquez culinary roots and good sign of what would come next.
Having specially requested a handful of plates from Sunday brunch, a menu that might be well served to be offered on Saturday as well considering the large restaurant sat less than 10% full at noon, plate three featured Isabela’s highly acclaimed flan French Toast, and with a caramelized exterior overlying a center wet with custard the results were every bit as decadent as might be expected, the follow-​up omelet largely lost in the wake of such a delicious concept while the subsequent chicken was awash in butter and garlic, the sherry and herbs unfortunately muddled in the mix.
Regaining footing quickly, though servers tilting plates saw the first of three spills as a duo of soups were served on the heels of lobster salad stuffed inside toasty golden rolls, suffice it to say that although neither the bisque nor chowder was remotely ‘typical’ in the least, both bowls were invariably excellent as the former came across sweet and silky while the latter upgraded the New England classic by several notches through the addition of smoky paprika and spicy pork sausage, each bite compelling another until the deceptively deep vessel was completely wiped clean.
Returning to mofongo for plate nine before presenting a pressed panini alongside three styles of fries as the halfway point of our stay, Velazquez’s take on his native sandwich was on par with several of those tasted in Miami, a few more pickles potentially placing it above all but the very best, while the funky sliced sweet potatos and Jenga-​style fried yucca were each locally beyond compare.
Refreshing palates with the tender chicken salad served atop chopped cabbage and jicama as plaintain chips added texture alongside creamy avocado and sliced Spanish cheese, it was to a small crock of macaroni tinged with red crab that each of us were next treated, the savories coming to a conclusion with two large skillets of paella, the notable lack of socarrat admittedly a bit of a disappointment, though the quality of the prawns and clams amidst rich wafts of saffron certainly did their best to somewhat soften the blow.
At this point verging on stuffed, the meal having stretched over two-​hundred minutes as desserts were presented family style for all to share, it was with a quartet of options that the table was topped, and setting aside more service mispronunciations the question of where to invest limited stomach capacity proved quite the conundrum, the Catalan cream no doubt the lightest option though personal proclivities tilted more towards the steamy white chocolate bread pudding and delicate flan served atop a lightly toothsome base, each creamy bite slightly reminiscent of St. Louis style buttercake.
Still an evolving concept, and one with plenty of room to grow in terms of service while a scaling back of the menu’s scope would allow the kitchen an opportunity to really dial-​in flavors and textures both, one hopes that Isabela’s will soon find its audience because with a beautiful room and a truly passionate Chef it’d be a real shame to see another failure for a restaurant attempting to challenge the Summerlin status quo.

Four of us came to Isabela’s for a prix fixe brunch that was arranged by Chef Beni Velazquez. Brunch is normally served on Sunday but we came on a Saturday to try the dishes he serves at brunch. He also brought out some dishes that are on the daily menu.
Items served:
Cornbread with sweet butter, strawberry jam, and local honey
Crab cake Benedict Mofongo
Flan French toast
Carne omelette
Garlic pollo
Latin lobster salad roll
Red crab sweet corn bisque
Latin clam chowder
Garlic shrimp Mofongo
Cubano panini
Yucca frites
Sweet potato fries with bleu cheese
Regular French fries
Chopped chicken salad
Five cheese crab and mac
Paella Velazquez
White chocolate brioche bread pudding
Flan with cake
Churros with liquid chocolate
Crema Catalan
There’s a lot going on at Isabela’s. Chef Beni has put together a rather large brunch menu. The dishes that stood out for me were the brioche flan French toast, the garlic pollo, the red crab sweet corn bisque, the Cubano panini, the sweet potato fries with bleu cheese, the chopped chicken salad, the white chocolate brioche bread pudding, and the churros.
For the savories, the standouts were the chicken which had lots of garlic taste in the rich sauce. The brioche flan French toast was delicious with nicely browned brioche pieces with maple syrup. The crab bisque had a rich flavor with a good amount of crab. The panini was oozing cheese. The chopped chicken salad was a large brunch item in itself with thin, fried plantain in the salad for design. The combination of bleu cheese with the sweet potato fries was superb! I generally do not get sweet potato fries, but if they were all served this way, I’d change my ways.
For the sweets – reason enough to come here – my two standouts were the white chocolate brioche bread pudding and the churros. Both were very good takes on two dishes generally served in a different manner. The churros were more like doughnut holes but had a much richer flavor and the dipping/​pouring over liquid chocolate was a perfect accompaniment. The bread pudding was unlike most bread pudding in that it was soft bread pudding triangles much like pieces of waffle but of totally different texture.
The menu is almost overwhelming. I’m not sure if I’d have known what to pick if I had come here out of the blue. Having Chef Beni pick our menu was a good start. Perhaps the menu needs to be tightened up some.

I first met Chef Beni Velázquez several years ago in Las Vegas at his former venue just off The Las Vegas Strip in the Arts District downtown. His new venue — Isabela’s
– is located about 10 miles west of The Las Vegas Strip.
Tourists certainly are not merely going to pass by Isabela’s because the location is in a residential area in the northwestern part of Las Vegas. And locals may not yet have an awareness of the Lakeside Center of the Desert Shores community between Buffalo and Rainbow where Isabela’s is located. But, once you find Isabela’s, you will be very happy and you will want to tell others.
Chef Beni is one of the most talented and energetic individuals I have ever met. His intense wisdom and passion about food defines the dining experience at Isabela’s. Like him, the food and the dining experience at Isabela’s are honest and full of life but without trickery or manipulations. Simply stated, dining at Isabela’s is such an engaging pleasure on so many levels that you will want to return often.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I have kind of a ‘history’ with the owner/​operator of Isabela’s, Chef Beni Velazquez. Some time before we even moved to Vegas (the first time), one of the first episodes of a show I saw on the Food Network called MYSTERY DINERS, featured a now-​defunct establishment called BAR + BISTRO, located near the Arts District, where Beni was the head chef. (As it turned out on the program, the biggest problems with the place were in reference to the staffing and the management, NOT the food.)
It was enough to persuade me to visit the place and to meet Chef Beni. You will never find a guy more about making sure his customers receive the best experience when it comes to food and hospitality, and that first visit kept us coming back for more!
I kept up with Chef Beni’s career, going from BAR + BISTRO, to his new place, «Latin Fish», which eventually morphed into Isabela’s. My partner and I wanted to make it a point to come to his new digs to check them out, see what he was up to, and compare the quality of the food to what we had experienced before in his previous establishments.
If we were disappointed about ANY aspect of Isabela’s, it’s the sad realization of knowing that as soon as people discover the wonders of Chef Velazquez’s Latin-​forward cuisine, this will no longer be one of our exclusive «best-​kept secrets.»
Located at Lakeview Center in the Desert Shores neighborhood, Isabela’s shares real estate with several other exclusive establishments, including Marchez Bacchus (another MYSTERY DINERS subject). The dining room overlooks the lake, which offers breathtaking views. On one of Vegas’s rare ‘cooler’ days or evenings, dining out on the restaurant’s patio area would be delightful, (some like the heat, but I’m not particularly a fan.)
The main thing to come here for, though, is the food. Chef Beni pours his passion, obsessiveness and creativity into the fare here, and it shows among the rich seafood dishes, delightful tapas and meat offerings.
Not one of the several appetizers we started off with wasn’t flavorful and enticing. The opener was the Red Crab Sweet Corn Bisque, thick and delicious with bits of sweet crab meat, garlic, spices and a ‘tomato-​ey’ base. The «Little Pollo» chicken bites, light, delicately breaded and well-​seasoned made a perfect accompaniment to the «Cuban teapot» drinks-​for-​two that we had with it. And the «Garlic Pollo» was one of those rich, comforting plates, served with slices of fresh baguette, that made you wish you had a gallon of it to take home. The savory, sofrito-​based sauce begged to be sopped up, which made me glad that Chef had the foresight to include that extra bread!
The signature Crab Cakes might be small and delicate, unlike the larger, breadier cousins offered in towns like Baltimore. But each morsel, lightly coated with panko and fried just as lightly, packed in the fresh flavor of the crabmeat. You know you’re getting the crab you’re looking for here — no imitation substitute, and no sad chicken-​nugget like frozen crap masquerading as the real thing.
It all made me anticipate the Main Course, which for me was the Fish and Chips. This is one of the make-​or-​break dishes for me with any restaurant that offers it, and if you lose me with that, you’ve pretty much lost me with everything else as well. Here, it was a home run. The fries, thin, crispy, golden-​brown, were the perfect backup for the generous portions of beer-​battered, fresh and flaky cod, served with spicy ketchup and mojo sauces for dipping. The jicama slaw puts regular cole slaw to shame. I ate it all, and next time I may even ask for an extra side of it!
My partner had the Seared Argentinian Shrimp, served piping hot and whole, the shells completely intact, which prohibited me from trying them, (I don’t like any food that stares back at me while I’m eating it.) His third course was the Bone-​In Dry-​Aged Ribeye, served with Romesco butter, mashed potatoes and veggies, cooked to perfection just the way he loves it (medium rare). It looked good, but I couldn’t be torn away from my Fish and Chips to try it.
Plus, room HAD to be saved for the ‘piece de resistance’: the scrumptious desserts. So often, the desserts turn out to be a letdown, usually something not even prepared in-​house. There was no doubt in my mind that my Warm Chocolate Ganache cake, served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, was made right there, (the menu even requests that you order it thirty minutes in advance.) Thick and gooey in the molten center where the warm ganache called ‘home’, this is very similar to your average «chocolate molten lava cake», but a more elevated version — for adults.
The Ricotta Cheesecake came with crispy, sugary little bits of candied citrus that were sprinkled over it, each tangy pop of freshness enhancing every bite of cake. It was so damn good, in fact, THAT is what I’ll be having the next time we turn up here.

Isabel’s is gorgeous, surreal and beyond words. Outdoor patio, faces a lake, award winning chef/​owner Beni Velazquez has created an inspiration. Never thought we could have something like this in Vegas. Award winning creations are reasonably priced. Service was great. Stayed 3 hours!!! Didn’t want to leave. 15 minutes off the strip.

No longer serving breakfast at 8:30 like their sign advertises. It’s Saturday, that’s Annoying. They said they serve coffee but we wouldn’t be allowed to sit on the patio.
Thanks for ruining our Saturday walk with your rude staff and wrong hours

I was very excited to see a new restaurant at the lakes in desert shores. Unfortunately my expectations were not full-​filled. Some of the dishes were hit or miss. The service was slow and the prices did not match the dishes. We ordered the crab cakes which were good, but they were the smallest crab cakes ever. I was very disappointed with the size, they were literally one bite. We also had the latin clam chowder which lacked of clams and was very tick. For our main dishes I got the pork chops which was a pretty good size dish. The pork was stuffed with blue cheese which was a good complement. The problem is that the pork was a bit dry. We also got the fish and chips which was a complete disappointment too. Before we ordered the server told us that they were having problems with the batter, but they had fixed the issue. I wished we could have gotten the tip. The dish was mainly batter. The fish were small pieces but tons of batter. The flavor was just ok.
I liked the fact that they had live music Friday night which made the atmosphere a lot more fun. I just wished the food was good enough to come back. I probably won’t be coming back to this restaurant.

April 26, 2015 Isabella’s served it’s first Sunday Brunch. The ambiance will invite you in, the service and food will keep you coming back. Key words on menu: organic, fresh preserves, gluten free. Overall, the food is delicious. The staff is kind. The environment is kid-​friendly. Indoor and outdoor seating. The menu items are foods I feel good about for my family.
Isabella’s is CLOSED Mondays. May 22, we returned for a 5:00 PM meal on a Friday. Plantains to start instead of a filling loaf of bread. Organic Mary’s chicken, baby squash, and crisp oven potatoes. Tapas including Vegan Sliders and a paella sampler. I do not think you can wrong with any item on the menu

I think this place has a long way to go, but with that said I wouldn’t completely write it off. The wait staff is still green and it shows. We came here on a Thursday night and due to high winds we were seated inside. All of the seats by the windows were already claimed, but I enjoyed the atmosphere nonetheless.
We opted for a bottle of wine. They have a versatile list in variety and price. We picked Cambria red $ 30. The server was apologetic when we he reappeared to inform us they were out of that particular wine. He brought two similar alternatives. I asked if they were in the same price range and he responded that indeed they were. We settled on one and off he went. But he came back again, apologizing that the bottle we selected was actually $ 75 dollars. That’s a bit more than I am willing to spend on a random evening out with my husband. We paid $ 75 for a bottle of wine at CUT, but did not intend on doing so here. The server was apologetic and kept repeating that he had only been there several weeks. No big deal. We were not super fussed.
My husband is kind of a snob when it comes to tapas and Spanish style food as he studied in Spain and also did an exchange student program while in high school, so he was used to authentic Spanish home cooking. I think he was much more harsh on the food than I was. I will let him voice his thoughts in his review.
We had the Spanish paella (BLAND), lamb chops, scallops, and Jamón ibérico. The server made a comment that he didn’t even know how to pronounce «Jamón ibérico «and it was «good to know». I thought it was charming. None of the food truly stood out. Everything was «fine» but not praise worthy, and the prices were too high for the tapas portion and quality that you did get. Once again, the ultimate disappointment was the paella, and if you choose to put it on your menu while calling yourself a Spanish inspired tapas joint, you should get the paella right.
Overall, the food although not mind blowing is decent with room for improvement. Same sentiments on the service as well. I think the location and the ambiance are on point I want them to stick around!

The truth us, idk if their food is good or not, bc we didn’t get to eat. Mothers Day brunch, set menu, $ 38. Ok, but when I called to confirm our reservation, I was assured the regular brunch menu was available, as well as the regular menu. Reason, my wife has an egg allergy so she’s limited to what she can eat.
So, my wife, my 5 month old son and I leave GV, pick up my mother in Midtown and drive all the way to Desert Shores, only to find out once we were seated, we can’t eat here.
Get your act together! It’s mothers day!
So now I am writing this while waiting an hour for a table at Bagel Café. Nice view, bad management.

I knew i should of waited to visit this place, but i just couldn’t do it. I love the concept and the area. The view is beautiful… It’s got an old boat house in Maine kind of feel… Chef Benny is pretty notorious for creating great menus and amazing food so we came as soon as we found out it was open.
It was happy hour when we arrived. Half off select tapas, 5 $ sangria and a few discounted cocktails. Not a bad deal. They have a few vegan and veggie options on the menu so I was super excited to eat.
Our friends ordered the pig pork
Cow sandwich and fries. They loved the ketchup. They also got the fire and ice lobster soup and a few sangria and happy hour cherry old fashioned cocktails. *They didn’t give us happy hour prices on anything we ordered. * watch your checks:)
My boyfriend ordered the seared shrimp and the garlic polo. He wasn’t overly impressed but said for Vegas seafood… It was good. He also ordered the ciapirianha cocktail and blood orange margarita. Both were priced a little high and not that awesome… But they were okay. They overcharged us for the ciapirianha… Well they actually charged us for two instead of one…
I ordered two glasses of cab. They were out of the $ 11 glass that I ordered… So I went for the 9 dollar version. They charged me for the 11 dollar one twice. I ordered the quinoa soffritto, vegan. They brought out a house salad with quinoa on top. There was no soffritto… The tomatoes weren’t roasted. There was no plantains… No shallots… There were olives and purple onions… And regular tomatoes… it was a salad with quinoa on top… I was pretty upset… I didn’t want something I could of prepared at home… I complained… Which I never do… But I had to… There was just too much wrong with it. It was taken Off our bill.
For dessert we ordered the vegan chocolate cake with a chocolate glaze and the ice cold rice milk. Wound up sending it back… No Chocolate glaze and the server said it didn’t come with rice milk. It was written In the description.
The bill was padded up to 157 dollars without my meal. Needless to say… I was pissed. Not only did they mess up my meal and bring out half of the dessert… They messed up the bill really bad. I was brought out the wrong drinks and we had to send them back… But we were charged for them. The garlic pollo was suppose to be half off… They charged us full price… The sangrias were 5 dollars each, they charged us full price, the wine I ordered what cheaper because they didn’t have the 11 dollar one… They charged me 11 dollars for the more expensive wine they were out of. They charged us for two ciapirianha, we only ordered and received one… They should of deducted one more happy hour drink and happy hour app… They weren’t discounted. At that point I was so fed up, we paid the 130 dollar tab, tipped well… And left. I have copies of the receipts just in case I get back lash for the review…
I will be returning soon… Giving them a chance… I was so sad about my food… It was almost insulting to be presented what I was presented as my dish. Pictures posted below… Be patient and let them work out their kinks before dining.

An unexpected spot nestled in a residential area, Isabela’s is Chef Beni Vasquez’s seafood and tapas restaurant located right on Lake Jacqueline! Open for dinner only, HH is offered Tues-​Sun 4:30 — 7:30, featuring half off select tapas and 20% off drinks.
PLAINTAIN CHIPS: Complimentary during HH and generously seasoned with sea salt, these are just as tasty as the ones I had in the Caribbean.
GRILLED FISH TACOS: Three mini tacos to an order, topped with Mahi, jicama slaw and a tomatillo sauce. The half-​off HH price is much more comfortable for the portion than the usual $ 11 rate. Not their best dish.
GARLIC POLLO: Generous portion tossed in a sherry-​butter-​garlic sauce, served with two slices of baguette for mopping up the extra sauce. Tasty, but not as garlicky as I was expecting given the name of the dish.
CALAMARI LATINO: Calamari rings sautéed with chorizo, peppers, and white beans. Favorite dish, again served with bread. Seafood was tender, sauce was flavorful. Wish these last two dishes were served with a spoon for the sauces.
Service from Jason and Jasmine was personable but I was charged full price instead of HH prices for my dishes– a minor oversight, but one that appears to be a pattern based on Dominique’s review. Location patio is covered like a greenhouse, with a variety of comfortable seating options and of course– that great lake view! Restaurant also shares a space with Republic Café, their Cuban breakfast and lunch spot.