The Black Sheep

Jamie Tran named her restaurant for the part of herself that pushed back: a playful rebellious streak and a drive to break into a kitchen world run mostly by men. The Black Sheep is her neighborhood restaurant in southwest Las Vegas, where she is chef and co-owner, and the cooking is Vietnamese-American, rooted in what her mother made at home.

Fried rice on a milk crate

Tran started cooking at four, standing on a milk crate to make fried rice beside her mother, who was born in Hue. She has eight siblings who all helped, but she says she spent the most time at her mother's side. After a business degree from San Francisco State and training at Le Cordon Bleu, she moved to Las Vegas and took a part-time line cook job at Charlie Palmer's Aureole, working her way up to executive sous chef. She cooked banquets at The Venetian, then ran the kitchen at Daniel Boulud's DB Brasserie as executive chef before opening her own place.

The cooking

Tran has said she wants to keep her mother's flavors while bringing in the French and American technique she learned on the Strip, without Americanizing the food. Dishes described in a February 2026 visit give a sense of it:

• Crispy spring rolls of Duroc pork and shrimp, with pickled heirloom carrots and radish
• Hue-style vegan glass noodles with baby bok choy, mushrooms and carrots
• Whole fried rainbow trout with jasmine rice and rainbow chard
• Braised pork jowl over turmeric pho noodles with kale

The menu changes with the seasons, and the bar pours cocktails and wine alongside dinner.

Recognition

Eater Las Vegas named The Black Sheep its 2017 Restaurant of the Year and Tran its Chef of the Year. She later competed on Bravo's Top Chef, and in 2022 she was a James Beard Foundation finalist for Best Chef: Southwest.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations are taken through OpenTable.

Visit or contact The Black Sheep

8680 W. Warm Springs Road, Las Vegas, NV
702-954-3998
Business website or menu

Researched September 26, 2026. Source 1; Source 2; Source 3; Source 4. This is an independent directory listing, not a claim that the owner has joined or installed a badge. For a correction or removal, contact Cody. Listings are free and badges are optional.