There are almost always a few significant restaurant openings in the month of December as operators like to take advantage of the slower season—if Las Vegas has such a thing—to get things going quickly and quietly. This December, there are more than a few.
Grape Street chef and owner John McKibben recently opened a second location at Downtown Summerlin.
Downtown Summerlin continues to add new eats to its vast retail offerings. The most recent arrivals are Pieology Pizzeria, a California-based chain offering “custom, artisan-style pizzas flash-fired in less than five minutes,” and Rice Republic, offering a mix of Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese dishes such as dumplings, noodle soup, fried rice and “Summerlin’s first dim sum carts.” Additional locations for established local favorites Grape Street Café and Wine Bar and Sushi Loca also opened recently at Downtown Summerlin.
Caesars Palace recently debuted the Forum Food Court, a jumble of casual, quick-serve options in the main casino near the Forum Shops. (It was formerly known as Cypress Street Marketplace.) Most of the food and beverage options are open now, including the Strip’s first Smashburger, DiFara Pizza, Starbucks, Phillips Seafood Express and Earl of Sandwich. Ice cream and Asian food vendors are on the way.
That big castle on the Strip has unveiled the Buffet at Excalibur after a $6 million, 35,000-square-foot renovation. New menu highlights include made-to-order omelets, breakfast paninis, Cajun crab macaroni and cheese, lobster polenta and hand-dipped ice cream bars. Friday nights are seafood nights.
Tom Ryan's Smashburger chain just opened its first Strip store at Caesars Palace's new Forum Food Court, and his Tom's Urban restaurant will open at New York-New York soon.
Just days ago, seven-year-old Southern Highlands neighborhood favorite Off the Strip opened its second Las Vegas restaurant—on the Strip. Located along the Linq Promenade, the new destination is two stories and plans to operate around the clock and expand on its comfortable menu of steaks, seafood, pastas and more.
And of course, there’s Shake Shack. The overwhelmingly popular, 10-year-old East Coast burger chain created by legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer opens its western-most store at New York-New York on December 29. Shake Shack is right on the Strip, and will be something of a gateway to MGM Resorts’ Park project scheduled to be completed in 2016.
Also expected to open anytime between this week and early January: Latin Fish, a new restaurant from former Downtown Bar & Bistro chef Beni Velazquez at the Desert Shores space formerly known as Garfield’s; Tapas by Alex Stratta at Tivoli Village; Tom’s Urban, a casual eatery right next door to Shake Shack at New York-New York; and Yardbird Southern Table & Bar at Venetian.
