Dining

Two new eateries debut at Neonopolis

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Family-owned Luna Rossa has pasta aplenty, plus antipasti, a long list of thin-crust pizzas, seafood or mushroom risotto and more.
Photo: Beverly Poppe

Downtown Vegas buzz took an odd, unsophisticated turn recently when a customer at the Heart Attack Grill—a restaurant with the slogan “Taste Worth Dying For!” emblazoned across its website—was rushed to the hospital, making national news and surprising no one. Like the restaurant itself, this media hit was weird and uncomfortable, especially considering the area has been making headlines for redevelopment efforts and a brighter future, not for the consumption of “triple bypass burgers.”

The Details

Luna Rosa
450 Fremont St., Suite 101, 928-5862
Fremont Mediterranean Cafe
450 Fremont St., Suite 123, 366-9501

Downtown dining needs a serious boost, and outside of bad nutrition, there’s nothing serious about Heart Attack Grill. In its garish shadow, two other eateries have recently opened at Neonopolis.

Luna Rossa Ristorante is a family-owned Italian restaurant that also operates a location at the Village at Lake Las Vegas. Open for lunch and dinner, the Downtown spot boasts a menu full of favorites, including antipasti, a long list of thin-crust pizzas, seafood or mushroom risotto and more pasta dishes, from penne primavera to gnocchi al ragu. Things are starting slowly here, but perhaps Luna Rossa will draw on a combo of Fremont Street Experience tourists and East Fremont bar-crawling locals.

Next door, there’s a fresh and healthy alternative to heart attacks, Fremont Mediterranean Cafe. Lunch business is building quietly in this casual stop, where diners share sampler appetizer platters of falafel, hummus and baba ghanoush. There are charbroiled meat and fish kabobs, pita pockets, wraps and a lamb burger that probably won’t require an ambulance trip. Only time will tell if these new Neonopolis eats will last, or if life support is imminent.

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