Las Vegas is a city in the midst of reinvention and renewal, and that includes its restaurants. Several favorites are reopening, while new ones continue popping up all over. Lucky us!
The fabulous and familiar Palms resort and casino has reopened just west of the Strip on Flamingo Road, springing back to life after two years and bringing with it some already well-established dining destinations. Scotch 80 Prime (866.752.2236) was instantly regarded as one of the top casino steakhouses in the city when it first made its debut at the Palms in 2018. The resurrected and refreshed version offers the same swanky environment that recalls glamorous Vegas nights, juxtaposed with a modern menu specializing in seafood towers, wood-grilled steaks and chops and decadent side dishes. It’s a new version of a classic experience.
Mabel’s BBQ
The other meat-centric eatery on the property has the city buzzing about its delicious return to action. Mabel’s BBQ (866.752.2236), an energetic smokehouse from celebrity chef Michael Symon, first opened at the Palms in early 2019 along with an array of other new venues, so many Vegas visitors and locals may not have had the chance to engage with this experience that first and only year. It’s time to fix that, and enjoy Symon’s take on traditional smoked brisket, pork spareribs, barbecue sandwiches and creative sides like cheddar bacon cornbread, pit beans and hot greens. Come hungry.
The Palms is not the only place in Las Vegas that’s currently putting a fresh spin on a familiar experience. At the Plaza downtown, a second location of the legendary Sand Dollar Lounge (702.386.2110) recently opened, significantly larger than the beloved original on Spring Mountain Road, to offer more live music and craft cocktails. And the delicious pub grub comes from championship pizzaiolo Michael Vakneen, who opened Pop Up Pizza at the Plaza 10 years ago and has crafted a unique, signature pan pizza for the highly anticipated Sand Dollar Downtown. Be the first among your friends to give it a taste.
All the culinary talk in Henderson these days surrounds Rosa Ristorante (702.478.9200), a Jersey-style, Italian-American eatery from chef and owner Rob Moore, who made a name for himself cooking in Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s epic Strip steakhouses at Bellagio and Aria. Working with the flavors and ingredients he grew up with, Moore is thrilling diners with clams oreganata, cheesy risotto fritters, amberjack crudo, roasted branzino, pizza, pasta, steaks and more at his own homey joint. Rosa is about to become the next big thing off the Strip.
Back on the Strip, there’s a new energy at Paris Las Vegas, thanks to several new openings, and Vanderpump á Paris (702.946.4217), the second Vegas cocktail lounge and restaurant from reality TV star and Los Angeles restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump, is the perfect starting point for exploration. This ornate and enticing new spot is not so much an extension of Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesars Palace as it is an homage to all things French, including a vast champagne selection, alluring cheese and charcuterie boards and irresistible desserts. But you should be warned—even though this place just opened, many visitors have already stopped in planning on a predinner cocktail before moving on to another restaurant, only to have too much fun to leave Vanderpump. That’s just the way it goes.
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