Chef Robert Irvine Plans Opening Date at the Tropicana

For the last two years, the Tropicana Las Vegas has been promoting its restaurant portfolio under the trademarked slogan, "Food is Our Celebrity." All that will change in 2017 with the arrival of chef Robert Irvine.

A Food Network TV star and host of the syndicated talk show, The Robert Irvine Show, the chef made a huge splash in May when he rappelled down the side of the hotel to announce his first Las Vegas restaurant was on the way. Months later, new plywood has now appeared at the Trop, adjacent to the soon to be demolished 11,134-square-foot sportsbook.

Irvine returns to the Tropicana to host the 13th annual Military Culinary Competition on Saturday, Nov. 12. A very active promoter of charitable causes, including his own military-focused resource, The Robert Irvine Foundation, an auction to raise funds for the USO has tipped the timetable for his restaurant’s arrival.

An auction winner paid $3,750 to be flown to Las Vegas to attend the "Grand Opening" of Irvine's restaurant and dine with the chef. Bidders were warned the opening gala event was expected to "take place in July 2017, exact date to be confirmed at a later date," creating a comfortable eight-month construction window.

Promised by the chef to be the "the BEST in Vegas," current restaurant renderings indicate an open, airy space, compatible with the resort’s South Beach-inspired design.

Very early plans had called for including an outdoor dining patio with clear glass walls and views of the very busy intersection of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard.

Yet to be confirmed, a second new restaurant, imported from the East Coast, but lacking a celebrity chef brand name, is also expected to arrive at the Tropicana next year.