David Chang's Momofuku, Milk Bar Confirmed for Las Vegas

That 2012 rumor that suggested that Korean-American chef David Chang could jump into the dining scene in Las Vegas at Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is finally coming true. The New York Times reports that by the end of the year, "Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar, will include Las Vegas…. A Momofuku restaurant, the details of which have not been determined, and a Milk Bar are being added to the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas."

Back in January, an unbylined Vegas Seven story speculated that Chang could take over half of the fashion purveyor AllSaints’ space at the resort.

Current construction reduces the approximately 10,000 square feet of the original AllSaints space down to 4,558 square feet of retail next door to bespoke clothiers Stiched. Meanwhile, The Talon Club, the resort's VIP gaming area, is being expanded an extra 2,452 square feet to fill the vacant space on the opposite side of AllSaints. In the middle, a vacant, 3,940-square feet corner opportunity that Vegas Seven speculates will be the next Chang restaurant space.

So far, paperwork submitted with the city suggests that this will be a leased "spec suite" with no mention of utilities, a kitchen or any of the necessary elements for a restaurant.

Last April, Chang referred to Las Vegas as the "holy mecca" of normcore dining in an article he penned for GQ. "Normcore" refers to "finding liberation in being nothing special." Among his beefs, Noodles at the Bellagio and Beijing Noodle No. 9 at Caesars Palace, which he said, "No one who's Asian thinks any of them are awesome, but they serve their purpose;" Mr. Lucky’s at the Hard Rock Hotel, which he said has the, "Best chicken fingers anywhere: deep-fried normcore barbecue heroin;" and on Bund Shanghai: "If you tell a local you're going to dinner here, he will think you're fucking insane." He recommended the sheng jian bao dumplings.

Here, the entire press release:

LAS VEGAS (February 23, 2016) – The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is pleased to announce that Momofuku and Milk Bar will open at the Las Vegas resort, marking David Chang and Christina Tosi’s first projects on the West Coast. Both the restaurant and Milk Bar, which are currently in development, will be the newest additions to the resort’s culinary offerings.

Established by chef and founder David Chang in 2004 with the opening of Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku has grown to include restaurants in New York City, Sydney, Toronto, Washington, DC, and soon, Las Vegas. Momofuku has a total of thirteen restaurants, two bars, and a Culinary Lab. The restaurants have gained world-wide recognition for their innovative take on cuisine, and Momofuku Ko has retained two Michelin stars for the past eight years. Milk Bar is the highly acclaimed bakery founded by chef and owner, Christina Tosi. Christina is best known for her innovative creations, including cereal milk™ ice cream, compost cookies® and crack pie®, all of which have gained world-wide recognition since she opened Milk Bar’s doors in 2008. Milk Bar has a total of seven locations, including New York City, Toronto, Washington, DC, and soon, Las Vegas. Christina is a two-time James Beard award winner and author of two cookbooks, Momofuku Milk Bar and Milk Bar Life. She is also a judge on the hit culinary competition series, MasterChef and MasterChef Junior (on Fox).