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The only constant in Las Vegas is change, and already, a number of restaurants plan to close in 2020 to make room for something bigger and better. Most of these restaurants close in February, and some already have something new in the works to take their place. The Hard Rock Hotel closes as well to renovate and convert into Virgin Hotel, and some of the Hard Rock’s restaurants plan to stick around. Stop by these restaurants before they say goodbye to Las Vegas.
China Tang
China Tang, an ornate tribute to Cantonese, Sichuan, and Beijing dining, will depart the MGM Grand, two years after its arrival from Hong Kong. The restaurant closes on Monday, February 3. The 5,484-square-foot space replaced the Cantonese- and Shanghai-influenced menu of Pearl in early 2017, pivoting from its original lofty ambitions and eventually promoting itself as casual and approachable, dropping initial, exotic menu choices including the $90 braised supreme bird’s nest and the $120 spike sea cucumber with shrimp roe.
• MGM Grand Loses a Sophisticated Dining Destination Early Next Year [ELV]
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Carnegie Deli
Carnegie Deli, home to overstuffed pastrami sandwiches, big bowls of matzah ball soup, and corned beef hash, closes in February 2020 to make way for a new restaurant at the Mirage. The resort sent out word that the Jewish deli, which originally opened in 2005 at the resort, departs in favor of an unnamed fast-casual restaurant opening in the spring. The beloved deli out of New York renovated back in 2014, adding banquette seating at the entrance and minor kitchen renovations.
• Say So Long to Sky-High Pastrami Sandwiches on the Strip [ELV]
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Aria Cafe
Aria Cafe closes at the resort in February to make way for Din Tai Fung with its xiao long bao in mid- to late-2020. The cafe opened in 2010 as an elevated casino coffee shop with a large menu of casual American dishes partially lit by a huge wall of floor-to-ceiling windows facing the resort’s taxi stand and neighboring Vdara resort. Once open 24 hours, the cafe now only serves customers from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. In 2018, Restaurant Business ranked it 51st on its list of the 100 biggest independent restaurants in America, doing an average of $16,700,000 in estimated sales, with an average check of $27, and an estimated 690,000 covers.
• Expect Long Lines When Soup Dumpling Specialist Din Tai Fung Opens on the Strip [ELV]
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Hard Rock Hotel
Hard Rock Hotel hands over the resort’s keys to Virgin Hotel on Feb. 2, and the new operators will race to overhaul the entire resort in an ambitious 278 days. Richard “Boz” Bosworth, president and CEO of JC Hospitality, says MB Steak, Pizza Forte, plus 20-year Hard Rock veteran Nobu are all scheduled to return when the Virgin-branded resort debuts. The Nobu bar area will reopen at twice its current size and the steakhouse will add to the dining room and its own bar footprint. But in the meantime, that means restaurants such as Mr. Lucky’s, Fu, Pink Taco, and Craft + Community will bid Vegas adieu for good. Of course, MB Steak, Pizza Forte, and Nobu close during the renovations as well.
• Virgin Hotel Keeps Some Restaurants After the Remodel, Adds Hugh Jackman to the Mix [ELV]
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Eatt Gourmet Bistro
Eatt Gourmet Bistro, the healthy restaurant and member of the Eater 38, plans to close after service on January 25 and convert into a space for private events. Co-founders Nicolas Kalpokdjian, Yuri Szarzewski, and Vincent Pellerin opened the restaurant that specializes in gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and vegan dishes in 2016, and then debuted their French restaurant Partage in 2018 in Chinatown.
• Healthy Stalwart Eatt Gourmet Bistro Converts Into Private Event Space for Partage [ELV]