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The 13 Most Anticipated Restaurant and Bar Openings in Las Vegas This Fall

Circa and Area15 get ready to reveal their new restaurants and bars

Xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung
| Din Tai Fung/Facebook

What a difference six months can make. Before the coronavirus pandemic forced Gov. Steve Sisolak to close all nonessential businesses including casinos, restaurants, and bars in March, Las Vegas was on a high, ready to open new convention space, dining establishments, and lounges to feed the 42.52 million tourists that visit every year.

Now restaurants, reopened with dine-in service in May, struggle to keep afloat at 50 percent capacity. Sisolak reclosed bars in July, and while those that serve food can stay open, bar tops cannot, taking away valuable tabletop games that provide a much-needed revenue stream. Casinos were allowed to reopen on June 4, but some remain closed. Park MGM and NoMad Hotel reopen on September 30, and the Four Seasons returns on September 25. Planet Hollywood Resort and The Cromwell remain closed on the Strip, as do the Rio and the Palms on westside, and Main Street Station in Downtown Las Vegas.

Other projects remain on hold. Wynn Las Vegas planned to open the supper club Delilah in May and TAK Room from Thomas Keller in the fall. Neither have opening dates now. With conventions, a lifeline of revenue for casinos and restaurants, canceled, Caesars Entertainment held off on opening the 550,000-square-foot Caesars Forum to the east of The Linq Promenade. Virgin Hotels, in the process of remodeling the former Hard Rock Hotel, planned to open on November 6, but will push that date back. But in good news, it’s still opening.

The future still holds promise. Aria’s Din Tai Fung, the xiao long bao specialist that planned to open in April, has a new debut date this fall. Area15, the entertainment complex west of I-15, opens portions of its venue, including a bar and an ice cream shop, this week. And Circa even pushed up the opening of its first five floors in Downtown Las Vegas on the Fremont Street Experience to October to debut restaurants, bars, and a year-round pool early.

That’s just a taste of what’s to come. Find out about 13 of the biggest openings in Las Vegas in fall 2020.

Soup dumplings in a basket
Xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung/Facebook

Din Tai Fung

Location: Aria

Projected Opening: October 19

Din Tai Fung takes over the former Aria Cafe, 5,580 square feet with a view through the massive tilted windows looking out onto Nancy Rubins’ Big Edge canoe sculpture and Vdara. Aria allocated an estimated $2.2 million in construction costs alone to renovate the dining room and an open kitchen that gives diners a glimpse of the handiwork involved in preparing xiao long bao, steamed pork soup dumplings, precisely made with 18 lucky folds, 16 grams of meat, and 5 grams of dough.

All Coverage of Din Tai Fung [ELV]

A pink tree with a bar around it
Rendering of Oddwood at Area15
Area15 [Official Site]

Area15

Location: 3215 S. Rancho Drive

Projected Opening: September 17

Only portions of the the 200,000-square-foot retail and entertainment center west of I-15 open with live events and art installations, with the remainder debuting in early 2021. Ice cream shop Emack & Bolios and cocktail and coffee bar Oddwood, highlighted by a 23-foot Japanese maple tree replete with twinkling LED lights, debut for fall.

All Coverage of Area15 [ELV]

A rendering of a casino under construction
A rendering of Circa
Circa [Official Site]

Circa

Location: 8 Fremont St.

Projected Opening: October 28

The 1.25 million-square-foot Circa casino and resort plans to open the first five floors along with a parking garage ahead of schedule on October 28. The resort plans to be an adults-only experience, open only to those 21 and older. When it opens its first five floors in late October, it becomes the first casino and resort to ban underage visitors. Circa replaces the rundown, former Las Vegas Club with a glitzy, 21st century resort. The remainder of the resort opens in December.

Opening in October:

Barry S. Dakake returns to the Las Vegas dining scene with Barry’s Downtown Prime, a vintage steak and seafood restaurant. The clubby restaurant features dark wood and a long and glowing bar. Aside from steak and seafood, Dakake promises table-side presentations with some dishes.

Michigan restaurateur Paul Saginaw opens Saginaw’s Delicatessen with a roster of Reubens, matzo ball soup, onion rings, salads, latkes, chopped liver, breakfast specialties, and more.

Victory Burgers & Wings Co. from the family behind the 102-year-old American Coney Island anchors the three-story screen in Circa’s sportsbook and features its own radio booth. Five specialty burgers including a half-pound Victory Burger that uses a blend of short rib, brisket, and Angus beef in the patties and the Michigan Olive Burger — a beef patty topped with a mixture of mayonnaise, chopped olives, and olive brine — make the menu along with an array of chicken wings, fries, and beers.

And Project BBQ from chef Rex Bernales brings Carolina-style barbecue dishes such as pulled brisket, pork, chicken. That restaurant features a patio on the Fremont Street Experience with picnic tables and an outdoor bar.

Vegas Vickie, the kicking cowgirl who sat outside Glitter Gulch, now hangs inside the three-story atrium at the resort. The bar features seasonal cocktails and retro lighting.

Mega Bar, a 165-foot-long bar with flair bartenders, 40 TVs, 120 beer taps, and bar-top gaming, arrives in October.

The three-level sportsbook includes Overhang Bar sitting on the top floor of the venue. Circa owner Derek Stevens, a native of Detroit, created the bar as an ode to Tiger Stadium.

Circa Bar with flair bartenders, 24 varieties of frozen cocktails, and a blue wall behind it, opens at the front of the resort on the Fremont Street Experience.

Circa’s new year-round pool dubbed Stadium Swim features a multi-level pool amphitheater with a massive screen for showing games and entertainment, two swim-up bars, and a deejay booth for spinning tunes.

All Coverage of Circa [ELV]

A chicken dish on a wood cutting board
Main St. Provisions
Main St. Provisions/Facebook

Main St. Provisions

Location: 1214 S. Main St.

The Players: Justin Kingsley Hall and Kim Owens

Projected Opening: Fall 2020

The former chef at the Kitchen at Atomic brings a comfort food restaurant to the Arts District. The restaurant has kept a tight lid on details, although chef Justin Kingsley Hall has done a few popups to showcase potential dishes. A preview dinner showcased hop-smoked stuffed chicken wing; torched wagyu skewer paired; oxtail empanada; and chocolate pot du creme in waffle cone with torched marshmallow.

All Coverage of Main St. Provisions [ELV]

ARIA Cafe

3730 South Las Vegas Boulevard, , NV 89158 (702) 590-8650 Visit Website

Park MGM

3770 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, NV 89109 Visit Website

TAK Room

3100 Las Vegas Boulevard S., Las Vegas, NV 89101

The Linq Promenade

3545 South Las Vegas Boulevard, , NV 89109 (702) 322-0550 Visit Website

The Kitchen at Atomic

927 East Fremont Street, , NV 89101 (702) 534-3223 Visit Website

Delilah

3131 Las Vegas Boulevard South, , NV 89109 (702) 770-3300 Visit Website

Virgin Hotels

4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89169 Visit Website

Circa

8 Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101 Visit Website

Victory Burger & Wings Co.

8 Fremont St. , Las Vegas, NV 89101

Fremont Street Experience

425 East Fremont Street, , NV 89101 (702) 678-5600 Visit Website

Din Tai Fung

3730 South Las Vegas Boulevard, , NV 89158 (702) 590-8650 Visit Website

Wynn Las Vegas

3131 South Las Vegas Boulevard, , NV 89109 (702) 770-7000 Visit Website

American Coney Island

301 Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101 (702) 388-7200 Visit Website

Area15

3215 South Rancho Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89102 (702) 846-1900 Visit Website

Main St. Provisions

1214 South Main Street, , NV 89104 (702) 457-0111 Visit Website

Project BBQ

Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas, NV

Saginaw’s Delicatessen

8 East Fremont Street, , NV 89101 (702) 726-5506 Visit Website

Taste

7945 S Rainbow Blvd Ste B, Las Vegas, NV 89139 (702) 888-3110
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