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Following an Eater tradition, we asked a group of restaurant journalists, bloggers, and friends of the site to weigh in on the year in food. Their answers to the annual Year in Eater survey will be revealed in several posts. Now, what restaurant or restaurant-related (pop-up, etc.) return or debut are you most excited for in 2022?
Bob Barnes, Las Vegas writer for Gayot.com and freelance food and beverage writer — Great to see the return of Vegas Unstripped, a fantastic display of the very talented local chefs who work off of the Strip.
Louiie Victa, Eater Vegas photographer — Really interested in sampling more plant based cuisine so OG Lola’s at Vegas Test Kitchen is on my list for plant based Filipino food! Also very excited about Francesco Di Caudo and Oscar Amador’s newest concept, Anima.
Al Mancini — I’m very excited to see what the EDO team has planned for their new spot in the Southwest. I can’t wait to see what John Church is going to do next. And it will be great to see Yukon Pizza find a brick-and-mortar home, which I hear is coming to the Huntridge area.
But honestly, there’s nothing I’m more excited about than my next project — a new online restaurant guide called Neon Feast that will debut in the first quarter of the year. It’s a project I’ve been planning for at least four years, and having time to focus on it is the primary reason I left the Review-Journal. It is, without a doubt, the most exciting thing I’ve been involved with since moving to Las Vegas. Stay tuned.
Rob Kachelriess, Las Vegas Writer for Thrillist — I loved Contrapunto, a one-night plant-based Italian pop-up by VegeNation’s Donald Lemperle at the Vegas Test Kitchen. I’m excited to see when and how the concept returns in 2022. I’m also interested in seeing what Todd English has in store at The English Hotel, which, last I heard, is opening in February. I have high expectations for Wakuda at the Palazzo and can’t wait to see what the EDO team has in store for Anima at the Gramercy.
Emmy Kasten, Vegas Magazine — I think the restaurants with the biggest buzz are RPM Italian at the Forum Shops at Caesars and a new location for Lotus of Siam at Red Rock Resort.
Ken Miller, Las Vegas Magazine — Martha Stewart’s Paris restaurant.
Philip Tzeng, social media food blogger at LasVegasFill — There have been countless success stories of restaurants because of their social media popularity recently, but what happens when @Unlokt aka Drew Belcher, the biggest foodie account in Las Vegas on IG (383K) and TikTok (1.2 million followers), becomes a restaurateur as well? He’s due to open Sorry Not Sorry Creamery soon and I really loved his pop-up, With Love Always, featuring his own smash-patty burgers.
Scott Roeben, Vital Vegas — Technically, it’s in 2021, but Carversteak at Resorts World promises to be great. I’ll stand by my scoop Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg are collaborating on a new concept at Paris (in the former Martorano’s space). Supremely marketable, this one could create worldwide buzz. There are a flood of celebrity-branded restaurants in the works, from Drew Brees (Walk-On’s at Harrah’s), Blake Shelton (Ole Red at Bally’s), the Jonas brothers family (Nellie’s Southern Kitchen at MGM Grand) and that steak place from the guy who bounces salt off his arm. Who knows if any of the food will be good, Vegas casinos are in love with celebrity deals! This is probably a good opportunity to thank Eater Vegas for keeping track of all these announcements. It’s the go-to resource for restaurant scoop and information. I’m not just kissing up so you’ll keep asking my opinion on these annual stories!
Susan Stapleton, editor of Eater Vegas — It looks like 2022 is all about celebrities, as Scott says. So, to be different, I’ll say HaiDiLao, the Ferrari of Chinese hot pot restaurants, coming to Resorts World. The commitment to Asian food at the new resort really impresses me. Wakuda has me thrilled, maybe just because I’ve been tracking it for more than a year (if not two). Off-Strip, Anima will of course be a show stopper. So happy to see more daring dining coming to the outskirts of town instead of the Strip. The Pachinko Pub from Mark Evensvold and FukuBurger’s Colin Fukunaga headed to 201 Las Vegas Boulevard S. should make Downtown interesting.
