Pickle Ball Courts With a Comfort Food Restaurant With Bars Head to Southwest Las Vegas

Las Vegas already has smash rooms, ax throwing, escape rooms, karaoke lounges, a golf experience, and a dart lounge on the way. All offer a lounge and maybe even a restaurant next door. Now pickle ball has its day when a California-based restaurant group opens a three-acre, 10,000-square-foot facility at The Bend, the 158,511-square-foot retail and restaurant development spanning 10 acres under construction in southwest Las Vegas across from Ikea.

Dapper Cos. worked with Paul Frederick, the co-founder and chief development officer of Eureka Restaurant Group, to create Electric Pickle, bringing what’s become America’s fastest growing sport to Las Vegas. Frederick opened Eureka!, the restaurant and bar in Fremont East.

The complex will include nine pickle ball courts to accommodate 36 players, a two-story restaurant with a patio and rooftop bar, three bars, cornhole and bocce ball courts, and a lawn for live music, yoga classes, and other group gatherings in 2022 and 2023.

Pickle, a relatively new sport invented on Bainbridge Island west of Seattle in 1965, is played on a hard surface that’s smaller than a tennis court but uses a net, solid paddles, and a perforated plastic ball. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association estimates about 4.2 million people played pickle ball in the United States in 2020, a 21 percent increase from 2019.

The restaurant plans to offer casual comfort cuisine such as Neapolitan pizzas, Mexico City tacos, American burgers, and Korean protein and hemp bowls. Both dine-in and contactless ordering will be offered, including at the courts, where orders are delivered.

Once open, players can book a reservation online for courts at about $30 an hour.

The Bend also plans to feature the first new Galaxy Theater Luxury in Southern Nevada, in addition to Lotus of Siam, Shang Artisan Noodles, Baguette Cafe, Mothership Coffee Roasters, Freed’s Dessert Shop, The Great Greek, Aces & Ales Brewery, Tacos & Beer, and more. Other newcomers include Southern California’s Saint Felix Spirits & Fare with craft cocktails and food; Union Biscuit, a new breakfast and brunch kitchen that will feature biscuit sandwiches as well as Asian-influenced dishes; and Italian Graffiti from chef Marc Marrone and his partner Todd Lunger.

• All Coverage of The Bend [ELV]