A Restaurant With a Dinner Party Vibe and South Beach Roots Heads to the Strip This Summer

A new restaurant and lounge coming to the Las Vegas Strip this summer promises a slice of the French Riviera paired with a Miami dinner party vibe. Villa Azur takes over the former Once space at the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian with late-night entertainment that brings a cabaret feel with deejays, entertainers, musicians, and more.

Villa Azur comes from Danko Hospitality’s CEO Jacobo Jafif, who operates the Vegas and Mexico City locations. Villa Azur first opened in South Beach in 2012, going on to open locations in Dallas, Saint-Tropez, Mexico City, and Bodrum, Turkey. Those experiences inform the look and feel of the restaurant, along with its decidedly party vibe.

Already, the restaurant teases a menu influenced by the south of France, featuring dishes such as truffle burrata, seared octopus, truffle French ravioles, Dover sole meunière, and pâtes a la meule served tableside in a Parmigiano Reggiano wheel and set aflame with cognac. That tableside theme extends the theatrics of the space, where the Miami original touts dishes such as a 42-ounce tomahawk steak, Chateaubriand au poivre, and whole branzino prepared at the table.

Jafif Arquitectos created the look of the space that incorporates modern white decor, elegant lighting, and the feel of an airy library.

In Miami, Villa Azur is somewhat of a celebrity haunt, with A-list names such as Leonardo Dicaprio, Gerard Butler, Mel Gibson, Jonah Hill, and Halle Berry frequently the restaurant. The Vegas outpost joins other Miami-based restaurants at the Venetian, including Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, Sugarcane, SushiSamba, and Chica, which just reopened after a redesign.

The Palazzo side of the resort, meanwhile, plans to debut Wakuda, a Japanese restaurant from chef Tetsuya Wakuda and John Kunkel of 50 Eggs Hospitality, this summer.

Villa Azur

Villa Azur

Villa Azur

Villa Azur

Villa Azur

• Tracking the Huge Restaurant Changes Coming to the Venetian and Palazzo