15 Most Anticipated Las Vegas Bar and Restaurant Openings of 2023

Janna Karel is the Editor for Eater Vegas.

2023 is gearing up to be a promising year for restaurants in Las Vegas. The roster includes debuts from celebrities headed to the Strip, established local talent expanding into new spaces, a handful of New York exports, and the continuation of trends that started in 2022.

In just the first quarter of the year, a new Italian restaurant heads to downtown Henderson, a food hall will set up shop at the UnCommons, a jazz club will debut next to the Smith Center for Performing Arts, a local legend will open a new dive bar, and a cocktail bar with swinging horses will transform a stretch of Main Street. From the Strip to Downtown, Summerlin to Henderson, here are 15 of the most anticipated restaurant and bar openings for the year so far, arranged alphabetically.

Alon Shaya’s Unnamed Restaurant

Where: Wynn Las Vegas
When: Winter 2023

More than 20 years after getting his start in Las Vegas, acclaimed chef Alon Shaya is returning to the city to open a new restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip. He’s taking over a former nightclub to serve his award-winning modern Mediterranean cuisine in a restaurant with a view of the resort’s 90-foot-tall casino. Details about the new restaurant — including its name — are few at the moment. But looking at his restaurants Saba, in New Orleans and Safta, in Denver, one can expect wood-fired pita, spiced vegetables, several varieties of hummus and spreads, plus plates of falafel, lamb kebabs, and crispy eggplant.

Amari

Where: 6880 Helen Toland Street
When: Winter 2023

An Italian restaurant planned for the UnCommons will feature pasta and pizza, plus a specialty market where visitors can purchase a bottle of wine to enjoy in the restaurant or take home. Chef Nicole Brisson and hospitality veteran Jason Rocheleau, who previously debuted Brezza and Bar Zazu at Resorts World Las Vegas, are heading off-Strip for Amari, a 5,000-square-foot restaurant with a neighborhood feel. The menu is not yet finalized, though Brisson envisions a signature lasagna bolognese, a tableside Caesar salad, and traditional antipasti sourced from local farms to be among the restaurant’s signature dishes.

Azzurra Cucina Italiana

Where: 322 South Water Street
When: February 2023

Since it closed in 2018, Henderson locals have mourned the absence of Bratalian Neapolitan Cantina — and Azzurra Cucina Italiana will revitalize some of the DNA of the former restaurant while introducing a new Italian option to downtown Henderson. Azzurra owner Windom Kimsey had been a regular at Bratalian, where Alessandra Madeira was chef de cuisine and her husband, Walter Ciccone, was general manager. The three became friends and Kimsey recruited the husband-wife duo to join Azzurra. The menu will retain some classics from Bratalian like the penne alla vodka and chicken marsala, plus new dishes like tempura cauliflower with buffalo sauce and wagyu carpaccio.

Carousel Bar

Where: Plaza Las Vegas
When: March 2023

The Plaza is undertaking four new projects that will transform the front of the building facing Main Street in the downtown corridor. When it debuts, the carousel-themed outdoor bar will feature carousel horses that swing up and down, martini glasses that spin, and larger-than-life dice. The cocktails will be exciting, too — with one that leaves your concoction to chance with the roll of three dice.

Cathedrale

Where: Aria Resort and Casino
When: 2023

New York City’s Cathedrale expands to Las Vegas this year, and details are sparse for the restaurant from Tao Group Hospitality, which is behind other late-night party spots in town like Tao, Hakkasan, and Lavo. But one can expect vaguely Mediterranean fare, a dark and sexy restaurant, and loud music.

Chicken N Pickle

Where: St. Rose and Maryland Parkways
When: Late 2023

As the pickleball trend reaches new heights in the Las Vegas Valley, a new three-acre, multi-level behemoth will soon open in Henderson. Chicken N Pickle will house a dog park, air-conditioned pickleball courts, and a restaurant that serves wood-fired rotisserie chicken, house-ground burgers, smoked wings, tots, seasonal salads, and more.

A spread of food with waffles, wings, and quesadillas. — Chicken N Pickle

Emmitt’s

Where: Fashion Show Las Vegas
When: 2023

Former Dallas Cowboys running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith plans to open his own restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip in 2023. Originally slated for 2022, the 30,000-square-foot Emmitt’s Las Vegas takes over space at the front of the Fashion Show mall, filling the former Sugar Factory American Brasserie space. More than a sports bar, the massive restaurant will have several rooms in which visitors can catch games, belly up to its bars, and indulge in dishes not often seen in sports-centric restaurants, like steak with foie gras, sushi rolls, and sea bass.

Flavortown Sports Kitchen

Where: Horseshoe Las Vegas
When: Summer 2023

The mayor of Flavortown is opening his third Las Vegas restaurant. Guy Fieri will debut a new place that will blend his bold larger-than-life cooking style with a sports bar decked out with TVs. The 6,540-square-foot restaurant will offer seating for 279, but the centerpiece is a massive 360-degree island bar with decorative liquor displays and LED screens in every direction.

HaSalon

Where: The Venetian Resort
When: 2023

Following the openings of clubstaurants Villa Azur and Toca Madera in 2022, the chef behind the Israeli late-night party restaurant HaSalon is opening a location at the Venetian Resort in 2023. After dark, the lights will go down, the music will pound, and guests will be encouraged to dance on the tables. But the food deserves equal attention. Chef and owner Eyal Shani’s dishes are generally Israeli in nature, with influences from French and Japanese cooking. And the menu will be new and different on every visit, drawing inspiration from seasonality. Standbys include those of “General salad from the embers of creation” or “The longest, thickest, juiciest Lamb kebab in town” or “Spinach melting into its own leaves, swirled in a cloud of Parmesan” and, of course, “Terrifying Hammer. A dish you can’t miss. Truffle upon request.”

Eyal Shani at HaSalon. — Eyal Shani at HaSalon

M.Y. Asia by Chef Martin Yan

Where: The Horseshoe Las Vegas
When: 2023

James Beard Award winner and public television star Martin Yan joins the Caesars Entertainment portfolio with M.Y. Asia, a pan-Asian restaurant at the newly rebranded Horseshoe Las Vegas. Yan was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, and grew up in Hong Kong and his menu at M.Y. Asia reflects those roots with dishes such as Peking duck, dim sum, live seafood entrees, and hand-pulled noodles from China, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand. From the 130-seat dining room, diners will be able to watch chefs hand-pulling noodles and working the wok station.

Ole Red

Where: Horseshoe Las Vegas
When: Fall 2023

If Blake Shelton gets his way, the Las Vegas outpost of his country bar, Ole Red, will be open in time for the Las Vegas Grand Prix and fans will be able to watch the Formula One race cars zoom by from the rooftop of his four-story bar. Ole Red will be one of the first joints to open at the newly rebranded Horseshoe on the Las Vegas Strip, with the country music singer and coach on The Voice characterizing Ole Red as a honky-tonk Tennessee-born restaurant that celebrates all things country with barbecue, moonshine cocktails, and performances from country artists on the brink of making it big. The new building is currently under construction and will feature two floors for dancing, a VIP level, and a rooftop for eating, drinking, and taking in 360-degree views of Las Vegas.

Peter Luger

Where: 3570 South Las Vegas Boulevard
When: 2023

New York City steakhouse Peter Luger was expected to open its first U.S. location outside of New York last year, but Luger’s famously bow-tied waitstaff, old-world charm, and dry-aged USDA prime steaks are now slated to hit Las Vegas sometime in 2023. The 135-year-old Peter Luger Steak House opened in 1887 in South Williamsburg and became a go-to destination for New Yorkers and visitors. It’s largely credited with creating the blueprint for the American steakhouse. Inside the location at Caesars Palace, diners can expect steaks served with a pool of hot butter and red meat juices, thick-cut bacon, and a dining room of heavy oak tables.

Triple Down

Where: 1422 Western Avenue
When: March 10, 2023

A new museum dedicated to all things punk rock is opening next to a strip club in Las Vegas — and it’s going to be home to a new, divey bar. Local legend P Moss, the founder of the landmark dive bars Double Down Saloon and Frankie’s Tiki Room, will co-manage the new Triple Down bar within the Punk Rock Museum. Triple Down, the punk rock next of kin to the Double Down, will similarly boast loud music, unpretentious decor, and warm beer.

The Sundry at the UnCommons

Where: 6880 Helen Toland Street
When: Spring 2023

As the food hall trend continues to move through Las Vegas, the first one to stand unattached from a casino is readying to open in the southwest corner of the city. The Sundry food hall is taking over 20,000 square feet at the UnCommons, an outdoor shopping and dining area that started gradually opening new businesses in 2022. The food hall is the first project from TableOne Hospitality, the partnership between chef Michael Mina’s Mina Group, CEO Patric Yumul, and management company Highgate and will introduce more than a dozen new restaurant stalls. A number of California-based players are a part of the project, like Japanese chef Shotaro “Sho” Kamio, who is bringing Mizunara, a temaki bar specializing in open-style sushi hand rolls. California Italian-style BarZotto, the ice creamery Smitten Ice Cream, and Matt Horn’s fried chicken joint Kowbird, are also taking up residency within the food hall.

Winnie and Ethel’s

Where: 1120 S. Maryland Parkway
When: 2023

Mallory Gott and chef Aaron Lee won “The Great Las Vegas Coffee Shop Giveaway” last year. The contest, conducted by Dapper Companies, assessed 80 prospective restaurants for the chance to win a 3,000-square-foot custom-designed restaurant estimated to cost more than $950,000. Winnie & Ethel’s, the winning restaurant idea, will debut its 1940s-style diner with ham and eggs Benedict, Nutter Butter French toast, and Salisbury steak later this year in the Huntridge Shopping Center downtown.

Also Coming This Year

Downtown

James Trees will open his French cocktail bar, Le Petite Boheme later this year, down the street from his Italian restaurant, Esther’s Kitchen. A jazz club and Italian bistro, Vic’s Las Vegas, debuts next to the Smith Center for the Performing Arts on February 10. Park on Fremont will reopen in the spring with an expanded 2,200 square feet of green space on the patio. And Corner Bar Management, the company behind downtown bars like Commonwealth, Lucky Day, and Discopussy debuts La Mona Rosa with chefs from Peyote, Daniel Arias and Isidro Marquez-Castillo.

On-Strip

The $20 million steakhouse Ocean Prime opens atop a new building in the middle of the Strip this spring. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of the rock band Kiss will import their bar and restaurant, Rock & Brews to the Strat in late 2023. And chef Chris Santos is debuting a spin-off of his New York restaurant, Stanton Social, with Stanton Social Prime at Caesars Palace this spring.

Neighborhoods

The popular San Francisco-based Kaiyo is opening a new location at the UnCommons with a menu of dishes made using Peruvian ingredients molded by Japanese cooking techniques. Salt & Straw readies to import its innovative ice cream flavors to Las Vegas. And Palette Tea Lounge will open in Chinatown with black taro puffs shaped like swans, crispy unagi rice rolls, and roasted Peking duck.

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The 15 Most Anticipated Las Vegas Bar and Restaurant Openings of 2023

Alon Shaya’s Unnamed Restaurant

Amari

Azzurra Cucina Italiana