Crossroads Kitchen, which bills itself as the first fully vegan fine dining restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip, opened on May 28, along with quick-service outpost CB Crossroads Burgers. An English pea and ricotta anolini uses a ricotta that Chef Tal Ronnen previously developed for Kite Hill that uses macadamia nuts and a high-protein varietal of almond. He seasons mushrooms with nori and Old Bay Seasoning to produce a convincingly briny flavor in the calamari. CB Crossroads Burgers offers vegan burgers and fries.

Pho Ga Bac Bac, which opened as Pho Ga Tony Tony in February in Chinatown, brings its chicken pho, which it claims is “so good you’ll cry” to the Vegas masses. The move is obviously to order chicken pho, though they also serve beef noodles and a few other types of soup. Add on a quarter, half, or whole of their incredibly silky poached chicken to your order and enjoy in the restaurant’s comfortable dining room.

Wakuda Las Vegas marks the first U.S. restaurant for Chef Tetsuya Wakuda, who has earned accolades at his two-Michelin-Star Waku Ghin at Marina Bay Sands Singapore and his popular Tetsuya’s in Sydney, Australia. The new restaurant opened on June 25 with an artfully designed interior and an a la carte menu that features yuba, made with fresh bean curd skin from Kyoto and sea urchin, Canadian lobster marinated in sweet vinegar, and a dessert with earthy matcha and smooth red bean.

Cake Boss Buddy Valastro’s restaurant at the Linq hotel features an open kitchen that offers diners views of the staff pulling fresh mozzarella (topped options like pesto and roasted peppers, and served with warm bread) at the restaurant’s Mozz Bar. Italian American sandwiches with names like “Hoboken Havana” and the “Jersey Boy,” pizzas, and desserts round out a menu that aims to transport diners to the neighborhood delis of New York and New Jersey.

After a two-year hiatus, the Palms made its long-anticipated return in late April 2022, bringing with it the much-missed Mabel’s. Chef Michael Symon’s beer, barbecue, and bourbon joint dishes smoked brisket and pork belly by the half-pound, along with sandwiches and sides. Located in a nearly 10,000-square-foot space at the Palms, a large patio beer garden makes it even better with games and frozen cocktails.

With the late-April opening of the newest Nobu in Vegas, it’s clear Las Vegas hasn’t had enough of Nobu Matsuhisa’s fusion cuisine that melds traditional Japanese dishes with Peruvian ingredients. In a 140-seat dining room bathed in natural wood, diners can try Nobu’s popular dishes like yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, black cod dry miso, as well as vegan and vegetarian items.

Celebrity restaurants continue to dominate the Strip, and Lisa Vanderpump’s extremely weird new restaurant is a long-anticipated arrival. It’s designed to feel like traveling to Paris, but in a dark, gothic kind of way. A high-tech image behind the main bar shows a rain-soaked Paris to set the mood, and the drinks are broadly French with lots of Vanderpump branded liquor and wine. Some of the food arrives to the table in birdcages, which is original, if not particularly appealing.

Martha Stewart’s first restaurant, the Bedford, is open at the Paris Las Vegas. Designed by Stewart, the 194-seat restaurant takes direct inspiration from her 1925 country farmhouse in Bedford, New York. Dishes include a whole roast chicken and a baked potato that is smashed tableside. It can all be washed down by a Martha-rita and Martha-tini.

Rob Moore has been cooking in Vegas since 2004, most recently at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s steakhouse Prime at the Bellagio. His new Henderson restaurant serves Italian-American fare in a stylish dining room with rose murals and bold red banquettes. Menu items include spaghetti and meatballs, a refreshing amberjack with preserved lemon vinaigrette, and lobster roasted in spicy tomato sauce.