Las Vegas’s Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings, Summer 2024

The Las Vegas Valley is heating up — and so is the city’s food scene. While many of the year’s most anticipated debuts have yet to open their doors, several new restaurants have already taken Las Vegas by storm. Emmitt Smith’s larger-than-life restaurant finally got out from under its legal drama, Esther’s Kitchen migrated into a bigger and better space, and three new bars started a golf trend this year. As we set our sights on the back half of the year, there’s lots to look forward to. The group behind a legacy steakhouse is getting into the brunch scene this summer. A Venice Beach darling is making good use of the Venetian’s $1.5 billion reinvestment money. And a beloved Thai food destination will finally return to its roots.

Opening dates often change. Check back for updates. Know of a cool restaurant, bar, or coffee shop opening? Email vegas@eater.com

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Middle Child

Where: East of the Strip
When: June

The folks behind Herbs and Rye are opening a new brunch restaurant this summer in the same shopping center as sister restaurant, Cleaver. It has had a rocky start — already embroiled in trademark dispute with a Philadelphia-based restaurant of the same name. Middle Child is going for a higher-end brunch, with dishes like beef tartare with sous vide egg yolk, grits with deep-fried shrimp, steak frites, and French toast on brioche with berry compote, truffle honey, and shaved foie gras. True to Nectaly Mondoza’s roots, the cocktail program will include a selection of signature cocktails. Inside, expect wall-to-wall windows, art deco-style arches, and brown leather booths seated around white marble tables.

The Doberman

Where: Las Vegas Arts District
When: Early Fall

The Doberman is a new venture from the group behind Fremont Street hot spots like the Laundry Room, Commonwealth, Lucky Day, and Cheapshot. The Doberman is going into the space that had been Artifice Bar and will have an atrium garden, 19th-century-inspired design, a lounge with live performances, and crafted cocktails pulled from a library of more than 100 spirits. Owner Ryan Doherty says the bar is tailored for “the sharp and curious” — a demographic he can supposedly curate by granting membership to those who have filled out an application. The application asks questions such as: What do you do for work and, if applicable, what would you rather be doing? Have you ever been in love? If so, how were you sure it was love? and Are you afraid of death?

Nudo Italiano

Where: Southern Highlands
When: Fall 2024

Jenna Morton and Michael Morton of Morton Group will open their first Las Vegas neighborhood restaurant, taking to the southwest corner of the Las Vegas Valley to make pasta, Neapolitan pizza, and fresh-baked bread. Nudo Italiano will be a more family-friendly and casual restaurant than Morton Group’s nightclub-adjacent Nove Italiano at the Palms of the early 2000s, with a classic menu headed by longtime Morton Group executive chef William DeMarco.

Lotus of Siam on Sahara

Where: Historic Commercial Center
When: 2024

Lotus of Siam on West Sahara has been closed since 2017 when its roof collapsed after a storm. It had a few spotty openings in 2020 and 2021 and the Chutima family has since opened two other locations. But fans both local and abroad have been clamoring for the original location to again open its doors. After all, it was in that original location that Lotus first earned recognition from the James Beard Foundation and the late Anthony Bourdain. Penny Chutima, the managing partner of Lotus of Siam says that it will open before the end of the year with a significantly larger size, a new bar, new decor — and chef Saipin Chutima’s exceptional northern Thai food that made Lotus a classic in the first place.

Janna Karel

Zaytinya

Where: Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
When: 2024

Celebrated Spanish chef and humanitarian José Andrés will debut his Eastern Mediterranean restaurant Zaytinya in Las Vegas this year. Joining his portfolio of Las Vegas restaurants including Bazaar Meat and Jaleo, Zaytinya will serve menu items found at other locations, including pide, a Turkish flatbread with an egg cracked over the top; spiced lamb baharat kebab with tabbouleh, charred tomatoes, and tahini sauce; and a cult favorite Brussels sprouts tossed with coriander seed, barberries, and garlic yogurt. Zaytinya will hit the Strip alongside Andrés’s Bazaar Mar — which will also make its Vegas debut later this year.

Rachel Vanni/Eater NY

Arty’s Steakhouse

Where: Commercial Center
When: 2024

The Historic Commercial Center will become home to a sprawling steakhouse later this year — one that lends equal attention to food and art. The guy behind Rebar is still working to create a 24-hour steakhouse-meets-gallery-meets-bar. Plans include artist galleries, a private dining area, a small stage for live entertainment, and two full bars — one for coffee and one for gaming. It will also give a home to the COVID murals — the series of artist-painted boards that Stonebarger organized in 2020.

Arty’s Steakhouse

Bar Bohème

Where: Las Vegas Arts District
When: Late 2024

When Bar Bohème opens later this year, staff clad in black vests and white shirts will carry baguettes from the oven at Esther’s Kitchen down Main Street to the French restaurant every evening. James Trees, the chef and owner at Esther’s Kitchen, is working on a new French restaurant across the street from his Italian eatery’s new home. The debut will be followed by that of a small cocktail bar, La Petite Bohème. And then the cozy space that used to be Esther’s Kitchen will transform into a 35-seat tasting menu restaurant.

Caspian’s

Where: Caesars Palace
When: Late 2024

Moving into what had been the iconic Cleopatra’s Barge, the main room inside Caspian’s will be swathed in tones of onyx and pearl — a subdued setting for pairing caviar and cocktails. Follow a passageway from the back wall and into the shadows to locate a door that will lead into a lively technicolor lounge filled with sound and glowing in the light of an expansive chandelier. The studio behind Casa Calavera at Virgin Hotel and Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails at the Cosmopolitan is giving Caspian’s an elaborate art deco feel just right for taking in musical performances while sipping its unique drinks.

Celano Design Studio Co.

Gjelina

Where: Venetian Las Vegas
When: Late 2024

California-cool Gjelina is on track to be the first new restaurant to open at the Venetian Las Vegas as part of the resort’s $1.5 billion renovation. The Venice Beach darling earned a following for its wood-fired California-Neapolitan pizzas, vegetable-centric menu, and earth-toned beachy decor. Named for owner Fran Camaj’s mother, Gjelina opened in Los Angeles in 2008 and gained popularity for its wood-fired pizza, pasta like a saffron spaghetti with bottarga and confit tomato, and salads like one of escarole, smoked almonds, parmesan, and lemon vinaigrette. Gjelina will take its lunch and dinner menus to the Venetian’s Restaurant Row.

Trip Davis