Author: Marissa Gomez
Marissa Gomez
I cover all things food, from greasy spoon dives to five star fusion. I was born in El Paso and raised on street tacos and storytelling, so I’ve got a knack for finding flavor where most people miss it. You can now catch me in Vegas chasing the next bite.
Wood-fired pizzas. A bucket of fried chicken with buttermilk biscuits and honey butter. $1 oysters every Wednesday. A raw bar with Maine lobster tail. Weekend brunch with $25 bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys. Lemon curd pancakes. Rotisserie prime rib. A redesigned dining room, expanded bar with classic games, and a curated wine cellar. Hearthstone Kitchen and Cellar is back at Red Rock Resort in Summerlin and the neighborhood showed up immediately. The Neighborhood Called for It. Red Rock Listened. Hearthstone Kitchen and Cellar first opened at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in 2014 and spent nearly a decade as one of the…
20,000 square feet. A grand staircase. An open-fire kitchen visible from every seat. Cotton candy foie gras. Liquid olives. José’s Taco with jamón and caviar wrapped in nori. Vaca vieja ribeye. Suckling pig. Wagyu. And a James Beard Award-winning chef who describes this as almost more Vegas than Vegas. Bazaar Meat reopened at The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort on September 4, 2025, and it is better than it has ever been. Ten Years at the Sahara. This Is What Comes Next. Bazaar Meat by José Andrés spent a decade at the Sahara Las Vegas before closing to make way for…
75 years. 11 Southern California locations. Zero locations outside of California, until now. The Hat opens its first Las Vegas location on May 6, 2026 at 6215 S. Rainbow Blvd in Spring Valley. The pastrami dip sandwich that built a cult following across Los Angeles is here. Here is everything you need to know before you go. Seventy-Five Years in SoCal. One Week in Las Vegas. The Hat began as a roadside stand in Alhambra, California in 1951, serving pastrami dip sandwiches to the kind of crowds that only show up when the food is genuinely good. The concept was simple:…
California prime beef, a tableside Caesar that has been calibrated down to the exact number of croutons, caviar cones, goat cheese baklava, wagyu cigars, a Las Vegas-exclusive crispy Maine lobster with Royal Kaluga caviar, and a room that finds the sweet spot between fine dining and a high-energy lounge. BOA returned to the Strip in October 2025 and it was worth the wait. Thirteen Years Later, the Caesar Salad Is Still Perfect BOA Steakhouse opened its original Las Vegas location at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in the early 2000s and became one of the most talked-about dining rooms on…
A 6,000-square-foot flagship coffee house in Henderson’s historic Water Street District. Ground floor coffee, bakery, and chef-driven brunch. Second floor cocktail and whiskey bar. Third floor rooftop for weekend brunch, seasonal gatherings, and private events. The Coffee Class just built something worth the drive to Henderson. Henderson’s Water Street District Just Got Its Anchor The Coffee Class opened its Water Street District flagship at 37 S. Water Street, Henderson in early 2026, the sixth Las Vegas Valley location for entrepreneur Kyle Cunningham across his Coffee Class and Almond and Oat brands. It is the largest and most ambitious location in the group, spanning…
Three miles. 248 verified sit-down restaurants. 82 restaurants per mile. Two major new plazas under development. Vegas Loop tunnels confirmed for Spring Mountain Road. Las Vegas Chinatown is not just a dining neighborhood anymore. It is one of the most dynamic cultural corridors in the American West, and most people driving past it on the way to the Strip have no idea what is inside. The Street That Became Its Own City Las Vegas Chinatown runs along Spring Mountain Road from the Las Vegas Strip west to Rainbow Boulevard, bounded by Desert Inn Road to the north and Twain Avenue to…
14 semifinalist James Beard nominations. 3 finalists. A record-breaking showing that tells a clear story. Las Vegas is no longer a city where great chefs visit. It is a city where they build, stay, and define something. These are the restaurants and chefs behind the most significant moment in Las Vegas dining history, and every one of them is worth booking right now. 14 Nominations. This Is Not a Coincidence. In January 2026, the James Beard Foundation announced its annual Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists, widely regarded as the Oscars of the American culinary world. Las Vegas landed 14 nominations across nine…
One burger. One way. 100% wagyu beef sourced from a single Texas ranch, built with Michelin-starred precision, and served out of a fast-casual counter in downtown Las Vegas. Here is the story behind one of the most talked-about burgers in the country and why it just landed permanently in Vegas. The Pop-Up That Became a Permanent Address NADC Burger opened its first permanent Las Vegas location in mid-April 2026 at 124 S. Sixth Street, Suite 150 in the Tony at Carson building in downtown Las Vegas, steps from the Fremont East District. It is the twelfth location nationwide for a brand…
Honolulu’s celebrated Asian food hall has arrived in Southwest Las Vegas. 12 stalls, Michelin-recognized chefs, a neon noodle alley, yakitori, Asian cocktails, and zero tourist markup. This is the one locals have been waiting for. DetailsWhereUnCommons, 6840 Helen Toland St, Las Vegas, NV 89113 (corner of Durango Dr and the 215 Beltway)HoursDaily, 11am to 10pmWebsitehttp://stixasia.com/las-vegas/ParkingFirst 2 hours free in all three garages. $3 per hour after, $15 daily max. EV charging available in all garages.Getting ThereTake the 215 to Durango Dr heading south. UnCommons is immediately on your left. Three parking structures on site labeled PS1, PS2, and PS3.SpendAffordable. Street…
New York hospitality titan Scott Sartiano brings his Neapolitan Italian steakhouse to Wynn Las Vegas, and locals, this one is worth the drive, the dress code, and every dollar. DetailsWhereWynn Las Vegas, 3131 S Las Vegas BlvdHoursWednesday–Sunday · Bar 4pm · Dinner 5pm · Closes 10pm (10:30pm Fri–Sat)Reservationswynnlasvegas.com · (702) 770-3463 · OpenTableDress CodeUpscale resort attire, come dressed for the occasionAverage Spend$150–$200+ per person with drinksParkingFirst 3 hours free for all guests · Self-park $25/day after · Valet $40ClosedMonday & Tuesday The Story Behind It Scott Sartiano is the New York hospitality heavyweight behind Zero Bond, Manhattan’s most coveted private members…
On Saturday, April 18, 2026, Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa will transform its expansive pool deck into a premiere culinary festival to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Titled Taste of Station, this one-night-only “al fresco soirée” serves as a grand showcase of the diverse dining portfolio across the Station Casinos family, blending neighborhood pride with high-end gastronomy. A Milestone Evening Under the Desert Sky Running from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the event is designed as a social, strollable experience. Rather than a formal sit-down dinner, guests are invited to wander between tasting stations, sampling signature bites and craft cocktails.…
The Las Vegas Strip has never lacked spectacle, but it has often lacked a singular, soulful narrative. That changes on Friday, April 24, 2026. Kwame Onwuachi, the James Beard Award-winning visionary behind New York’s Tatiana and D.C.’s Dōgon, is officially planting his flag in the desert. Maroon, an Afro-Caribbean steakhouse, is taking over the high-profile footprint formerly held by Bazaar Meat, bringing a much-needed cultural perspective to one of the city’s most famous dining rooms. The Soul of the Concept Maroon is more than a restaurant; it’s a tribute. The name honors the Jamaican Maroons, descendants of enslaved Africans who…
Las Vegas used to draw a clear line between dinner and nightlife. You ate, you left, and then you went elsewhere for entertainment. Those lines are blurring fast. Today, some of the most coveted tables in town double as social epicenters, featuring live DJs, immersive architecture, and menus built to fuel a night that never quite ends. Welcome to the era of high-energy dining, where the restaurant is the destination and dinner is the show. What is High-Energy Dining? High-energy restaurants merge sophisticated cuisine with a vibrant, “always-on” social atmosphere. Characterized by expansive layouts, open kitchens, and stadium-style seating, these…
Las Vegas has always celebrated Mexican culinary inspiration, and now that connection reaches a new pinnacle with a direct arrival from Mexico City’s dining royalty. On March 28, 2026, Cantina Contramar, the first U.S. location of Chef Gabriela Cámara’s famed seafood institution, officially joined the elite collection at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Cámara, a global powerhouse named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, has partnered with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frida Escobedo to transport the soul of the Mexican capital to the Strip. The result is a space where modernist architecture meets the conviviality of a traditional cantina, serving up an…
On March 2, 2026, the Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão officially opened its first location on the Las Vegas Strip. Situated inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort, this 14,000-square-foot flagship marks a major expansion for the brand, which has operated its original Las Vegas location off-Strip at the Hughes Center since 2011. The new venue is a two-story powerhouse featuring open churrasco grills on each level, ensuring the spectacle of Gaucho chefs fire-roasting meats is the central focus of every seat in the house. The Table-Side Essentials (Unlimited) The experience begins with a traditional spread of Brazilian…
Las Vegas loves a good food import, but the latest arrival at The Resort at Summerlin feels less like a corporate expansion and more like a piece of Los Angeles street culture has been transplanted to the desert with its authentic Tijuana style menu. On March 17, 2026, Tacos 1986 officially joined “The Neighborhood Food Hall.” For Summerlin locals, it’s a first taste of the brand that started as a Hollywood sidewalk cart and grew into a California institution by honoring the soul of the Tijuana-style taco. The Ritual: Four Ways to Protein The heart of the 1986 experience is…
For The Win (FTW) Burgers will open its first Las Vegas location inside the newly rebranded Resort at Summerlin, introducing a smashburger concept that has gained recognition in Los Angeles for its focused menu and consistent execution. Founded in 2020 by chef Santos Uy, the brand emerged from the transformation of a Michelin-recognized French restaurant into a streamlined burger operation, a shift that resulted in a concept defined by simplicity and repeat appeal. A True LA Favorite, Now in Vegas The opening aligns with a broader transition at the property formerly known as Rampart Casino and JW Marriott. Now operating…
Gymkhana arrives in Las Vegas with serious credentials behind it. Long regarded as one of the most influential Indian restaurants in the world, the London original has earned multiple Michelin stars, international awards, and consistent placement on global “best restaurant” lists. Its Las Vegas debut marks the brand’s first U.S. location, and the city it chose says everything.Now open inside ARIA Resort & Casino, Gymkhana steps onto the Strip with the kind of reputation most restaurants spend decades chasing. A global reputation, now on the Strip Gymkhana’s London flagship has held two Michelin stars, a rare distinction for Indian cuisine,…