Las Vegas just got a bit more delicious as the forthcoming Resorts World Las Vegas revealed its culinary lineup. The integrated casino resort is scheduled to open this summer with three Hilton hotels — Las Vegas Hilton, Conrad Las Vegas and Crockfords Las Vegas — and it recently announced it will add five original dining concepts to the Strip’s loaded offerings and import at least four lauded Southern California favorites, among many other places to eat and drink throughout the $4.3 billion project.
Headliners include Los Angeles’ Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish and B.S. Taqueria; San Diego’s Tacos El Cabrón; West Hollywood’s Craig’s Vegan; Beverly Hills’ Mulberry Street Pizzeria from Richie Palmer; and Nashville’s Dawg House Saloon & Sportsbook direct from music row with live music and dancing.
Two additional headliners will come from locals. James Beard Award semifinalist Nicole Brisson, formerly of Eataly Las Vegas and Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, and industry veteran Jason Rocheleau will partner on Brezza, a 300-seat Italian eatery that will be open for lunch and dinner. The pair also will debut Bar Zazu, a European café with tapas and an extensive wine collection.
“Resorts World is the perfect platform to express myself, build my team from the ground up with people who I worked with over the years and I really trust,” Brisson says. “RWLV is very conscientious of working with the community as a whole and supporting local chefs. We’re going away from the age of ‘slap a celebrity chef’s name on the door who was never really here’ in Las Vegas.”
Brezza will have an expansive patio with mature olive trees salvaged from the legendary Stardust Hotel’s site, on which Resorts World sits. It will serve modern coastal Italian fare, like handmade pasta, seafood, heritage-breed beef and culinary-forward cocktails.
“We wanted to offer fresh, clean, simple ingredients done well, focused on great proteins, local vegetables,” Brisson says. “Imagine you’re sitting out on the patio and you’re having a spritz and you feel like you’re in Italy. It is comfortable and you are having a great, clean, fresh meal and really enjoying your friends.”
The 150-seat Bar Zazu is a less formal option with café vibes, hot and cold tapas, cheese and charcuterie, and sweet and savory pastries. Wines from around the world served by the glass, bottle and flights — along with beer and cocktails from different regions of Europe — encourage exploration. Brisson promises a pickling program as well as grab-and-go items for conventioneers during the day and potentially breakfast.
One of Las Vegas’ most respected chefs and a glass-ceiling breaker, Brisson is revered for her advancement to top positions in the male-dominated culinary industry. She was named the first female executive chef of an Eataly in the United States when she launched the brand’s Las Vegas location at Park MGM. She also opened popular local Italian eatery Locale while taking a break from the Strip in 2019.
Rounding out the signature restaurants, Garcia will introduce Viva!, which will whip up modern Mexican dishes; Genting Palace, established by Resorts World parent company Genting in 1965, will serve classic, glamorous Cantonese cuisine, seafood and dim sum; while Kusa Nori will have a sushi bar, teppanyaki grill, yakitori and teppanyaki creations, plus an extensive sake selection.
On the casual side, Craig’s Vegan brings the celebrity favorite ice cream to its first dedicated brick-and-mortar scoop shop. Craig’s Vegan is the brainchild of Craig Susser, creator of West Hollywood’s famed Craig’s restaurant, and chef Kursten Kizer. The frozen treat is sold at L.A. hot spots Erewhon, Bristol Farms and Gelson’s, to name a few markets. It is also the base of milkshakes at Fatburger, Johnny Rockets and Burger Lounge.
“We embraced vegan products early on in 2013,” Susser says. “We quickly realized the vegan community wanted the full dining experience from appetizer to dessert. We couldn’t find a vegan ice cream that met our standards — Craig’s Vegan was born.”
Its cashew-based ice cream flavors include Melrose Mint Chip, Sunset and Strawberry, Killa’ Vanilla and Perfectly Chocolate. There will also be three exclusive flavors only available here.
“The store is gorgeous,” Susser says. “It has a classic ice cream scoop shop feel with spectacular tile and warm wood. We have been thinking about expanding into Las Vegas for years, so we are fairly familiar with the environment and competitive landscape. This was the perfect opportunity at the perfect time. The world is swiftly requesting and consuming non-dairy ice cream alternatives. Craig’s Vegan is not just good for vegan — it’s just good.”
Other casual concepts include eggery Sun’s Out Buns Out with egg dishes all day, every day; Tacos El Cabrón turning out street tacos and more; Marigold from local entrepreneur Billy Richardson crafting burgers, lobsters and housemade desserts; and Richie Palmer’s Mulberry Street Pizzeria, a Beverly Hills pie shop known for unusual toppings such as chicken ranch, eggplant Parmesan and rigatoni.
This stacked roster doesn’t even take into account 24/7 offerings like grab-and-go spot The Market and The Kitchen at Resorts World, pool dining, along with casino bars and lounges, like crown jewel Starlight on 66, a cocktail lounge 66 floors above the Strip. Previously announced venues include Famous Foods Street Eats with 16 stalls featuring authentic street food and cuisines from top chefs and restaurateurs; L.A. institution Wally’s Wine & Spirits; FUHU, contemporary Asian cuisine mixed with experiential vibe dining; RedTail, a social gaming bar; and Gatsby’s Cocktail Lounge, which pours vintage and rare champagnes.
