7 new bars and restaurants opening in Las Vegas

Las Vegas never lacks for food and drink debuts, but recently, buzz about new and upcoming bars and restaurants has been especially lively.

Think: a bar filled with oddities housing a hidden speakeasy. The first Vegas restaurant from a legendary name in hospitality. A $10 million steakhouse. A swath of the South (“Beach”; “of France”) coming to the Strip. Japanese cocktails served in a hidden pop-up (hint: look for the maneki-neko). A second location for a breakfast and brunch café. And more Korean barbecue in Chinatown.

We’re sharing the details as a savory summer moves into a flavorful fall.

The Cabinet of Curiosities and The Lock

In Bally’s

Curious about this lounge and the speakeasy inside it? Wonder no more — they just opened on Bally’s lower level. Both come courtesy of Imagine Exhibitions, a creator and operator of immersive experiences.

The Cabinet lounge displays curiosities — artifacts, relics, memorabilia, souvenirs, tchotchkes, bibelots — that suggest journeys of discovery, in the world or in the mind. And guests are invited to imagine for themselves the journeys behind the objects while they explore cocktails like The Curious Cosmopolitan or a Bedazzled Skullcap Mojito.

“One of my favorite activities has been learning the stories of fellow travelers that I’ve met over a drink, and the various oddities that I’ve collected along the way. I’m delighted to bring that to life in one place, and what better place to launch than in Las Vegas?” said Tom Zaller, president and CEO of Imagine Exhibitions.

To access The Lock speakeasy, its entrance disguised as a vault, guests must solve one of two hidden puzzles. Inside, guests can imbibe Prohibition-era craft cocktails or have the mixologist create a custom drink.

The Bedford by Martha Stewart

In Paris Las Vegas

Martha Stewart, legendary doyenne of DIY, hospitality and lifestyle, has been a household name for about four decades. In August, she’s opening her first-ever Vegas restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart, in Paris Las Vegas. (Martha Stewart Café, a New York City coffee and tea house, closed in 2019 and was not a full-service establishment.)

The Bedford, according to promotional materials, conjures (in tasteful neutrals) the feel of Stewart’s country home in tony Bedford, New York, offering guests “an authentic glimpse of how she lives and entertains in her own home.”

Stewart designed the 194-seat restaurant, which will serve “the very same kinds of foods I serve my friends and family.” Ingredients will be sourced from purveyors like Las Vegas Farmers Market, D’Artagnan, Roe Caviar, Frog Hollow Farmstead and Vermont Creamery.

Now, when will Snoop Dogg be stopping by?

Toca Madera Steakhouse

Between Aria and The Shops at Crystals

Even in Vegas, $10 million is a lot to spend on a restaurant. What is that kind of coin creating at Toca Madera Las Vegas, a modern Mexican steakhouse opening Aug. 9? For one, to judge from the photographs, it buys a host of custom woodwork that ranges in appearance from recently timbered to curvy biomorphic to columns clad in polyhedra.

Toca Madera’s third location (the first two are in L.A. and Scottsdale, Arizona) also features a nestlike (as in bird) structure with pond and trees forming the entrance, house music sets crafted by resident DJs, live musical performances, and a new menu (launching soon at all three Tocas) with highlights like A5 wagyu tacos.

In fact, premium Japanese and Australian beef make up the heart of Toca Madera’s menu, as expressed in dishes like a tomahawk steak and bone marrow set aflame and afloat across salsa verde. The steakhouse encompasses about 10,000 square feet and seats 200-plus.

Villa Azur

In The Venetian

The Strip doesn’t lack for sexy. And it’s getting more sizzle. Villa Azur — founded in Miami Beach, with several other outposts, including Saint-Tropez — is scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2022 at the Grand Canal Shoppes in The Venetian. Beyond the garland-draped entrance, an expanse of stylish beachy white is punctuated by brightly colored pop culture images.

The menu harnesses cooking from the South of France (with nods to Italy) in dishes like grilled octopus, bijoux truffled ravioles, and pâtes à la meule (pasta cooked in a hollowed wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano flambéed with Cognac). Many dishes are prepared tableside, and there are signature cocktails and a Champagne list.

DJs, dancers, musicians and other entertainment extend Villa Azur’s energy and theatricality into the evening. Should you get up and dance? Bah oui!

Tokyo Vice Den

In Resorts World

There’s a new vice in Vegas. Through Oct. 1, Tokyo Vice Den is popping up at Here Kitty Kitty speakeasy, at the Famous Foods Street Eats hall in Resorts World. The pop-up, a partnership with House of Suntory Japanese spirits, offers guests specialty cocktail sipping while surrounded by Japanese-inspired décor.

Some of the cocktails: a Hambei and the Plum Tree (Toki Whisky, plum juice, soda water, pinch sumac and MSG); a Momotaro (Haku Vodka, maraschino liqueur, peach soju, white peach syrup, gold glitter); and a Shinto (Legent Bourbon, allspice dram and a syrup made using South American palo santo plant).

To find the speakeasy, head to Fuhu Cha Chaan Teng restaurant in the Street Eats hall. Check in at the host desk; the speakeasy lies behind a bookcase stocked with good luck cats in the restaurant. Cocktails are $21.

Broken Yolk Café

In Henderson

Broken Yolk Café is set to open its second Southern Nevada location in October in Henderson, at St. Rose and South Maryland parkways; the first Nevada shop opened in 2019 in Town Square. The new Broken Yolk belongs to a chain of more than 34 stores nationwide.

The breakfast and brunch menu offers dishes like Tiki Toast (thick slices of sweet Hawaiian bread topped with berries and coconut), Golden State Benedict (with tomato, avocado, applewood-smoked bacon), and a Fiesta Burrito (eggs, shredded beef, cheddar, avocado, salsa fresca). Beverages include beer, bloody mary flights and specialty cocktails.

Mr. BBQ

In Shanghai Plaza

Mr. BBQ, out of Fullerton, California, has plans to expand in August into Chinatown’s Shanghai Plaza. The all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue features more than 30 proteins, including octopus, scallops, salmon, marinated chicken, pork belly, brisket, top sirloin and rib-eye. The owners also plan to open a boba and doughnut shop in the center.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ItsJLW on Twitter.