Dreams came true for Las Vegas diners in 2016

Las Vegas finally seemed to reach an MBA’s dream parameter this year, triggering openings or planned openings from national chains (including IKEA, whose Swedish-meatball-serving restaurant has its own cult following) to the delight of many Southern Nevadans.

It also was a year for super-popular chain restaurants from other parts of the country to open in the valley. And while the influx of celebrity chefs has slowed somewhat, celebrity-chef restaurants have not, with some of the top names adding locations here.

1. Cracker Barrel, at last — Southern Nevadans longing for a local Cracker Barrel finally got their wish in July, when an outlet opened at 8350 Dean Martin Drive with lines forming along the store’s front porch. A second valley Cracker Barrel opened in October at 2815 E. Craig Road in North Las Vegas.

2. Chick-fil-A soon — In November, Chick-fil-A fans got their own good news with the announcement that two Henderson restaurants would open in late January, with more to follow.

3. Double-Double down on the Strip — While Southern Nevadans can find an In-N-Out burger in virtually every neighborhood, burger-hungry visitors from the Midwest and the East learned that one will open on the Strip at The Linq. The opening, once announced for December, is expected during the second week of January.

4. Cosmopolitan cool — Los Angeles cult favorite Eggslut opened in June to start a new wave of hip and trendy restaurants at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas that also includes Beauty & Essex, Momofuku, Milk Bar and Zuma.

5. Expanding kingdom — The celebrity chef known for his less-than-subtle kitchen repartee opened his fourth Las Vegas restaurant, Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips, in The Linq Promenade in October.

6. Perfect combination — Libertine Social opened at Mandalay Bay in August, bringing together one of the city’s leading chefs, James Beard Award winner Shawn McClain, and “Modern Mixologist” Tony Abou-Ganim.

7. Have a little hummus with that — The Halal Guys, which has been immensely popular in New York for years, brought its short menu of pitas and bowls to the Chinatown area at 3755 Spring Mountain Road in August.

8. Food that moves you — August also saw the opening of Chubby Cattle, 3400 S. Jones Blvd., which gave Las Vegas its first conveyor-belt restaurant. While most such spots serve sushi, Chubby Cattle is a Chinese hotpot restaurant.

9. New for you — Boyd Gaming began a sweeping restaurant rebirth with new restaurants at many of its properties, including The Orleans, Suncoast, Sam’s Town, Gold Coast and California.

10. Start your day the creative way — Breakfast and lunch restaurants multiplied and many of them were far from standard. Notable newcomers included Craft Kitchen, Kitchen Table and Served, all of which are in Henderson. And Utah favorite Kneaders Bakery & Cafe opened in Henderson and Las Vegas.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at www.reviewjournal.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.