Wynn Plaza to open first local Cipriani, Urth Caffe locations

Wynn Plaza will open the first Las Vegas-area location for restaurant Cipriani and the first U.S. location for Urth Caffe outside of California.

Founder Shallom Berkman said he founded Urth Caffe in 1989 with wife Jilla as a health-conscious cafe.

The brand serves tea, organic coffee and breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Like the other Urth Caffe locations, the Wynn one will have a coffee house style with no waiters.

The local cafe will have a unique centerpiece of a handmade ceramic tile fountain and old growth olive tree in the center with a star-shaped skylight.

Berkman wanted a Wynn location because of the style and ambiance associated with the property, he said. Wynn properties in Las Vegas and Macau have long been associated with luxury and opulence.

Urth Caffe is working on a seventh location in California, according to the company’s website. Licensed Urth Caffes are also in Japan and Saudi Arabia. More Saudi locations and one in Dubai are in the works.

A Cipriani spokeswoman declined to comment on the local restaurant. Cipriani has over 10 locations worldwide, including the well-known Harry’s Bar in Venice.

Both restaurants have large, loyal followings and should do well locally, said Brian Sorrentino of Las Vegas area commercial real estate firm ROI.

“They will become an amenity to the resort,” Sorrentino said.

Combining the locally-minded Urth Caffe with luxury restaurant and club-operator Cipriani reflects the type of tenant mix Wynn Plaza sells, said Haim Chera, principal of Crown Acquisitions.

Crown and Wynn announced in December 2016 that Crown would pay $472 million in gross proceeds for 49.9 percent interest in Wynn’s 88,000-square-feet of existing retail space and the 70,000-square-foot Wynn Plaza.

Crown had promised to pay Wynn a remaining $180 million once Wynn Plaza finished. Chera said his company is all paid up. The retail area was supposed to finish last year.

Contact Wade Tyler Millward at (702) 383-4602 or wmillward @reviewjournal.com. Follow @wademillward on Twitter