Las Vegas has seen the abrupt closure and eventual return of a handful of eating places and golf equipment through the years. On this metropolis, even long-paused venues can roar again to life.
The favored burlesque membership and music venue Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce, which closed in 2009, for instance, will reopen on New Yr’s Eve after practically 17 years.
Holsteins, recognized for its over-the-top burgers and boozy milkshakes on the Strip, closed at its Cosmopolitan location in mid-2024 after roughly 15 years after which reopened in spring 2025, within the Arts District.
VooDoo Lounge, considered certainly one of The Strip’s finest rooftop bars, reopened in The Rio after a five-year absence.
Followers of Morimoto at MGM Grand, led by Masaharu Morimoto — winner of Japan’s Iron Chef title in 1998 — solely needed to wait a number of months for the restaurant to reopen.
Morimoto, which opened in Las Vegas 2016, was due for a refresh when it closed its doorways on October 1, 2025. The restaurant re-opened on Sunday, Dec. 1.
Morimoto at MGM Grand closed “for an exciting design and menu refresh to enhance the guest experience,” in line with the Las Vegas Overview-Journal. Per MGM Resorts’ December 2025 announcement, the restaurant initially opened in 2016 and underwent a scheduled design overhaul throughout the transient closure.
Followers of a real Iron Chef will likely be thrilled Morimoto has reopened.
Picture by Francesco Riccardo Iacomino on Getty Photographs
Somewhat little bit of Toyko on the Las Vegas Strip
Tokyo and Las Vegas have a few issues in widespread. One is an overabundance of neon. The opposite is a love for meals.
At Morimoto at MGM Grand, Chef Masaharu Morimoto has fused the 2 cities’ electrical power in a dramatic redesign and refreshed menu that guarantees to show eating right into a full-on sensory expertise.
“The next era of Morimoto at MGM Grand harmonizes the soul of Las Vegas and Tokyo’s electric designs, buzzing streets and our shared love for the art of food,” Morimoto mentioned in a Dec. 1 announcement.
The redesign marks certainly one of MGM Grand’s most notable fine-dining updates of the yr, reflecting the resort’s broader push to modernize its flagship eating places.
Morimoto now has a real Las Vegas colour palette
The restaurant’s authentic black, charcoal, and impartial palette is gone, changed with vibrant colours impressed by Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Visitors enter by a glowing portal of Japanese script, whereas the sushi bar now options neon Tokyo photographs in magenta, vermilion, and violet.
The bar and lounge function pink glass panels, curved-back pink chairs, and a large pink sq. above the again bar adorned with Japanese characters. The principle eating room mixes charred wooden — an homage to yakisugi craftsmanship — with pleated conical pink lanterns.
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The menu options Morimoto classics alongside creative new dishes. Sushi and sashimi are nonetheless mainstays, with objects just like the “Land & Ocean Roll,” a smoky mixture of wagyu beef, crab, candy shrimp, and tobiko. Rolls impressed by stained-glass patterns additionally make a colourful assertion.
Small plates embody hamachi tacos with yuzu kosho, tuna pizza accented by anchovy aïoli and jalapeños, and wealthy toro topped with caviar. Bao full of lobster tail and pork sticky ribs glazed in candy chili and hoisin are additionally featured.
The teppanyaki bar options dwell cooking of greens, seafood, and meats. Entrées embody complete lobster épice with Morimoto’s signature spice mix and a 12-ounce home New York strip steak.
Morimoto: from baseball standout to culinary star
Earlier than conquering the culinary world, Morimoto deliberate to develop into an expert baseball participant in Hiroshima. A shoulder damage redirected him to sushi.
He opened his first restaurant at age 24 and moved to the U.S. in 1985, working in New York — together with at Nobu — and later starring on “Iron Chef America.”
Since opening his first restaurant in Philadelphia in 2001, Morimoto has expanded internationally and develop into a James Beard Award winner, cookbook writer, and culinary innovator with product collaborations spanning spirits, espresso, tea, ramen, and baking kits.
His long-standing presence on the Las Vegas Strip has additionally helped elevate town’s status as a vacation spot for globally acknowledged cooks.
5 superstar chef eating places in Las Vegas that closed endlessly
Not each restaurant will get a second probability in Las Vegas. Listed below are a number of that had well-known names within the kitchen however nonetheless could not survive.
- Sage, led by Shawn McClain. Closed in 2020 after seven years.
Supply: Eater - Mesa Grill, led by Bobby Flay. Closed in 2020 after 16 years.
Supply: Eater - Julian Serrano Tappas, led by Julian Serrano. Closed in 2025 after 10 years.
Supply: Eater - DB Brasserie, led by Daniel Boulud. Closed in 2017 after 4 years.
Supply: Eater - Worldwide Smoke, led by Michael Mina and Ayesha Curry. Closed in 2025 after 5 years.
Supply: Eater
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