Following an eater tradition, we asked a group of restaurant critics, journalists, bloggers, and friends of the website to weigh the year in mealtimes. Your responses to the annual Year in Eater survey will be published in multiple posts. Next, the gastronomy experts share their top newcomers from 2020.
Which newcomer in the scene has excited you this year?
Scott Roeben, Vital Vegas: Fortunately there was a couple. I was pleasantly surprised by Bugsy & Meyer’s Steakhouse in Flamingo, just got it out of the park, and am sad to see that they may be struggling with the lack of convention business. The many new restaurants in Circa have caused quite a stir, including my new favorite Las Vegas restaurant, 8 East. Just amazing, and I kind of saw it coming when I was a fan of Le Thai.
Melanie Lee, Eater Vegas: I like Majordomo very much. The variety of flavors is amazing and their table presentation is so fun to see (and film). I got the chance to try a couple of items in February and really enjoyed it. Moon Palace opposite is also a very fun concept that I really enjoyed!
Bob Barnes, editor of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional and Las Vegas writer for Gayot: Johnny C’s Diner impressed me with the excellent quality of a great cook (Johnny Church), comfort dishes with nice upgrades with quality ingredients, cool old-time diner decor (with a working jukebox!) And very affordable prices. Examples of his comfort food presented in extremely high quality are 5 cheese mac and cheese with a Cheez-It crust; and grilled cheese with local honey, brie and walnuts.
Emmy Kasten, freelance writer: What I was most excited about was Chef Barry Dakake’s return with the opening of Barry’s Downtown Prime in Circa. The steakhouse staples and table presentations are incredible and the glamorous venue sets the mood for a memorable night in downtown Las Vegas. I’m also really excited about Main St. Provisions in the Downtown Arts District. After years of running Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, Kim Owens has finally made her dream of running her own restaurant a reality with Chef Justin Kingsley Hall, who runs the kitchen.
Ken Miller, editor of Las Vegas magazine: Bugsy & Meyers Steakhouse in the Flamingo.
Philip Tzeng, food blogger at Las Vegas Fill: Legends Oyster Bar & Grill is my new favorite for 2020. Chef Jack Jarukasem and his staff serve some of the best seafood at very reasonable prices. They got slammed every time I was there.
Krista Diamond, Freelance Writer at Eater Vegas: The Slanted Door had unfortunate timing with its March 2020 opening date – I’m sad that no more people enjoyed it before things closed, but they will be happy when the restaurant reopens. I love the daikon rice cakes there. They also have a cocktail that was originally served in the Sahara in the 1960s which is a nice touch.
Rob Kachelriess, Las Vegas author at Thrill: I really love what Jack Jarukasem does to seafood at The Legends Oyster Bar. Chinglish serves authentic Cantonese in an accessible setting for the Summerlin crowd with a chef, Po-Fai Lam, who is the right one. Bruce Kalman’s Soulbelly BBQ pop-up in the Arts District got me excited to see the fully realized version in 2021. It’s one of my new favorite spots downtown, along with 8 East at Circa (which has affordable daily happy hour if you just want to give it a try) and Good Pie, which while not “new”, is on his second location has so much more to offer than the original at Pawn Plaza. It was obviously a quiet year on the Strip, but Bugsy & Meyer delivered a classic steakhouse dinner in a fun setting. I’d also like to highlight a couple of cocktail lounges: the new Laundry Room in the Commonwealth, which improved on an already grueling concept, and Mas Por Favor, where you can have tacos in a secret speakeasy.
Sonja Swanson, Author for food and culture: It didn’t open until just before the end of 2020, but it’s likely Banichka, Nina Manchev’s Eastern European bakery – bread is an excellent answer to this year’s horrors!
Louiie Victa, Eater Vegas photographer and co-host of Two hot cooks and a microphone: Main St. provisions! In the end! And Vegas Test Kitchen is an exciting concept that I would love to try.
Lorraine Moss, co-host of Two hot cooks and a microphone: Barry’s Downtown Prime. We got a real old school Vegas steakhouse downtown from some of the best guys in the hospitality industry. Love the ribeye on the bone and braised beef rib served in a bespoke tagine.
Nina König, Las Vegas magazine Editor in Chief: I loved Majordomo and the Bing Bread and Hummus was really amazing.
Melinda Sheckells, editor OffTheStrip.com, OnTheStrip.com: Main Street Provisions was an exciting addition to the dining scene. I have eaten there several times since it opened and every meal has been fabulous. On the west side, I recently tried Chinglish and was super impressed.
Diana Edelman, founder Vegan, baby: Chikyu Vegan Sushi & Izakaya. They come from the same team that runs Shizen in San Francisco, a very popular all-vegan sushi spot. It’s the first upscale vegan place and pure sushi restaurant in Las Vegas. It’s exciting to see a vegan restaurant resort to a menu that is entirely plant-based and doesn’t use processed foods or counterfeit meats and cheeses. It was amazing to see their popularity especially when they opened at the beginning of the pandemic and could only offer food for a couple of weeks before having to go out to take out again.
Susan Stapleton, Editor of Eater Vegas: The Slanted Door in the Forum Shops at Caesars, and I can’t wait to see it open again with its modern Vietnamese cuisine. Elio from Encore Las Vegas, and I can’t wait to open it again. When it comes to teaching Vegas a lesson in how to serve a particular cuisine, I feel like Wynn knows what it’s doing. Majordomo at the Palazzo with its Bing Bread is a great addition to the Strip. Cant wait to try Robata En by former Japanese Yonaka Modern chef Ramir DeCastro in Chinatown.
Disclosure: David Chang produces shows for Hulu in partnership with Vox Media Studios, part of Eater’s parent company Vox Media. No Eater employee is involved in the production of these shows, and this does not affect any coverage of Eater.
• Where food writers in Las Vegas will love to dine and order takeaway in 2020 [ELV]
• The Biggest Stories About Eater Vegas in 2020 [ELV]
• The Saddest Las Vegas restaurant and bar closings in 2020 [ELV]
• Year round coverage of eaters [ELV]
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