Mexican Restaurant Inside Las Vegas Strip Casino Closing Soon

Posted on: October 11, 2021, 02:16h. 

Last updated on: October 11, 2021, 02:30h.

Larry Henry Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Gaming Business, Legislation, Politics, Regulation.

Another restaurant inside a Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino is closing for good in the coming weeks. 

MGM Grand
The MGM Grand’s green lights brighten the Las Vegas Strip on a typical night. Hecho en Vegas Mexican Grill & Cantina inside the MGM Grand near the Grand Garden Arena is closing in November. (Image: KTNV-TV)

MGM Resorts recently announced that Hecho en Vegas Mexican Grill & Cantina at the MGM Grand hotel-casino will close permanently by the beginning of November, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The restaurant opened in 2013. It features Sonoran dishes and more than 100 tequilas.  

No reason was given for the cantina’s upcoming closure. 

The MGM Grand is on the east side of the resort corridor near McCarran International Airport. 

MGM Resorts said in a statement that after the cantina closes the space will be used for “a new food and beverage concept” to be opened in the winter. The company said details about the addition to its “food and beverage portfolio” at the MGM Grand will be announced in a few weeks. 

Rao’s Ends 15-Year Run

This is the second announcement in recent days about a longtime restaurant at a Strip hotel-casino going out of business soon.

On Nov. 28, Rao’s Italian restaurant at Caesars Palace on the resort corridor is closing after 15 years.

The owners did not give a reason for closing the restaurant next month. Rao’s owners hinted they are planning to open another restaurant in the Las Vegas Valley.

“While our future in Las Vegas is not yet decided, we are very excited about the possibilities of what lies ahead,” the owners said in a statement.

The Rao’s at Caesars Palace is the Las Vegas branch of the longtime, famous Rao’s in New York City. The New York Rao’s, with only a handful of tables and booths, is considered one of the most difficult restaurants in the country to secure a reservation. It has traditionally been popular with celebrities, public officials, and athletes.

Rao’s now sells its bottled red sauces, also known as “gravy,” in outlets such as Whole Foods and Sam’s Club.

Martha Stewart Restaurant Proposed

As these restaurant close, others are slated to open on the Strip.

Businesswoman and publisher Martha Stewart appears set to open a restaurant at Paris Las Vegas on the east side of the resort corridor. A Clark County demolition permit has been filed to make room for a Martha Stewart restaurant inside the hotel-casino. No time frame has been given for when this might occur.

Stewart, a former Chanel model and stockbroker, was convicted in March 2004 on four counts in a securities fraud investigation, according to CNN. She served five months in a federal prison in West Virginia.

Stewart’s many current enterprises include a website offering food preparation advice, such as  “how to cook bulgur,” and “simple and delicious ways to transform chicken breast into dinner tonight.”

Also on the Strip, Baton Rouge-based Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is planning its first Las Vegas outlet. The restaurant features Louisiana specialties.

Walk-On’s is projected to open in Harrah’s Hotel and Casino on the east side of the Strip in early 2022.