DJ Steve Aoki Pizzeria Joins Aria Las Vegas Food Hall Lineup

Posted on: October 20, 2022, 01:02h. 

Last updated on: October 20, 2022, 03:39h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

PizzAoki, the pizzeria chain from superstar DJ Steve Aoki, is among a trio of new dining additions just announced for Proper Eats, the food hall opening this winter at Aria Las Vegas.

PizzAoki DJ Steve Aoki
Can DJ Steve Aoki do for pizza what he did for electronic dance music? Judge for yourself next winter when the upscale Proper Eats food hall debuts at Aria Las Vegas. (Image: Facebook/pizzaoki)

Aoki – the world’s fourth-highest-grossing DJ – decided to start spinning pizza dough, in addition to vinyl, in 2018. His first location in Los Angeles has since been joined by California locations in Glendale, CA, Long Beach, CA, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Diego. His first Vegas location began serving off-Strip in 2019.

Aoki is No Newbie Foodie

The Grammy-nominated DJ, producer, and electronic dance music icon already has some serious culinary bona fides. Prior to opening his own pizza chain, he invested in five other restaurants, including a partnership with his brother in Hawaii’s Bluetree Café.

Their late father, Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki, introduced the hibachi steakhouse concept to the US in 1964 by founding the phenomenally successful Benihana chain.

PizzAoki serves eight pizzas, with names referencing the DJ’s music career. The most elaborate is known as the Mayhem — after an Aoki song — which is topped with mozzarella cheese, sliced pepperoni, ground sausage, meatballs, mushrooms, black olives, red onions, sweet onions, red bell peppers, and green bell peppers. The chain’s website describes its pizza as “an electric and modern take on thin crust New York style pizza with its elevated dough and toppings.” Vegan and cauliflower crust options are available.

The Proper Eats Lineup So Far

The two other new concepts announced for Proper Eats are the Israeli restaurant Shalom Y’all from Portland, Oregon, and Lola’s Burgers, a new eatery from the daughter of Proper Eats partner Oliver Wharton. These join previously announced Proper Eats venues, including the first Wexler’s Deli outside of LA, the first Seoul Bird Korean fried chicken outside of London, Clique’s newly created Temaki Bar sushi restaurant, and New York’s breakfast-centric Egghead.

Proper Eats, developed by Las Vegas’ Clique Hospitality, is opening in the space once occupied by the buffet at Aria. Set to open in early winter, the 24,000-square-foot area — designed by Italian designer Munge and his firm, Studio Munge — will boast 12 dining concepts on Aria’s second-level promenade.

“This is a dream destination for me,” said Andy Masi, founder of Las Vegas-based Clique Hospitality, in a press statement. “Our team is bringing together cocktails and cuisine from some of our favorite places in the world in one strikingly beautiful space in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip.”

Proper Eats will join the likes of other upscale Las Vegas Strip food halls, including the Famous Food Street Eats food hall at Resorts World, the Block 16 Urban food hall at the Cosmopolitan, and Eataly at Park MGM.