VEGAS DINING NEWS: The Corner Store 1st Look, Goodbye Aloha, More Closures and Openings

The Corner Store opens at 5 p.m. Monday (Nov. 9) at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, bringing a New York-inspired dining concept from Catch Hospitality Group to the former Blue Ribbon space on the resort’s third floor. And Casino.org got a first look.  

Led by chef Michael Vignola in collaboration with executive chef Daniel Bernardo, the 180-seat restaurant provides elevated takes on familiar American comfort food. Signature dishes include lobster and caviar rolls with tarragon-celery remoulade, five-cheese pizza rolls served with whipped ranch, a Caesar salad topped with cream cheese croquettes and everything-bagel croutons, and a wagyu French dip featuring 72-hour slow-roasted Australian ribeye.

A raw bar offers oysters, shrimp cocktail, bluefin tuna tartare, and seasonal crudos, while entrees range from Mediterranean branzino and Ora King salmon to Dover sole and vegetarian chicken parmesan.

Las Vegas diners will also find a larger steak program than the restaurant’s SoHo counterpart. The Butcher’s Counter showcases premium cuts including Rosewood Ranch wagyu tomahawk and wagyu porterhouse steaks, along with other dry-aged and specialty selections designed for sharing.

Designed by Rockwell Group, the same firm behind the brand’s original SoHo location, The Corner Store’s Las Vegas expansion adapts the atmosphere of a classic New York neighborhood hangout to a Strip resort setting.

Catch Hospitality first partnered with MGM Resorts, which owns the Cosmo, on Catch at Aria in 2018.

Aloha Aloha

Normally, it means either hello or goodbye in Hawaiian. This time, it’s only goodbye to Aloha Specialties Restaurant.

After more than 40 years at Boyd Gaming’s California Hotel & Casino, the longtime downtown favorite will permanently close Nov. 22.

Aloha has served Hawaiian comfort food at Las Vegas’ most Hawaii-focused resort since 1985.

The closure marks the end of an era at the California, a property opened by Boyd Gaming founder Sam Boyd in 1975 that helped foster the longstanding travel and cultural connection between Hawaii and Las Vegas, which many Hawaiians refer to as “the ninth island.”

Pizza Icon Remembered

Carmine Vento, the first restaurateur to sell pizza by the slice in Las Vegas, died Oct. 30, his family business announced on social media.

Vento moved to Las Vegas from New York in 1975 with his family, opening the first Villa Pizza in Commercial Center — a legacy that expanded to 10 locations by the time he sold the business in 2000.

“For Carmine, it was never just about serving pizza; it was about creating connections, welcoming people, and building a community one customer at a time,” the statement from Carmine’s Pizza Kitchen reads.

Carmine’s children — Frank, John, and Connie — will continue operating the four locations of their father’s newer chain.

Dining Ins and Outs

The downtown outpost of the Hush Puppy, which opened Nov. 18, 2025, in the former Banger Brewing space at Neonopolis, has closed after less than a year in business. The original Hush Puppy location, opened by Charlie and Virginia Ghormley in 1975 at 7185 W. Charleston Blvd., remains open.

Chapala’s Mexican Restaurant, a longtime East Tropicana Avenue staple, is set to close next month when its lease expires. The Flores family, which brought the restaurant to Las Vegas in 1978 and has operated it ever since, plans to retire. However, discussions are underway with another group that could take over the business and continue the Chapala’s name.

A cannabis lounge called Cirrus Las Vegas — the second sprouting of Denver’s Cirrus Social Club — plans to open at 4240 W. Flamingo Road next fall. (That address, across from the Palms, currently houses another dispensary called Cookies.) So why are we listing this in a dining column? Because Cirrus plans a full menu curated by Chef Em, a “Chopped 420” champion who also competed on “Beat Bobby Flay.” Denver favorites include lamb lollipops and wagyu pigs-in-a-blanket.