VEGAS DINING ROUNDUP: Hello Norm’s & 2nd Fogo de Chão, Goodbye Della’s & Gabi’s Donuts

Posted on: October 4, 2024, 08:59h. 

Last updated on: October 6, 2024, 01:25h.

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

Norm’s has chosen Las Vegas as the site of its first of 24 locations to be located outside Southern California.

The Las Vegas Norm’s is shown in a rendering. Norm’s features the most popular example of Googie architecture signage after the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. (Image: Instagram/@norms)

Founded in LA in 1949 by used-car salesman Norm Roybark, the American diner will open in November at 4605 W. Charleston Blvd., near Decatur Boulevard in a remodeled Applebee’s. And it will never close. Like most Las Vegas casinos, it will remain open 24/7, even on Christmas and New Year’s Eve/Day.

This will be the first Norm’s with a full liquor license and on-site gaming, both of which are pending nearly guaranteed permit approval.

Norm’s Restaurant is not related to NORMan’s Diner at 3495 S. Durango Drive in Las Vegas’ Summerlin suburb, though the two are already being confused by social media users.

Norm Chan, who once cooked for Elvis as a room service chef at the Las Vegas Hilton, opened that eatery in 2011 in Downtown Summerlin, originally calling it Norm’s Eggs Café.

Della No

Della’s Kitchen is closing at Delano, but that may not be the whole story. (Image: MGM Resorts)

Della’s Kitchen will close at the Delano after October 30, MGM Resorts announced Wednesday. (The Delano was formerly The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.)

“At this time, plans for the space have yet to be determined,” the announcement read.

Though restaurant openings are always announced, it is extremely rare for a Las Vegas resort chain to announce that one is closing. So something’s up here that isn’t being communicated.

According to Scott Roeben of Vital Vegas, who knows more about casino resorts than they know about themselves, the real news is that the Delano is being rebranded into a W Hotel.

Dining Ins & Outs

A second Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse is headed to Vegas, at least according to a county permit filing that places it at the Venetian. The brand has operated at 360 E. Flamingo Road in Las Vegas since 2000.

Likewise, filings indicated that Irv’s Burgers of Southern California will soon open its second Las Vegas location at Planet Hollywood.

Fuku, chef David Chang’s spicy chicken joint that popped up at Allegiant Stadium during the Super Bowl, will return as a concession. It will be the 23rd Fuku located at a stadium, arena, or ballpark, which includes a concession at T-Mobile Arena.

Both locations of the Gabi Boutique donut shop, in Chinatown and Henderson, closed on October 2, according to the brand’s Instagram page. The shops, open for two years, closed in July and August to revamp their menu, then reopened last month with a Korean kkwabaegi twist.

The dining room at Paris Las Vegas’ Café Americano is getting a refresh that should take a few months, though the restaurant continues service to about two dozen tables overlooking the casino.

India Palace, a Las Vegas staple for nearly 30 years at 505 E. East Twain Ave., has closed for $300K in renovations, according to the restaurant. It’s expected to reopen for dining by late October, but pickup and delivery service will continue to operate during the refresh.