VEGAS DINING ROUNDUP: Wolfgang Closes Lupo, Mandalay Baywatch, Venetian Gets HaSalon Trip

Posted on: June 15, 2023, 10:31h. 

Last updated on: June 16, 2023, 09:20h.

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

Lupo, opened by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck at Mandalay Bay in 1999, is closing for good, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The space will reopen by year’s end as a different Italian eatery that is still “tied to Wolfgang personally,” according to the report.

Lupo was a popular Mandalay Bay Italian restaurant opened by Wolfgang Puck in 1999. (Image: Eater Vegas)

Lupo isn’t exactly leaving Las Vegas, either. Its menu, and name, will take over the Wolfgang Puck Players Locker in Downtown Summerlin. Both restaurants are expected to close in late summer and debut their new identities by year’s end.

Lupo’s closure is the third major dining change at Mandalay Bay in recent months. Fleur, the beloved steakhouse brand opened by Chef Hubert Keller at Mandalay Bay 18 years ago, will close permanently on June 30. A new project will fill the space this winter. And Charlie Palmer’s Aureole was replaced, at least for a year, by Retro by Votaggio in May.

Comings & Goings

Chef Eyal Shani is opening a second spot at The Venetian. On July 15, HaSalon (Hebrew for “living room”) will open as the fine-dining companion to Miznon, the casual Mediterranean dining spot opened by the Israeli chef in December 2022. HaSalon, which calls its cuisine “avant-garde international,” already has locations in New York, Paris, London, Ibiza, and Miami.

Ha Salon, opening July 15 at the Venetian, refers to its cuisine as ‘avant-garde international.’ (Image: The Venetian)

Tao Group Hospitality plans to open Luchini, a casual pizza and pasta shop, at the MGM Grand this fall. The concept includes an adjacent pizza shop that sells by the slice.

The Composers Room Showlounge & Restaurant, the most recent project from Damian Costa and Nick Cordaro of Pompey Entertainment, plans a summer opening at the Historic Commercial Center. The venue will offer dining and vintage Vegas performances.

Area15 has added another bar to its 20-acre entertainment complex, but this one is different. Capitalizing on a unique demographic of its visitors, Asylum Bar + Arcade serves specialty cocktails without alcohol to patrons who are under 21. The bar’s second floor is only accessible to guests old enough to drink.

An electrical fire gutted Jessie Rae’s BBQ earlier this week. No injuries were reported, but a post on the restaurant’s Twitter account called the popular eatery, at 5611 S. Valley View Blvd., “a total loss.” A second location at 308 N. Boulder Highway is unaffected.