Confirmed: Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio to Operate from Picasso During Renovation

By Scott Roeben, on July 30 2024
3 min read 0 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Restaurants

Lots of Las Vegas visitors were saddened to hear Picasso is closing at Bellagio. Picasso closes on August 16, 2024, after 25 years.

Another popular restaurant at Bellagio, Prime Steakhouse, is set to close as well, but for a renovation, arguably the best reason to close a restaurant.

Bellagio has a plan, though.

Imagine trying to have a nice dinner, then everyone saying “ooh” and “ahh” every half hour until 7:30 p.m., then every 15 minutes to midnight. The only thing more annoying would be karaoke or dueling pianos!

This is the part of our story where we usually waste time (sorry, build suspense) by humble bragging about how we shared this story long before it was officially announced.

Thank you, anonymous source, for making us look omniscient, a word we spelled correctly on the first try, thank you very much.

Anyhoo, here’s more about the closure of Picasso so we don’t have to give a recap. Basically, chef Julian Serrano is over this crap and is cutting back on his workload (also, the restaurant was underperforming, but far be it from us to make anything awkward).

Prime, too, is a tad long in the tooth, so it’s time for a refresh.

Or, as Bellagio’s news release puts it, “A new era in fine dining will debut at Bellagio this November as Prime Steakhouse, one of the city’s most revered culinary gems, redefines the classic steakhouse experience with a chic, modern-day design transformation coupled with menu enhancements.”

News releases gonna news release.

From today on, anyone searching Google for “Picasso playing slot machines” will see this. Our legacy is pretty much set.

Here’s more fancy talk from the news release, “Celebrity Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s timeless lakeside restaurant will continue providing the world-class hospitality and cuisine for which it is known while unveiling a contemporary new design that exudes elegance and sophistication. Along with the refreshed aesthetic, Prime will pay homage to its time-honored menu while also celebrating the venue’s future with creative and thoughtful seasonal dishes, handmade cocktails and specialty wine selections.”

We, for one, don’t love the idea of anything being exuded near our food, as it could cause a Vongerichten response, alarming waitstaff and other diners. We are always up for restaurant redesigns, though. It’s worth noting, again, restaurants don’t tend to close for renovations if they’re hitting their revenue numbers. Just saying.

So, Prime will operate in its current space until Sep. 2, 2024. Boy, you had to read a lot of words to get to the actual meat of this story. Sorry.

From Sep. 3, 2024 through the reopening of Prime sometime in November, Prime will operate in the Picasso space.

Why November? The answer is F1. The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix happens Nov. 21-23, 2024, despite our best efforts. Long story.

Prime Steakhouse serving out of Picasso is a clever and elegant way of avoiding two restaurants being closed at the same time. Also, a real casino can’t not have a steakhouse, it’s the law.

Prime’s reopening date, along with news about what’s coming to the Picasso space, will be announced at a later date. Basically, in our Twitter feed.

We can’t recall ever having dined at Picasso or Prime, but we trust many have. We are more of a Lago person.

Now, you’re up to speed on all the Bellagio restaurant goings on. Slow news days for the win!

Still no word on the Tao nightlife venue, but we’re keeping our ear to the ground, which might explain our middle ear bacterial infection and why we have penicillin in our medicine cabinet. Yes, that’s the story we’re sticking to.

Update (8/1/24): Here’s an exclusive first look at the uniforms for Prime when it reopens after the refresh.