Smashed Pig Gastropub Opens on Fremont Street, Bowls Us Over With Fare and Firewater
It’s been a long time coming, but the Smashed Pig Gastropub is open on Fremont East in downtown Las Vegas.
Smashed Pig joins a spate of restaurant openings, due in no small part to the fact we’ve been looking for an excuse to use “spate” in a sentence.
The Smashed Pig Gastropub is the brainchild of husband-and-wife owners Martin Swift and Linda Rodriguez.
The charming and completely unassuming couple previously trained with Nobu Matsuhisa, a famous chef you’ve probably never heard of, because let’s face it, chef-famous is different than regular famous.
While one might assume the name Smashed Pig derives from the fact the restaurant is “smashed” between Flippin’ Good Burgers & Shakes and the Griffin bar, “smashed” refers to the state of intoxication, something downtown’s Fremont Street is intimately familiar with.
The Smashed Pig opened Nov. 20, 2015, serving dinner only at first, but has now rolled out a lunch menu.
While the Smashed Pig menu features some British fare, including what we’re declaring the best fish and chips in Las Vegas, Swift and Rodriguez are quick to point out the menu is varied and includes Asian-influenced dishes as well.
While the food is delicious, the price point of a $14 fish and chips dish for lunch and $16 for dinner may make some downtown denizens flinch, but it’s on par with the quality, as well as some of the other nearby restaurants like Therapy across the street and Carson Kitchen around the corner. This ain’t your grandpa’s Uncle Joe’s Pizza. (That was next door, by the way.)
Here’s a look at the full Smashed Pig menu, which we hear will be tweaked as the restaurant finds its groove and customers voice their opinions about the selections.
The lunch menu is expected to change even more frequently, but the offerings were being well-received by diners during our visit. Sorry, visits. We took an immediate liking to the place.
The Smashed Pig has a full bar, of course. Didn’t we mention it’s on Fremont Street?
Specialty cocktails (adorably called “Pigtails” on the menu) run $12. Here’s a peek at the ample Smashed Pig beverage menu.
Highly recommended is the Smashed Pig’s epic panty-dropper, the Crown Jewel. The cocktail has Skyy Pineapple vodka, Luxardo Maraschino (a liqueur originally from Croatia), fresh lemon, cinnamon vanilla syrup (a liquid originally from our daydreams) and bitters.
Given the Smashed Pig was done in partnership with Downtown Project, there are the requisite Millenial charging stations beneath the bar.
The Smashed Pig Gastropub is just 110 feet deep and a mere 15 feet wide, so the seating capacity is small.
This makes for an intimate atmosphere, and the staff is “chockablock” with friendly, attentive people.
The Smashed Pig Gastropub is a welcome addition to the booming restaurant scene in downtown Las Vegas.
We love the quirky, eclectic menu (translation: dishes this blog can’t always pronounce), and expect to visit the Smashed Pig frequently to further explore the menu. By which we mean we’re probably going to just order the fish and chips over and over, along with copious Crown Jewel cocktails, because if you find perfection, why muck with it? We’re looking at you, Pasquale Rotella. Long story.
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