Food halls have emerged as the venue-du jour in Las Vegas, and the Aria Resort & Casino is the latest to join the trend.
The casino opened Proper Eats, an eclectic collection of foodservice brands offering cocktails and global cuisine in an elevated dining experience, in December.
“This is a dream destination for me,” said Andy Masi, founder of Clique Hospitality, which was organizing the food hall, together with restaurant management group A Perfect Bite Hospitality. “Our team is bringing together cocktails and cuisine from some of our favorite places in the world in one strikingly beautiful space in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip."
The 24,000-square-foot Proper Eats food hall replaces the buffet at the Aria. It includes 12 foodservice concepts, including the first U.S. location of London’s Seoul Bird, specializing in Korean-style fried chicken and other dishes inspired by co-creator Judy Joo’s Korean-American heritage.
Los Angeles-based Wexler’s Deli is also expanding out of its home city for the first time with a location in Proper Eats. The classic Jewish deli is known for smoking and hand-slicing all its meat and fish in-house and has attracted a following for its pastrami and smoked salmon, among other offerings.
The food hall also includes an outlet of Shalom Y’all, a Mediterranean restaurant from the Sesame Collective in Portland, Oregon; the first Las Vegas location for Pizzaoki, a Los Angeles-based fast-fired pizza concept featuring thin crust and elevated toppings; and Egghead, a New York-based comfort food concept known for its egg sandwiches.
In addition, the food hall features Clique’s own Temaki Bar, offering sushi and sake, which currently has one location in Encinitas, California, and Lola’s Burgers, named after the daughter of Oliver Wharton, founder of A Perfect Bite Hospitality, offering gourmet burgers.
The other foodservice concepts include a Laughing Buddha ramen restaurant; Easy Donuts, offering donuts, coffee, and cocktails; and Proper Bar, offering an eclectic cocktail menu.
The Proper Eats space was designed by architecture firm Studio Munge, which has created several high-end spaces for fine-dining restaurants in Toronto, Miami, Las Vegas, and elsewhere.
“The addition of Proper Eats to Aria’s food and beverage portfolio will deliver a fun and lively communal dining experience to our resort,” said Anton Nikodemus, Aria’s president and chief operating officer. “Every detail has been carefully curated–from creative concepts to venue design–bringing together a first-class culinary epicenter that is approachable with a variety of options to choose based on preference, taste, or mood.”
Proper Eats is the latest in a series of food halls to open in Las Vegas, and more are on the way, according to Eater Las Vegas, including one at Fremont Hotel and Casino and another at the UnCommons, an office, retail and restaurant complex in suburban Las Vegas.
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