RJ food writer Johnathan L. Wright’s 5 favorite stories of 2025
Among the couple of hundred stories I wrote in 2025 on restaurants, bars, and other food and drink topics in Las Vegas, several stand out because of the people involved or the news that was broken — or both. Here are five of my favorite stories from the past year.
Former Vegas tiki titan returns with new downtown bar. Branden Powers helped found the Golden Tiki, famed for its strong drinks and stronger tropical kitsch, and Evel Pie, an Evel Knievel-themed spot that became one of the best pizzerias in the city. Three years after leaving these Vegas mainstays, Powers returned with Pachi-Pachi, a cocktail bar and listening lounge that debuted in August downtown, drawing inspiration from Japanese mixology, food (try the ghost noodles) and pop culture. The bar conjures “a back alley in Tokyo with your coolest weirdest friends,” as Powers put it.
First look at chef James Trees’ planned Vegas casino steakhouse. That Trees, famously a champion of independent establishments, was planning to open a restaurant in a casino, and a steakhouse at that, surprised some Vegas restaurant watchers. But the chef said he’d wanted to open a steakhouse for the past few years, and he gave Neon the exclusive on High Steaks Vegas, his transformation of the old Voodoo Steak high atop the Masquerade Tower at the Rio. The room came with panoramic views, a 30-year Vegas history and a top-notch staff, Trees said. The chops in the sky debuted in October.
New owners take over one of the Las Vegas Valley’s oldest delis. In Vegas, where new restaurants are continually opening, longtime places also form an essential part of the city’s food culture. In January, Tony Fisher and Andrea Eppolito purchased Weiss Deli in Henderson, later renaming it Fisher’s Deli. The couple were the first new owners in almost 20 years, in a space that has housed a succession of delis for more than 30 years. Regulars anxiously wondered: Would the new owners change the beloved menu? Nope. They wisely left alone the Reuben, the latkes and the matzoh ball chicken soup.
Longtime Las Vegas chef creating something rare: an affordable steakhouse. Chef Cory Harwell, known for his whimsical comfort food at Carson Kitchen downtown, is taking back the steakhouse for average diners. Butcher & Thief, which debuted in December in The Bend development in the southwest, showcases high-quality (but less expensive) choice-grade beef enhanced through cooking techniques. Less familiar cuts like zabuton (Denver steak) and bavette flap steak yield rich flavor in Harwell’s hands. Sides also receive their due, like mac and cheese, harnessing five cheeses, including Cooper Cheese Sharp White American.
A first look at one of Vegas’ biggest restaurant openings in years. This past spring, Neon learned that a restaurant named Gymkhana was replacing Julian Serrano Tapas at Aria. Could this be an outpost of Gymkhana from London, one of the finest Indian restaurants in the world? In August, that hunch was confirmed when Gymkhana of London provided us with the scoop on the restaurant. Beyond its menu and two Michelin stars, Gymkhana is an important restaurant because it brings Indian fine dining to the Strip, something that has been notably (and surprisingly) lacking. It opened in December.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.
