What’s next for the owners of 2 of Vegas’ top fine dining spots?

Before chef Oscar Amador, Roberto Liendo and Joe Mikulich opened EDO Tapas & Wine in 2018, with its revelatory small plates; before they debuted Anima by EDO in 2022, garnering a clutch of James Beard Award nominations for Spanish cooking graced with international notes; before they created Braseria, a Spanish-French brasserie set to open this fall on Paradise Road — before all that, they were going to launch a gastropub.

“We had a whole business plan designed for it,” Liendo said of the idea from 2017. “It turned out we got a much smaller space, and it didn’t have space for a large bar, which you need for a gastropub. That made us go more into a tapas and wine setup, and that’s what became EDO Tapas in Chinatown.”

Cut to early April. DW Bistro has just closed at The Gramercy, the development in the southwest that also houses Anima by EDO. Not long after, EDO Hospitality leased the space, but what to open in a center where the group already had a presence? A steakhouse was considered, but as Mikulich put it, “How many steakhouses does a city need?”

And with Anima already being a fine dining spot, “to round out the restaurant group as a whole, we made the decision to go a different route.”

That route is EDO Gastropub, a return, of sorts, of the 2017 concept that was never realized. EDO Gastropub is scheduled to debut in the first quarter of 2026. “Talking around the idea of different names, we love the EDO brand, and it has done so well for us, so we didn’t want to cut ties fully,” Mikulich said. “We wanted to keep that alive.”

At the same time, the gastropub will be a distinctly different restaurant from Anima and from EDO Tapas (which is closing on Sept. 30).

“We wanted something more approachable, something great for the neighborhood,” Liendo said. “The kind of place to go to for great drinks and great food and not be committed to a big tasting menu.”

Mikulich continued: “We’ve done high-end experiences, and they’ve done well for us, but we wanted a more affordable price point, higher energy, a little sexier environment, not super high-end. You go there and grab a burger and a beer — twice a week.”

Design details

The gastropub will seat about 150 to 160 across the bar, main dining area, two private dining rooms and the terrace. The design is still being developed, but it will include stamped concrete and brick, Edison bulbs, industrial accents, Cognac leather seating and a top-notch sound system.

“A neighborhood spot you feel comfortable in and look good in,” Mikulich said.

“Music brings that social environment,” Liendo added. “We’ll up the rhythm a little as we’re getting into the night.”

The terrace, sometimes an afterthought at restaurants, will receive due attention, Mikulich said.

“We are really putting a lot of money and emphasis toward the patio here to create a cool environment for locals to enjoy themselves. We really want to use the patio.”

‘A slamming burger’

Chef Tayden Poha-Ellamar, once of L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and now of Anima by EDO, will be leading the kitchen at EDO Gastropub. The business partners described the menu as global-American cuisine, “dishes that everybody is big on, but elevated,” Liendo said. “Dishes that are comfort food but with twists that make them great.”

The menu, like the design, is still under construction, but it might run to fish and chips, Korean fried chicken, a steak and a great burger. “Chefs that can do high-level things can also do a slamming burger,” Mikulich said, adding that the price goal for the gastropub was an average of no more than $30 per person at lunch or brunch and $50 per person at dinner.

“It’s literally half of what we do now.”

EDO fine dining moments might also make an appearance, like a gastropub version of patatas bravas.

Other projects ahead

These are busy days for EDO Hospitality besides the new gastropub.

Lunch begins Sept. 2 at Anima, with about two dozen items, including gem lettuce salad with aderezo russo (Russian dressing), seasonal croquetas, 30-day dry-aged striploin carpaccio, malfadine carbonara with crisp guanciale and salmon a la plancha with green goddess aïoli. When the gastropub opens, Anima will stop serving lunch.

Plans are also underway for the next chapter at EDO Tapas after the restaurant closes on Sept. 30.

The space is eventually going to reopen with chef Oscar at the helm,” Mikulich said. “It’s a small place perfect for him to experiment and explore his creativity.”

Braseria is set to launch in late October or early November at 3900 Paradise Road, in a 5,000-square-foot space on the second floor that once housed Yolie’s Brazilian Steakhouse. Once Braseria opens, the EDO Hospitality team will turn its full attention to the gastropub.

“We love the neighborhood,” Liendo said. “Our goal is to create a community.”

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.