Las Vegas Dining Update: Head Chef’s Departure, Cafe Closure at MGM, Anyone Feeling Hungry?


Posted on: October 21, 2025, 15:30h. 

Last updated on: October 21, 2025, 15:40h.

Sin City is saying goodbye to Chef Roy Ellamar, who departs on October 1 to start a new dining establishment at Graton Resort & Casino in Sonoma County, Calif.

Chef Roy Ellamar leaves Las Vegas with an impressive track record but lingering questions. (Image: summerlin.com)

Ellamar gained recognition by launching Harvest by Roy Ellamar at the Bellagio in 2015. He then surprised many six years later by leaving the restaurant, which continued to operate without his involvement.

Similar unanswered questions remain after the renowned culinary expert established Fine Company at Downtown Summerlin and departed just eight months later.

This billboard for a new Margaritaville appears in this (fairly poor) rendering proposed for the Riviera site on the north Strip. (Image: BPS Partners LLC)

Parrot-headed Back to Vegas?

A billboard shown in a concept drawing of a mixed-use project intended for the former Riviera site has sparked excitement because it features a billboard for a new Las Vegas Margaritaville, along with a thrill ride with coconut-shell swings.

This may be wishful thinking as the entire project seems uncertain. However, as Vital Vegas notes, the late singer Jimmy Buffett’s restaurant has hinted at a potential return to Sin City.

Dining Ins & Outs

The Avenue Café, a popular brunch spot at MGM Grand, will permanently close after business on December 15. MGM has announced that a new venue will open in February 2026, but has not disclosed any details.

Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill has reopened at the Venetian, following a renovation that temporarily shut it down in June.

Bank Atcharawan, the sommelier, chef, and restaurateur known for Las Vegas eateries such as Chada Thai & Wine and Lamaii, is set to debut a Thai fusion restaurant named Jipata at 3460 Arville St. this autumn, as reported by What Now Vegas.

Andy Zhoa and Maya Kwong, the minds behind Las Vegas Chinatown’s Xiao Long Dumplings, are planning to open a second location at 6945 S. Buffalo Drive, according to building permit documentation.

Good Pie pizzeria in Downtown will open a new location on October 14 at 835 Seven Hills Drive in Henderson, in the former spot of Angelina’s Pizza.

Crab N Spice is preparing to launch a third Las Vegas establishment for its All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Boil, offering king crab for $32. The new location will be in Chinatown, at 3455 Arville St., later this year.



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