Armand Jackson
For Clark County residents planning their next trip to Las Vegas, there is a new culinary experience to enjoy. Located just off the lobby in The Palazzo Tower at The Venetian Resort is WAKUDA, a new Japanese restaurant inspired by the Shinjuku ward in Tokyo, opened on June 25th. Guests have a choice to experience everything this new restaurant has to offer through the main dining room, the patio overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, or the artful lounge. WAKUDA introduces Japanese dining with traditional culinary practices of having the chef make decisions about what to cook mid-course (omakase) and alcoholic beverages (izakaya), all in a high end modern setting.
Guests can enjoy a wide range of classic Japanese dishes on the menu including sushi, nigiri, sashimi, yakimono, Ora King Salmon, soft shell crab, toro, mini donburi, soba, yuba, and more. All prepared with the freshest high quality ingredients. There are also a range of alcoholic beverages available to guests including nearly 100 sakes, many of which are only available at WAKUDA within a cutting-edge mixology program that showcases Japanese ingredients served with hand-crafted care. After dinner, guests can transition to the lounge and be treated to a special late-night menu along with guest DJs.
The man behind this new Vegas restaurant is one of the world’s most acclaimed Japanese chefs, two time Michelin star, Tetsuya Wakuda. WAKUDA is the renowned chef’s first restaurant in the United States. Wakuda himself grew up in Japan and first gained acclaim when he opened Tetsuya in Sydney, Australia, a restaurant that was often included on S.Pellegrino’s The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. His Waku Ghin restaurant in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands earned him his first Michelin star in 2016, and his second in 2017. He is also the first global chef to be recognized by the Japanese government as Japan’s Master of Cuisine and was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2015.
