Las Vegas wasn’t always full of exciting restaurants and dining scenes in the past. A major transformative event happened in Las Vegas's food culture more than 25 years ago, when Wolfgang Puck opened his Spago restaurant at the Forum Shops at Caesars. The Austrian-born-and-raised chef mixes the food cultures of both his origin and Californian style cuisines to create spectacular dishes that are hard to resist.
Michelin Guide | Wolfgang Puck opened his Spago restaurant at the Forum Shops at Caesars in 1982
After leaving Austria at the age of 24, the celebrity chef opened up a restaurant in America, the very first Spago in 1982 at the heart of California. And 10 years later, he expanded his franchise to Las Vegas, becoming the very first celebrity chef to step foot in the buzzing city of Nevada where he began the food revolution of Vegas.
Wolfgang Puck at present owns well over 20 exceptional restaurants which are among the top 40 restaurants in the United States. But after the relocation of his Spago in Vegas from the Forum Shops at Caesars to the Bellagio, his franchise in the city has become arguably the best of all his restaurants.
Spago’s reopening in Bellagio comes with a severe upscaling of the chef’s restaurant, as it now offers a new menu alongside a new look and a spectacular view of the fountains of Bellagio. The dancing fountains at the hotel come up every 15 to 20 minutes, and at night when the lights glow up the water, the view is breathtaking. Wolfgang told the LA Times, “You feel like you’re in the heart of Las Vegas. I think it’s the perfect location.”
Los Angeles Times | Spago now offers a new menu alongside a new look and a spectacular view of the fountains of Bellagio
Interestingly, the celebrity chef had had his eye on this location more than 25 years ago when he first opened in Vegas. At the time, he couldn’t seem to reach an agreement with the owner of the spot at Bellagio, Steve Wynn. There was an issue of who would have full ownership of the business.
But Wolfgang had always wanted a place with a nice view and eventually, he still achieved that dream. “I think this is as good as it gets,” the chef had said about the restaurant site at Bellagio.
Spago’s original opening in Vegas inspired other chefs to bring their culinary skills to the city, and as much time has passed, the restaurant is still famed amongst the locals. The new location of Spago still offers some of the dishes from when it started at Caesars and from the first Bellagio in Beverly Hills, which are now the classical and traditional dishes.
Their menu offers pasta, sandwiches with grilled chicken, a miso-glazed salmon salad, and some items from the garden, to mention a few.
Las Vegas Magazine | Spago’s menu offers pasta, sandwiches with grilled chicken, a miso-glazed salmon salad, and some items from the garden, to mention a few
Cocktails are exquisite with ‘Whole Lotta Love’, a vodka cocktail, as an amazing starter, ‘Ramble On’ gin, and ‘Rogue Sour’ whiskey as well. The Las Vegas magazine recommends starting with a fancy cocktail. The chef says their food is adaptive to any mood you’re in and that would suggest it’s always a good idea to hit the Bellagio for a dinner at Spago.
