Emmitt Smith’s Strip restaurant finally has an opening date
It looks like it’s finally here.
Emmitt’s Las Vegas, the highly anticipated hot boîte from football great Emmitt Smith, is opening on Feb. 26, the restaurant exclusively confirmed for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Emmitt’s occupies the former Sugar Factory at Fashion Show mall on the Strip.
Smith, the former Dallas Cowboys running back, Super Bowl MVP, three-time Super Bowl winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer, first announced his namesake spot in December 2021, with an opening planned for 2022. The year passed — no word on the debut. Then came a false alarm in March 2023, followed in August 2023 by a lawsuit over control of the restaurant, a suit in which Smith was not named.
Vegas restaurant watchers wondered if Emmitt’s would ever open, even as they looked forward to the ways the restaurant could enliven the mall and the Strip through Smith’s high profile and the potential of the 30,000-square-foot space.
A dramatic bar with craft cocktails anchors that space. Corporate chef Steve Mannino and executive chef Antwan Ellis are creating a modern steakhouse menu shaped by bold flavors, Southern influences and other regional flavors. One menu highlight: slabs of Smith’s beloved butter cake.
“Our vision for Emmitt’s Vegas is to create a space where guests can indulge in exceptional service, savoring the best of New American classics with a touch of regional flair,” Smith said.
Planned hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, with weekday lunch, weekend brunch, daily dinner service and happy hour. Visit emmittsvegas.com.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram and @ItsJLW on X.