Korean steakhouse, named best in North America, opening on Strip

Korean barbecue flourishes across Las Vegas; the city sizzles daily. High-end steakhouses abound, too; you can’t swing a tomahawk ribeye without hitting A5 this or that. But a Korean steakhouse with a Michelin star? That’s something new, even for Vegas, even for the Strip.

Cote Vegas, an outpost of the Michelin-starred Cote Korean Steakhouse of New York City, is set to open in 2025 in The Venetian. Cote, recently named the best steakhouse in North America by World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants, also has locations in Miami and Singapore. The Vegas restaurant is the first West Coast project from Gracious Hospitality Management.

“I went to UNLV, and my first formative job in the world of hospitality was in Las Vegas, so opening a COTE in this entertainment epicenter is more than just any traditional opening — it’s a triumphant homecoming,” said Simon Kim, founder and CEO of Gracious Hospitality.

“While COTE Korean Steakhouse is a concept I created in New York City, the pulsating energy, music and entertainment of Las Vegas has always been intertwined in our brand’s DNA, and we’re taking that to the next level with this opening.”

A butcher and a legend

Cote’s signature approach mingles the conviviality of Korean barbecue with the hallmarks of a classic American steakhouse: superlative beef, fine wines, accomplished service.

That beef — including A5 wagyu from Kobe, Sendai and Miyazaki, and steaks aged 45, 90 or 120 days — anchors the menu at the new Cote.

The Butcher’s Feast, a signature dish, pairs four cuts of highest-quality beef with Korean-inspired sides. Legend of the Seven Jades features lavish nibbles (caviar, hamachi, beef tartare and so on) served in jade glassware. The nibbles are spooned into delicate tartlets, then graced with condiments. Steak & Eggs (the eggs being roe, not chicken) showcases a puck of steak tartare topped by a fat quenelle of caviar; batons of toasted brioche ride sidecar.

Cote New York, a multiple James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Wine Program, brings to the Strip its list of more than 1,200 labels, along with a suite of craft cocktails.

Steaks on high

David Rockwell, the famed architect-designer, and his Rockwell Group are designing a Vegas-worthy restaurant with dramatic lighting, a central bar, a DJ booth, a tiered dining room inspired by theater in the round and skybox private dining rooms. (Does beef taste better on high?) The restaurant also sports a dry-aging room and in-table smokeless grills.

Cote Vegas will be in the Waterfall Atrium of The Venetian. The restaurant is part of The Venetian’s $1.5 billion reinvestment in the property.

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