The Father Of Modern Israeli Cuisine Is Set To Open Two Restaurants In Las Vegas

It feels of late as if a jaunt to Las Vegas is a way to experience all the best chefs in the world all in one spot.

From celebrity chefs to global food trends, it’s all been popping up in Vegas more than ever in the last few years, and the latest news is that world-famous chef Eyal Shani, known to be one of the most beloved chefs coming out of Israel, is setting up shop on the Las Vegas Strip by opening up two of his popular restaurants, HaSalon and Miznon, inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Shani is originally from Tel Aviv and is considered by many to be a founding father of everything we envision when we think of modern Israeli fare. His Vegas location of HaSalon will open in early 2023, and will feature upscale Mediterranean cuisine, while the more street-food focused Miznon will open in late 2022.

HaSalon originally opened in in Tel Aviv in 2008, and now has global locations ranging from Ibiza, New York, to Miami, with more on the way. Meanwhile, this will be the sixth location of Miznon, which is more casual and originated on the west coast.

“When I first came to Las Vegas, I understood one thing: it’s about taking life to the edge. It’s a very exotic city. Everything is disproportionate, and your luck is under a lot of risk! It seduces you,” said Eyal Shani in an interview with Forbes.

Shani shared that when opening each location of one of his restaurant destinations around world, it’s important to understand the people and the culture of the place. “The ingredients, the light, and the dreams, and we are trying to analyze it and convert it into our way of looking at food and creating food. Mostly we look at the locality.,” Shani said. Of course, he acknowledges to say the word local about Las Vegas is a paradox. “It’s not about a locality. The locality is the experience people expect to get when they come to Vegas, and our vision is to instill in our guests a sense of magic,” said Shani.

So, is Vegas the next New York City? Or the next Tel Aviv? “There are some amazing and famous chefs who have duplicated their restaurants here. There’s a gastronomic bubble in Vegas, but it can exist in other big cities around the world. I’m trying to break this rule, not to duplicate my knowledge but to break my knowledge on the rocks of Vegas,” said Shani.

Shani believes what will set these restaurants apart is that he will take many risks in the kitchen by “creating Vegas’s sense of magic with the footprint of energy from Tel Aviv. I am referring to open fire – it will be something so alive and vibrant, and I think it will fit right in,” he said.