Las Vegas has seen the abrupt closure and eventual return of a handful of restaurants and clubs over the years. In this city, even long-paused venues can roar back to life.

The popular burlesque club and music venue Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce, which closed in 2009, for example, will reopen on New Year’s Eve after nearly 17 years.

Holsteins, known for its over-the-top burgers and boozy milkshakes at the Strip, closed at its Cosmopolitan location in mid-2024 after roughly 15 years and then reopened in spring 2025, in the Arts District.

VooDoo Lounge, regarded as one of The Strip’s best rooftop bars, reopened in The Rio after a five-year absence.

Fans of Morimoto at MGM Grand, led by Masaharu Morimoto — winner of Japan’s Iron Chef title in 1998 — only had to wait a few months for the restaurant to reopen.

Morimoto, which opened in Las Vegas 2016, was due for a refresh when it closed its doors on October 1, 2025. The restaurant re-opened on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Morimoto at MGM Grand closed “for an exciting design and menu refresh to enhance the guest experience,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Per MGM Resorts’ December 2025 announcement, the restaurant originally opened in 2016 and underwent a scheduled design overhaul during the brief closure.

Fans of a true Iron Chef will be thrilled Morimoto has reopened.

Photo by Francesco Riccardo Iacomino on Getty Images

A little bit of Toyko on the Las Vegas Strip

Tokyo and Las Vegas have a couple of things in common. One is an overabundance of neon. The other is a love for food.

At Morimoto at MGM Grand, Chef Masaharu Morimoto has fused the two cities’ electric energy in a dramatic redesign and refreshed menu that promises to turn dining into a full-on sensory experience.

“The next era of Morimoto at MGM Grand harmonizes the soul of Las Vegas and Tokyo’s electric designs, buzzing streets and our shared love for the art of food,” Morimoto said in a Dec. 1 announcement.

The redesign marks one of MGM Grand’s most notable fine-dining updates of the year, reflecting the resort’s broader push to modernize its flagship restaurants.

Morimoto now has a true Las Vegas color palette

The restaurant’s original black, charcoal, and neutral palette is gone, replaced with vibrant colors inspired by Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Guests enter through a glowing portal of Japanese script, while the sushi bar now features neon Tokyo images in magenta, vermilion, and violet.

The bar and lounge feature red glass panels, curved-back red chairs, and a giant red square above the back bar adorned with Japanese characters. The main dining room mixes charred wood — an homage to yakisugi craftsmanship — with pleated conical red lanterns.

Related: Las Vegas Strip resort casino triples up on added fees

The menu features Morimoto classics alongside inventive new dishes. Sushi and sashimi are still mainstays, with items like the “Land & Ocean Roll,” a smoky combination of wagyu beef, crab, sweet shrimp, and tobiko. Rolls inspired by stained-glass patterns also make a colorful statement.

Small plates include hamachi tacos with yuzu kosho, tuna pizza accented by anchovy aïoli and jalapeños, and rich toro topped with caviar. Bao stuffed with lobster tail and pork sticky ribs glazed in sweet chili and hoisin are also featured.

The teppanyaki bar features live cooking of vegetables, seafood, and meats. Entrées include whole lobster épice with Morimoto’s signature spice blend and a 12-ounce domestic New York strip steak.

Morimoto: from baseball standout to culinary star

Before conquering the culinary world, Morimoto planned to become a professional baseball player in Hiroshima. A shoulder injury redirected him to sushi.

He opened his first restaurant at age 24 and moved to the U.S. in 1985, working in New York — including at Nobu — and later starring on “Iron Chef America.”

Since opening his first restaurant in Philadelphia in 2001, Morimoto has expanded internationally and become a James Beard Award winner, cookbook author, and culinary innovator with product collaborations spanning spirits, coffee, tea, ramen, and baking kits.

His long-standing presence on the Las Vegas Strip has also helped elevate the city’s reputation as a destination for globally recognized chefs.

5 celebrity chef restaurants in Las Vegas that closed forever

Not every restaurant gets a second chance in Las Vegas. Here are a few that had well-known names in the kitchen but still couldn’t survive.

  • Sage, led by Shawn McClain. Closed in 2020 after seven years.
    Source: Eater
  • Mesa Grill, led by Bobby Flay. Closed in 2020 after 16 years.
    Source: Eater
  • Julian Serrano Tappas, led by Julian Serrano. Closed in 2025 after 10 years.
    Source: Eater
  • DB Brasserie, led by Daniel Boulud. Closed in 2017 after four years.
    Source: Eater
  • International Smoke, led by Michael Mina and Ayesha Curry. Closed in 2025 after five years.
    Source: Eater

Related: Oldest Las Vegas Strip resort casino getting massive overhaul