A WINE CELLAR, TROPICAL LOUNGE, AND ENGLISH PUB HIT THE RIO — AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING
The Rio Las Vegas is in the midst of a rebirth. Even if diners haven’t stepped inside recently, the new LED light display on the building will most certainly catch their attention. Inside, the changes are just as apparent.
New owners took over operations for the Rio from Caesars Entertainment in October and have since been busy making a flashy statement. Dreamscape Companies has already renovated all 1,500 suites in the resort’s Ipanema Tower, refurbished the pool and its poolside menu, and transformed the buffet into the Canteen Food Hall. On the food side, the not-so-secret Wine Cellar Tasting Room quietly reopened a couple weeks ago, the English-style pub Luckley Tavern & Grill is set to debut this month, and the tropical Bohemian bar Lapa Lounge is expected to open by the Fourth of July. In addition, six new yet-to-be-announced restaurants will be rolled out in the months to come.
“Basically, everything in here is going to get touched,” Patrick Hoefler, the Rio’s vice president of food and beverage said.
The return of the Wine Cellar gives passionate oenophiles in search of hard-to-find wines a place to nest. It first opened in 1997 and, in its heyday, the Wine Cellar stored a museum-like collection of rare vintages worth more than $2.2 million. Heads of state were known to huddle in the private room and guests would routinely pop in and casually buy a $10,000 bottle of wine, sip and savor it in the basement confines, and then perhaps have another shipped home. The Cellar closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
Hung Nguyen has run the place for 17 years and knows every inch of the Tuscany-inspired room — all the original stone of the cave-like space was imported from Italy. He developed the wine and spirit tastings and paired them with charcuterie plates and fancy cheeses like a French Brie, creamy Camembert, and Hook’s 12-year-aged cheddar. The Wine Cellar is an experience. Surrounded by stone walls, sipping everything from everyday wines to ultra-expensive vintages, it’s easy to forget where you are and melt into the experience of living in the Tuscan hills.
While Nguyen has wine, whiskey, bourbon, tequila, and rum tasting menus at the ready; he’s often happy to tailor a tasting to the whims of an individual guest. And for those who want to dine as well as sip, the Wine Cellar hosts three-course wine dinners by partnering with VooDoo Steak and the Rio’s other restaurants. In a return to form, guests can purchase bottles or cases of wine to be shipped home to them.
Meanwhile, Luckley Tavern & Grill from Oliver Wharton’s A Perfect Bite hospitality group is on the brink of opening. The pub’s design draws inspiration from the English hilltown of Cotswold, while the lunch and dinner menus from chef Alex Resnick will feature items such as lollipop-style buffalo wings, lobster pot pie, a 32-ounce tomahawk steak, and table-side ice cream sundae cart. Expect an upgrade on the bar side as the Rio is adding a number of signature drinks and local beers.
And finally, construction is underway for the tropical Lapa Lounge. The lobby bar is getting a complete makeover as Dreamscape looks to bring energy and fun into the space. The lounge, named after the lively, bohemian entertainment district in Rio de Janeiro, will have a menu of signature cocktails and serve a variety of craft beers.
“Expect a spectacle,” Hoefler explained when describing the space. Brass monkeys and jaguars will hang from the ceiling, gazing at guests from above a room that boasts an Italian-blown glass chandelier, honey-onyx bar, and veined black marble floor. Lapa Lounge will have a capacity of about 60 people with seating in both an open lounge and around the circular bar. More details on the other six restaurants are still to come.
“It’s going to be a really fun space to just meet up and hang out or have an informal meeting,” Hoefler said. “We’re putting the Rio back on the map.”