Icon of Old Vegas expanding for 1st time in almost 50 years

Golden Steer Steakhouse, a choice center-cut portion of Old Vegas that continues to flourish, is expanding for the first time since 1978, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has learned.

Golden Steer, which opened in 1958, lies at 308 W. Sahara Ave., near the confluence of Sahara and the Strip. The restaurant is taking over its next-door neighbor, Hummus Vegas & Grill, a kosher Middle Eastern spot that closed this year.

The ribbon-cutting for the expansion is Nov. 9, with public dining planned to begin before Nov. 16, the first night of Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. The expansion, to the west, adds about 60 seats and 1,000 square feet to Golden Steer, said Amanda Signorelli, a managing partner whose family owns the restaurant.

The longtime popularity of the steakhouse, increased convention business following the pandemic, and customer traffic driven by social media (1.5 million likes on TikTok alone) spurred the growth, Signorelli said.

Keeping that frozen feel

When work began on the facade of the expansion, “we actually discovered the original brick, the original stonework,” Signorelli said. “We are keeping it and restoring it to what it looked like back then (in the late 1950s). “We want to make sure the new space feels, looks and retains what is authentic to the space and to that time.”

Inside the expansion, that means the frozen-in-time feel of the original Golden Steer flows into the new dining room (and private dining room). Except for the signature tufted booths. The expansion only has tables, but the walls incorporate the texture and padding of the booths, which are limited in their capacity (five fit adults at most).

“Tables only gives us the flexibility to accommodate groups of all sizes,” Signorelli said.

Rat Pack vibes

The last time Golden Steer expanded, in 1978, it stretched into what had been a dress shop, to the west.

This year, Golden Steer celebrates its 65th anniversary, an eon in Vegas restaurant years. (Use anniversary code “sapphire” to order a tableside sapphire, a blueberry take on bananas Foster.) One important reason for the enduring appeal of the steakhouse is the side of Rat Pack-era atmosphere that comes with the capacious martinis, the French onion soup and wet-aged ribeyes.

Frank and the fellas frequented the restaurant when they performed on the Strip, and after being removed for several years because people filched it, the nameplate has returned to Frank’s favorite booth.

Don’t even think about prying it loose.

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