5 new and upcoming restaurants in Las Vegas

In the latest from the Las Vegas restaurant front:

■ Siempre, J.B., a modern Mexican restaurant from AYYA Hospitality Group, just opened at 6887 Helen Toland St., Suite 105, in UnCommons. Siempre encompasses 100 seats in the dining room, an 18-seat bar and a private dining room with one-way glass.

Look for a salsa sampler, grilled street corn, bluefin tuna crudo, chicken mole with Mexican rice, and a 6-ounce flat iron steak presented on a hot stone, with chimichurri for dipping. At the bar, sip the Dos Caras x Siempre Special Reserve Blend, a reposado tequila created for the restaurant in partnership with Dos Caras Spirits.

Siempre is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Visit siemprejb.com or follow @siempre.jb on Instagram.

■ Spicy Zest is now open at 7320 S. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 107, near West Warm Springs Road. The restaurant is enjoying some great early buzz for Sichuan dishes such as boiled fish with green Sichuan peppercorns (also called rattan pepper), spicy cold chopped chicken in a slick of chili oil and pork intestines stir-fried with green and red peppers. Other things to try: stir-fried lamb with cumin, a Xinjiang dish, and sweet-and-sour Mandarin fish, a specialty of Jiangsu Province.

■ Pelicana, the global fried chicken chain founded in South Korea more than 40 years ago, has brought an outpost of its U.S. operation to 9830 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite 110, in Silverado Ranch near West Silverado Ranch Boulevard. The menu features original fried chicken (half or whole) and fried wings, crisp fried chicken and wings (including boneless), and banban chicken, wings and boneless served half sauced, half plain.

Signature, spicy, hot smoky, ranch and honey mustard sauces are offered. The menu also features about a dozen sides (including sweet potato fries and ddukbokki rice cakes) and Korean pub dishes such as fish cake soup and gooey corn cheese. Visit pelicanausa.com.

■ La Casa de Juliette Mexican Cocina, from the owners of the Sand Dollar Lounge and the Sand Dollar Downtown, now has an opening date: July 31. The menu features updates to classic Mexican dishes. Cocktails are also showcased, not surprising given the owners. La Casa de Juliette is at 7585 Norman Rockwell Lane, in Centennial Hills.

■ Harvest & Vine is set to debut in the first quarter of 2025 at 6470 Kevin Way, near the 215 Beltway in Centennial Hills. The coastal California restaurant features a balmy vibe, with a white-walled dining room, lantern fixtures, navy booths, a white brick fireplace on the terrace and an olive tree rising in the courtyard. The restaurant comes courtesy of Constantin Alexander and Evan Glusman, owners of Table 34 and the recently opened Bramàre on Paradise Road.

■ Noodles, the casual pan-Asian spot in Bellagio, is closing after service on Aug. 25 for renovations. Noodles will operate from Jasmine beginning Aug. 27 until the expected completion of the renovations in January. Noodles lunch runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, with Friday through Sunday dim sum. Jasmine dinner runs from 5 to 10 p.m. nightly (closed Aug. 26).

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On Tuesdays, Balla Italian Soul, the restaurant in Sahara Las Vegas from James Beard Award-winning chef Shawn McClain, offers Vegas hospitality industry professionals and other locals 50 percent off a 16-ounce New York strip steak or a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye. Valid Nevada identification required.

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From 7 to 10 p.m. July 26, Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner, 1130 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 140, is presenting its monthly supper club, with a Christmas in July-Buon Natale theme. Aaron Lee, Winnie’s executive chef and co-owner, and guest chef James Trees of Esther’s Kitchen, Al Solito Posto and Adas Food & Wine, are preparing a prix fixe menu of seafood-forward Italian dishes, plus dessert.

Cost: $125, with wine pairings an additional $60 and alcohol-free pairings an additional $50; eventbrite.com.

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