Iconic Italian restaurant closing Strip location
If you’re a fan of Rao’s food, you’d best get to the Caesars Palace location in a hurry, because soon your only choice will be to make a trip to Los Angeles or — for the quintessential Rao’s experience — fight for a table at the tiny flagship in East Harlem that’s known as one of the toughest reservations in New York.
Rao’s co-owners Frank Pellegrino Jr. and Ron Straci announced Wednesday evening that the Las Vegas restaurant that’s been frequented by celebrity and commoner alike would close forever Nov. 28.
“As we prepare to close these doors for the final time, we are filled with a variety of emotions and will always look back and cherish the memories made within these walls,” the owners said in a statement. “While our future in Las Vegas is not yet decided, we are very excited about the possibilities of what lies ahead.”
No reason for the closure was given.
Chef Carla Pellegrino, who opened the restaurant in December 2006, went on to her own place, the hugely popular Bratalian, in Henderson in 2011, and was a partner in the shorter-lived The Meatball Spot in Town Square, which opened in 2012.
In 2018, she moved to Yosemite National Park to operate the dining room and room service at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel. She has returned to Las Vegas with plans to operate the Dough House Restaurant & Bar in the southwest valley.