2 days ago
This Game-Changing Vegas Tapas Restaurant Is Closing After Seven Years
When it first opened in 2018, it was a nondescript tapas restaurant in a squat Chinatown strip mall. And under the deft guidance of chef Oscar Amador, former Bazaar Meat general manager Roberto Liendo, and partner Joseph Mikulich, EDO Tapas and Wine quickly secured a reputation as one of Las Vegas's best restaurants — revelatory for its playful approach to tapas and prix-fixe tasting menus — all with a Strip-style polish. Seven years after opening and with a wholly new restaurant on the horizon, EDO is closing its doors this September.
'We're just so pleased,' says Liendo. 'We had this intimate space, and people came with open minds and hearts — they really embraced whatever we did.' Within the 35-seat restaurant, Amador dreamed up tasting menus of bluefin tuna tarts in delicate shells with flower petals and passionfruit, and cured jamón draped over icy kumquat leche de tigre. Other dishes became brand staples, now found at Anima by EDO, which opened in 2022, and at La Loba, the group's new Seattle restaurant. Among them: impossibly flaky patatas bravas with a satisfying crunch and countless layers, the pressed and paper-thin bikini panini, and a whimsical celebration of eggs — frothy salted-fish espuma with egg yolk, roe, and caviar, served in a hollowed-out shell atop a porcelain egg carton. EDO's rotating tasting menus, marked by joyously inventive flavors and tweezer-placed precision, quickly earned it a loyal following happy to trek to an unassuming strip mall on Spring Mountain Road. 'The smaller space really allows us to have fun with that,' says Liendo. 'With that said, we feel that it's time for EDO to have a rebirth.'
EDO's closing coincides with the debut of the group's newest restaurant, Braseria, opening at the Collective — the Convention Center-adjacent dining hub that also houses Cleaver, Tacos & Beer, and Marrakech. The brasserie-style concept will lean into French classics with a playful twist, served in a space three times the size of EDO and featuring an extensive wine list.
It's also a return to form for Amador, who cooked at the prestigious Le Cirque at the Bellagio after relocating from Barcelona. 'We're going to bring some French dishes like onion soup and escargot, but we're going to have it in a playful way,' says Amador.
While Amador built his career around Spanish cooking, he notes the close ties between French and Catalan cuisine. 'We thought it would be only natural to introduce some of that French cuisine into our dishes,' says Amador. Braseria will forgo the tasting menu format, encouraging guests to share large-format dishes, with flair coming from roving caviar carts and tableside presentations of beef tartare. The design highlights high ceilings, a dramatic wall-length bar, dark woods, leather and brass accents, murals, chandeliers, and a wine cellar that will eventually house 1,000 bottles, from prestige labels to boutique producers.
And that all leads to the future of the current EDO space. Amador is holding onto the restaurant, eager to do something he describes broadly as 'very, very special.' It's expected to remain closed for a short time, while it gets a new name, a small update to the design, and an entirely new menu. 'I want to do something else, but I cannot say too much now,' says Amador.
Since opening, EDO has continued to rack up accolades. In 2023, it made Yelp's list of the top 100 restaurants in the Southwest. That same year, Amador earned his first James Beard nomination, and Yelp named Anima the best new restaurant in the country. In 2024, he was a finalist in James Beard's national Outstanding Chef category. Liendo recalls early concerns that Spanish cuisine might be a hard sell. 'I'm mostly thankful for the people — the chefs and people that came in,' says Liendo. 'It was fun to see them taking ideas from our menu and bringing that creative approach.' As for Amador, he says that he had the ambition to make EDO into something deeper. 'And I think we achieved that,' he says.
Leading up to its September farewell, EDO will revive fan favorites and original menu hits — a kind of farewell tour for loyal diners. 'We wanted to give enough time for everyone who supported us over the years to come in, for us to say thank you,' says Liendo.
And the group's not done yet. A fourth restaurant is already in the works, though details are still under wraps. In the meantime, fans can take comfort in knowing that wherever the next EDO project lands, there will likely be bikinis, crunchy potato sticks, and eggshells filled with something delicious. See More: Vegas Restaurant Closings
