The new casino and resort gets (almost) everything right in the Southwest Valley.
Somebody at Station Casinos like hair metallic element . The same resort companionship that used Poison ’s " Nothing But a Good Time " in an day of remembrance advert run a mates of old age ago loosen its latest property with snip of " Home Sweet Home " by Mötley Crüe in a series of commercial . Now , with the ferocity and aggressiveness of a Mick Mars guitar solo , Durango Casino and Resorthas yawl into the Southwest Valley , instantly reshaping an already tight - growing corner of the Las Vegas Valley . Does it find like home ? Not quite , but it ’s got plenty to pop the question to topical anesthetic and tourists alike .
The golden 15 - story hotel pillar is an crying , insufferable - to - ignore turning point , just off the 215 Beltway , with a color palette inspired by the fence in desert and a lowly wood of palm tree and pine tree lining the circumference . The Department of the Interior is bright and mesh with light , neutral tones , wave of instinctive sunlight , and a smartly built desegregation of outdoor blank space . invigorated flowers byFlora Coutureare prominently featured and it ’s easy to take the air from one end to another without bickering . Even the parking service department look serious at night .
Much like theFontainebleauon the Strip , Durango Casino is a task more than 20 twelvemonth in the making , finally coming to realisation after being sideline during the neat Recession of 2009 . Everything exercise out for the best . It made far more sense for Durango Casino and Resort to open in 2023 with the Southwest booming with new communities and byplay in areas like Rhodes Ranch , Spring Valley , Summerlin South , and Mountain ’s Edge .
Durango Casino & Resort|Photo by Clint Jenkins, courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
So , where do we begin ?
Spending the Night
Durango Casino is project to be an easy , attractive option to the chaotic Strip hotel experience , where it ’s not uncommon to see guest trudging baggage through sprawling casino floor . By compare , Durango Casino and Resort is a well - oil machine with customer - service " pod " offering a more personal , intimate way to check - in . They ’re just steps away from the hotel Sublime Porte - cochère with personnel office communication on headphone like hole-and-corner - service of process agents to keep every moment as unseamed as potential . There are no kiosks here , but roving stay - in is usable with a digital central pick . Sometimes , the time between arrival and enter the room can be as low as seven minutes , which is famous for Vegas .
Parking and valet are complimentary , with digital tickets for the latter . That make it loose to bespeak your car with the touch of a phone while finishing up dinner . The resort fee is $ 45 , maxing out the criterion for off - Strip resorts , but it is in line with luxury Station Casinos property like Red Rock Resort and Green Valley Ranch .
The hotel tug has 180 standard suite and 29 suites with lounge furniture and TV on outdoor bench at a few high - end option on the top three story . Some retinue receive butler service , which is like having a personal concierge . The standard rooms ( 97 King , 83 Queens ) have a few perks , include 65 - inch televisions , shabu - front minibar with eminent - visibility brands like Casamigos tequila and Effen vodka , and espresso machines with four free pods . Adjust the lighting to something sour with the speck of a clitoris , and hook up your phone to a Bluetooth system with vitreous silica - exculpated audio . No clunky ironing display panel . Each elbow room has a hand-held steamer instead .
Roaming for Restaurants
Nicco’sis here to take on . The steakhouse is position itself among thebest in Vegasunder the counselling of Durango Casino administrator chefs Danny Ye and Frankie Gorriceta . The kitchen team flame - grille prime cuts over almond Grant Wood and is certified to carry honest Kobe beef , sell by the ounce . Seafood is cook in a Mibrasa oven , fire by Binchotan blank charcoal . The daylight ’s taking into custody , proudly displayed on ice in the dining room , features items like Australian Tristan lobster , Mediterranean ruby prawns , and Gulf Chelydra serpentina flown in day by day from Miami . The restaurant is dabbling in the emerging course of wry - aged seafood , applying the exercise in - mansion to Spanish branzino as well as ocean bream , Ora King salmon , and Santa Barbara berth prawns as special on a seasonal groundwork .
Like other Durango Casino and Resort restaurants , Nicco ’s seamlessly blends indoor dining elbow room with outdoor patio and multi - dimensional in - between areas . Summer Houseserves a menu of California - revolutionize transportation for both lunch and dinner party . A takeaway comeback spread out at 9 am on the weekends for drunken coffee , cocktail , breakfast collation , and ridiculously decadent cookie . Mijo Modern Mexicanhas a few things pass away for it too : a photogenic marigold - draw hallway by the entrance , butter - poach lobster tacos , and Wax Rabbit — a shroud agave spirits cocktail sofa that ’s near impossible to see if you ’re not clew - in about the secret entrance .
Figuring Out the Food Hall
It ’s no mystery . Buffets are going out of style with a growing wave offood lobby taking over Las Vegas hotel . Durango Casino is no dissimilar but consecrate the format a novel construction withEat Your Heart Out , billed as a " dorm of foods . "
Some of the concepts are strictly counter service , include Prince Street Pizza for classical New York and solid - shaped Sicilian slice , Uncle Paulie ’s for hoagie - expressive style deli sandwiches , and Irv ’s Burgers , an LA favourite dating back to 1946 ( although the best burgers on the property are at Nicco ’s and Bel - Aire Lounge ) . Nielsen ’s continues to expand its human relationship with Station Casinos , serving frozen custard at an optimum temperature without a coarse , exuberant freeze .
A few of the concepts at Eat Your Heart Out have their own enclosed dining way , making them miniskirt - restaurants within the food hall — an idea redolent of Eataly on the Strip . Fiorella Pasta is the greatest winner here , taking inspiration from Marc Vetri ’s original Philadelphia alimentary paste situation . You get a smaller carte similar to the acclaimed chef ’s other Vegas concepts ( Vetri Cucina at the Palms and Osteria Fiorella at Red Rock ) in a more familiar , low-cost environment . Yu - or - Mi Sushi , a hit in theDowntown Arts District , opened a second localisation with an ambitious menu of newfangled dishes . It ’s majuscule stuff , but unluckily , the Price are noticeably ambitious , too , and the most off - Libra of any concept in the food Charles Martin Hall . Ai Pono Cafe ’s Hawaii street food by Gene Villiatora ( a Vegas chef who ended up in Orange County ) is a better value in equivalence — and in a ballsy move , drops an F - bomb in the name of at least one dish .
Resort Queen City View|Photo courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
Oyster Bar — a staple at other Station Casinos properties , most famously at Palace Station , where lines are notoriously long — falls a little flat here . server take the orders , cutting down on the traditional across - the - rejoinder interactivity , leave the rest of the team to heat up pre - portioned ingredients . No information is offer on the oysters themselves . East Coast ? West Coast ? Who knows ? It pales compared to Bar Oysterette across the street atthe Sundry inside UnCommons , which carry pride in sourcing and discussing the rural area ’s honest oysters and shucking them with expertise .
Placing Bets
Durango Casino and Resort has 83,000 substantial feet of play space with something you do n’t see in a casino too often : windows and sunlight . It ’s a nice modification of stride . There ’s a heavy presence of Baccarat , slots ( with a few undivided machines ) , and hand - bind double - deck blackjack , which locals prefer over the overloaded ruffle machines that dominate the Strip . Whales will appreciate the radical - VIP secret gaming saloons , a rarity for a neighbourhood cassino .
The STN Sportsbook is especially telling with a curved 136 - foot - longsighted video wall , lounge - like seating , and the power to place a wager at your choice of 17 kiosks , seven windows , or on the convenience of your phone . There ’s a first - of - its - kind double - sided viewing covert that circles above the barroom .
The sportsbook is next toThe George Sportsman ’s Lounge , which truly elevate the secret plan withsports parallel bars in Las Vegas . Open 24/7 with an endless parade of television receiver screens , it ’s the sort of place where you could find out your favorite squad from any angle while sip on an Old Fashioned with stem beer syrup and munch on a 32 - ounce Tomahawk . The outdoor patio is a monster party zone with slope , stadium - style seating room face another massive video screen . The George keep things fun throughout any secret plan with DJs , alive music , and a Kiss Cam during commercial-grade breaks . You may even see a few actors show up between plays to liven things up . Then again , if you just need to fiddle a round of cornhole , that ’s cool , too .
Resort King City View|Photo courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
A Killer Caffeine Fix
block familiar irons . The coffee biz at Durango Casino is stiff , withVestasetting up shop with counters in both the food hall and match - in vestibule . A local favorite that first enamour the attention of Las Vegas in the Downtown Arts District , Vesta roasts its own beans , sourcing them from the world ’s enceinte coffee regions . It ’s not an exaggeration to say you wo n’t find oneself better quality coffee in any other Vegas hotel . you may get a fancy caffe latte , sweetened with house - made sirup , but automated pour - over machines allow you to enjoy the java in its purest course , come alive your senses to savor all that gaming on the casino story .
The move to Durango Casino and Resort prompted Vesta to dramatically expand its pastry selection under the direction of pastry chef Julissa Escobedo with bread , cookie , cakes , and more . slide down your dentition into a pear and blue cheeseflower Danish , pinole ( background corn ) shortbread cooky , a roasted pineapple tart with marmalade and almond ointment , and other exalt recipes .
Partying by the Pool
The poolside deck wo n’t open up until at least March , but it ’s already providing some gorgeous scene . Surrounded by 16 cabanas and a multi - color evening light show , the pool looks sharp and stylish with a concentrate fountain and an emphasis on wet - deck relaxation with couch chairman and daybeds in shallow urine .
It would be gracious to see some locals ' discounts or at least a happy time of day somewhere , but it appears anything like that will be gauged on consumer demand . Durango Casino and Resort is off to a secure start , and how it evolves will say a caboodle about the development and growth of Las Vegas . A second phase is in the cards with additional hotel room and other attractions . Anything is on the table , including a bowling alley , mini - golf game course , or a Kids Quest play center ( a intimate spate at other Station Casinos resort hotel ) . However , that kind of hooey seems to collide with the Durango ’s refined image , which is n’t adults - only but grownup - oriented — and a welcome mickle for a community still shape its identity .
Seafood Platter at Nicco’s|Photo courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
Mijo Butter Poached Lobster Tacos at Mijo Modern Mexican|Photo courtesy of Durango Resort & Casino
Eat Your Heart Out Hall of Foods|Photo by Clint Jenkins, courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
Durango Oyster Bar|Photo by Clint Jenkins, courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
Casino Floor|Photo by Clint Jenkins, courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
High Limit Table Games|Photo by Clint Jenkins, courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
Vesta Coffee Roasters|Photo by Clint Jenkins, courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
Macadamia Almond Latte|Photo courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
Bel-Aire Lounge|Photo by Clint Jenkins, courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
Pistachio Berry Bliss and Watermelon Paloma at Bel-Aire Lounge|Photo courtesy of Durango Casino & Resort
