If you follow celebrity gossip, you’ve probably already heard of The Corner Store in New York City. In the world of Big Apple celebrity hotspots, the tiny SoHo eatery has held A-list status since opening in 2024, thanks to a customer base that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Bieber, Sydney Sweeney and America’s power couple of the moment, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
Curious about all the fuss? Don’t even bother booking a trip to Manhattan, where securing a Corner Store reservation is notoriously impossible for mere mortals. You’ll find much better odds here in Las Vegas, where the restaurant’s first expansion outside of New York City is now open at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
The Corner Store now serves guests on the third floor of The Cosmopolitan, bringing its blend of elevated American comfort food, creative cocktails and an old-school New York atmosphere to the Strip. And while its celebrity reputation may suggest an exclusive, see-and-be-seen experience, the restaurant itself is surprisingly comfortable and approachable.
Familiar Cravings, Fine Dining Details
The latest addition to The Cosmopolitan’s collection of high-profile restaurants comes from Catch Hospitality Group, the team behind Catch at Aria. Chef Partner Michael Vignola — whose résumé includes time in the kitchens of Le Bernardin, Aquavit and Strip House — brings fine-dining technique and quality ingredients to food that rarely requires an explanation. The menu offers everything from steak frites and branzino to a wagyu French dip, pizza rolls and a Caesar salad with everything bagel croutons and cream cheese croquettes.
Vignola recounts some skepticism from people who questioned a chef with his background choosing to focus on comfort food. But he believes the care that goes into each dish ultimately won people over — from the five cheeses he chose for the pizza rolls, to the 27 varieties of chips he considered to accompany his spinach dip. Because, he explains, simple dishes are never an excuse to cut corners.
“The fries are a three-day process. The French dip’s a two-day process. I bake the bread in-house,” he explained during a recent media preview. “It’s all just done with intent, care, and focus on the best product that we can end up with.”
The result is a menu that balances familiar favorites with playful surprises. The entrees are satisfying, but some of the most memorable touches come in smaller packages, including the Caesar salad’s unusual garnishes and a coconut ice cream sundae inspired by a favorite Girl Scout Cookie.
That playful spirit extends to the cocktail program, where martinis are a major attraction. The menu includes a Tomato Martini, a Las Vegas variation on the signature Oli’s Dirty Martini garnished with mascarpone caviar olives, and something they call the Sour Cream & Onion Martini. While some may sound like novelty items, the unexpected sweetness coaxed from the onions in the latter makes it surprisingly appealing.
Old New York Meets Las Vegas
Rockwell Group, which designed the original New York restaurant, has created a Las Vegas version that evokes the warmth of a classic neighborhood establishment while eschewing the flash of modern nightclubs and lounges. Dark wood, antique mirrors, warm lighting and Art Deco-inspired touches give the restaurant a lived-in quality, while a series of interconnected dining rooms creates intimate spaces within the larger venue.
The design includes a dedicated Martini Room, a main dining room and a private dining area that can accommodate up to 20 guests.
According to Rockwell’s Shawn Sullivan, the goal was to create the feeling of a neighborhood restaurant that might have existed for decades, with artwork and furnishings that appear to have been collected over time.
“It’s meant to feel intimate,” Sullivan explained. “So when you kind of go through the spaces, you’ll see you kind of discover them one by one.”
MGM Resorts executive Ari Kastrati says the goal was to preserve the spirit of the New York original without simply duplicating it. And while the restaurant’s celebrity reputation may suggest a see-and-be-seen atmosphere, he emphasizes that the design lets guests choose how much of the scene they want to experience.
“You can be in a public space, but you could also hide away into these niches, into these corners, into these residential-type experiences that we built here,” he explained.
That flexibility carries over to the atmosphere. During the preview weekend, for example, DJs offered music to support the energy of the celebrations.
The service, meanwhile, is polished without being stuffy, with experienced Las Vegas hospitality professionals delivering an upscale experience in a relaxed setting.
This combination makes The Corner Store a natural choice for dinner with friends, a group celebration or a meal before or after a show.
Settle In and Feel at Home
The New York restaurant’s reputation has made reservations a hot commodity, and anticipation surrounding the Las Vegas opening has been considerable. Multiple sources circulating this weekend’s opening festivities referenced a waiting list of 3,000 people hoping to land reservations when the books fully opened.
But Las Vegas has a long tradition of bringing celebrated restaurants and experiences from other cities to a wider audience. So once the initial excitement dies down, plenty of opportunities should open up for visitors and locals to secure a table without name-dropping or feigning VIP status. At that point, The Corner Store’s appeal will rest on far more than its celebrity status. And what you’re most likely to find is a comfortable place to enjoy thoughtfully prepared food, inventive cocktails and a lively night out, with enough sophistication to feel special and enough familiarity to make guests feel at home.
The Corner Store serves dinner Sundays through Thursdays from 5 to 10 p.m., and from 5 p.m. until “late” on the weekends. Reservations are available through The Cosmopolitan or by calling 702-675-9828.
