In 2024, Chef Steve Kestler was a finalist for one of America’s greatest dining honors—a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest. And he received that recognition for his work at Aroma Latin American Cocina, a modest Henderson restaurant located in a nondescript suburban strip mall. It helped establish Aroma Latin American Cocina as one of Southern Nevada’s most respected restaurants among chefs, critics and serious food lovers. Yet most Henderson locals never took the time to discover this hidden gem in their own backyard.
Now, Kestler hopes to change that.
Aroma Latin American Cocina has relocated to a larger restaurant on Polaris Avenue, adjacent to the Sand Dollar Lounge and less than a mile west of the Strip. The new location gives Kestler the opportunity to introduce more diners to a style of cooking that reaches well beyond the Mexican dishes many Americans associate with Latin American cuisine.
“This is the restaurant I always envisioned,” Kestler said of the new spot during a recent episode of the Food and Loathing podcast.
A Modest Start
The original Aroma opened during the uncertainty of the COVID era, when available restaurant spaces were limited and opening a new concept carried greater financial risk than normal. At the time, Kestler told the podcast, the Henderson location made sense, even if it wasn’t ideal.
“We bet on the food,” he explained.
That gamble paid off in many ways. The restaurant developed a loyal following and attracted national recognition. But Kestler also came to understand the limitations of the original space.
The Nest Step
The Henderson restaurant began as a quick, counter-service concept before gradually evolving into something more ambitious. The new dining room allows Aroma to fully embrace that vision, with expanded seating, full service and a menu that reflects Kestler’s broad approach to Latin American cuisine.
Rather than presenting diners with a conventional list of appetizers and entrées, Kestler reorganized the menu around four regions of Latin America—North, Central, South and Caribe. Each column showcases dishes inspired by that part of the continent, while the menu still naturally progresses from starters to main courses and desserts.
The idea grew out of conversations with guests. As diners became curious about unfamiliar ingredients and dishes, Kestler realized the menu itself could help tell the story. He points to Mesoamerica as an example, explaining that many of the ingredients, techniques and flavors shared by southern Mexico and Guatemala existed long before modern national borders were drawn. Rather than viewing Latin American cuisine as a collection of separate national traditions, he sees it as a series of connected culinary regions.
That philosophy carries through to the food itself. One of the restaurant’s signature starters is a striking ceviche negro: fish served in a black leche de tigre made with ponzu to create both an unexpected appearance and bright, citrus-driven flavor. Kestler also introduced Food and Loathing to a delicate mango carpaccio dressed with chamoy vinaigrette—another example of the restaurant’s willingness to explore ingredients and techniques that many diners may not expect from a Latin American restaurant.
While the menu continues to evolve, Kestler says the guiding principle remains unchanged from the restaurant’s earliest days.
“We bet on the food.”
Now, with a more central location and a restaurant that better reflects the concept he originally envisioned, many more Las Vegas diners will have the opportunity to discover why one of the city’s most respected chefs earned national recognition long before many of them had heard his name.
You can hear the full interview with Steve Kestler on the July 24 episode of the Food and Loathing podcast, which was recorded at Aroma Latin American Cocina.
