Two decades after Joël Robuchon first brought his culinary vision to the Las Vegas Strip, the restaurant that bears his name is celebrating 20 years of refinement, luxury, and world-class dining. Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand, the only restaurant in the city to ever earn the coveted three Michelin stars, is marking the milestone with a special anniversary menu that reintroduces guests to the flavors that defined its opening night. It will be available for four nights only- from Friday, October 3 through Monday, October 6.
Executive Chef Aleazar Villanueva has spent months preparing for the celebration, working with past leaders of the restaurant to recreate nearly every dish from the debut menu.
“There’s about seven or eight of them that I had not seen ever, and I’ve been here nine years,” Villanueva explained to Food and Loathing.
He reached out to the restaurant’s original chef, Tomonori Danzaki, to fine-tune recipes and techniques, undertaking an extensive R&D process to ensure that the anniversary tasting reflects the precise flavors and spirit of the original opening.
The result is a 16-course tasting menu priced at $525—the same price as the restaurant’s current tasting option. Guests will be treated to the full experience for which Joël Robuchon became known: the iconic bread cart, the lavish cheese cart, and the famed mignardises trolley, overflowing with delicate sweets. Villanueva also hinted at a few surprises, including takeaway gifts designed to make the evening unforgettable.
For Villanueva and his team, the anniversary is not only about honoring the past but also carrying forward the philosophy of the late Chef Robuchon, remembered worldwide as “Chef of the Century.”
“He would always say, you always want to strive for perfection, but know that it’s something that’s unachievable,” Villanueva reflects. “Whenever we make something—even a new dish—we make it in his vision, from the flavor and ingredients to the plating style. Everything keeps him in mind.”
The restaurant’s enduring reputation for excellence, Villanueva notes, is a product of its entire brigade.
“It takes a whole team,” he says. “Sixteen courses is not easy for one person to do. Every single person in my kitchen helps, and everyone has input. Without a team, there is nobody.”
Alongside the flagship, MGM Grand’s sister property L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is also celebrating its 20th anniversary with its own nine-course throwback tasting menu, priced at $255. While the two restaurants offer distinct formats—the theatrical counter dining of L’Atelier versus the formal luxury of Joël Robuchon—they share a commitment to the vision and standards of the legendary chef whose name they carry.
Two decades on, Joël Robuchon continues to represent the pinnacle of fine dining in Las Vegas. For those who experienced the restaurant’s earliest days, the anniversary menu offers a chance to relive a landmark moment in the city’s culinary evolution. For new guests, it is an invitation to discover why Robuchon’s influence still resonates so powerfully on the Strip.
Hear the full episode on the Food and Loathing podcast.
