As Las Vegas slowly enters into Phase One of Governor Sisolak’s Roadmap to Recovery, more vegan restaurants are re-opening their doors.

By May 13, three previously closed vegan restaurants in Las Vegas are re-opening — Tacotarian, Chef Kenny’s Asian Vegan Restaurant and NoButcher.

In mid-March, the State closed all non-essential businesses, resulting in hundreds of thousands becoming jobless.

In fact, Las Vegas is one of the country’s hardest hit economies in the country due to the pandemic. The city has been dubbed “ground zero” for its economic loss due to the shutdown, with nearly 400,000 unemployment claims being filed (and that’s not including those who are gig workers, self-employed like us and 1099 workers because the opportunity to apply has yet to happen in Nevada). 

Despite this, some restaurants in Las Vegas have been able to weather the storm, changing their businesses to run on pick-up, delivery and meal prep.

Vegan restaurants like VegeNation, Simply Pure, Violette’s Vegan, Tarantino’s Vegan, Veggy Street and VeggiEat Xpress were able to stay somewhat open, modifying their hours and offerings and making sure their food was safe to eat. Others temporarily closed.

Tacotarian

Tacotarian marks the first vegan restaurant closed since the shut-down to re-open its doors.

The popular all-vegan Mexican eatery’s grand re-opening is May 5, perfectly timed with Cinco de Mayo.

PHOTO: TACOTARIAN

“[Our decision] to close was a tough one. we wanted to make sure we provide the safest atmosphere for our customers and staff,” explains Kristin Corral, co-owner of Tacotarian. “Now that the government has begun to relax some of the restrictions, we think we can safely re-open with strict protocols in place.”

The restaurant will require all staff to wear masks and plastic face coverings, and seal delivery bags to protect the food. The restaurant has also put in place a strict cleaning program. Every night it will undergo more than two hours of deep cleaning.

Tacotarian is also serving beer and margaritas jugs to go. 

Both locations are open 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Chef Kenny’s Asian Vegan Restaurant

Following Tacotarian’s opening is Chef Kenny’s Asian Vegan Restaurant.

One of the city’s most popular Asian restaurants for vegan diners re-opens its doors on May 7.

According to Chef Kenny Chye, the restaurant follows the guidelines set by the Southern Nevada Health District. He also has plans to provide food for frontline workers once-a-week.

NoButcher

Then, on May 13, NoButcher re-opens for drive-thru service. They are operating with a small staff of only owners Sebastian Mueller and Alecia Ghilarducci and another team member.  Hours are Weds. – Sun., noon to 5 p.m.

“We are very fortunate to have a drive-thru,” says Mueller. “It’s what enables us to offer a true no-contact ordering process.”

Customers can order outside through the venue’s audio system and utilize its no-touch payment at the window.

While it’s a start, Mueller looks forward to connecting once again with NoButcher’s guests.

“We really miss the personal interaction with our customers,” he says. “We can’t wait to have a big celebration with all our guests when this is over.”