Vegas Bright Looks Back: The Best Openings of 2016

Vegas Bright writers look back on the year and give their picks for the Best Openings of 2016

Editor’s note: We’ve asked our writers and contributors for their opinions on the best/worst and noteworthy of all things Vegas for 2016 if they had time. Unlike other sites, a list of options to choose from was not given. Instead, a list of categories was presented letting our staff write their answers freely. With that, here are their answers for Vegas’ Best Openings of 2016

New Baggage Claim Floor at Airport–Out with the old! The new floor is sparkly and smooth–so much easier to roll your bag over :) -Michele Di Palma

Gordon Ramsey Fish N Chips– I happened to be in town when this place had its soft opening and the food rocked! I can see it being a favorite of mine for a quick grab and go lunch for years to come. -Fisherman

Lucky Dragon – *drops the mic* -Matty Ice

Lucky Dragon of course, even though I haven’t seen it yet. I am dying to see that light fixture! -Blonde4ever

T-Mobile Arena and The Park between NewYork/NewYork and Monte Carlo casinos. The Park Theater, Lucky Dragon, and W Hotel will be in the running but only because they were very late in 2016. -BigAzMarty

BAZ: Star-Crossed Love at Palazzo. Rising like a Phoenix from the ashes of its closure at Mandalay Bay, BAZ is a stellar achievement in live theater. There’s nothing else like it in the city, nor will you find a more talented cast. Easily the best new show for 2016. -Sammasseur

Lucky Dragon-hands down. So nice to see a fresh, THEMED resort open up–especially on the stark North Strip. The place is small, virtually shoe-horned into a tiny parcel between Golden Steer and the Allure condo tower, but is easy to traverse and explore within a short time. The Asian affinity for red and gold colors provides a pleasant atmosphere and the theme is present everywhere inside—not the hodge podge mash-up one finds in so many other “themed” resorts (take note TI and Luxor). -Greg C

Lucky Dragon, the first built-from-the-ground-up casino in Las Vegas to open since Cosmopolitan. Looks gorgeous, and I can’t wait until my upcoming February trip to spend some time there. Because I am not a Chinese baccarat player, I am not in their target demographic, however, I would hope that there is some playable video poker or blackjack available for me to enjoy. -Michael James

T-Mobile Arena – While I haven’t been inside, I have seen it from the outside and it looks quite state of the art and very impressive. The arena itself is state of the art, and it adds some new options in terms of concerts, events, and sports to the options right on the Las Vegas Strip. -Gennadius

T-Mobile Arena – It paved the way for Las Vegas to get a major sports franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights. This is a huge accomplishment for Las Vegas, and I can’t wait to rock the black and gold at a game next year, definitely one of the best openings of 2016 in my book. -Michael Movestro

Morimoto at MGM Grand actually lives up to the hype.  I wish there was a show here, but there were more goodbyes than hellos. -Kelly Lamrock

[Photos: Greg C, Fisherman, Michael Movestro]

Michael Movestro

Michael Movestro founded Vegas Bright to continue the tradition when Vegas Chatter cashed out. Michael pays the bills, maintains the site, writes articles, hosts VBN – Vegas Bright Newscast.