The reinvention of Sahara Las Vegas will continue until 2021. This time the Vegas Strip frontage of the historic casino and hotel will be remodeled. A major part of this renovation will happen to the William Hill sportsbook, restaurant, and beer garden.
Popular Philadelphia sports bar and crab house, Chickie’s & Pete’s will occupy the bar and restaurant section of the William Hill sportsbook. The new venue will replace Beers & Bets which tentatively took over the bar and restaurant for Umami Burger.
Anthony Olheiser, vice president of food and beverage for Sahaha Las Vegas tells PlayNevada that “Sahara is delighted to have the opportunity to bring new concepts to the market.” He continued, “with the increased attention on professional sports in Las Vegas, Chickie’s & Pete’s is a welcome addition to the portfolio as it delivers a great experience for sports fans with an incredible, unique menu that satisfies food lovers.”
Olheiser told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Chickie’s & Pete’s will expand the sportsbook space from 5,500 square feet to 9,000 square feet. The patio beer garden will be enclosed and become part of the indoor space at Chickie’s & Pete’s. A new entrance will also be added to the sportsbook/restaurant for easy access from the Vegas Strip. Lastly, Chickie’s & Pete’s will add virtual reality golf pods.
Construction and renovations on the sportsbook at Sahara will begin after the NFL Draft.
New look for Sahara on the Vegas Strip
Alex Meruelo purchased SLS Las Vegas in 2017 and said he was planning to change the property. In early 2019, Merulo announced a slew of changes to the existing property. As the first phase of renovations were coming to an end he announced that SLS Las Vegas would no longer exist. The name of the property would once again be Sahara. The first phase of changes focused on the casino floor and hotel.
The change to Chickie’s & Pete’s is just part of a new phase of renovations at Sahara. This week the company revealed plans for its continued $150 million resort transformation. The new phase of changes includes significant upgrades to the property exterior, all-new restaurants and more.
In 2020, Sahara Las Vegas will change the look of the iconic casino that faces Las Vegas Boulevard. The changes will include a fresh new Strip-facing façade including a fully renovated porte cochère and a new digital signage package. A distinctive water feature will serve as the centerpiece of the resort’s main entrance. This will replace the blob statue named SAAM that some may remember from SLS.
Inside, there will be more new restaurants in addition to Chickie’s & Pete’s. This fall a small Chinese noodle restaurant will open next door to the sportsbook. The former Sayer’s Club/Club 101 on the other side of the sportsbook will become an unnamed Italian restaurant.
Lastly, the never utilized Bazaar casino (next to Jose Andres’ Bazaar Meat) will become a new lower-priced restaurant from chef Andres. This will be a welcome addition for those who love the food at Bazaar but would prefer a more casual environment with a lower price point.
Poker room returns to Sahara
When the original Sahara closed in 2011, so did poker at the legendary casino. When the property reopened as SLS Las Vegs in 2014, the new owner decided to move forward without a live poker room. That changed this year when Sahara opened a new poker room in the space most recently devoted to high limit table games.
The new poker room at Sahara has seven tables. The space has a large 16-foot by nine-foot LED video wall and five additional screens throughout the room to keep an eye on sports. Players can have food delivered tableside from Northside Café.
Tournaments take place daily with at least four start times. Tournament buy-ins range from $45 to $100. No Limit Texas Holdem is the primary tournament. Live cash games also run daily. Promotions are held throughout the duration of the live cash games. The Poker Room at Sahara Las Vegas offers a competitive rake at 10 percent with a $4 max.
Players receive $2 in rewards points per hour played in a cash game by signing up to play through Poker Atlas. Points can be redeemed at several of the resort’s restaurants – including Bazaar Meat. Club 52 members are also eligible to receive personalized deals and one-of-a-kind access to everything Sahara Las Vegas has to offer.
