A picturesque indoor mall at the Venetian, the Grand Canal Shoppes features luxury shops, charming gondolas, and delightful dining options, all under a painted sky.
"Once was a Nikkei restaurant led by Ricardo Zarate located at the Grand Canal Shoppes, which closed in 2020." - Janna Karel
"The robots do not function yet, but the food is ready at X Pot, the new hot pot restaurant now open at the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Palazzo. The restaurant opened its lounge area, with the dining room with robot servers debuting later. Once completely open, the restaurant promises an entertainment experience with 360-degree projections in high-def, interactive light shows, and themed sounds to accompany the thousand-year-old Sichuan hot-pot tradition. Founders Haibin Yang and David Zhao of Chubby Cattle fame in Chinatown bring the restaurant with its Asian fusion dishes, complete with A5 Wagyu beef and certified Kobe beef dry-aged for 100 days in a case in the dining room. Customers then can select the quality and level of meat, based on how long the beef has been aged. Diners also choose and cook their own ingredients, ranging from meat and seafood to vegetables, and cook them at communal tables. For now, the lounge offers a tight menu of oyster shooters, wagyu beef sushi, seafood platters, and marinated cherry tomatoes. When the dining room opens, X Pot will feature performances that include ancient Chinese face-changing ceremonies, noodle dances, and table animation shows, each paired with its smart-robot technology." - Susan Stapleton
"Hot pots galore served by robots land at the Grand Canal Shoppes this winter when X Pot opens near SushiSamba. The restaurant, previously called Xiang Hot Pot, brings robot servers, 360-degree projections in high-def, interactive light shows, and themed sounds to accompany the thousand-year-old hotpot tradition of Sichuan hot pots." - Susan Stapleton
"Peruvian Nikkei restaurant Once from chef Ricardo Zarate closes after service on Saturday, February 29. The member of the Eater 38 specializes in Peruvian ingredients prepared using Japanese techniques. Zarate opened the restaurant nearly two years ago at the Grand Canal Shoppes and named the restaurant Once — pronounced on-seh, which means 'eleven' in Spanish — because it symbolizes Zarate’s spot in his line of 13 siblings. The restaurant debuted after the chef launched Rosaliné, which he named for his mother, in West Hollywood in 2017. Zarate dissolved a business partnership, which in turn sparked the restaurant closing. That also means a second location in Brooklyn will no longer open. Although Once is closing, Zarate is looking for new space in Las Vegas." - Susan Stapleton
"Ricardo Zarate closed Once at the Grand Canal Shoppes." - Susan Stapleton
