What Now reported this fall that Mexico City-based restaurant La Popular would be brought to the United States by Grupo Carolo and hospitality company Rockets + Pineapples, the company behind Eureka! Restaurant Group.
It had been announced, at the time, that locations were planned for Roseville, California; Austin, Texas; and Las Vegas. (Rockets + Pineapples is based in Hawthorne, California.) It was unknown, however, where the Las Vegas location would end up.
Building permit paperwork submitted to Clark County appears to shed light on this question. The paperwork requests a building permit for La Popular at 4321 W Flamingo Road, the address of The Palms Casino Resort.
The Roseville La Popular menu opens with starters like Northern Mexican Chipotle Bean Dip, Ahi Tuna Tostadas, and Heirloom Tomato & Oyster Mushroom Ceviche. Tacos come with proteins like Al Pastor, Carnitas, Creamy Prawn, Pescado, and Ribeye. (The simplicity of the Ribeye taco is titillatingly described: homemade corn tortilla / that’s it, trust us.) Entrees include Charred Whole Fish Divorciados, Chicken Mole Enchiladas, and Ribeye Fajitas.
The work described in the permitting documents includes addition and replacement of equipment in the kitchen and dining area, replacement of lighting, and—most revealingly—“partial removal of existing sushi bar.” This could reveal where in the casino the restaurant appears to be destined to set up shop, and it also raises the question: Only partial removal?
At The Palms, La Popular would join an already highly developed culinary roster that includes Scotch 80 Prime, Mabel’s BBQ, Tim Ho Wan, and—freshly opened—Vetri Cucina.
