D’Agostino’s Trattoria, the family-run Italian spot located on Buffalo Drive between Peace Way and Flamingo Road, will temporarily close their doors after dinner service this Sunday, June 15, to begin work on an expansion.
Chefs and owners Dan and Brandi Thompson tell us they’ve secured the space directly next door to their current location, which was previously a tattoo parlor. It will be converted into a wine bar, where Chef Brandi will expand her wine menu and provide cocktails and small plates. It will also allow D’Agostino’s to offer a happy hour.
The small restaurant — which is popular among casino execs, longtime Vegas F&B pros, politicians and high-profile sports personalities — currently consists of only 12 tables. On some weekends, the owners say they’re forced to turn away 80 or more guests on a Saturday night.
The expansion will roughly double the size of the restaurant and the renovations will allow the chefs to modernize the kitchen and refresh the décor in the original dining room.
The Thompsons acquired the restaurant, previously known as Café Chloe, from Chef Piero Broglia several years ago. In the time since, they’ve occasionally floated the idea of expanding their operation, or perhaps opening a second location. But it’s been an uphill climb for the small business.
In their email announcing the expansion, the owners note the struggles they’ve faced over the past three years as they’ve attempted to secure funding.
“Without the benefit of wealthy hospitality companies pumping millions into a project, this has been as old school grit-and-grind as it gets,” they say. “Just two passionate people knocking on bank doors and doing endless paperwork.”
They’re hoping to reopen the restaurant in its new form around Labor Day, starting with media and VIP events, with an eye on a public opening during the second week of September.
