Welcome
What’s Ahead This Week
Happy Halloween week, Chinatown! 🎃 We open with Breaking News: former Vice President Kamala Harris stopped at Shanghai Plaza after a Culinary Union rally on Wednesday, and Clark County and the RTC unveiled an art-wrapped Chinatown bus to launch the new Chinatown Art Crawl. Our Spotlight celebrates 10 years of Hobak, an early pioneer of premium Korean barbecue in the valley. Community Corner previews J Gourmet Market’s grand opening this Saturday, with a free live tuna-cutting show and tastings for the first 100 guests.
Live Performance lines up three party-band nights at The Sand Dollar Lounge, including Halloween, and Shop Local heads to 168 Market for Cantonese ginger-steamed fish. Coming Soon tracks Chinatown’s next wave of openings and developments, Looking Back revisits Shanghai Plaza when it was still a construction site, and Gripes aims Spring Mountain’s traffic lights. In Case You Missed It, Explore More, and Share Your News round out the issue.
New episode Tuesday: “Chinatown Las Vegas: This Week in Chinatown | Episode 15” arrives Tuesday, October 27, on YouTube.
Breaking
Breaking News
Kamala Harris Visits Chinatown’s Shanghai Plaza After Culinary Union Rally
Former Vice President Kamala Harris stopped in Chinatown on Wednesday, October 21. Earlier that day, she spoke at a members-only campaign event at the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 headquarters on Spring Mountain Road. She appeared there with Attorney General Aaron Ford, the Democratic candidate for governor, and Rep. Dina Titus. Harris later visited Shanghai Plaza, where she stopped by Weera Thai and met with local supporters and Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, the Democratic nominee for attorney general.
Source: Las Vegas Sun, Ava Chatlosh.
Clark County and RTC Unveil Art-Wrapped Chinatown Bus
The art-wrapped double-decker bus unveiled by Clark County and the RTC. Photo: Santy Luangpraseuth for ChinatownVegas.com.
Clark County and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada unveiled an art-wrapped double-decker bus at Chinatown Plaza on Thursday, October 22. The design, “Day and Night in Chinatown” by local artist Loisse Ledres, pairs a daytime Chinatown scene on one side with a nighttime scene on the other, News 3 reports. Commissioner Justin Jones called it “a mobile showcase running down Las Vegas Boulevard,” and the bus will promote Chinatown over the next year.
The unveiling also launched the Chinatown Art Crawl, a route highlighting more than 60 public murals and decorated utility boxes from the Chinatown Mural Art Project and the ZAP! Spring Mountain initiative, part of the county’s Inspiring Spring Mountain Redevelopment Plan, according to FOX5. (See Gripes.)
Spotlight
10 Years of Hobak: An OG of Premium K-BBQ
In Korean folklore and culture, Hobak (pumpkin) represents good fortune, warmth, and abundance, a fitting namesake for a restaurant that has brought all three to Las Vegas Chinatown for an entire decade.
Ten years ago, long before tableside Korean barbecue became a citywide favorite and Spring Mountain Road became the dining destination it is today, an ambitious team was preparing to make its mark at 5808 Spring Mountain Road, in what is now Golden Dragon Plaza. We were fortunate enough to be there right at the start, watching a bold new concept take its first steps from blueprints to reality.
Then
Hobak’s coming-soon sign promised a Jan./Feb. 2016 opening. Photo: ChinatownVegas.com
When Hobak opened its doors in 2016, it helped shift the conversation around Korean barbecue in Las Vegas. In an era when high-volume, all-you-can-eat formats dominated the local scene, Hobak chose a different path: a focus on quality. With carefully sourced prime cuts, aged beef, banchan served in retro metal tins, and a vibrant dining room channeling the nostalgic energy of a 1980s Seoul butcher shop, it set a new standard.
Some cuts in Hobak’s meat locker are aged more than 50 days, according to the restaurant’s general manager.
Hobak wasn’t just another restaurant opening along the corridor. It became one of the early pioneers of premium K-BBQ in the valley, showing locals and visitors alike that a night around the grill could be both a serious culinary experience and an unforgettable social ritual.
As Chinatown’s national reputation expanded over the years, so did the city’s hunger for authentic, regional Korean cooking. Hobak helped build that early momentum and became a perennial favorite in the district’s evolving story.
Fast-forward a decade, and the transformation is remarkable.
Now
Hobak today, ten years later. Photo: ChinatownVegas.com
From putting ink to that original lease agreement to welcoming loyal regulars ten years later, Hobak’s journey mirrors the spirit of Chinatown itself: a corridor where bold beginnings can mature into lasting, beloved institutions.
That is what makes this week’s Spotlight special. It is more than reminiscing about an opening date. It is about celebrating the grit, dedication, and culinary vision of the operators, chefs, and staff who took a chance on Spring Mountain and helped build the Chinatown we love today.
Happy 10th Anniversary, Hobak! Here’s to another decade of sizzling grills, rich memories, and great hospitality.
Quick Facts
- Opened: 2016
- Address: 5808 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 101, Las Vegas, NV 89146
- Phone: (702) 257-1526
- Website: hobakkoreanbbq.com
Community
Community Corner
This week: J Gourmet Market’s grand opening and live tuna-cutting show.
J Gourmet Market Celebrates Grand Opening With Live Tuna Cutting Show
A live tuna-cutting demonstration, complimentary tastings, and one-day specials are coming to Spring Mountain Road this Saturday!
Las Vegas Chinatown is getting ready for a celebration of Japanese food and culinary craftsmanship as J Gourmet Market (formerly Japan Market Fukuya) hosts its grand opening on Saturday, October 31, at 3910 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 4.
The main attraction? A live tuna-cutting show beginning at 11 a.m., giving visitors an up-close look at the skill and precision involved in preparing fresh tuna. The demonstration is expected to last approximately one hour, and admission is free.
🍣 Free Sushi & Sashimi Tastings
The first 100 attendees can collect a ticket upon entering the market for complimentary tuna sushi and sashimi tastings. Each participant must have their own ticket.
🐟 Grand Opening Tuna Specials
For one day only, J Gourmet Market is offering special prices on fresh tuna:
- Akami (lean tuna): $25/lb, regularly $45.
- Chutoro (medium-fatty tuna): $35/lb, regularly $55.
Limit five pounds per person, combined, while supplies last.
🎁 Free Tuna to Take Home
Spend $30 or more and receive a voucher for a complimentary tuna saku block, approximately 0.3 pounds. One qualifying transaction per person; vouchers must be redeemed the same day, while supplies last.
🥩 Something From the Kitchen
The market’s kitchen is joining the celebration with a special Wagyu Bowl for $24.99, regularly $29.99.
📍 Plan Your Visit
J Gourmet Market
3910 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 4
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Saturday, October 31, 2026
- Market Hours: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
- Kitchen Hours: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Phone: (702) 202-2129
Promotions are subject to availability and event conditions.
Community Corner celebrates the people, businesses, traditions, and cultural experiences that make Las Vegas Chinatown special. And this Saturday, there’s something worth watching—and tasting—on Spring Mountain Road!
On Stage
Live Performance Spotlight
Chinatown comes alive after dark! Ready to turn up the volume?
Live at The Sand Dollar Lounge
Catch these three sets on the stage at The Sand Dollar Lounge this week, always 21+ with never a cover:
- Toga Party Band: Tuesday, Oct. 27 (10 PM–2 AM). Toga up or keep it casual for high-energy party anthems and dance grooves straight to 2 AM.
- That ’70s Show Party Band!: Thursday, Oct. 29 (10 PM–2 AM). Dust off the bell-bottoms and get down to pure ’70s funk, soul, and vintage rock hits.
- One Night Stand: Saturday, Oct. 31 (10 PM–2 AM). Celebrate Halloween night with hard-driving guitar riffs and no-nonsense rock & roll.
👉 Want more beats and stage times? Check out the full lineup on The Sand Dollar’s events calendar.
Support local music, tip your bartenders, and we’ll see you on the floor!
The Sand Dollar Lounge, 3355 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 30, Las Vegas, NV 89102.
Deals
Shop Local: Cook Chinatown
Cantonese Ginger-Steamed Fish with 168 Market
Bring classic Cantonese flavor to your table with fresh seafood and aromatics from 168 Market in Las Vegas Chinatown.
🐟 Ingredients (Serves 2–3)
- 1–1.5 lbs fresh black cod (or white fish)
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, julienned
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- Optional: Shaoxing wine, fresh cilantro
👨🍳 Quick Steps
- Prep: Pat the fish dry on a heatproof plate. Top with ginger and half the green onions.
- Steam: Steam over boiling water until cooked through (internal temp: 145°F).
- Finish & Sizzle: Drain excess liquid and drizzle with soy sauce. Top with remaining green onions, heat the oil until shimmering, and pour it over the aromatics to release the fragrance.
Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.
📍 Market Tip: Head to 168 Market’s seafood counter and produce aisles for fresh fish, specialty greens, and Asian pantry staples. Discover Chinatown, shop local, and cook fresh!
Note: Pricing and availability may vary.
Preview
Coming Soon: Chinatown’s Scene Heats Up
Chinatown’s Next Wave!
New flavors, fresh concepts, and big developments are on the horizon! Las Vegas Chinatown never stands still, and here’s what’s on our radar.
🍜 New Restaurants & Food Finds: Oak & Yolk at Shanghai Plaza and Nine Nine Food ToGo at Golden Spring Plaza are displaying signs of what’s next. Also on the watchlist: Tuk Tuk Thai Street Food, Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori, Harbour AYCE Hot Pot, Saigon Street, Shabu Rokka, and Lao Sze Chuan.
☕ Coffee Meets Supercars: South Korea’s theVENTI is preparing its first U.S. location in Las Vegas, with a Liberty Walk connection tied to the XYZ² development in Chinatown. An early-to-mid-2027 opening is being targeted, but the exact permanent café location has not been confirmed.
🛍️ More Than Restaurants: Chubby World and new specialty retail concepts are among the additions we’re tracking as Chinatown’s shopping and entertainment scene continues to evolve.
🏗️ Big Projects, Bigger Changes: Jewel‘s 380 apartments and future retail space are under construction, while Pacifica Vegas, Jade Promenade, and Diamond Spring Mountain Plaza represent more changes ahead for the corridor.
Some are getting closer, others are still taking shape. Opening dates remain unconfirmed unless announced, but one thing is certain: Chinatown’s next chapter is already underway.
Stay with This Week in Chinatown for updates as these projects move from Coming Soon to Grand Opening!
For more on the corridor’s redevelopment, see our Special Chinatown Redevelopment Issue.
Throwback
Looking Back
Before Shanghai Plaza Changed the Chinatown Skyline
Remember when one of Chinatown’s busiest destinations was nothing more than a construction site?
Stand near Ichiza on Spring Mountain Road today and look across the street. It’s hard to imagine Las Vegas Chinatown without Shanghai Plaza, with its distinctive architecture, bustling restaurants, crowded walkways, and steady stream of visitors.
But rewind to 2018, and the view was very different.
Then
Shanghai Plaza under construction in 2018, seen from across Spring Mountain Road. Frame from ChinatownVegas.com archival footage; see the full clip in Tuesday’s Episode 15.
Our archival footage captures Shanghai Plaza while it was still taking shape. From across Spring Mountain Road, near Ichiza, the camera recorded exposed steel, construction fencing, and a development that had yet to become one of the neighborhood’s most recognizable landmarks.
And there, displayed at the construction site, was a sign announcing: “Coming Soon — Winter 2018.”
At the time, it was a promise of what was ahead. Today, it’s a fascinating little piece of Chinatown history.
Now
Shanghai Plaza today, from a similar viewpoint across Spring Mountain Road. Photo: ChinatownVegas.com
Fast-forward to October 2026 (see Breaking News).
That once-unfinished development has become a major dining and shopping destination, home to familiar names including 85°C Bakery Cafe, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, SomiSomi, and Weera Thai.
What makes this transformation especially interesting isn’t simply the new buildings. It’s how Shanghai Plaza helped change the rhythm of Spring Mountain Road.
The plaza brought a new concentration of restaurants, national and international brands, and visitors to a corridor already famous for its independent eateries and longtime neighborhood favorites.
And the contrast between old and new is visible from the very spot where our archival footage was captured.
Today, pedestrians can use a mid-block crossing with pedestrian-activated flashing beacons to travel between the businesses on opposite sides of Spring Mountain Road, a reminder of how important pedestrian access has become as Chinatown continues to grow.
Shanghai Plaza didn’t create Chinatown’s culinary identity. That story began decades earlier. But its arrival marked an important new chapter in the neighborhood’s evolution.
From steel beams and a “Coming Soon” sign to one of Chinatown’s busiest destinations, all in less than a decade.
Some of Chinatown’s biggest changes are easiest to appreciate when we look back.
🎬 Watch the Transformation: In Tuesday’s This Week in Chinatown video episode, we’ll bring the original construction footage back to life with two archival clips, each approximately five seconds long, showing Shanghai Plaza before its transformation.
Forecast
Chinatown Weather
Live conditions for the Spring Mountain corridor, updated automatically.
Spring Mountain (East)
89102
Spring Mountain (West)
89146
Unfiltered
Chinatown Gripes
Love the bus. Hate the lights. 🚦
Look, we’re genuinely thankful for the wrapped Chinatown bus. It’s great district pride and a solid nod to the community.
Now, can someone please send a traffic engineer to spend an afternoon on Spring Mountain Road?
The light timing patterns out here are flat-out horrific. Hitting three reds in four blocks with empty cross streets makes zero sense. And speaking of things that defy logic: who mapped out these bus stop locations? Half of them drop riders in the most chaotic, non-functional spots possible.
Change is supposedly coming to the corridor, but it isn’t moving fast enough. If we want people enjoying Chinatown instead of just surviving the drive through it, the county and RTC need to fix the flow.
Drop a 🛑 if you’ve spent half your life waiting at a red light on Spring Mountain this week.
Watch
In Case You Missed It
Catch Up on Episode 14
Missed last week’s episode? Watch “Chinatown Las Vegas: This Week in Chinatown | Episode 14,” which was published Tuesday, October 20. New episodes publish Tuesdays on YouTube.
Explore More Chinatown
Ready to dive deeper into the neighborhood? Whether you’re hungry, curious, or looking for something new, Spring Mountain Road has plenty to explore, from dining to community events. Revisit our past coverage at chinatownvegas.com/chinatown-blog.
Sing Your Heart Out
Chinatown’s karaoke rooms are made for a night out, from private suites to late-night bars.
Chinatown Karaoke Revealed: 8 Amazing Must-Visit Spots
A Hot Pot of Your Own
Taiwanese personal hot pot gives each diner their own broth and pace, a cozy pick as the weather cools.
Understanding Taiwanese Personal Hot Pot — And Why Chinatown Las Vegas Is Embracing It
Chinatown After Midnight
From late-night restaurants to bars and massage spots, the neighborhood keeps going long after dark.
Insider Tip: Visit ChinatownVegas.com daily for breaking news, openings, and the stories behind your favorite neighborhood spots.
Let’s Celebrate
Let’s Celebrate
That’s a wrap on Halloween week in Chinatown! Whether you’re watching a tuna get broken down at J Gourmet Market, grilling aged cuts at Hobak, or dancing into Halloween night at The Sand Dollar, there’s plenty to celebrate on Spring Mountain Road this week.
🎬 Don’t miss tomorrow’s episode: “Chinatown Las Vegas: This Week in Chinatown | Episode 15” arrives Tuesday, October 27, on our YouTube channel. It includes archival footage of Shanghai Plaza under construction and a close-up of Hobak’s meat locker. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Shop local, eat local, and share this issue with a friend who loves Chinatown as much as you do. See you next Monday!
— The ChinatownVegas.com Team
Submissions
📣 Share Your News
Have a neighborhood update, press release, event announcement, business milestone, or anything else Chinatown should know about? Send it to hello@chinatownvegas.com, and we may feature it in an upcoming issue.
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