Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick’s seafood wonderland, Carbone Riviera, officially opened its doors on Friday, November 8, at one of the most iconic locations on the Las Vegas Strip. Situated at the former home of Julian Serrano’s Picasso, Carbone Riviera boasts a stunning backdrop: the Fountains of Bellagio. Guests are welcomed by a luxurious Riva yacht on a floating deck and step into an ornate Martin Brudnizki-designed dining room where art by Picasso, Miró, and Renoir accents the walls.

The most significant upgrade Carbone Riviera brings is its unique approach to seafood, presented with Major Food Group’s signature Italian-American ethos. This is not your average seafood restaurant. Where else could you enjoy whole king crab, whole turbot, and whole sea bream crudo on a patio next to a world-famous water show? Carbone Riviera is already being hailed as the most significant seafood restaurant to open in the US since Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, which closed at Wynn Las Vegas a decade ago.

On opening weekend, Carbone Riviera attracted a star-studded crowd. Notable guests included chef David Chang, who has known Carbone and Torrisi since their days at Café Boulud and once considered opening a restaurant with Carbone. Dishes like crab AOP and shrimp Parm were instant favorites. Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis dined while a core team from Major Food Group—including executive chef Jonah Resnick, chief development officer Will Nazar, and vice president of hospitality and guest experience Kyra Suki Burner—ensured every detail was perfect.

Mario’s cousin, Louie—front-of-house maestro for Major Food Group—shared with Observer that he has now opened 40 restaurants with the company. While Carbone Riviera is a new concept, much of the menu will feel pleasantly familiar to long-time fans. The kitchen riffs on “the bangers”, serving habit-forming shrimp Parm as a nod to the famous veal Parm that propelled Carbone to stardom. The crab AOP, energized by just the right amount of jalapeños, might remind diners of Torrisi’s lobster capellini in New York. For those craving lobster pasta, Carbone Riviera offers fettuccine with a two-pound lobster, as well as lobster polpette fra diavolo—a dish that chef Danny Ye from Durango compared to an Asian dumpling filling.

Many prominent figures from the culinary world visited Carbone Riviera during its launch. Friday night saw JKS Restaurants co-founder Karam Sethi, gearing up to open Gymkhana at Aria next month, dining alongside Observer power list alum Shu Chowdhury, who returned for dinner the next evening.

The past few months have been a whirlwind for Major Food Group, with Carbone openings in London in September and Dubai in October. Executive chef Jonah Resnick, based in Miami, mentioned he hasn’t been home since August 10. For Mario Carbone, this period marks the run of a lifetime. “It’s been an amazing journey to do this thing, thousands of miles apart with the same team,” Carbone told Observer. “The only thing I can compare it to is a concert. You do the city, you pack the team up and go to the next one with these core people who have gotten incredibly close.” The team’s energy and enduring “can’t stop, won’t stop” mentality mirrors the spirit of Las Vegas itself, where Carbone first opened at Aria in 2013—an event that changed Major Food Group’s trajectory.

On Saturday, Carbone posted an Instagram video inspired by Ocean’s Eleven, paying tribute to the team behind the Rigatoni World Tour. “We name-check all of the squad,” Carbone said. He’ll stay in Las Vegas through Formula One weekend, hosting a November 20 opening party.

And if it wasn’t obvious: Carbone Riviera proudly serves Carbone’s legendary spicy rigatoni vodka. This is a Carbone restaurant—so expect the greatest hits, elevated in an unforgettable setting.
https://observer.com/2025/11/carbone-riviera-restaurant-bellagio-las-vegas-opening/