Javier’s restaurant opens in Las Vegas at Aria

Javier’s, a popular Mexican restaurant from Southern California, has opened a new spot at Aria.

Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 | 12:29 p.m.

A beach-inspired blend of Mexican and Southern California flavors has come to the Aria with this week’s opening of Javier’s restaurant.

It’s the fourth location for Javier’s, which grew from a location on Pacific Coast Highway in 1995. Although it’s not what some would consider authentic Mexican food, it is steeped in tradition, co-founder Javier Sosa said.

“The dishes we present at Javier’s are derived from generations upon generations of my family’s recipes,” said Sosa, who oversaw the training of some 200 employees at the Las Vegas restaurant.

The restaurant has received top reviews from customers on Yelp, especially for its margaritas.

Dodd Mitchell, creator of looks at restaurants on Sunset Boulevard and hotels in Beverly Hills, designed the 9,000-square-foot space, which includes booths with corset-style lacing and a metal bar fashioned to look like a roulette wheel. The bar has four phone-charging hubs embedded in it.

A prominent piece of art is a 25-foot, 3,000-pound chainsaw carving by J. Chester Armstrong.

Among the first guests were former Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, who dined in a private area with friends Sunday night.

Javier’s is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner is served until 2 a.m. For reservations, call 702-590-3637.