Naxos Taverna and Kallisto Oyster Bar Open at Red Rock Resort

By Scott Roeben, on February 27 2023
5 min read 6 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Restaurants

It’s a smidge off The Strip, but Red Rock Resort is one of our favorite Las Vegas casinos, so anything new piques our interest.

Such news also provides an opportunity to show off the fact we know the difference between “pique” and “peak” and possibly “peek.” We keep these terms straight by remembering “pique” is a French word meaning “to prick.” Because we have the sense of humor of a middle-schooler.

Anyhoo, Naxos Taverna and Kallisto Oyster Bar have opened at Red Rock, part of an ongoing refresh of the resort’s restaurant line-up.

When you get excited because you see the word “bar,” then realize it’s not that kind of bar.

The opening of Naxos Taverna and Kallisto Oyster Bar would be much more exciting, but there’s lots of seafood involved, and we are not personally a seafood person.

We shall endeavor to persevere.

So many seafood delivery systems.

Naxos and the oyster bar follow on the heels of the opening of Lotus of Siam, a coup for Red Rock given the popularity of this restaurant’s original location. (Yes, we shared the scoop Lotus of Siam would be coming to Red Rock a year before it was officially announced. Please stop with the constant praise, it’s awkward.)

The Kallisto Oyster Bar was a no-brainer for Red Rock Resort and its owner, Station Casinos. Station also owns Palace Station, and that casino’s oyster bar has been printing money for nearly 30 years.

The oyster bar is already benefiting from a simple concept: Limit supply, increase demand.

The oyster bar at Palace Station always has a line due to limited capacity, and the same is already happening at Red Rock.

The menu is straightforward, and fits on the venue’s paper placemats.

Kallisto, sometimes Callisto, was a nymph in Greek mythology who vowed to remain a virgin, but she was into older men, so was seduced by Zeus and was turned into a bear as punishment. Today, Kallisto would be given expensive jewelry and shoes.

There’s a “Pan Roast” section, with lobster shrimp and crab, along with some gumbo, which we’re pretty sure is stew. In the “Charcoal Roasted” section, there are Gulf Coast Oysters, Cherrystone Clams, Head-On Prawn and King Crab.

A good portion of the menu is devoted to “Raw & Chilled,” which describes the application of ice in a holistic remedy sometimes used by people honeymooning in Las Vegas, ironically.

The “Raw & Chilled” options include oysters, clams, lobster, Alaskan King crab, prawns, scallops and caviar (plus a “caviar bump” for $25).

A highlight of the menu seems to be a “Roasted Shellfish Platter” with a mix of everyone’s favorite oxymoron, jumbo shrimp, plus oysters, King Crab and Cherrystone clams, for $110.

Despite the limited seating (just 13 seats), diners looked like they were moving through fairly briskly, so the wait wasn’t more than 10-15 minutes.

Here’s more about the new Kallisto Oyster Bar at Red Rock Resort.

The oyster bar is sandwiched between Lotus of Siam and Naxos Taverna.

Naxos Taverna restaurant is a beautiful space, not far from the casino’s new high limit table games room. Station Casinos is definitely investing the proceeds of its sale of Palms to the San Manuel tribe.

Just the way we like our casino restaurants, a little fancy but unpretentious.

Naxos Taverna is Greek, which comes in handy, because just about everything related to seafood (Lavraki! Skorpina!) is Greek to us.

Naxos may sound like a prescription medication you’d see advertised on “60 Minutes,” but it’s actually a Greek island. The Ottomans ruled Naxos from 1566 to 1821, so at least the citizens had a place to rest their feet when reclining.

You can find the menus for Naxos online, through the miracle of what the kids are calling clicking on this link.

The menus feature what we can only describe as a metric hell-ton of seafood.

We naturally gravitate toward the carbs on the “Dips and Spreads” menu, which also happens to be the business model for the Chicken Ranch.

The “Dips and Spreads” menu includes: Tzatziki, Muhammara, Houmous, Coal-Roasted Eggplant & Tomato, Beet-Citrus Tartare, Crushed Fava Bean and Marinated Greek Olives and Herbed Feta.

It’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Beyond the seafood, there’s plenty for meat lovers, too.

There are lamb chops, Pluma Iberico (Iberian pig), beef tenderloin, ribeye and Beef Kofta, named after the Bohemian novelist whose work was characterized by anxiety and alienation. Probably.

During our visit (we didn’t dine) Naxos Taverna was packed, and a sign said seating is being limited. A locals casinos, you don’t really get a soft opening, though. Locals want new, and there’s obviously some pent-up demand for seafood you can pay for with players club points.

Setting expectations is key when a restaurant first opens.

One of the cooler parts of Naxos is the open kitchen, as the preparation of these dishes is fascinating. There are a variety of ovens and grills, and we trust the chefs love having people scrutinizing their every move.

The fastest service is always closest to the kitchen.

Fun fact: In an open kitchen, you can’t have itches on your nose, ever.

We know next to nothing about Josper Charcoal Ovens, but props for being founded in 1969.

We’re also a big fan of the private dining room at Naxos Taverna. It looked like it has a capacity of about 30 people. It has windows looking into the main dining room and the casino. The ceiling is thatched, just as you would find in Greek buildings before the invention of fire inspectors.

A great room for a special occasion with your fish-loving friends. The room was so inviting, we were nearly tempted to learn what a skorpina is. Nearly.

If you tend to stick to The Strip or downtown, you might not visit Red Rock Resort, but if you’re up for a 10 minute road trip west, it’s well worth checking out.

In the same way Circa brings a Strip vibe downtown, Red Rock brings a Strip vibe to the suburbs.

These new offerings at Red Rock already appear to be a hit, and Station Casinos has found a great partner in Bua Food Group. Bua Food Group is the same company behind Lotus of Siam, a collaboration between restaurateur Penny Chutima and hospitality veteran Lou Abin (who was working the room on the evening we visited). “Bua” means “lotus” in Thai. In Spanish, it translates as “pimple.” We assume they’re using the Thai word.

Kallisto Oyster Bar is open 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Naxos Taverna is 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 4:00 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

We may not completely get oysters—the food with the texture that’s most similar to phlegm—but more power to the people who love devouring them and if there’s any truth to the legend oysters boost libido, we may just be up for it.