Smashed Pig Gastropub Abruptly Closes on Fremont East

By Scott Roeben, on May 31 2023
2 min read 5 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Restaurants

A beloved restaurant in downtown Las Vegas has closed suddenly, Smashed Pig Gastropub.

The restaurant was located between the Griffin bar and Flippin’ Good Chicken in the Fremont East district.

We loved this place, but hadn’t visited in a few years, which could be telling. We haven’t been able to reach the owner to find out what happened. A downtown insider says there were rumblings of staffing challenges, and believes the General Manager left the restaurant, taking the chef and kitchen team when them.

Ultimately, financially successful restaurants don’t tend to close in Las Vegas. That said, an eight-year run isn’t too shabby.

Smashed Pig Las Vegas
It wasn’t a metaphor, it was a drunk pig. Deal with it.

Smashed Pig opened in 2015. It was great, an underrated gem.

The restaurant posted a quick farewell message on its Facebook page.

The message didn’t mince words: “After an incredible journey on Fremont East bringing our #DTLV denizens, friends and tourists from near and far for culinary delights, the unfortunate time has come for The Smashed Pig to say farewell. Thank you to everyone who’s shared a meal (or a few drinks) with us over the years. It’s been our pleasure to have you. We look forward to seeing you out and about, keep an eye out for what’s happening next.”

Smashed Pig Gastropub
The space was wee, but the food and mood were mighty.

Not to make a bummer even bummerer, but Smashed Pig was originally a collaboration between husband-and-wife owners Martin Swift and Linda Rodriguez. In a horrible twist, just a month after opening, Rodriquez passed away. Swift decided to persevere, but whenever we chatted with him at the restaurant, his heartbreak was evident.

Downtown Project was involved with the restaurant, but the ownership arrangement was always a little bit murky, as was the case with many businesses supported by downtown visionary and financial backer, Tony Hsieh.

Following Hsieh’s passing, there’s been a lot going on downtown, including a fair amount of chaos around the businesses he was involved with. He was silent partners in several venues, and his estate is still trying to sort out who owns what and what deals were made before and during Hsieh’s mental decline preceding his death.

Anyway, due to some deep-seated childhood issues, we prefer to avoid serious topics and keep things light!

Man, those Smashed Pig fish and chips were glorious!

Smashed Pig fish and chips
It’s up to you now, McMullan’s. And possibly you, Gordon Ramsay.

It’s hard to think about Fremont East without Smashed Pig, actually.

The restaurant was just woven into the fabric of the street, a street that has flourished, with new restaurants sprouting up, often from Ryan Doherty, whose Park on Fremont and new Meatball Hero are just across the street.

Smashed Pig wasn’t physically big, it was just 110 feet deep and 15 feet wide, but it always seemed to have a big heart.

Ours is aching a little bit from hearing this news. We should’ve dined there more often, or at least checked in on Martin Swift and his team. Most businesses on Fremont East don’t feel like businesses, they feel like friends, or even family. They’ve got personality and pluck.

And it’s a plucking shame when one closes its doors.

We’ll let you know what’s next for the space.