Chef Kwame Onwuachi, famously known for his Shaw Bijou and Kith and Kin in Washington D.C. as well as Tatiana in New York City, is opening a Caribbean steakhouse at Sahara Las Vegas in late 2025.
This comes months after he opened the Afro-Caribbean restaurant Dōgon inside the luxury hotel Salamander in Washington, DC, last September. His New York City flagship, Tatiana, opened at Lincoln Center in 2022 and attracted food lovers in the city. In both 2023 and 2024, it was ranked the No. 1 restaurant in New York City by The New York Times.
Now, the James Beard Award-winning chef is coming with Maroon, a Caribbean steakhouse that seeks to pay homage to the Maroons of Jamaica, descendants of enslaved Africans who escaped bondage and built thriving, independent communities in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains.
“The Maroons didn’t just run,” Onwuachi told Travel + Leisure. “They thrived. They created something new, something powerful, out of pain and resistance. That energy—that story—is what this restaurant is about.”
“This isn’t just about food. It’s about telling the stories that haven’t been told. It’s about honoring a legacy and recognizing that the food we’re putting on these plates has a deeper meaning. It’s not just a meal—it’s history, it’s resilience, and it’s a testament to the strength of those who came before us.”
Inspired by his West African, Jamaican, and Creole roots, foods that would be served at the restaurant include jerk rubs, dry-aged cuts, scotch bonnet-infused sauces, and grilled seafood.
“We were intentional in selecting Kwame Onwuachi as our partner for the next chapter of Sahara Las Vegas’ culinary journey,” Sahara owner Alex Meruelo said. “His incomparable fusion of storytelling, culture, and outstanding cuisine is uniquely captivating. Maroon will not only advance chef Kwame’s personal vision but also revolutionize the current steakhouse experience on the Strip and beyond.”
Maroon is believed to be the first Caribbean restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip led by a Black chef, but for Onwuachi, it’s not just about being the first.
“It’s about making sure we’re not the last. It’s about opening the door and then holding it open for others.”
Onwuachi’s journey as a chef started with the Shaw Bijou, a tasting menu-based restaurant located in the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest Washington, according to the Washington Post. Shaw Bijou was closed less than six months after it opened in 2016, and Onwuachi moved to the Wharf to cook at Kith and Kin, which was owned by the Intercontinental Hotel Group.
The Bronx native also opened two locations of his high-end cheesesteak shop, Philly Wing Fry, and the second as a stall in Union Market. However, both of them closed in 2019 before he opened Tatiana, another Afro-Caribbean fusion restaurant named after his sister.
He then went on to open Dogon, which was inspired by Benjamin Banneker, the Black cartographer and mathematician who helped survey the city of D.C. in the late 18th century and whose heritage is linked to the West African Dogon tribe.
Onwuachi has also written two books: memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef and cookbook My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef. In 2019, the San Francisco Chronicle called Onwuachi “the most important chef in America.” That same year, he won the James Beard Award for Emerging Chef.
