Dining Spotlight of the Week: Anima by EDO

Eleven editions in, and this series has eaten its way through Thai at Weera Thai, tonkatsu at Ton Ton Katsuya, hand-pulled noodles at Shang Artisan Noodle, wood-fired Mexican at Mijo, tacos from Villa's, ramen at Marufuku, Korean BBQ at Master Kim's, a steakhouse at Butcher & Thief, a soul-warming bowl of pho at Diamond Pho, and Strip-quality sushi at Doanburi. Every single one of those places earns its spot. But this week I am doing something this series has not done yet: I am taking us to the refined, small-plates side of the Southwest, at a Michelin-recognized restaurant that belongs on your special-occasion short list.

Anima by EDO at 9205 W Russell Rd, Suite 185 sits inside The Gramercy, a brand-new Class A mixed-use development just west of the 215 Beltway. It is the second concept from the EDO Hospitality Group, the team behind Edo Gastro Tapas & Wine, and it opened in early January 2022 to immediate acclaim. Eater Las Vegas covered the opening that month, and the Review-Journal's Neon section called it one of the finest restaurants to debut in Las Vegas that year. Then, in 2026, the Michelin Guide added it to its list of recommended Las Vegas restaurants. That is a serious pedigree for a neighborhood spot on Russell Road.

The location is perfect for the Southwest. The Gramercy sits right off the beltway, minutes from Southern Highlands, Mountain's Edge, Rhodes Ranch, Spanish Trail, and the whole Durango corridor. You can swing by after a showing, make it the anchor of a date night on the west side, or pair it with a stop at the Durango Casino a few minutes down the road. It is exactly the kind of grown-up, high-quality dining that makes me love this part of town more every year.

What Makes It Special

Let me start with the pedigree, because it is the whole story. The EDO Hospitality Group built its name on Edo Gastro Tapas & Wine, one of the most respected Spanish restaurants in Las Vegas, and Anima by EDO is the group's second act. The kitchen is led by Chef Tayden Ellamar, and the menu is a beautiful blend of Spanish, Italian, and Catalan influences: handmade pasta, tapas, a raw bar, and a proper tasting menu. It is the kind of cooking that rewards slowing down and letting the plates come to you.

The restaurant's own tagline says it all: "Small plates, long meals, no posturing." That is exactly the vibe. This is not a rushed dinner. It is a meal you share, course after course, with the table filling up and the conversation stretching out. The room is intimate and refined, understated luxury rather than flash, which is a rare and welcome thing to find in a neighborhood development.

And the setting matters. The Gramercy is one of the most exciting new developments in the Southwest, a roughly 500,000-square-foot mixed-use project on about 20 acres with offices, ground-floor retail, apartments, and a central park with a pool and fire pits. Anima by EDO is the anchor restaurant there, and it signals exactly where this part of town is headed. When the Michelin Guide adds a restaurant to its recommended list in the Southwest, that is a headline worth paying attention to.

Must-Try Dishes

I have been to Anima by EDO several times, and the menu rewards ordering across the board. Here is what I would tell a friend to order on their first visit:

The Vibe

Anima by EDO is intimate, warm, and quietly confident. The dining room is refined without being stuffy, the kind of place where you can dress up for a special occasion or come smart-casual on a weeknight and feel equally at home. The service is polished and knowledgeable, happy to walk you through the menu and steer you toward the plates you will love.

Because it is small-plates dining, the meal is meant to unfold slowly. Plan for a couple of hours, let the courses come at their own pace, and enjoy the conversation. It is the opposite of a rushed dinner, and that is exactly the point. If you are celebrating a closing, an anniversary, or just a good week, this is the place to do it.

One honest tip: a restaurant with this kind of reputation gets busy, especially on weekends. I recommend booking ahead through OpenTable so you are not left waiting. Go with a few friends and order across the menu, that is how this place shines.

Why This Matters for Southwest Las Vegas

Here is the part I care most about as a resident and as a Realtor. A Michelin-recognized, small-plates restaurant anchoring a brand-new mixed-use development on Russell Road is a major signal about where this corridor is headed. It says the Southwest is no longer just a place with great casual dining, it now has a refined, grown-up dining scene to match the new homes and new roads going in around it.

I have said it in every edition of this series and I will keep saying it: the food in Southwest Las Vegas now rivals, and in many ways beats, what Summerlin offers. The Gramercy, The UnCommons, The Bend, and the Durango corridor together give us a density of great restaurants, from quick tacos to Michelin-recommended tasting menus, that you simply do not find in most suburbs. That matters to buyers. When I show homes across the Southwest, one of the first questions is always what is nearby, and the answer keeps getting better.

Great restaurants, new parks, new roads, new construction, it all adds up to a neighborhood with a real future, and that is what people are buying into. Anima by EDO is proof that the Southwest is not just a place to live, it is a place to dine well, at every level of the experience.

A Personal Take

I have eaten across Asia and Europe, I speak Thai and German, and I am genuinely picky about food. Anima by EDO is the real thing. The pasta is handmade, the technique is precise, and the whole experience is built around taking your time and enjoying good company. It is the kind of restaurant that makes a neighborhood feel complete.

My favorite move is simple: start with the patatas bravas and the green tartare, order the truffle cavatelli for the table, add the Peruvian scallops, and let the kitchen bring you a few more things you did not know you needed. Then take the short drive home through the communities I know so well and remember why I love living here. It is food this good, steps from the neighborhoods I live in and sell in every day, that makes the Southwest feel like home.

If you are thinking about making Southwest Las Vegas home, I would love to walk you through our communities, show you the new construction happening across the corridor, and yes, take you to dinner afterward. Pasta is non-negotiable. You will thank me later.