Few restaurants in Mexico City have achieved the cultural status of Contramar, the seafood landmark that draws locals, regulars, and a steady stream of American travelers who plan their itineraries around its tuna tostadas and long, convivial lunches. On March 28, chef Gabriela Cámara brings that legacy to the Las Vegas Strip with Cantina Contramar, her first U.S. project and a collaboration with architect Frida Escobedo and Casa Dragones tequila cofounder Bertha González Nieves at the Fontainebleau.

 

For Cámara, the idea of opening in Las Vegas had been circulating for years. “They had been asking for something from us in Vegas for quite some time,” she says. What ultimately convinced her was the city’s hospitality workforce. “Vegas is a city where hospitality professionals can make a living. You have the most qualified people willing to work on new projects, and this opportunity of working in a Mexican restaurant has been very well received.”

 

Bringing Contramar’s spirit to the Strip meant identifying the elements that define the original: simplicity, brightness, seafood at the center of the table, and a sense of ease that makes a three-hour lunch feel natural. “I wanted to make sure the Contramar spirit could come through — even in a place like Vegas, where you don’t have natural light and people go out to dinner, not lunch,” she says. “It had to feel and taste Mexican, even though you’re in a casino in Nevada.”

 

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A tequila program designed for discovery

 

The beverage program gives Casa Dragones a prominent role, guided by cofounder and maestra tequilera Bertha González Nieves, one of the most influential figures in modern tequila. Her team is bringing the full range of the brand’s expressions to the restaurant — served neat, featured in a dedicated tequila flight created for this location, and showcased in cocktails built around the Blanco and Joven—alongside a broader agave collection and a complete bar program.

 

The tequila flight lineup features the Blanco, the Añejo Barrel Blend, and the Reposado Mizunara — each selected to showcase the brand's approach to terroir, water, yeast, and oak. “We want to seduce and enamor people with the profiles of our tequila,” González Nieves says. “Vegas is a place where people go to discover new things.”

 

Cocktails include the Dragones Rosa, a Contramar favorite made with tomato‑macerated Blanco, white vermouth, guava, and lemon; and the Paktli, a citrusy drink named for the Nahuatl word for “happiness,” finished with black salt made from a red wine reduction. A roving margarita-and-carajillo cart adds a touch of Vegas flair to the table. “It lets people see their cocktail being made right beside them,” González Nieves says.

 

Showing how tequila pairs well with food is a key part of the program, both on the regular menu and in the private dining rooms, where Casa Dragones pairing dinners will be available. On the à la carte menu, González Nieves points to oysters with Joven—“you have the brininess of the oyster with the minerality of the tequila”—and a sope topped with caviar and served with Casa Dragones Joven. “It’s unexpected and delicious,” she says.

 

A new kind of Vegas opening

 

For Cámara, the excitement lies in building something new from the ground up. “It’s inspiring to think about what a new public will be expecting and will be pleased by,” she says. “That’s why one makes restaurants — for people to enjoy themselves.”

 

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