Kwame Onwuachi has introduced Maroon, a Caribbean-inspired steakhouse at Sahara Las Vegas, marking a new chapter in the city’s dining landscape. The restaurant stands out as the Strip’s first dedicated Caribbean eatery and the first steakhouse in Las Vegas to incorporate Afro-Caribbean culinary traditions into the classic American steakhouse format.

Maroon features steaks sourced from Rosewood Ranch in Texas, including cuts such as New York strip, rib eye, porterhouse, and filet. A signature element is the dry-aging process, where steaks are aged for 30 to 40 days in rum and marinated with jerk seasoning combined with Onwuachi’s mother’s Creole green seasoning—a blend of herbs, aromatics, and peppers. This approach yields a rib eye with a pronounced mahogany crust and a complex flavor profile of salt, spice, herbal freshness, and subtle notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.

The restaurant’s name, Maroon, references the communities of runaway slaves who settled Jamaica’s Blue Mountains and developed jerk cooking. This traditional method involves marinating meats with spices such as allspice, thyme, chiles, and bay leaves before smoking them in pits covered with banana leaves, a technique influenced by Indigenous Taíno practices. The flavors and history behind jerk cuisine form the core of Maroon’s menu, distinguishing it from the numerous steakhouses that populate Las Vegas, a city known for having more steakhouses per capita than anywhere else.

Alongside the steaks, Maroon offers a selection of complementary sides that highlight Caribbean influences, including crunchy plantains seasoned with lime zest and shrimp-shell sofrito, creamed collards prepared in a style reminiscent of Jamaican rundown, and potatoes served with crawfish étouffée. Other dishes reinterpret steakhouse staples through an Afro-Caribbean lens, such as red king crab legs filled and coated with spicy, étouffée-infused aioli and served with a crunchy panko crust, and coco bread fashioned into Parker rolls accompanied by a malted sorghum butter.

One of the standout offerings is Onwuachi’s five-day jerk chicken preparation, which involves brining, dual marinades, jerk seasoning, and slow smoking over Jamaican pimento wood. The resulting chicken, available as a whole or half portion, is noted for its deeply infused smoky flavor and a crackling skin seasoned with warm spices like cinnamon and allspice.

Maroon’s setting within the Sahara’s casino is designed to offer a transportive dining experience, with interior elements such as oxblood leather booths and ambient lighting creating a sense of intimacy amidst the bustling resort atmosphere.

Kwame Onwuachi, recognized as one of the country’s influential chefs, draws on his Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Creole heritage to craft menus that celebrate Caribbean culture. His previous ventures include restaurants in New York City, Washington D.C., and Miami, and he has received accolades such as the James Beard Rising Star Chef award and inclusion in Time’s 100 Most Influential People list. With Maroon, Onwuachi seeks to expand the presence of Afro-Caribbean cuisine on a prominent stage, inviting diners in one of the world’s busiest tourist destinations to explore a fresh interpretation of the steakhouse genre.