The Light Group plans to open the Japanese restaurant, Kumi, this summer. Along with Citizens Bar and Grill and Red Square, Kumi joins five new venues opened by the Light Group at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas this year.
Led by chef Toshiyuki Motoyama, Kumi boasts 10,000 square feet of seating space for up to 300 people. Design-wise, Toronto-based firm Munge Leung created a modern twist on authentic Japanese design for the restaurant. 


Raw natural woods, hammered steel accents, and touches of red lacquer cover the main dining room. Detailed with gold leaf calligraphy, the ceiling contrasts light and dark with a matte black background. Tabletops are paired with lounge chairs finished with pieces of blue and white kimono fabric. Custom light fixtures⎯⎯made with woven candlestick chandeliers⎯⎯add to the whimsical feel of the room.
Upon entering, guests will be drawn to the cobalt blue and white bar⎯⎯detailed with symmetrical patterns⎯⎯along with showcased beverages in Japanese jewelry cases. Within the dining room, a sushi bar’s glazed cobalt blue tiles in a scalloped pattern evoke Japanese patterns, and a back rotunda adjacent to the sushi bar is dressed in paintings of cherry blossom trees. 

“As Mandalay Bay continues to redefine the resort experience in 2013, the opening of Kumi brings yet another extraordinary culinary option for our guests,” says Chuck Bowling, president and COO of Mandalay Bay.
