The Story of SO

Some restaurants start with a concept. Ours started with a Significant Other.

When longtime Las Vegans Mike and Kristi Austin set out to build a new headquarters for Austin General Contracting across from the airport, Mike had a bigger idea in mind.

After years of helping construct many of the city’s most notable restaurants, he decided it was time to build one of his own — for his wife Kristi.

So, he called a few friends.

Mike had worked alongside restaurateur Matthew Silverman on many projects along Las Vegas Boulevard. Matthew, a creator of Vintner Grill, Big Chicken, Alexxa’s, and Beer Park, immediately saw the opportunity to create something special again.

He brought in longtime collaborator Chef Matt Piekarski, who has worked at some of the finest restaurants on the Strip. Together with Mike and Kristi, the group set out to create the kind of restaurant Las Vegas locals would return to time and again.

That collaboration became Significant Other — a name and brand developed by Las Vegas brand architect Jason Goldwater, who has spent more than three decades naming and shaping some of the city’s most iconic hospitality brands.

The name says it all. It’s a nod to the partnership that started it, but it’s also what the best neighborhood restaurants become in people’s lives — familiar, dependable, and always there when you need them.

The food follows that same philosophy.

Seasonal ingredients, handmade pastas, sourdough pizzas, thoughtful vegetable dishes, and the kind of roasts, steaks, and seafood that feel both comforting and elevated. The goal isn’t to chase trends — it’s to cook the kind of food people crave, done right.

Even better, the restaurant moves with the rhythm of the day.

Morning begins at the coffee counter with espresso, fresh-baked pastries, and breakfast items in a space designed for meetings, laptops, and casual conversations. Lunch brings fresh salads, house-made pastas, sourdough pizzas, and an all-day signature burger with fries cooked in beef tallow. By evening, the lights dim and the room shifts into dinner — prime rib roasts, dry-aged steaks, handmade pastas, select seafood, and a wine and cocktail program built around fresh juices and seasonal ingredients.

The space, thoughtfully designed by New York–based Celano Design Studio Co. and built by Austin General Contractors, follows that same rhythm. A lush patio creates an oasis while planes land across the street. A large private dining room welcomes celebrations, and an intimate wine room offers a place for smaller gatherings.

Throughout the day, Significant Other becomes what every great neighborhood restaurant hopes to be — a place people can’t wait to come back to.

In other words, their Significant Other.