Barry’s Downtown Prime
Nothing signifies the evolution of downtown Las Vegas quite like the arrival of Barry’s Downtown Prime at Circa Resort & Casino.
Opened in 2020, Barry’s Downtown Prime is the sophisticated creation of longtime Las Vegas chef Barry Dakake and his partners, Yassine Lyoubi, Donnie Rihn, and Marco Cicione. Together, they lead Make It Happen Hospitality, LLC.
Dakake, once a fixture on the Las Vegas Strip—where even the celebrity-signed door of his chef’s office became legendary—is now part of downtown’s resurgence, alongside developments like the striking Symphony Park and the expansive Expo at Market Center.
A veteran of Las Vegas’ culinary evolution, Dakake first made his mark at Aureole, a restaurant famous for its gravity-defying wine stewards who soared up and down towering wine racks, ushering in the Strip’s restaurant renaissance. He then took the helm at N9NE Steakhouse, where his A-list clientele helped solidify its reputation as one of the city’s top steakhouses—until the Palms Casino location temporarily closed for remodeling, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered much of Las Vegas.
A firm believer in teamwork, Dakake has built a loyal crew, many of whom have been with him since his early days at Aureole. His chef de cuisine, Patrick Hodge III, is among them, as are two of his partners, Lyoubi and Cicione, both of whom worked alongside him at N9NE. This close-knit team gave him a distinct advantage when launching Barry’s Downtown Prime, allowing him to assemble a seasoned kitchen staff with ease—something many restaurateurs struggled with post-pandemic.
This new venture also offered Dakake the rare opportunity to custom-design his own kitchen, from self-draining stainless-steel icing racks for fresh seafood to a wood-fired broiler for meats and custom-crafted serving dishes.
While Dakake’s name is synonymous with steak, his true passion lies with seafood. “I grew up in the Ocean State and loved it,” he says of his Providence, Rhode Island, upbringing. As a result, the seafood selections on his menu receive just as much attention as the steaks.
Still, when it comes to steak, Dakake has his favorites. “I’ve always been a fan of the Porterhouse—it’s the best of both worlds, the filet and the New York strip, on the bone,” he explains. For ribeye lovers, he offers a 44-ounce tomahawk steak made from Mishima Reserve beef, the domestic answer to Japanese Wagyu. Finished over a fruitwood and charcoal broiler, the steak arrives at the table with a perfect char—a true feast for a special occasion.