The deli board on Hayworth's dinner menu is described in one line: "SMKD Meats, cheeses, bread, pickles, preserves, nuts and other stuff." The restaurant has velvet booths at Horizon Ridge Parkway and Stephanie Street, and a lot of its meat comes from a smoker a few miles south on Eastern Avenue. SMKD BBQ and Hayworth have the same owner, chef Alex Reznik, and the same company, Ogden Hospitality.
Look at it that way and the new brisket choices just below MacDonald Highlands get simpler. You have Reznik's smoke at two price points, and then you have Lester's Deli, which handles brisket in a different way and imports its meat from Montreal. It all comes down to two ways of cooking.
Where the Smoke Starts on South Eastern Avenue
SMKD BBQ is at 10895 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 130. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported it would open Nov. 12, 2025. The name stands for Smoked Meats, Killer Drinks. Ogden Hospitality opened it a few months before Hayworth.
The smoker is the center of the operation. Las Vegas Weekly visited in March 2026 and wrote that the offset smoker sits outside, burns post oak, cooks brisket for 13 hours or more and cooks ribs for six. Reznik told the Weekly, "that smoker, it changes with the weather." That's the honest version of barbecue. A brisket in October won't be identical to one from July.
The menu runs from pig candy and burnt ends to smoked wings, sliced brisket, ribs and sandwiches. The Weekly listed an $18 pastrami sandwich and wrote that it was inspired by Reznik's trips to Katz's Deli. Pastrami on rye is still on the official menu, with slaw, mustard and pickles. The drinks list has beer, a margarita, whiskey lemonade and rum punch.
Inside, a March 2026 review from Everyday Vegas described wood-paneled walls, neon signs, booths, communal tables and an open kitchen. Takeout runs through online pickup.
Up the Hill, the Same Smoke on a Dinner Menu
Hayworth is in Suite C-205 at 1450 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, the commercial corner closest to the DragonRidge side of MacDonald Highlands. In February the Review-Journal announced a Feb. 26 opening. It reported that Reznik named the restaurant for the Los Angeles street he lived on when his first child was born, and that the menu draws on his Jewish and Eastern European family history. His résumé includes a "Beat Bobby Flay" win and Season 7 of "Top Chef."
The room is built for a long dinner. The Review-Journal described 4,200 square feet: an 80-seat dining room in brown and deep blue velvets with fluted wood paneling, a 25-seat marble bar, and a 30-seat terrace.
The connection to SMKD shows up all over the current dinner menu. The Delicatessen Platter uses SMKD meats. A starter called Meat & Potatoes puts burnt ends on a Russian banana potato with cultured cream, and you can add black caviar. A warm challah knot comes with whipped chicken schmaltz. The menu also lists a 24-Hour Wagyu Pastrami. Only the platter is labeled as SMKD meat. The pastrami is Hayworth's own dish, and the Review-Journal compared Reznik's wagyu brisket at Hayworth to the brisket at SMKD.
The bar has a story of its own. Head bartender Giuseppe González came from New York's Clover Club and the former Flatiron Lounge. In 2009 he created the Trinidad Sour, which uses about 1½ ounces of bitters as its base, and the Review-Journal reported he serves it at Hayworth.
Hayworth's own visit page lists dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and closed Monday. Happy hour runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. every day the restaurant is open, with half-off drinks. The February opening story mentioned plans for weekend brunch. The current site lists dinner only, so check before you plan a Sunday morning around it.
A Block Away, Brisket That Ends in a Steamer
Lester's Deli is at 1590 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 170, and its brisket comes from Montreal. The Montreal original has been open since 1951, and the Henderson shop is its first restaurant outside Canada. In July the Review-Journal announced an Aug. 10 opening. Food & Loathing reported that the deli actually opened a day earlier, on Sunday, Aug. 9, "on the outskirts of Macdonald Highlands."
The local face of the shop is co-owner Jean-François Blais, a Montreal native who has lived in Las Vegas for 23 years. He is the musical director and sax player for Cirque du Soleil's "Mad Apple" at New York-New York. His partners are Kevin Fung, who owns the original Montreal restaurant, and Melissa Blais, a longtime Las Vegas hospitality professional. He explained the main product to Food & Loathing this way: "all across Canada, people know smoked meat more than pastrami and more than corned beef. Our thing up there is smoked meat."
The difference from SMKD is in the method. Blais told Food & Loathing that Lester's follows a Romanian Jewish tradition. Most of the fat is trimmed off the brisket before the spices go on, so the seasoning touches the meat directly. The brisket is then cooked and finished in a steamer. The Review-Journal reported that the smoked meat is imported from Montreal to keep the flavor right. At SMKD, the meat comes off a post-oak fire behind the building.
The Henderson menu lists The Montreal Classic at $21: smoked meat and yellow mustard on seeded rye. Le Reuben is $23, the smoked-turkey Avenue Bernard is $22, and The Bernie Parent is $23, with cheddar, grilled onions, bell peppers and cherry bomb peppers on a hoagie roll. The Le Plateau-Mont-Royal platter is $29. You can add poutine, fries, coleslaw, a French salad or lox toast. The posted hours are 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday.
Two Traditions, Side by Side
| Lester's Deli | SMKD BBQ | Hayworth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address | 1590 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy., Ste. 170 | 10895 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. 130 | 1450 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy., Ste. C-205 |
| Kitchen | Lester's, Montreal, since 1951 | Ogden Hospitality, Alex Reznik | Ogden Hospitality, Alex Reznik |
| How the brisket gets there | Fat trimmed, spiced, finished in a steamer; meat imported from Montreal | Post oak in an offset smoker, 13+ hours | SMKD meats on the deli platter; 24-hour wagyu pastrami on the menu |
| Order this | The Montreal Classic, $21 | Pastrami on rye; sliced brisket | Delicatessen Platter; a Trinidad Sour |
| Posted hours | Tue–Sun 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m. | Hours vary by source; call ahead | Dinner Tue–Sun from 4 p.m. |
The table splits along kitchens, not addresses. Hayworth and Lester's share a stretch of Horizon Ridge, but the Hayworth platter and the SMKD counter share a smoker. To compare brisket styles, try a Lester's Classic against an SMKD pastrami on rye. To see how one chef's smoke changes from a casual counter to a plated dinner, eat at SMKD one night and order the deli board at Hayworth another.
Planning Around the Calendar
The posted hours make some combinations easier than others:
- Monday is the gap. Lester's and Hayworth both list Monday as closed. SMKD's own splash page says it's open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Its online pickup schedule says Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Call before counting on a Monday brisket.
- Lunch belongs to the two counters. Lester's opens at 10:30 a.m. and SMKD at 11 a.m. Hayworth doesn't open until 4 p.m.
- Lester's closes at 7 p.m. A late smoked-meat sandwich isn't an option there. After 7, dinner at Hayworth runs to 9 or 10 p.m., depending on the night.
- Hayworth's early hour is happy hour. Its own site lists 4 to 5:30 p.m. on every night it serves dinner, with half-off drinks.
What Hasn't Landed Yet
SMKD's menu still shows pastrami by the pound with a "Coming Soon" image, even though the pastrami sandwich is available. Once the by-the-pound pastrami arrives, you'll be able to take Reznik's pastrami home by weight, and Lester's will be making a different style of cured brisket a few miles north.
The smoker is also reaching beyond Henderson. In September the Las Vegas Sun reported that SMKD would serve its signature sandwiches from a cart at T-Mobile Arena. Reznik told FOX5 that "the same meats coming out of our smokers could make some pretty ridiculous sandwiches." Smoke from the same pit on Eastern Avenue now goes to a Strip arena and to the deli board at Hayworth.
Patty Linson has walked Henderson's foothills with clients for decades, and the best part of the area often turns out to be a short drive from the gate. If you'd like a local's take on the dining just below MacDonald Highlands, or a tour of the homes a few minutes from these three kitchens, Patty Linson would be glad to help. Schedule your VIP home consultation.
