What Happened to Forte European Tapas Bar & Bistro? (Las Vegas, NV)

Part 1 — Season 14, Episode 8 Aired June 4, 2012

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Forte European Tapas Bar & Bistro in the 'All Vegas, All the Time' episode (aired 2012-06-04), where Guy Fieri sampled the restaurant's European tapas and Bulgarian-inspired comfort dishes. The bistro, which opened in August 2009 on South Rainbow Boulevard, drew its menu from owner Nina Manchev's Bulgarian heritage and built a following as a neighborhood spot. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal (2024-03-15), the restaurant closed on 2024-03-13 after nearly 15 years, with Manchev citing rising food costs and difficulty covering expenses after the business had already survived the Great Recession and the pandemic. A Yelp listing for the address, updated April 2026, still marked the restaurant as permanently closed.

Part 2 — Season 19, Episode 13 Aired April 14, 2014

The "Vegas Greats" episode returned to Forte European Tapas Bar & Bistro, where Guy Fieri learned to assemble a traditional Thracian Clay Pot, a Bulgarian braise, on a repeat visit to the Spring Valley strip-mall restaurant. Forte specialized in Bulgarian and broader European tapas, including a mixed grill of house-made sausages that Fieri had featured on an earlier Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visit to the same restaurant.

Part 3 — Season 32, Episode 2 Aired April 24, 2020

On the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episode "Takeout: Flavortown Comes Home" (aired 2020-04-24), Guy Fieri connected by video call with Forte European Tapas Bar & Bistro owner Nina Manchev in Las Vegas, according to Food Network's episode page. The Las Vegas Sun reported in 2019 that Forte's menu drew on Manchev's Bulgarian heritage, with dishes such as a mixed grill of Bulgarian sausages and a charcuterie-topped Thracian Clay Pot.