Graton casino unveils next phase of $1B expansion with $40M restaurant, rooftop dining and sports bar
In the latest phase of its $1 billion expansion, Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park will debut three new dining venues on May 4: a rooftop restaurant, a sports bar and an artisanal doughnut and dessert shop.
To lead the broadened culinary program, the resort has tapped Roy Ellamar and his wife, Jennifer Murphy-Ellamar, veterans of the Las Vegas dining scene.
The largest and most ambitious addition is Aya, a 28,000-square-foot restaurant and bar designed with two terraces overlooking Sonoma Mountain and the surrounding hills. The $40 million project includes a walk-through wine tunnel and a $1 million cellar.
The menu will center on coastal California cuisine with Asian accents, highlighting local oysters, wild-caught seafood and meats — including Japanese Wagyu — cooked over a wood-burning grill. Produce and other ingredients will also be drawn from the resort’s 40-acre farm, according to a news release.
Renderings depict a warm, contemporary interior with amber and chocolate-brown tones, gold accents, and layered lighting to evoke a polished night-out atmosphere.
In a notable shift, Aya will feature a dedicated exterior entrance, allowing diners to bypass the casino floor — and the smoking areas that have long posed a challenge for some guests. The expansion also includes a 144,000-square-foot non-smoking gaming floor.
Playbook Sports Bar, another addition, is built around a central bar wrapped in television screens, with additional wall-mounted displays and individual table screens. The menu leans classic and crowd-pleasing: Detroit-style pizza, Buffalo wings and a pastrami bánh mì with pickled vegetables and Kewpie mayonnaise.
Soco Dough, the third concept, brings a high-gloss dessert bar sensibility to the property. Doughnuts — made throughout the day — come in flavors such as vanilla buttermilk glaze finished with Maldon sea salt, pistachio rose with rosewater cream, ube honeycomb layered with pastry cream and honeycomb streusel, and Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk drizzle. The shop will also serve fresh gelato, dessert-inspired drinks capped with cold foam and other sweets.
To support the expansion, the resort plans to hire more than 430 employees, including 160 culinary and beverage professionals who will work alongside the Ellamars.
The casino currently operates four full-service restaurants: 630 Park Steakhouse, Bistro 101, Boathouse Asian Eatery and Tony’s of North Beach. Its marketplace includes outlets such as The Habit Burger Grill, Starbucks, La Texanita, Slice House, and Everett & Jones Barbeque.