Bellagio to replace closed Circo restaurant with Lago, add a fountain-view patio by March

Visitors hoping for a close-up view of the Bellagio fountains during dinner will have a new option when Lago restaurant opens this spring.

MGM Resorts International announced this week that chef Julian Serrano would open his first Italian restaurant at the resort, including an outdoor patio next to the hotel's iconic water feature.

The restaurant is expected to open in March and feature small plates. It moves into the space that had been occupied by the restaurant Circo, which closed Sept. 30.

Circo had a fountain view but not an outdoor patio.

Lago won't have the only patio view, but it will be the newest one since Bellagio opened in 1998. Several other Bellagio bars and restaurants have fountain-side outdoor space, including Picasso, PRIME Steakhouse and the nightclub Hyde.