LAS VEGAS—The Las Vegas Strip is constantly welcoming fresh culinary destinations and novel immersive experiences, and now, Netflix is combining the two with its Netflix Bites Vegas concept at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. The restaurant, which debuted with a special first look and preview event on Feb. 10, is now open and accepting reservations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Squid Game guards, aka the Masked Men, greeted (and intimidated) guests of the Netflix Bites Vegas first look and preview dinner on Feb. 10.Photo: David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
Netflix is no stranger to bringing its iconic shows to life. The one-year culinary residency is an innovative take on the streaming platform’s Netflix Bites LA, which was a chef-based pop-up experience highlighting its culinary programming in 2023. Netflix Bites Vegas, however, puts a fresh spin on this experience by expanding its focus to all of its hit shows, giving fans of favorites like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Love Is Blind, and more a tasty way to interact with these programs IRL.
“We were inspired to create Netflix Bites to give our fans a new way to experience their favorite movies and TV shows,” explained Josh Simon, vice president of consumer products at Netflix. “One of the things that we found is that when [they] find a favorite movie or TV show, our fans don't just love it, they want to live it.”
Invited guests, including members of the media and several Netflix personalities, enjoyed a first look of the new restaurant before it officially opened to guests on Feb. 11.Photo: David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
Centrally located on MGM Grand’s buzzing casino floor, the restaurant stands out with its neon signs and bold red, yellow, and teal color palette, which was inspired by the Netflix brand itself, modern diners, and the city of Las Vegas.
“We selected Las Vegas as the next location for Netflix Bites because there really is no [other] city around the world that knows how to immerse fans in these over-the-top worlds,” said Simon. “As we were thinking about Las Vegas, it became pretty clear that MGM was the best partner for us. They operate top-notch experiences and restaurants all over Vegas, and we knew that they'd be the ideal creative partner to deliver the immersive, fun, original storytelling that we were looking to deliver for fans in food and drink format.”
Louis Russell and Isaac Francis from Too Hot to Handle sampled the Too Hot to Handle bloody mary, which lives up to its name thanks to Absolut habanero-infused vodka and house bloody mary mix and is garnished with cayenne candied bacon, celery, olive, lime, and pepperoncini.Photo: David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
Netflix collaborated not only with MGM on the pop-up, but also with several design partners to bring to life the storytelling for which the streaming platform is known. Fabrication was handled by local design build firm CARMA, while Valerie Insardi helmed lighting design. Cheeky murals and illustrations nodding to Netflix shows are an impactful design element throughout the space, with signage (including neon and prints) handled by Las Vegas-based Egads, the “BITES” mural by Greg Ghielmetti, and framed illustrations by Paul Blow at Handsome Frank.
Netflix Bites Vegas is a yearlong spinoff of the streaming platform's Netflix Bites LA, which was a 2023 pop-up focused exclusively on Netflix's culinary programming.Photo: David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
Netflix Bites Vegas’ playful atmosphere amplifies its menu of unique, interactive, and Instagrammable dishes and drinks. Vegas excels at over-the-top presentations, and this menu is no exception. The Grand Line Showboat, inspired by ONE PIECE, is a sushi ship full of spicy tuna rolls; Red Bite, Green Bite nods to Squid Game, featuring fried chicken bites and three dipping sauces of varying spice levels, which are determined by the spin of a wheel; the Bridgerton-inspired Regency Tea is a three-tiered tea service complete with finger sandwiches, scones, and more; and Eleven’s Feast features chicken and waffles as an homage to the Stranger Things character’s favorite foods.
The Red Bite, Green Bite appetizer puts a playful spin on the Red Light, Green Light game in Squid Game. Diners spin the wheel to determine which dipping sauce to dunk their crispy chicken bite into, with each ranging in heat level from mild to extra spicy.Photo: Stephanie Gonot
Netflix Bites Vegas is just one of 40 unique attractions built by Netflix, reaching more than 7.5 million customers globally as part of its strategy to interact with fans beyond the screen. The new Vegas culinary experience joins the likes of the highly popular Squid Game: The Experience, which is now open in New York City, Madrid, and Sydney and will soon debut in Seoul, South Korea.
Netflix favorite Bridgerton is also getting in on the IRL action, with new product collaborations at Walmart, Hallmark, and Betty Crocker, as well as its Bridgerton Concert By Candlelight series, which recently expanded to more than 30 new cities, bringing the experience to more than 200 cities around the world. And, on Valentine’s Day, Queen Charlotte herself (played by Golda Rosheuvel) hosted a virtual preview of the upcoming fourth season with the show’s stars and series showrunner Jess Brownell.
Stranger Things actress Cara Buono stopped by the preview event to sample a few Netflix Bites Vegas specialties, including Eleven's Feast of chicken and waffles, and the cotton candy-topped Mind Flayer cocktail, which infuses Maker's Mark bourbon, lemon juice, blackberries, St. Germain, Giffard Crème de Mûre, and ginger syrup.Photo: David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
Beyond brand collaborations and immersive and virtual experiences, Netflix shows are moving from the screen to the stage. Stranger Things: The First Shadow is set in Hawkins in 1959, before the TV show's timeline begins. The play first opened in London’s West End, with performances running through April 6, and tickets for the Broadway production at New York’s Marquis Theatre are on sale now, with shows beginning March 28.
Combining all of Netflix’s prowess in the real-world space is Netflix House, set to debut this year. The permanent hot spots will allow fans to interact with their favorite shows through rotating immersive experiences and F&B offerings, with the first locations set to open at shopping destinations King of Prussia in Pennsylvania and Galleria Dallas.
