Netflix Bites opens in Las Vegas: We take you inside the streamer-themed restaurant

USA Today

02-03-2025

Netflix Bites opens in Las Vegas: We take you inside the streamer-themed restaurant
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LAS VEGAS – The bill arrives in a DVD sleeve, a callback to the roots of the pioneering streaming service.
The menu offers items christened "Orange is the New Mac" and "The Hellfire Club" sandwich.
And the anxiety-producing 'Squid Game' sneaks in with its own wheel of fun (or doom?) with Red Bite, Green Bite dipping sauces.
This marriage of entertainment and eating is Netflix Bites, a vibrant, red-hued restaurant tucked just off the casino floor at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The themed dining experience opened in mid-February and is committed to a 'long-term residency' at the casino hotel for at least a year.
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Netflix has already established dominance in the streaming industry with more than 300 million subscribers worldwide, and this foray into the culinary world is devoutly tailored to the Instagram and influencer set.
Recognizable references to Netflix shows and characters decorate the room, from a pink neon 'I'd Bone Appetit Him' ('Emily in Paris') sign stationed above a booth to the Regency Tea ('Bridgerton') menu offering of finger sandwiches and scones ($65).
Diners whip out their cameras repeatedly, from the time they enter through a pair of cavernous red lips reminiscent of the Rolling Stones logo, to document the surroundings, often the 'Squid Game' spinning wheel with a Young-hee doll centerpiece that determines whether you'll receive green or red hot sauce for your accompanying chicken tenders ($26).
While the fictional severed hand Thing isn't usually on premise, a mound of dark chips sizable enough for the cast of 'Wednesday' anchors the Nachos Nevermore ($18) and a skillet oozing a brownie cookie and topped with a baseball-sized scoop of vanilla ice cream (the Schooled by Brookie connected to 'School of Chocolate,' $14) stands out among meal cappers that also include The Dessert is Lava ('Floor is Lava,' $30) and Trunchbull's Chocolate Cake ('Matilda the Musical,' $14).
The Vegas location of Netflix Bites, near the MGM Grand lobby entrance, is patterned after the pop-up restaurant that captivated Los Angeles for six weeks of sold-out reservations in 2023.
The menu is scattershot for the sake of linking a name with a nosh, offering everything from an O'Ahu, HI: Poke Taco ($25) to the "Sex Education" Hoagie ($18, and yes, it is an Italian sausage) to libations including the gin-based The Pink Soldier ($18) in another nod to 'Squid Game.' But it's also adeptly designed to spur conversation and attract Vegas visitors, whether or not they know their Lucky Boy Burger from their Selling Caesar Salad.
Along with the visual allure of the varied selections, the food is solid, far surpassing the middling expectations that usually accompany theme restaurants in tourist-heavy cities.
Netflix Bites is open daily for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. Reservations are available at netflixbites.com.
The restaurant concept isn't the only non-programming exploration from Netflix. In recent years, 'The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience' and 'Stranger Things: The Experience' have been assembled throughout the country, while 'Squid Game: The Experience' is currently open in New York, Madrid and Sydney.
Later this year, the 'experiential entertainment venue' Netflix House is expected to open in Dallas and Philadelphia.