Latest news with #NetflixBites
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Bite into the plot: How movies are stirring up the menus
Once confined to screens, cinematic storytelling has now spilled over into our plates and glasses. Across India and beyond, restaurants and cafés are embracing the trend of OTT-inspired dining — crafting immersive menus that blur the lines between food and film. Whether it's a glitter-dusted mocktail echoing Disney's Encanto (2021 )or a tasting menu that channels the spirit of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), this isn't just about themed meals — it's about eating emotions, tasting plotlines and sipping cinematic nostalgia. The phenomenon gained traction earlier this year when Netflix launched Netflix Bites at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (USA). On the menu? Squid Game-style snacks and Bridgerton-inspired brunches. It wasn't long before restaurants around the world followed suit. Viewers didn't just want to binge-watch anymore but also binge-eat their favourite shows. As Josh Simon, Vice President of Consumer Products at Netflix, puts it: 'Fans don't just want merch anymore. They want experiences.' This genre of dining goes beyond clever names. A dish isn't just tasty — it's dramatic, poetic, even bittersweet. Menus read like screenplays; a salad might serve as the emotional reset of Act Two. The goal? To evoke the narrative through taste. At EnCanto, a Gurugram café named after the 2021 Disney film, food becomes pure sensory magic. 'OTT shows are no longer something we just binge,' says director Tusheeta Khanna, adding, 'They're part of our emotional vocabulary.' Their star drink, the Casita Cooler — a shimmering mocktail of coconut water, pineapple, and passionfruit — is designed to feel like stepping inside the film's enchanted house of the same name. In Bengaluru, ParTTwo channels the essence of Endless Summer (1966), a surf documentary that celebrates eternal sunshine and travel. Chef Karan Upmanyu crafts dishes like the Wai-Wai Salad, a grown-up spin on the beloved Nepali snack. With cold shrimp, pomelo, crispy noodles, and cabbage, it captures both nostalgia and freshness. 'Summer is about joy, boldness, and friendships,' he says. 'That's what we've tried to plate.' Seasonal ingredients like mango and pumpkin get unexpected, playful treatments — culinary nods to carefree memories and sun-drenched wanderlust. Taking the idea even further, Sunset Cinema Club and The Piano Man group in Delhi teamed up to create a night where films and food come together in a full-blown sensory celebration. Arjun Sagar Gupta from The Piano Man says, 'This initiative lets us take storytelling to a new level with curated menus and drinks.' Their first pick, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, feels just right. With its vibrant Spanish setting and emotionally charged travel narrative, the film offered plenty to work with. Chef Manoj designed a Spanish-inspired tasting menu with cocktails named after the film's characters to match its mood and key scenes. 'All the dishes are linked to specific moments in the film,' explains Sahil. 'The menu features churros con patatas, bruschettas, hearty stews, and tapas-style bites, along with table snacks like truffle popcorn. Each one is designed to echo a scene or emotion from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.' At Taste Cinemas — with locations across India — the cinematic dining experience is literal. Their recent Twilight-inspired event featured a nine-course menu, from blood-red shots to edible baseballs, recreating the film's love story bite by bite.
Sky News AU
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
‘Exhausted with this woman': Netflix excludes Meghan Markle's recipes in Vegas restaurant
'To Di For' podcast host Kinsey Schofield says Netflix has allegedly excluded Meghan Markle's recipes from her cooking show in their restaurant in Las Vegas, claiming the streaming service is 'exhausted with this woman'. 'So, since Meghan's show flopped, bosses at Netflix have been quiet about their ongoing partnership …, Meghan Markle's loose fruit spread didn't make the cut for the streamer's official restaurant in Vegas,' Ms Schofield said. 'Netflix Bites … serves food inspired by some of their biggest shows, you know, like Bridgerton-themed items. 'You got fake royals, you literally work with a real one, who's chilling jam, why's that not on your menu? 'It's just that Netflix's exhausted with this woman, and they're over it.'
Forbes
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Where To Eat And Drink WWE-Style In Las Vegas During WrestleMania 41
WWE star Tiffany Stratton shows off the WWE Smashburger at Netflix Bites. Try it ahead of ... More WrestleMania 41. The road to WrestleMania 41 ends in Las Vegas, and whether you've scored a ticket to Allegiant Stadium or are just riding the wave of chaos with fellow fans, the Strip has options for eating and drinking like a champion. Two standout spots—Netflix Bites and Proper Bar—are coming off the top rope with WWE-themed menus that are big, bold, and ready to rumble. First up: Netflix Bites, the official Netflix restaurant inside MGM Grand, where streaming and snacking collide. Operated by MGM, this is where dishes from or inspired by Netflix shows come to life. Think of it as 'watch it on Netflix, taste it at Netflix Bites.' Just in time for WrestleMania weekend, Netflix Bites is dropping the WWE Smashburger, which they describe as "that damn good!' This Oklahoma-style double-patty burger is smashed with grilled onions and topped with American cheese, tangy pickles, and a signature 'royal sauce,' all framed by a brioche bun. The WWE tie-in makes perfect sense. In 2024, Netflix officially became the new home of Monday Night Raw, bringing WWE's flagship weekly show to the platform in a multi-year streaming deal. It was a major play that's already paying off. The debut episode of WWE's Monday Night Raw to stream on the platform drew 4.9 million views globally, outperforming previous cable numbers and pulling in younger demos. The Rock Bottom hits sweet and smooth with Ciroc vodka, strawberry syrup, Nigori sake, and lemon. Over at Proper Eats Food Hall inside the ARIA Resort & Casino, Proper Bar is launching a trio of exclusive cocktails for WrestleMania weekend that feel tailor-made for a Vegas brawl. Available Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20, these drinks are as extra as the wrestling legends they're inspired by. Start with the Stone Cold Stunner, a high-octane collision of Código Tequila, watermelon Red Bull, Aperol, orgeat, and lemon served on the rocks. Next up, The Rock Bottom: a smooth mix of Ciroc vodka, strawberry syrup, Nigori sake, and lemon juice. It's pink, punchy, and unapologetically bold. Finally, there's Hogan's Powerbomb, made with Bacardi Rum, orgeat, Fever Tree cola, and lime. It's sweet, dark, and goes down easier than a leg drop. Each cocktail is $21 and only available at Proper Bar for the big weekend. No folding chair required. Whether you're chasing nostalgia, looking for something Instagrammable, or just want to sip on a fun drink, Vegas has you covered. WrestleMania weekend isn't just a spectacle. It's also a chance to eat and drink like you've earned the title belt.
USA Today
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Netflix Bites opens in Las Vegas: We take you inside the streamer-themed restaurant
Netflix Bites opens in Las Vegas: We take you inside the streamer-themed restaurant Show Caption Hide Caption This Backstreet Boy already lives in Las Vegas ahead of Sphere shows The Backstreet Boys chat with USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa about relocating to Las Vegas for the band's residency at the Sphere. 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. More: Kate Hudson's basketball comedy 'Running Point' hits most of its shots: Review 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 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.
South China Morning Post
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Netflix Bites brings tastes of shows to Vegas. Think Stranger Things pizza, Bridgerton tea
To enter Netflix Bites, the restaurant collaboration between the streaming giant and the Las Vegas hotel MGM Grand, you pass through glistening red lips, opening wide just off the casino floor, then proceed up a gentle incline. Advertisement As you crest the summit, a large image of Beth Harmon, Anya Taylor-Joy 's character from The Queen's Gambit, hangs to the right. Harmon nestles in a giant martini glass, a chess piece held aloft, chess boards above and below. Other images from the titles that inspired Netflix Bites hang throughout: a surfer riding a slice of pepperoni pizza that nods to the Surfer Boy Pizza chain in Stranger Things , Queen Charlotte from Bridgerton literally spilling all the tea as she reads Lady Whistledown gossip, the One Piece pirate ship with a cargo of Japanese rice-and-seaweed musubi snacks, and several more artworks. These images, rendered in saturated colours, owe something to cartoon stills, something to pop art, even a little something to posters by 19th-century French painter Toulouse-Lautrec. Netflix Bites aims to bring the streaming platform's shows to life, according to its vice-president of consumer products Josh Simon. Photo: AFP Their aesthetic appeal joins with the game of identifying the shows 'behind' the art – yes, that is a manager from Squid Game shown as the frank in a hot dog – and with favourite memories from watching these shows.
