Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas. It’s an annual pilgrimage for some, but getting to Vegas is only the beginning as Big Game options abound up and down the Strip. Wherever you may decide to take in Super Bowl 51, call ahead for reservations or show up early, as everyone will be looking for the same seats as you. (Make sure to ask about age restrictions, as many parties are 21-plus.)
Maybe check out one of the newest Strip residents? At Virgil’s Real Barbecue (The Linq Promenade, 702.389.7400), $150 gets you an all-you-can-eat buffet from the NYC-based barbecue joint along with a premium open bar, while across the Strip you get an Italian buffet and an open bar for the same price at Carmine’s (The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702.473.9700). Just don’t miss their Scarpariello chicken wings.
If you’re looking for a club atmosphere, the LAVO Bowl (The Palazzo, 702.791.1800) offers open bar and buffet packages for up to $180, while the sister venue is hosting the TAO Bowl (The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Palazzo, 702.388.8338) at prices of up to $160; which one you choose depends on whether you’re in an Italian or Asian mood. Of course, at either, table reservations with bottle service are available for the ultimate Las Vegas daytime-nightlife experience. Feeling a little more honky-tonk instead? Then make your way to Gilley’s Saloon, Dance Hall & Bar-B-Que (Treasure Island, 702.894.7111), where $150 gets you an open bar and an all-you-can-eat buffet including barbecue pulled pork, cheeseburger sliders and even a chili cart!
Lagasse's Stadium
Another favored Vegas experience is watching the game from a casino sports book. At MGM Grand, take in the game on one of the nearly 50 TVs from one of the exclusive quartet of sports book skyboxes available for rental. And at the newly remodeled Caesars Palace sports book, watch the action on the state-of-the-art, curved 20-foot-by-50-foot LED board while basking in the house Caesar built.
For something different, venture downtown to old-school Las Vegas, where the reinvigorated Plaza Hotel (800.634.6575) is hosting a viewing party in the Sierra Ballroom with a stadium food buffet, open bar and William Hill betting stations for $150. Or reserve a beer tap table for the Big Game at Michael Mina’s PUB 1842 (MGM Grand, 702. 891.3922) so you don’t miss a single snap.
Watch some pigskin while dining on swine at Searsucker (Caesars Palace, 702.866.1800), where the VIP Man Cave Experience includes a halftime whole pig roast for $175 per person. On the healthier side, Herringbone (Aria, 702.590.9898) is offering a poke bar amongst their all-you-can-eat offerings for $75, although the basement hideaway vibe might be more appropriate for the Pigs in a Blanket they’re serving, too.
Even the celebrity chefs are getting into the mix. At Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill (Caesars Palace, 702.731.7410), enjoy a tailgate food buffet befitting the pub atmosphere, with snack baskets and buckets of beer for $200-$250 per person. And at Emeril Lagasse’s eponymous Lagasse's Stadium (The Palazzo, 702.607.2665), watch the game on one of the 115 HD TVs, including the 9-foot-by-16-foot main screen with stadium seating, while dining on a game-day special of a 32-ounce bone-in tomahawk ribeye gilded with lump crab meat and shaved black truffles or seared foie gras on jalapeño cornbread pancakes.
No matter where you go, you’re bound to have a super Vegas experience!
