Netflix Bites Closes, Avenue Cafe Reopens at MGM Grand
One of the more offbeat Las Vegas culinary concepts in recent memory, Netflix Bites, has closed at MGM Grand after a one-year run.
The restaurant, inspired by shows on Netflix, has already been replaced by the restaurant that was in the space prior to Netflix Bites, the Avenue Cafe.
See? We waited an entire paragraph to mention that “offbeat” was a diplomatic way of saying “lame,” because 2026 is the year we show self-restraint, tact and maturity for once, probably. Aw, screw that, it was lame.
Netflix Bites basically sought to exploit the streaming service’s brand popularity by slapping together dishes from some of its most popular shows.
Menu items at Netflix Bites were inspired by “Stranger Things,” “Bridgerton,” “Squid Game,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Love Is Blind,” “Too Hot to Handle,” “The Floor Is Lava,” “Wednesday,” “The Gentlemen,” “Money Heist” and “One Piece.”
In other words, the concept was so thin, it could fit through the tines of a fork. Yes, we just looked up what those are called. “Tines.” You are damned well going to learn something if it’s the last thing we do.
Ultimately, the cleverness came across as just trying too hard, and the food was deemed “your average cafe food” by guests.
For example, from “Stranger Things,” there was Eleven’s Fried Feast (crispy chicken-and-waffle sliders), Upside Down Chicken & Eggo Waffles and Stranger Wings.
Physically painful.
Basically, visitors were part of an experiment. (Sound familiar, “Stranger Things” fans?)
Netflix was testing the waters for a permanent Netflix House. Two already exist in Philadelphia and Dallas. Both are located in shopping malls. Las Vegas has those!
The third Netflix House will open on the Las Vegas Strip in 2027.
It is planned for the BLVD Las Vegas mall, the curious shopping complex that replaced the Hawaiian Marketplace.
What is a Netflix House, exactly? And more importantly, why is a Netflix House?
Netflix House is part of a push by Netflix to create physical, experiential tie-ins to its content, allowing fans to “live inside” the stories they love and giving Netflix a new way to engage audiences beyond streaming. You know, new revenue streams. Soon, there won’t be a need for streaming services, we will all just download entertainment directly into our brains via targeted neural stimulation and Netflix will be scrod.
Hey, props to Netflix for thinking outside the cable box, but Netflix Bites didn’t gain much traction at MGM Grand during its year-long experiment.
Avenue Cafe is a morning and breakfast spot, open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We have never been there because who can stay up that late?
Note: If you work in P.R. at MGM Resorts, please tell someone to remove Netflix Bites from the MGM Grand Web site’s drop-down menu, thanks.
Leave your thoughts on “Netflix Bites Closes, Avenue Cafe Reopens at MGM Grand”