America Restaurant at New York-New York is Transitioning
A Las Vegas fixture, America restaurant at New York-New York, is quietly getting a refresh after nearly 30 years of operation.
By “refresh” we mean a floor-to-ceiling overhaul, all while staying open 24/7 during the makeover. The renovation of America will be completed in Sep. 2026, and will include a new menu of food and cocktails.
America could use a serious reinvention, honestly. There’s probably a metaphor in there somewhere, but we’ve been canceled several times this week already, so let’s just take a look at some innocuous restaurant renderings and pretend everything’s just fine.
Here are some deets from the news release, assuming our fellow youths still use the word “deets”: “The nearly 9,800-square-foot transformation by globally renowned architectural firm Zebra reimagines America from the ground up, trading the diner’s familiar red, white and blue for a richer, more sophisticated American palette of warm terracotta, deep walnut and jewel-toned teal. Soaring ceilings and a dramatic faux skylight bathe the space in light designed to evoke the feel of natural sunlight and echo the original America Restaurant in New York City. Underfoot, checkerboard tile and warm wood flooring set a retro-American foundation.”
Takeaway: Terracotta, deep walnut and jewel-toned teal are the new red, white and blue. Oh, look, another metaphor we aren’t going to expand upon!
When we shared news of the renovation on the Twitters, there were a lot of questions about the restaurant’s map of America.
America shares, “At the heart of the dining room, America’s original sculptural map of the United States is reborn as a dynamic projection canvas powered by a state-of-the-art mapping system that transforms the piece throughout the day and night.”
So, chill, they’ve got this.
As for the menu revamp, “Executive Chef Brandon Flores has developed more than a dozen new dishes, elevating America’s diner roots without losing what guests love most. New selections include seared salmon with green beans, cauliflower puree, frisee and sherry shallot vinaigrette; cauliflower steak with tomato confit, radish, crispy shallots and balsamic vinaigrette; bacon mac-n-cheese with an artisanal cheese blend and crispy herb crust; and a wood-fired flatbread topped with prosciutto and arugula, olive oil and balsamic glaze.”
They aren’t done with your salivatory glands yet: “Longtime favorites remain at the heart of the menu, including the oversized ‘3-Pounder’ giant pancake; the N.Y. State of Mind breakfast with two eggs any style, bacon or sausage and a choice of sides, steak and eggs with prime New York strip; the signature 10-ounce ribeye special with seasonal vegetables and a baked potato; and the Philly cheesesteak loaded with thinly sliced, sautéed ribeye with peppers, onions, mushroom, provolone and cheese sauce.”
Yes, that’s a lot of details about the food, but we needed words to keep the renderings from slapping together.
We are not leaving out the cocktails part, “The drink menu brings the same larger-than-life energy. America’s Biggest Mimosa arrives loaded with JP Chenet sparkling wine, orange juice, strawberries and orange slices, while the Strawberry Shortcake Loop mixes Skyy vodka, cream, Fruity Pebbles, cranberry and fresh lemon in a doughnut-shaped glass topped with cotton candy.”
America opened in 1997, the same year New York-New York debuted. The restaurant is operated by Ark Restaurants.
Ark is a publicly traded restaurant company founded in New York in 1983.
Ark operates several restaurants at New York-New York plus the resort’s room service, banquet facilities, employee dining room and multiple food-court concepts. Ark operates America, Gallagher’s Steakhouse, Gonzalez y Gonzalez and various Village Streets/Village Eateries concepts there. Ark also operates Yolos Mexican Grill at Planet Hollywood.
The original America restaurant, also from Ark, was called America in Manhattan. It opened in 1984 and closed in 2005, probably due to the inexplicable popularity of “My Humps.”
On June 24, 2022, Ark extended America’s lease at New York-New York through Dec. 31, 2033. As part of that deal, Ark agreed to spend at least $4 million to renovate the restaurant.
Yes, it’s taken a minute.
Ark spent $150,000 on the project in 2024, then $175,000 by March 2025, $400,000 by June 2025, $1.6 million by September 2025 and $2.4 million by December 2025. The completion deadline has been nudged back repeatedly along the way.
During Ark’s May 2026 earnings call, Ark said the company hoped to open the “new America” in early July, oopsie, and said Ark was trying to transform it from a restaurant serving hotel customers into a restaurant people would seek out as a destination.
It’s worth noting this isn’t America’s first makeover. The restaurant was renovated in 2017 to the tune of about $600,000 in construction costs.
An awkward part of the America story: In 2021, Ark briefly added a “process fee” to its checks. After our story and the resulting customer blowback, Ark removed the fee after just three days and characterized it as “lesson learned.”
We still give props to Ark for being so responsive.
It’s clear Ark is bullish on Las Vegas, and MGM Resorts is bullish on its relationship with Ark.
The overall trend in Las Vegas resort restaurants is to self-manage because the operator gets to keep more of the revenue.
America is a reliable casino cafe and 24/7 service is increasingly rare, so we’re glad to see Ark devoting resources to making America great again.
All demands for cancelation should be submitted in writing to go away and get a life.
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