Aria to Get Acclaimed Gymknana Restaurant
Aria Resort is getting a fancy new Indian restaurant, Gymkhana, in the fall of 2025.
The original Gymkhana in London (in England, for everyone who went to public school) is well-regarded (two Michelin stars) despite the fact everyone makes jokes about the restaurant’s name being very close to “Gymkata,” the wonderfully terrible 1985 movie starring Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas.
At which point all our fellow youths collectively shrugged.
Gymkhana moves into the space that was previously home to the now-closed Julian Serrano Tapas.
The Review-Journal first got wind of Gymkhana back in June 2025. We’re just so darned proud of them when they get scoop without the help of our Twitter account.
The official announcement of the restaurant was made on Aug. 6, 2025, complete with an official news release filled with quotes written by public relations coordinators. To their credit, the word “immersive” does not appear in the news release even once.
Here’s the relevant section of the news release, in all its cut-and-paste glory: “Founded by siblings Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi of JKS Restaurants, the original Gymkhana in London is one of the city’s most celebrated and in-demand restaurants, beloved by A-listers and critics alike. The cuisine takes influence from the breadth of India and is renowned for its bold flavors and rich, layered spicing rooted in tradition. The menu will showcase many of Gymkhana’s signature dishes, broadly focusing on tandoor-grilled specialties, classic regional curries, fragrant biryanis and chaat-style sharing plates. Alongside the signature offering, there will be new dishes exclusive to the Las Vegas location. The restaurant’s bar will feature Indian-inspired cocktails with modern interpretations of renowned classics, all handmade with premier spirits and ingredients to offer a variety of curated beverage options based on guest preference.”
Simply put, solid grub! See lots of pics on the official site.
MGM Resorts is putting a pretty penny into overhauling the Serrano space. To be exact, 400 million pennies.
For a tourist destination with so many great restaurants, there’s a distinct lack of great Indian food on the Las Vegas Strip. London kicks our ass and props to MGM Resorts for doing something about it.
Most of the good Indian restaurants in Vegas—Mint Indian Bistro, Delhi Indian Cuisine, Marigold or Mount Everest—are located off the Strip. We can’t think of any fine dining Indian restaurants inside a Strip resort, which is nuts.
“Gymkhana” comes from British colonial India, the golden era of India unless you were, you know, Indian. Gymkhana referred to elite sports clubs or social clubs established by British elites for activities like cricket, polo and equestrian events to perpetuate the illusion of civility while systematically exploiting the local population. The word itself is believed to be derived from the Hindi-Urdu term “Jamat-khana,” meaning “a place of assembly” where oppressors impose their will on other cultures through violence but if enough time passes, everyone sort of forgets about the travesties, so, bygones.
Or as it’s called in the fine dining space, ambiance!
As for “Gymkata,” the movie, well, it hasn’t gotten much ink lately, but it was a cult favorite that fused gymnastics and martial arts. We are not making this up.
Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas was a government agent competing in a deadly competition called “The Game.” Thomas was tasked with winning for national security reasons (obviously), using his unique fighting style, Gymkata, to fight knife-wielding maniacs, crazed villagers and enemies who just happen to threaten him surrounded by conveniently-placed gym equipment.
The film bombed critically and commercially, but five-foot-five Kurt (middle name Bilteaux) Thomas did not require such external validation. The film is an unintentional comedy for the ages. Thomas died in 2020, or at least that’s what they want you to think.
Why is the movie so dear to us, personally? “The Game” took place in the fictional nation of Parmistan. If you know this blog at all, you get it.
Gymknana at Aria is set to be named “Best Indian Restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip” in its very first year of operation, so we’re looking forward to checking it out in December.
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