Tailgate Social to Close at Palace Station, Master Kim’s Korean BBQ Up Next

By Scott Roeben, on August 06 2025
2 min read 4 comments
Las Vegas Las Vegas Restaurants

Today in sad trombonery, our favorite restaurant at Palace Station, Tailgate Social, closes Aug. 31, 2025.

As we have said so often in the past, never get emotionally attached to things you love in Las Vegas.

Successful things don’t close in Las Vegas, so Station Casinos has decided to try another venture in the space, Master Kim’s Korean BBQ. Master Kim’s opens in the spring of 2026.

Fun fact: At a legal Nevada brothel, you pay extra if the “tailgate” is “social.”

Sigh. Damn. We really liked Tailgate Social. It has good food, a video poker bar and while that’s a short list, do you know this blog at all?

The most annoying thing about the place was the sports, but we can endure almost anything if there’s good food and video poker. Hey, we go to Ellis Island and there’s karaoke.

Tailgate Social has been around for five years or so, a decent run, but it apparently never gained traction with the Palace Station demo, which includes a substantial number of Asians. Translation: Good casino customers.

When Tailgate Social opened, everyone was wearing masks. It was weird.

Tailgate Social was operated by Clique Hospitality, which has a hit-and-miss record in Las Vegas. Then again, just about every company that operates in Las Vegas does.

Bars and restaurants aren’t science, they are a lot about timing and vibe and 100 things you can’t really know until the place opens.

The renderings for Master Kim’s Korean BBQ will be very familiar to Tailgate Social fans. Same bar, same TV screens, same ceiling stuff. We were they, apparently.

Out with the sports, in with the sizzle.

Master Kim’s Korean BBQ comes from Vegas restaurateur Freddy Hwang, and will be an all-you-can-eat experience forcing guests to cook their own meats and vegetables on one of the restaurant’s 30 tabletop grills.

The Korean term for Korean barbeque is “gogi-gui,” which also means, “saving a lot on labor costs.”

Look, if we wanted to cook for ourself, we’d have married an American woman.

Oh, try and cancel us. Like you even read this far.

Here’s why we try to distract you with another rendering.

Don’t be mad at us, be mad at the fact they’re referring to someone as “Master Kim.” You can’t say “master bedroom” anymore, so how is this appropriate?

Anyway, no amount of self-grilled meat or Internet backlash to simple facts can take away the sting of Tailgate Social closing.

The only constant in Vegas is change and everything we like going away. Like showgirls and coin-operated slots and cheap buffets and the Stardust and pubic lice. Oh, all right, not everything is worth pining over. You might not cook, but thanks for shaving, ladies!