What Bavette's is
Bavette's Bar & Boeuf opened in Chicago's River North in 2012 as Brendan Sodikoff's take on a French-inflected American steakhouse — dark, candlelit, jazz on the stereo, oysters and a raw bar alongside the beef — and it quickly became one of the most loved restaurants in that city. The Las Vegas branch arrived at Park MGM in 2018 as part of the resort's reinvention from Monte Carlo, and it has been a quiet hit ever since, the steakhouse that food-minded locals and Strip chefs name when asked where they would actually spend their own money. There is no celebrity name over the door, and the standard is set by the Chicago original rather than a licensing deal.
The menu is broader than a classic steakhouse: a proper raw bar, a short rib stroganoff, a roasted chicken and a burger that some people consider the best on the Strip, alongside dry-aged Prime steaks.
The room
Bavette's is dark. Deliberately, romantically dark: low ceilings, tufted leather booths, brick, velvet curtains, vintage brass lamps and candles on every table, with a soundtrack of jazz and soul that stays at a level you can talk over. It feels like a 1920s speakeasy in Chicago rather than a Vegas casino — there is no view, no spectacle and no window, which is either the flaw or the whole point depending on what you want from an evening. It seats around 150 across the main room, the bar and a couple of semi-private nooks. The bar is superb for a solo dinner or a walk-in couple; the cocktail list is one of the best of any Strip steakhouse.
Park MGM sits between ARIA and New York-New York, next to T-Mobile Arena; the restaurant is on the casino level near the Dolby Live theatre entrance.
What to order
Start at the raw bar — oysters, the shrimp cocktail or the Bavette's crab cake — or with the steak tartare and the goat cheese and tomato salad. The steaks are Prime and dry-aged; the bone-in ribeye and the bone-in filet are the two to choose between, and the bavette (the flap steak the restaurant is named for) is the value cut at a fraction of the price. Non-steak mains are unusually strong: the short rib stroganoff with pappardelle, the roasted chicken, and the Bavette's burger with a fried egg and bacon. Sides: elote-style corn, crispy Brussels sprouts, the baked potato. Dessert is the chocolate cream pie or the Key lime pie, both huge.
Cocktails are classics done properly — the old fashioned and the martini are the benchmarks — and the wine list is deep but less brutally priced than Wynn or Venetian equivalents.
Price range
As of 2026 and subject to change: raw bar and starters $18–40, steaks roughly $60–130 (the bavette cut sits lower), non-steak mains $35–60, sides $14–20, desserts around $15. Two people with a starter each, a steak and a stroganoff, two sides and a bottle will spend about $300–400 before tip; a couple at the bar with burgers and cocktails, closer to $120. That undercuts SW and CUT by a meaningful margin for beef of the same grade. MGM Resorts properties do not add a concession fee. Check the Park MGM site for current menus.
Reservations and dress code
Book through OpenTable or the Park MGM site; a week ahead is enough for a weekend booth and a day or two for a weeknight, except on T-Mobile Arena event nights, when the whole resort fills and you should book further out. Ask for a booth. The bar is first-come and serves the full menu. A card guarantee applies. Dress code is smart casual and lightly enforced — jeans and a jacket is the look — with no shorts or athletic wear. Children are permitted, but the darkness and the pace make it better suited to adults and older teenagers.
Best for
Couples who want a candlelit, unhurried steak dinner without a scene. Anyone going to a Golden Knights game, a concert at T-Mobile Arena or a show at Dolby Live next door — book three hours before doors. Solo travellers who like a great bar. Steak purists who care about the plate and the cocktail more than the view. See the arenas guide and best steakhouses.
Pros and cons
- Pro: the best price-to-quality ratio of the top Strip steakhouses.
- Pro: a genuinely romantic, moody room and one of the best cocktail bars on the Strip.
- Pro: a deep non-steak menu, including a superb burger.
- Con: no view, no daylight, no spectacle.
- Con: so dark that reading the menu takes a phone torch.
- Con: arena nights make it a scramble.
Verdict
Bavette's is the steakhouse to recommend to a friend who trusts you: no gimmick, no view, just excellent beef, excellent drinks and a room you want to linger in. Book a booth, start with oysters, get the bone-in ribeye and the stroganoff to share, and finish with the chocolate cream pie. It is the best-value great steak on the Strip and the most romantic.