What Joël Robuchon is
Joël Robuchon opened his eponymous restaurant at MGM Grand in 2005, his first in the United States, and it became the only restaurant in Las Vegas ever to hold three Michelin stars during the guide's brief 2008–2009 run in the city. Robuchon died in 2018, but the restaurant continues under the executive chefs he trained, cooking the same haute-cuisine repertoire: the langoustine ravioli with truffle, the caviar-topped crab, the pommes purée that is half butter by weight. Forbes and AAA still give it their top ratings every year.
It is the most expensive restaurant in the city by a distance and the most formal. That is the point. Nowhere else in America can you eat a classic French tasting menu of this pedigree without flying to Paris or New York, and the MGM Grand location — through the casino, past the Mansion villas — is part of the strangeness and the charm. Next door, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon serves a lighter, counter-seating version of the same cooking at about half the price, which matters for the verdict below.
The room
The dining room seats around 40 in a 1930s Paris townhouse fantasy: purple velvet, gold leaf, a crystal chandelier, black-and-white marble, a garden terrace with a fountain that guests can take an aperitif on. It is hushed without being funereal; the staff, many of whom have been there over a decade, are warm and will explain each course in as much or as little detail as you want. Tables are far apart and the pace is measured — this is a three-to-four-hour commitment.
The two theatrical moments are the bread cart, a trolley of two dozen house-baked loaves and rolls from which you may take as many as you like across the meal, and the mignardise cart at the end, a rolling case of macarons, chocolates and pastries. Both are as good as the legend says, and both are included.
What to order
There are usually three routes as of 2026: a shorter seasonal menu of five or six courses, the full dégustation of a dozen or more, and an à la carte list. The signature dishes rotate but the ones to hope for are Le Caviar (osetra over crab and a lobster jelly), La Langoustine (truffled ravioli in a foie gras broth), the quail stuffed with foie gras with the famous mashed potato, and the Le Chocolat dessert. Ask specifically for the potato purée if it is not on your menu — it is always available.
The wine pairing is generous and heavily French; the sommelier team is excellent at working with a budget if you say so, and the by-the-glass list includes serious Burgundy and Champagne. Non-drinkers get a well-considered juice and tea pairing on request.
Price range
As of 2026 and subject to change, expect the shorter tasting to be priced in the low-to-mid $200s per person, the full dégustation in the $400s to low $500s, and wine pairings from around $150 to well over $400 on top. À la carte mains sit around $100–200. With a modest pairing, tax and a 20% tip, two people should budget roughly $1,000–1,800. Check the MGM Grand site for the current menus and prices.
For context, L'Atelier next door offers a discovery menu at roughly half the cost with 80% of the flavour, and Guy Savoy is similarly priced at the top end but offers a broader à la carte middle ground. See fine dining for the wider comparison.
Reservations and dress code
Bookings open on the MGM Resorts site and OpenTable about 60 days out and, unusually for a room this famous, you can often get a weeknight table with a week's notice; Saturdays and holiday weeks go faster. The restaurant is closed some weekdays, so check the schedule. A card guarantee is taken and late cancellation fees are steep. Dietary restrictions are handled gracefully if given a few days' notice; vegetarians are offered a full tasting.
The dress code is the strictest in the city: jackets are required for men (the restaurant keeps loaners), no jeans, no trainers, no shorts, and women are expected in cocktail or evening dress. Children are technically permitted but this is not a place for them.
Best for
Milestone occasions — a fortieth, an anniversary, a proposal — where the memory is the object and the cost is accepted in advance. Serious food travellers who want to eat the Robuchon canon exactly as intended. Anyone staying at MGM Grand, Signature or the Mansion who wants the ultimate in-house dinner without leaving the building. It pairs with a show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena or KÀ only if you eat very early; realistically, make it the whole evening.
Pros and cons
- Pro: the only restaurant of its kind in the American West; flawless classical technique.
- Pro: the bread and mignardise carts alone justify a chunk of the bill.
- Pro: easier to book than its reputation suggests on weeknights.
- Con: the price. A dinner for two can exceed the cost of a weekend's hotel.
- Con: the style is deliberately conservative; if you want fireworks and novelty, é is the better splurge.
- Con: the walk through a busy casino to reach a temple of gastronomy is jarring for some.
Verdict
If you have one four-figure dinner in you and want the classical French experience, this is the room, and it delivers. If the budget is tighter or you prefer a livelier evening, L'Atelier next door or Guy Savoy give you most of the pleasure for less. Nobody who eats the full dégustation leaves feeling cheated; a few leave wishing they had done it on a night when they were less tired. Book early, eat slowly, take the bread.