Las Vegas MGM Grand opens five-level, $200-million restaurant-nightclub Hakkasan

Las Vegas is known for its outsized restaurants and nightclubs, but Thursday’s opening of Hakkasan Las Vegas at the MGM Grand raised the bar for them all.

The five-level, 80,000-square-foot venue is being dubbed the new king of clubs and is reported to have cost a whopping $200 million.

It’s the work of Hakkasan Ltd. and Angel Management Group. Hakkasan operates one of the most successful modern Chinese restaurant concepts in the world with locations in London, New York, Miami and Dubai. Angel Management handles entertainment and nightlife promotions for 15 of Vegas’ hottest properties including Pure nightclub at Caesar’s Palace and Wet Republic Ultra Pool.

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The lush, dramatically lighted space contains a restaurant, a private dining room, the main nightclub, a mixology lounge and an “Oriental Garden,” equipped with its own DJ booth and bar.

The restaurant features a theatrical open kitchen operated by Michelin-starred chef Ho Chee Boon. Signature dishes include stir-fried black pepper rib-eye beef with Merlot; and silver cod with Champagne and Chinese honey.

Then there’s the nightclub, which seeks to compete at the highest level. Vegas, like most of the world, is gripped with DJ fever, and the Las Vegas Sun reported that Hakkasan shelled out an estimated $70 million to pay the salaries of its lineup of superstar DJs for the first year alone.

This list of heavy hitters includes Tiesto, Clavin Harris, Deadmau5 and Steve Aioki.

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