The Hard Rock Cafe opened in Las Vegas in 2009 and has become a legend on the Las Vegas Strip. Meaning business, Hard Rock Cafe has built a reputation that spans the world over, and no major tourist city is complete without one. The Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas is unmistakable, with the massive guitar front hanging out on the Strip. If you’ve never been, it’s almost like a rite of passage. Everyone should go at least once!
Here’s some trivial history about the Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas, where to find them, when they’re open, and a rundown of our personal favorites on the menu.
History of Hard Rock Cafe
The very first Hard Rock Cafe opened in 1971 and was located in London. It was a cafe that attracted people from all walks of life, from blue-collar workers to celebrities and the elite. Fascination with Hard Rock Cafe grew, and it was just a couple of years later that people could be spotted sporting the classic Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt.
Soon, the Hard Rock Cafe began spreading across the globe and acquiring an almost cult following in the process.
Memorabilia
Hard Rock Cafe became a name that was synonymous with top musicians, and by the late 1970s, they had begun acquiring an impressive collection of rock memorabilia. Think along the lines of Eric Clapton’s or Peter Townsend’s guitars. Currently, the collection has grown to include more than 80k pieces from around the world.
Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas Location
The Hard Rock Cafe had been around nearly 40 years by the time it made its way to Las Vegas. Of course, when it comes to Las Vegas, you either go big or go home. So, going big is exactly what Hard Rock did.
The location in the Showcase Mall on the Las Vegas Strip is three stories from Hard Rock Heaven. Not only does it span 42,000 sq ft, but it’s also home to the largest Rock Shop in the entire world. This means you can get all the Hard Rock shirts, trinkets, and more that your heart desires.
Menu
While the atmosphere at Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas is fun, let’s admit it – the food is really what keeps the crowds coming back. It’s casual diner-style food, but it’s good. So good that the Steakburgers alone have won multiple awards.
Starters, Sandwiches & Light Meals
Flatbreads
The flatbreads at Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas are delicious and perfect for sharing as an appetizer, or enjoying on their own as a light meal, maybe with a salad on the side.
- Pepperoni Flatbread – Melted mozzarella, grated romano cheese, shaved parmesan cheese, fresh basil, traditional pizza sauce, and of course, pepperoni!
- Three Cheese & Roma Tomato Flatbread – a trio of melted Italian cheeses, ripe Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and a luscious drizzle of cilantro pesto.
- Southwest Chicken Flatbread – Grilled chicken is the star, along with avocado, melted cheese, pico di gallo, veggies, and creamy ranch guacamole dressing.
Other Starters
If the flatbreads don’t appeal to you, there are also some deliciously loaded nachos, spicy shrimp, and wings – both with bones and without. You choose your wing sauce, including classic buffalo sauce, sweet & spicy, or barbecue. They’re also served with a side of blue cheese dressing.
We also can’t forget about our two favorite starters – the sliders and the bruschetta, which is toasted artisan bread drizzled with basil oil and topped with tomatoes, basil, and a light sprinkle of cheese.
Sandwiches
The sandwich selection at Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas isn’t massive. They tend to focus more on their burgers than they do sandwiches, but they do offer classics that many people love.
Three of the four sandwiches on the menu feature chicken as the star. There is both a fried chicken sandwich and a grilled chicken sandwich; both served on the classic brioche bun.
There’s also a buffalo chicken sandwich with buffalo sauce, lettuce, tomato, and ranch. We like to order ours with blue cheese crumbles instead of the ranch and with a side of loaded cheese fries on the side.
The fourth option is the hand-pulled smoked pork sandwich with barbecue sauce, slaw, and pickles on a brioche bun.
Salads
If your appetite is calling for something a little lighter but equally flavorful, the salads at Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas fit the bill.
You’ll find a classic Caesar salad on the menu. This seems to be a salad that every American-style restaurant offers. This is fresh romaine tossed with Caesar dressing and the usual suspects. If you’re not in the mood for chicken, you can substitute grilled salmon for a small additional cost.
Our favorite is the grilled steak salad, which is a perfectly prepared steak that’s served on a bed of fresh mixed greens tossed with a blue cheese vinaigrette. We absolutely love what the pickled onions and crispy shoestring onion add to this salad.
Another favorite is the southwestern chicken bowl, with quinoa corn salad, black beans, cabbage, mixed greens, guacamole ranch dressing, and yummy fajita chicken.
The Steakburgers
The award-winning steakburgers are really the stars of the menu at Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas. No matter which legendary steakburger you choose, it will be served on a toasted fresh brioche bun and with Hard Rock Cafe’s famous fries.
The Original Legendary Steakburger
This one is the real deal. It’s the signature steak burger topped with a huge crispy onion ring, Tillamook cheddar cheese, delicious applewood bacon, and the signature steak sauce on the side – oh, and don’t forget the fresh toasted buns!
BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger
A super yummy burger with house-made barbecue sauce and a pile of crispy shoestring onions, bacon, and cheddar cheese.
Big Cheeseburger
A ridiculously cheesy burger that we can’t resist sinking our teeth into! There are three thick slices of Tillamook cheddar cheese melted on this baby!
Double Decker Double Cheeseburger: This is the Hard Rock Cafe version of the classic double cheeseburger. Still, there’s nothing standard about it. It’s two burgers with cheese and all the toppings, plus house-made burger sauce on the side.
Surfer & Turfer Burger
For the adventurous who like a bit of spice with their burger, this is the classic steakburger that’s topped with Diablo shrimp and spicy slaw. What a fun combination!
Smashed Country Burger
Two stacked steak burgers seasoned and smashed with all of the traditional toppings plus sweet pickle relish.
Smashed Spicy Diablo Burger
We love heat, but sometimes restaurants go a little too overboard, and all you can taste is the heat but no flavor. That is absolutely not the case with this burger. Melted Monterey jack cheese and pickled jalapeno set the stage for this burger that will light a fire in your soul.
Smashed Swiss Mushroom Burger
Melted Swiss and sauteed mushrooms with all the toppings on a toasted brioche bun. In our minds, this is pure perfection.
Impossible Burger
Made with the popular plant-based Impossible Burger, this one is tasty. However, it does come with real cheese, so make sure to ask for it without cheese if you’re not interested in it.
Entrees
So, if you’ve wandered into Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas and your hunger demands something more substantial than a sandwich or burger. Let us point the way to the entree section of the menu.
Honestly, Hard Rock Cafe doesn’t offer as much variety as many other restaurants in this department, but it is a good selection of satisfying dishes, each with its own comfort food vibe.
Chicken tenders are often considered kiddy food, but we’re big fans of the crispy Tupelo Chicken Tenders. To sweeten the deal, you get to enjoy the Tupelo Chicken Tenders, crispy and hot, with two sauces – house-made barbecue sauce and honey mustard sauce.
If chicken tenders aren’t your thing, but you still crave comfort food from your youth, the Twisted Mac & Cheese with a four-cheese sauce blend is perfection.
For the carnivores in the audience, Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas offers a generous Cowboy Ribeye and New York Strip – which can also order surf & turf style with one night in Bangkok spicy shrimp. The steaks are served with belly-filling Yukon gold mashed potatoes.
There are also steak fajitas with fresh pico de gallo ( you can also order them with chicken or veggies) and a smoked combo with both tender ribs and hand-pulled smoked pork with their famous barbecue sauce.
For the more health-conscious, there’s also Grilled Norwegian Salmon with a spicy mustard glaze served with fresh vegetables.
Meals for the Kids
Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas hasn’t forgotten about the kiddos, which is something we’re personally grateful for. Las Vegas is so much an adult playground that sometimes the youngest tourists and locals get passed over on the menus.
At Hard Rock Cafe, the fresh chicken tenders served with fresh fruit, fresh veggies, or seasoned fries are always a hit with our kids. There’s also mac & cheese, a perfectly sized burger, grilled chicken, and a chicken salad.
Desserts
If you’ve stuck with us this far, your appetite is probably growing, but we’ve now come to our favorite part of the menu – the desserts!
These are what we consider classic diner-type desserts. They’re ooey, gooey, and delicious. We love the homemade apple cobbler. These are warm granny smith apples that are baked and then topped with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce.
You know it’s pure perfection when the vanilla ice cream just starts to melt into the cobbler.
There’s also the Hot Fudge Brownie, with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, and fresh whipped cream. We aren’t going to lie. We often request ours with both chocolate and caramel sauce.
Cheesecake lovers can rejoice. There’s also a creamy NY-style cheesecake with strawberry sauce and whipped cream, along with milkshakes. How can you resist a milkshake made with rich chocolate ice cream?
Drinks
Hard Rock Cafe offers a fun drink menu with cocktails that are a little stronger than they might taste. The Classic Caribbean Mojito with rum, mint syrup, fresh squeezed lime juice, and an Anejo floater is deceptively innocent. The powdered sugar sprinkle only adds to the unassuming but devastatingly boozy cocktail.
Then there’s the Passion Fruit Mai Tai with Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum. It tastes like everything tiki, but be careful if you order more than one.
For a kick, try the Rockin Fresh Rita with fresh lime juice, which is a spin on the traditional margarita that is finished with a sweet and savory rim.
Don’t worry – there are plenty of non-boozy options to quench your thirst. Our favorite is the Strawberry Basil Lemonade. It’s made with fresh strawberries and fresh basil. It’s fresh and oh-so-good.
Happy Hour
Hard Rock Cafe offers a daily happy hour. Stop in on any day between 2 pm – 5 pm, and you can score great drink deals. This includes $5 house liquors and $6 wines, and you can save $1 off draft beers.
Hours
The Hard Rock Cafe keeps some seriously long hours. They open at 7 am daily and stay open to fill your belly until midnight. The Rock Shop, where you can purchase Hard Rock memorabilia, shares the same hours as the restaurant.
Map & Location
The Hard Rock Cafe is located at 3771 S Las Vegas Blvd in suite 120 of the Showcase Mall. You don’t need this technical address, however. The larger-than-life guitar outside is impossible to miss!
The Hard Rock also offers an insanely convenient location right next to the MGM Grand and is also located almost directly across the street from the T-Mobile Arena and the Park MGM.
If you are staying at the Park MGM or anywhere on that side of the Las Vegas Strip, you can easily access Hard Rock by using the pedestrian bridge that lands you directly in front of the entrance.
FAQs
Does Las Vegas have a Hard Rock?
Yes! Las Vegas has a Hard Rock Cafe of its very own. It’s located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Showcase Mall, close to the u003ca class=u0022wpil_keyword_linku0022 href=u0022https://vegasfoodandfun.com/mgm-grand-las-vegas/u0022 title=u0022MGM Grandu0022 data-wpil-keyword-link=u0022linkedu0022u003eMGM Grandu003c/au003e, Park MGM, and the T-Mobile Arena.
What did Hard Rock buy in Las Vegas?
Hard Rock recently purchased the Mirage Las Vegas. You can expect the hotel to be renovated in phases, with the proposed grand opening happening in 2025 – fingers crossed.
Who took over Hard Rock Las Vegas?
Although we’re all anxiously awaiting the opening of Hard Rock Las Vegas, this isn’t the first time the famous hotel has made a home in Sin City. The Hard Rock previously once existed at what is now Virgin Hotels.
Key Takeaways
- Hard Rock Cafe has been a fixture in Las Vegas since 2009
- This is “The” place to get your favorite fresh steak burger
- The Hard Rock offers classic diner food that is well-loved, from the stacked burgers seasoned perfectly to hand-pulled pork, and addictive mac & cheese
- Don’t forget to pick up a souvenir or two in the world’s largest Rock Shop
- Hard Rock has purchased the Mirage and will be opening up a new hotel with a proposed open date in 2025