The people have spoken, and Celebrity Chef Michael Symon was listening. His barbecue is excellent, but visitors to the Palms Casino Resort wanted more. So the Food Network star rebooted the six-year-old Mabel’s BBQ, giving it a new name, an expanded menu and a new emphasis on both sports and music. The result is the new Mabel’s Bar & Q.
More Than Just BBQ
When the Iron Chef and BBQ USA star arrived in Las Vegas in 2018, it was to open a local outpost of his Cleveland restaurant Mabel’s BBQ. And for six years, the restaurant has been churning out some of the best smoked meats in Las Vegas, at the Palms Casino Resort. But visitors wanted more.
“People wanted it to be a little bit more than just plain barbecue,” says Symon, sitting in the newly relaunched space.
“So we still have all that great barbecue that we've always had, but we've added starters. We've added some burgers and sandwiches, a bowl, a big salad, a little bit for everybody now.”
Additions to the menu include crispy chicken with truffle hot honey, soy-glazed crispy ribs, a mixed salad and multiple styles of dry-aged pub burgers alongside the signature brisket, pulled pork, Cleveland style ribs and the mac & cheese he developed with his granddaughter Emmy. But that’s just the start of the changes.
Watch The Game
Mabel’s Bar & Q now doubles as a sports bar, with an ‘80s rock aesthetic.
“We've added a lot of screens,” Symon notes. “Behind the bar, we kind of tripled our screen capacity. And we've added another eight TVs throughout the venue. So there's really not a bad seat in the house if you want to watch sports.”
He’s doubling down on that commitment to sports fans during football season with Monday, Thursday and Sunday tailgate parties throughout the NFL season. They’ll offer even more new menu items, such as sliders, brisket grilled cheese, chili cheese fries and bratwurst, alongside various drink specials. Expect similar promotions surrounding other sports.
Classis Rock & Whiskey
In addition to this new emphasis on sports, Mabel’s Bar & Q will offer a touch of nostalgia, with a soundtrack heavy on the ‘80s music Symon loves best.
“A little more ‘80s hair band music,” he explains. (Symon’s favorite from that era is Sammy Hagar, whom he’s known since the Van Halen singer knocked on the door of his closed restaurant in 1997 looking for lunch.)
One thing that won’t change significantly is the offerings at the bar, which still has an emphasis on beer and American whiskey.
“I mean, I like beer and whiskey,” the chef laughs.
“We have 25 handles [on tap], a lot of local [beers], 50 to 60 different whiskeys, a pretty deep tequila list. We're proud of our spirits. And I think our cocktail program is fantastic.”
So would the chef call the new Mabel’s a BBQ joint, a sports bar, an ‘80s bar, or something else?
“I'm not big on labels,” he insists. “More than anything else, I want it to be a comfortable place that people are coming to regularly, [because they] know they can do a lot of different things.”