Heart Attack Grill in downtown Las Vegas is famous for all the wrong (or given its prolonged success, all the right) reasons. Opened in 2011, its longevity lives in its gimmicky theme as a fat burger restaurant where customers wear hospital gowns and are referred to as “patients,” orders are “prescriptions,” and waitresses are “nurses.” It’s gluttony at its finest. And, honestly, it’s the perfect concept for pedestrian-friendly Fremont Street, where a sign out front boldly advertises that anyone over 350 pounds eats free–a cattle scale in full public view outside the entrance confirms the comped meal.
Once inside and gowned, diners dive into ridiculously large stacked burgers. These aren’t wimpy.
We’re talking burgers with half a pound to four pounds of beef. Especially heavy are those piled-high, skewered versions that go beyond the barely manageable single bypass burger and push it to three, four or even eight thick patties, which the octuple bypass burger calls for. Push your body even more with an order of flatliner fries (cooked in pure lard) or a half-pound chili and bacon coronary dog.
Finish the Quadruple Bypass Burger (9,982 calories) and they’ll wheelchair you out to the roar of the applause. But if you fail to stomach your meal, you’ll receive a public spanking–with consent, of course.
The vibe: Kitschy, casual and quirky.
The food: Burgers piled as high as you want them to go.
The drink: Pabst Blue Ribbon seems fitting, but they also serve wine and artery-clogging butterfat shakes in vanilla or chocolate.
Time Out tip: This is a cash-only restaurant, so plan accordingly.