For more than a decade, Five Guys has quietly built a strong presence across the Las Vegas Valley. Since opening its first local restaurant in Henderson in 2011, the globally recognizable burger brand has steadily expanded across the region. But until now, Five Guys had never fully stepped into the city’s two most visible dining corridors for visitors: the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street.
That changed recently with the opening of a sprawling new Five Guys at the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort — the chain’s first location on the Strip, and one that introduces several first-ever features for the brand. And it won’t be the last. A second high-profile casino location is already on the way, with Five Guys set to open at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas next year.
Booze, Breakfast and More
The Venetian location marks a significant shift for Five Guys, both in scale and ambition. At roughly 10,000 square feet, the restaurant is far larger than a typical Five Guys, and was designed specifically for the Strip’s around-the-clock crowds. It’s open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m., and includes a walk-up bar serving beer, wine, frozen cocktails, and — perhaps most notably — alcoholic milkshakes.
“This is the only location in the world where you can have a boozy milkshake,” Edward Pizzarello, the franchisee for the Grand Canal Shoppes restaurant, told Food and Loathing at the grand opening celebration. “It took us 10 years to find the right spot on the Strip, and when we did, we knew we had to lean into Vegas.”
That Vegas influence shows up throughout the space, from neon signage and murals inspired by classic casino iconography to a glass-walled potato prep room that puts Five Guys’ famously hands-on process on display. But the biggest departures from the standard Five Guys playbook are on the menu.
In addition to burgers and hand-cut fries, the Venetian location serves breakfast all day — including egg-topped burgers — and a lineup of milkshakes that blend familiar flavors with alcohol. One standout, dubbed “The Arlington,” combines bacon-salted caramel, peanut butter, and bourbon, a nod to the Virginia city where the brand first launched nearly 40 years ago.
Pizzarello said the company approached alcohol cautiously, starting with milkshakes before expanding to beer, wine, slushies, and now classic cocktails. “Burgers are what we do best,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that when we added alcohol, it was still just as good as everything else we serve.”
While Five Guys has operated in casinos before, the Venetian location reflects a new level of confidence — and visibility — for the brand by placing it directly in front of international visitors moving along the Strip. Pizzarello noted that Las Vegas’ global audience made the Strip a natural showcase. “With the cross-section of people who come here from all over the world,” he said, “what better way to introduce them to what we do?”
Hot Dogs Downtown
That showcase will soon extend to Las Vegas’ other major tourist corridor. Earlier this month, the Plaza Hotel & Casino announced plans to open a Five Guys on its casino floor in summer 2026, marking the brand’s first location in downtown Las Vegas. The Plaza restaurant will introduce new elements, including a Five Guys hot dog cart under the property’s iconic dome near the Carousel Bar — a feature unique to the downtown location.
With locations now spanning both the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street, Five Guys is no longer just a familiar off-Strip option for locals. It has officially entered the city’s most-traveled dining corridors, adapting its core menu in distinct ways to match the energy—and expectations—of each.
Hear the full interview with Edward Pizzarello on the February 6 episode of the Food and Loathing Podcast.
