Flanker Kitchen & Sports Bar is the last thing most fans see before leaving Mandalay Bay and walking across the Hacienda overpass to Allegiant Stadium. That makes it a prime party spot before and after any Raiders home game—and a hot destination to catch the action on at least 50 televisions and a 30-foot video wall.
Flanker is a stylish space with a cocktail lounge, takeaway window and secret karaoke room, yet this new-era sports bar isn’t relying on atmosphere and location alone. The food is an elevated take on tailgate fare for a landscape-shifting football season that culminates with Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas.
The Double Wagyu Smashburger at Flanker Kitchen & Sports Bar
“Looking at a sports bar menu, what can I do to keep the culinary side interesting and fun, while changing things up?” asks Daniel Ontiveros, corporate executive chef with Carver Road Hospitality, the company behind Flanker, which opened inside the Shoppes at Mandalay Place in June.
The original plan focused on burgers, but that shifted to meet demand for the same dishes you’d find in a higher-end restaurant. So the menu evolved. You can still order nachos and soft pretzels but also shrimp cocktail ($22) and lobster rolls topped with caviar ($32).
The entrees wouldn’t look out of place in a fine-dining environment. The kitchen team breaks down a two-pound branzino ($38) in house, pan-searing filets for a crispy skin that matches well with the bright taste of a roasted tomato vinaigrette, shaved fennel and arugula. Whole organic chickens are brined in honey, salt, bay leaf, peppercorn, garlic, lemon and thyme for eight hours and roasted to bring out a crunchy golden exterior. The chicken wings ($24) enjoy the same brining process, adding a gourmet touch to a familiar game-day staple.
Just like Carversteak (another Strip restaurant under the Carver Road umbrella), Flanker sources prime steaks from Chicago’s Allen Brothers. The New York strip ($45) is served with potato dippers, which are like a cross between a potato skin and fry. The filet ($59) comes with a fluffy French-style potato puree, made with ample butter and inspired by Ontiveros’ days working for Joël Robuchon.
“It’s one of those things you don’t see much at a sports bar,” the chef adds. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, you have mashed potatoes.’ I’m like, ‘No, we have potato puree.’ There’s a difference.”
A new weekend brunch launched in time for the NFL season with a similar sense of culinary ambition. Dishes range from a salmon and cream cheese flatbread (a play on a classic lox and bagel) to a decadent crème brulée French toast made with custard-soaked Japanese milk bread, vanilla pastry cream, torched bananas and walnuts. A traditional eggs Benedict uses a thin French-style ham instead of Canadian bacon, while a Mexican version loads house-smoked pork and green chilies on sopes. Wash it all down with a bottomless mimosa package, a hearty bloody mary (with choices of garnish presented tableside) or another thoughtful cocktail by talented mixologist Francesco Lafranconi, a longtime Vegas favorite who now shares his talents across all Carver Road concepts.
Flanker continues to mix things up with Taco Tuesday platters, late-night pizza parties in the lounge and themed specials during entertainment events at the stadium. This sports bar is worth your attention, even without a big game to draw you in.
FLANKER KITCHEN & SPORTS BAR Mandalay Bay, 702-632-8888, flankerlv.com. Sunday, 9 a.m.-midnight; Monday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-midnight; Friday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 a.m.
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