The Venetian is one of Las Vegas’ most popular Las Vegas hotels known for its classic Italian renaissance theming and world-class dining options. As you roam through the Restaurant Row at the Venetian searching for where to grab dinner, there’s an overwhelming number of upscale restaurants to choose from. This time, instead of going for so called “safe” options like a classic steakhouse like I always do, I took a leap of faith to try the popular COTE Las Vegas: the world’s first and only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse. Here’s a look inside my mouthwatering journey here (and first ever Korean steakhouse experience).
The basics of COTE Las Vegas
Even from the exterior, COTE’s dark, moody vibe certainly stands out from other super-flashy restaurants inside The Venetian. Unlike your typical steakhouse dinner, the COTE Las Vegas experience involves sitting at a table where meats are grilled right in front of you. While there are certainly options for vegan or vegetarian eaters here, it’s surely a place geared towards meat-lovers like me. If I had to sum up my experience dining here in here in just one sentence, I’d say that any adventurous foodie who likes steak will love it here.
Butcher’s Feast
Our server suggested trying the “Butcher’s Feast” for a first-timers like me, giving me a chance to try a tasting menu selection of some of the best cuts of USDA prime meats the restaurant has to offer. In addition to four hand-selected cuts of meats, the Butcher’s Feast tasting menu comes with a selection of fabulous sides like a savory egg soufflé and scallion salad (two of my personal favorites).
Japanese A5 Wagyu
Choosing this indulgent tasting menu also gave me a chance to try kimchi for the first time in a spicy kimchi stew (which turned out to be way better than I anticipated). If you’re going to try the Butcher’s Feast, I highly recommend adding on the additional 1 ounce of the Japanese A5 Wagyu to your meal.
Served on its own special platter, this Japanese Wagyu will truly make you understand why this type of meat is so hyped up (it deserves the hype). Each bite melts in your mouth like butter in a way that even the best steaks I’ve had can’t even compare. This tiny, 1 ounce piece of steak wins as the best piece of food I ate all evening (yes, it’s that good). I’m confident I will be thinking about this exact bite of steak for years to come.
An immersive dining experience
While the food at COTE Las Vegas certainly blew me away, but the experience was truly made complete from the relaxed, immersive dining experience. Ordering the Butcher’s Feast here felt like a journey because every type of meat is cooked independently. The servers here work together as a team, coming by regularly to check on how the steak is cooking and explain what’s next in the process.
Watching the meat sizzle in front of you not only makes your mouth water, but it extends the meal flow in a way that allows you to truly savor each bit (as opposed to being served everything all at once). First, the team allowed us to try some of the appetizers (don’t skip on the Korean bacon) before we started with the meats. Throughout the journey, servers explain each cut of meat and allow it to cook on the grill independently, giving you time to savor each flavor.
The food quality and taste, combined with the unique immersive dining experience here made it pretty easy to see how it earned its status as the only Korean BBQ with a Michelin star. In a way, dining here is more than just going out to dinner. If you’re looking for something to do in Vegas beyond just a regular meal, a dinner here changes things up in a way that’s a true “performance”.
