The Sin City version of Cleveland's renowned Mabel's BBQ opened at the Palms in late December 2018. Owner Michael Symon is well-known for his four Cleveland restaurants, plus one in Detroit and another at the Borgata in Atlantic City, as well as numerous appearances on Food Channel programs.
Mabel's Las Vegas serves ribs (beef $50 for two, pork $18, a half-pound of brisket ($17) and pork belly ($15), turkey breast, kielbasa, pig parts (tails, ears, and cracklin' others $6-$8), sandwiches ($14-$18), salads ($13), sides (hot greens, spaetzle, poppy-seed cilantro coleslaw $6-$7), with a full bar and a better-than-usual selection of beer and wine.
The Palms location is a big 9,000 square feet, with a beer-garden patio and what's being called a "secret Meateasy back room."
Live Entertainment: Fri & Sat, 7 p.m.-10 p.m.
This restaurant was reviewed in the February 2019 LVA; some of the information contained in this review may no longer be accurate.
We’ve reviewed several barbecue styles over the years (Kansas City, Memphis, Texas, Arkansas), but never Cleveland, so we didn’t want to put off trying that city’s just-opened Mabel’s BBQ at the Palms. The big 9,000-square-foot restaurant has multiple dining areas, including a beer-garden patio (opens at 4 pm) and an upstairs banquet/party area. A picture window looks into the meat-smoking room. Tables are stocked with three kinds of sauces: hatch chili (not too hot), sweet and sour (KC-style), and that Cleveland concoction. What makes the Cleveland sauce different? Mustard. Cleveland’s own Bertman’s Ballpark Mustard, to be precise. Whereas most BBQ sauces are tomato-based (ketchup), the Cleveland sauce uses mustard with a dose of apple cider vinegar. There’s also a spicy rub on the meats. It’s a welcome change of pace and we dug it!
The food includes ribs (beef or pork), brisket, pork belly, turkey breast, chicken, pig parts (tails, ears, and cracklin’), sandwiches, and sides. Platters are mostly in the $15-$18 range and come with sweet pickles, spicy sauerkraut, and white bread. We tried pig tails, pork ribs, and a half-chicken, with sides of poppy-seed coleslaw and mac and cheese. All good. Our bill was $61, including a beer, and we took home half the ribs and a chicken leg. Atmosphere, food, prices—we liked everything about Mabel’s. Plus, 100 beers are available from all around the country. It’s the same menu for lunch and dinner.
One more interesting aspect is an unmarked door on the bar side of the restaurant that leads to a 50-seat reservations-only “meateasy” called Sara’s. Opening as this issue went to press, the fine-dining menu will offer only a handful of entrées, such as smoked prime rib, shellfish towers, lobster, truffle fried chicken, and a late-night burger. Waiters in tuxedos will prepare some of the food tableside. We’ll report on it further in a future issue.