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Heart Attack Grill entrance sign.

Heart Attack Grill

Field review by the editors.

Las Vegas, Nevada

It feels so right, this themed dining attraction on Fremont Street in Las Vegas -- a city geared for excess.

When we visited the original incarnation of The Heart Attack Grill (slogan: "Taste Worth Dying For!") in 2007 in Chandler, Arizona, it had just survived its first serious blockage. Skimpily clad nurses were part of the restaurant's tongue-in-ulcerous-cheek theme; they would deliver giant platters with dubious bacon and grease-slathered entrees (the 20,000 calorie Octuple-Bypass Burger), and remove post-gluttony "patients" in a wheel chair to the parking lot. But a nation of nurses were outraged at HAG's haughty hottie depiction of their profession. They hated the stereotypes and rallied for its quick end.

Patients wait for their bypasses.

The ensuing publicity acted more swiftly then an adrenaline syringe stab straight into the old ticker. The Heart Attack Grill hit the national news, grew stronger, and moved uptown into Phoenix, to a place with a drive-thru window. Founder Dr. Jon Basso, who had written his own Heart Attack Grill Diet book, had big plans.

There were a couple of uneven years, including a falling out with a business partner who opened a competing naughty school girl eatery, and Dr. Jon's new Heart Attack Grill in Dallas, Texas, which opened, then quickly closed (amid more protests). Soon after the death of their 575 lb. spokesman, Blair River, the Phoenix location also closed. Dr. Jon moved his practice to the heart of old Las Vegas.

Child being gowned.

Consistent with Fremont St., the Heart Attack Grill has an exterior ablaze with neon. The splashy sign glows and promises: "Over 350 Lbs. Eats Free." Apparently, if you're borderline on the weigh-in, you can be re-weighed between burgers to see if you're at the Free threshold.

The high ceilinged dining area is filled with patrons, visible from the street through the windows. And they're all wearing backless hospital patient gowns, along with patient ID wrist bands. This is a great touch -- no one is admitted until they have been properly admitted and "gowned" by nurses at the entrance.

The menu is the familiar offering of gastronomic horrors, including Flatliner Fries (cooked in pure lard) and Butterfat Milkshakes (So tasty!). Just in case, an ambulance is parked next to the entrance (a customer had a real heart attack there in February 2012, and another customer was felled on April 21, 2012; both required the services of a real ambulance). Busty nurse mannequins are positioned in front of a large video wall.

Sign: Welcome - Heart Attack Grill.

One significant change we've noted over the years is a shift in the clientele -- even after dark, a number of families are dining (The Grill has candy cigarettes for the kids), where the original Heart Attack Grill in Arizona seemed more of a magnet for unwinding businessmen and hungry lap dance fans.

On the theme eatery spectrum, Heart Attack Grill may now be a bit closer to Chuck E. Cheese than Hooters, but it's a concept that appears to be successful.

Las Vegas doesn't allow ideas on life support to linger for long.

Heart Attack Grill

Address:
450 Fremont St., Las Vegas, NV
Directions:
Downtown, S. Las Vegas Blvd at Fremont St., in the Neonopolis mall.
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
Save to My Sights

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In the region:
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