Hakkasan

What is it?

One of the biggest nightclubs in the world with 80,000 square feet on five levels including a restaurant, several dance floors, multiple bars, and more.

Where is it?

At MGM Grand on the South Strip.

What kind of crowd does it draw?

Everyone… or at least it seems like every last single person on earth could fit inside.

What are the prices like?

Expect cover in the $30-$50 range (higher when big-name DJs are spinning) and very high drink prices.

When is the best time to go?

This is primarily a weekend club scene.

Why should I go here?

Because you have to be a seen at THE hottest of hot spots in Vegas.

What else do I need to know?

Megastar DJs Calvin Harris, DeadMau5, and Tiesto are be doing residencies at the club.

What’s the bottom line?

Only the strong need apply.

It’s almost difficult to grasp the concept of Hakkasan, the biggest nightclub and restaurant complex in the world at a mind-boggling 80,000 square-feet. To put that into Vegas-related context that would be like taking the entire casino at The Stratosphere and turning it into one, really big dance floor packed from wall-to-wall with party-hearty people.

The first and second floors of the complex at the MGM Grand are devoted to an Asian restaurant, one of a boutique chain that has outlets in London, Miami, San Francisco, Dubai, Mumbai, and elsewhere.

The third floor is devoted to the ultralounge space called the Ling Ling Club. It’s separate in both location and atmosphere to the main club with casual, first-come-first-served seating, a DJ, and a cozy bar. This is the space where you can retreat to when you need a break from the madness that awaits you upstairs.

The fourth floor is the main club level, an enormous barn of a space that seems to stretch out for infinity. It actually could be two separate clubs, one with an outdoor Zen garden feel complete with a waterfall wall and one with a spaceship meets Studio 54 vibe where you’ll find the massive dance floor, lots of bottle-service seating, and several bars.

There’s a fifth floor with yet another bar and several uber-VIP booths and skyboxes overlooking the dance floor. Go up here if for no other reason than to get a bird’s eye view of the sea of humanity filling the space. It’s a bit breathtaking.

The DJ booth is manned by a mix of house spinners and big name artists like Calvin Harris, Tiesto, Deadmau5, and Steve Aoki to name a few. Each DJ brings their own vibe to the club but most of the music is going to be of the EDM variety.

The crowd is almost exclusively young and ready to party until dawn and seemingly willing to run over anyone or anything that threatens to get in their way. The air was a little thick with testosterone fueled aggression on the night I visited but that could have had something to do with the DJs that were coming on that night, Dada Life, who shower the crowd with champagne and bananas. Why? Why not?

Prices are sky high. Figure $20-$40 cover on a regular night and upwards of $75 on a superstar DJ night. Beer starts around $10, well around $14, and the stuff on the shelves $15 and up (sometimes way up).

Like I said, hard to grasp, but here’s a way to break it down… Hakkasan takes everything good about nightclubs and turns it up to 11, so if you like them you’ll love this one. But be warned… it also takes everything bad about nightclubs and turns that up to 12, so if you don’t like them you are going to hate this one.