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The Coolest Restaurant In Nevada Is An Ice Bar In The Desert

Column: industry Tag: restaurant Published: 2024-12-16 11:40 Source: www.mashed.com Author: HANNAH SKINNERDEC. 12

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Perhaps one of the most bizarre restaurant experiences in the U.S. can be found in Las Vegas, Nevada, a city known for its over-the-top hotels, attractions, and shows. One themed restaurant many Vegas visitors want to try is the Rainforest Cafe, but a stark contrast to this lush, green environment is minus5, an entire bar establishment made from ice. You read that right: Everything in this bar — from the walls to the seats to the drink glasses — is made of solid ice.

The founder of minus5, Noel Bowman, was also involved in creating Outback Steakhouse and the Jimmy Buffett-themed restaurant Cheeseburger in Paradise. His inspiration for minus5 came from his travels to Sweden, where he encountered a 64,600-square-foot hotel made from ice, fittingly named Icehotel. Bowman's bar has three different locations in Las Vegas: one in Mandalay Bay, another at the LINQ Hotel, and the third at the Venetian.

The cocktail menu changes often and varies by location, but minus5's specialty is vodka-based drinks, like the Icy Mudslide with vanilla vodka and coffee liqueur, and the Polar Breeze, which features peach vodka and pineapple juice. Guests can book minus5 tickets in advance, and ticket packages start at $24 for adults. Each package includes a parka and gloves essential for keeping guests warm in the negative-5-degrees-Celcius space (or 23 degrees Fahrenheit), a temperature reflected by the bar's name. Higher-priced packages also include two cocktails.

What to expect from this chilly experience

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Overall, guests seem to have a great time taking in the winter wonderland and trying drinks at minus5. As one guest described on Yelp, "I was genuinely surprised by how much stuff there was to do, from fun games to ice sculptures. And everything looked so cool." The atmosphere of the chilly space is warmed with lively music, an LED light show, and a professional photographer, as there's no shortage of places to pose for cool photos. To fill the space with frosty creations, the bar hires ice carvers who use chainsaws and picks to carve anything from dragons to surfboards. New sculptures are constantly being delivered, as the bar changes themes roughly every three months. A resident carver is on standby to touch up any melted or chipped ice.

Guests seem to enjoy the drinks, too. As another Yelp reviewer wrote, "Great cocktails! Wasn't expecting much so got blown away when I had the Old Fashioned which was strong and tasty!" The ice cups, which cost $1.50 apiece from the bar's supplier, are single-use only, and there's reportedly a $3 fee for those who break the cup and need a replacement. Especially when Vegas temperatures get into the hundreds during the summer, minus5 is certainly an effective way to beat the heat. Although there's no time limit to how long guests stay, most keep the icy trip shorter than 45 minutes.

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