Rainforest Café Debuts with a Lava Lounge and Talking Tree

Rainforest Café
Address: Harmon Corner, 3717 Las Vegas Boulevard S.
Phone: 702-891-8580
Status: Open daily from 11 a.m to midnight, the retail store is open from 9 a.m to midnight.

It's a switcheroo from stranglers to constrictors, as family favorite Rainforest Café debuts at the Harmon Corner after closing a signature location at the MGM Grand.

The former Goretorium horror movie attraction space has been stripped of all scary imagery and the multi-level Café joins owner Landry's Inc.'s very own Bubba Gump Shrimp Co just a few steps away inside the retail center.

A fixture at the MGM Grand since 1997, the upgrade keeps the familiar casual American menu and adds plenty of visual stimulation, including the new Lava Lounge, a balcony bar with views of City Center and the Strip. Cocktails in the lounge include the Cheetah Rita, Mongoose Mai Tai and a Twisted Frog Martini.

Inside the restaurant, guests encounter Tracy the Talking Tree, "who educates and entertains guests with environmental messages every 30 seconds," the 14-foot Nile the Crocodile and Julius Squeezer, a 25-foot boa constrictor "who observes from a tree in the main entrance above Nile the Crocodile looking for trespassers"

With pumped in fresh flower scents, misters and suitable sound effects, while dining under the faux forest canopy the Café recommends dishes like the Rasta Pasta, "grilled chicken with walnut pesto and vegetables," or the Mojo Bones, "slow-roasted, St. Louis style pork spareribs, basted with Smokin’ Mojo BBQ sauce and served with Safari fries"

You'll also be able to exit through the gift shop, pared down from the MGM site, with a greatest hits collection of Rainforest Café branded goods.