A $21 plate full of sadness at the Fontainebleau casino sportsbook sparked #NachoGate, which inspired and informed new research on Las Vegas Nacho offerings. (Image: MUTigerMike / X)

The Adult Entertainment Expo and AVN awards show were in Las Vegas last week, yet the casino-media buzz was pretty much all about food porn. 

What would eventually be dubbed #Nachogate began when @MUTigerMike, director of slot operations at The Rio, tweeted X’d the above pic of some pathetic-looking nachos from The Tavern, an upscale brewpub inside the sportsbook at Fontainebleau, and asked: "Hey @fblasvegas we waited an hour for food in the Sportsbook and this is our nachos??? Come on man."

Quantifying Nacho Greatness

The underwhelming display from Fontainebleau went viral (h/t @LasVegasLocally), inviting social media masses to heap scorn and mockery on the most pretentious newest Strip casino, which has stumbled out the gate, particularly in its social media game. 

Millions of impressions later, other casinos jumped into the fray and began throwing shade at Fontainebleau while showing off their own superior nacho creations. 

The nacho expressionism inspired akfxoqsd.shop to conduct a content analysis to determine ... The Best Nacho Plates in Vegas, Baby! 

Quasi-scientific Methodolgy

Our methodology for this ranking was … me. I drew a sample of nacho imagery from the X hashtag #Nachogate. From there, I conducted a content analysis and rated the plates on a scale of 1-4 across five categories – tastiness, presentation, shareability, fillingness and creativity. We then added those numbers together for a total score.

To be clear, I have not personally eaten nachos at all any of these locations. Subjective judgments about taste and fillingness have been made based on how good they look. To mitigate bias and establish replicability I viewed each contender 3 times, at least 12 hours apart, in a different order, and tweaked accordingly. 

Though limited in scope, this research is important as the #NachoWars are upon us in Las Vegas. With the Super Bowl and March Madness approaching, there has been a dearth of data analysis comparing nacho quality and value at casinos.  

Further research of course will be necessary, and hopefully delicious! 

1. Mandalay Bay, House of Blues (19)

As someone who grew up in Texas, I can’t help but wonder if beef brisket actually belonged on nachos, why wouldn’t we see more of it? I’m suspicious. At the same time I can’t deny the science – these look fun, tasty and satisfying. 

Tastiness 4
Presentation 3.5 
Shareability 4
Fillingness 4
Creativity 3.5

2. Horseshoe, Flavortown (18.5)

The “Trashcan Nachos” at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown in the Horseshoe casino-resort are memorable – the kind of creation diners will tell others about. They look solid with lots of goodies inside, and we upped the shareability score when realizing they were placed on a big plate to let them “crumble” and be enjoyed from all corners of the table.

Tastiness 3.5
Presentation 4 
Shareability 3.5
Fillingness 3.5
Creativity 4

3. Silverton, Su Casa Sushi Bar (17.5)

An interesting twist at this locals’ casino bringing Japanese flair to the Mexican standby. These Ahi Tuna nachos look satisfying and delish, with a complexity of flavors and textures. What do you think, should these be eaten with a fork, fingers or chopsticks?

Tastiness 3.5
Presentation 4 
Shareability 3
Fillingness 3.5
Creativity 3.5

3. Miracle Mile Shops & Downtown, Nacho Daddy (17.5)

They have multiple locations around the valley, including one on the Strip in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. The skillet serving plate is a nice touch. They have many nacho options, all rather impressive looking. They clearly won the popular vote amongst all eater-generated submissions in #NachoGate and the subsequent #NachoWar. 

ND has a little bit of an advantage though, as not only is the nacho their namesake, but also they have 15 varieties on the menu  – including “exotics” like lobster & crab and filet minon. 

Tastiness 3.5
Presentation 3 
Shareability 3.5
Fillingness 4
Creativity 3.5

5. Oyo, Hooters (17)

The Tex-Mex Nachos at Oyo casino are usually $13.25. But in honor of NachoGate, Hooters was offering their take on the classic for $10 during happy hour. Solid.

Tastiness 4
Presentation 3 
Shareability 3.5
Fillingness 4
Creativity 2.5

6. The Orleans, McMullan’s (16.5)

While technically not in The Orleans, we decided to include McMullan’s because of their across-the-street proximity, and because their Irish nachos looked so good. These nachos are made not with tortilla chips, but with potato chips. 

Tastiness 3
Presentation 3.5 
Shareability 3
Fillingness 3.5
Creativity 3

7. Circa, Victory Burger (16)

“Big game. Bigger portions of nachos” was Circa’s opening salvo in the Great Vegas #NachoWars of ’24. These cost $14.90, and you can order them from the Circa sportsbook and have them delivered to your seat.  

Tastiness 3.5
Presentation 2.5 
Shareability 4
Fillingness 3.5
Creativity 2.5

8. Four Queens, Wana Taco (15.5)

The pulled pork nachos at this classic downtown casino seem like just the right thing at any point before, during or after on your hangover journey. Priced at $7.49, these would be a possible finalist in a value category, too, though they don’t look quite made for sharing.

Tastiness 3
Presentation 3 
Shareability 2.5
Fillingness 4
Creativity 3

9. Plaza, Fresh Mexican Grill (15)

The downtown casino calls this one their Super Bowl, and while the tinfoil bin kinda looks like Allegiant Stadium if you squint and take a few shots of tequila, we can only imagine what lies at the bottom when you get there.

Tastiness  3
Presentation  2.5 
Shareability  3
Fillingness  4
Creativity  2.5

9. Fontainebleau 2.0 (15)

Within a day of being made fun of by casinogoers and fellow casinos, Fontainebleau changed their nacho plate into something more palatable.  Here’s an interview with The Tavern GM about the responsive menu-ing. 

Tastiness 3.5
Presentation 3 
Shareability 3.5
Fillingness 3
Creativity 2

11. Binion’s, Whiskey Licker Up Saloon (14.5)

Across the street from Four Queens, they call this dish “Just Nachos.” It comes with a $15 price tag and comes on a clever triangular plate, but it looks a little too uncooked for us to crave it. Where’s the cheese? (And the beef.) This place also offers a pulled pork variety.

Tastiness 2.5
Presentation 2.5 
Shareability 3.5
Fillingness 3.5
Creativity 2.5

12. Planet Hollywood, Cafe Hollywood (13.5)

The Nachos Grande at the cafe inside Planet Hollywood cost $18.50 and don’t exactly carry too much wow factor, but in a pinch (and if you can’t find your way 100 steps out the door to Nacho Daddy) they’ll do.

Tastiness 2.5
Presentation 2.5 
Shareability 3
Fillingness 3
Creativity 2.5

13. Grand Bazaar Shops, Ole Red (12)

Country music star Blake Shelton’s new Ole Red bar outside the Horseshoe casino just opened this month. It’s a sports bar meets live-music venue with three floors of coliseum-style seating overlooking a stage, and a top floor with an outdoor deck overlooking the Bellagio fountains. But corn and olives? Pickled onions? Maybe it’s an Oklahoma thing, but we just can’t imagine eating much of their “Redneck Nachos.” Is it even hot? 

Ole Red looks fantastic on so many levels, but their nachos are not one of them. 

Tastiness 2
Presentation 2 
Shareability 3
Fillingness 2.5
Creativity 2.5