A restaurant that brazenly promotes unhealthy food and encourages you to gorge yourself until you can fit in no more, the Heart Attack Grill in Downtown Las Vegas serves up some of the most intimidatingly huge burgers on the planet.
It’s a place where excessive eating is not looked down upon but rather is positively encouraged – and if that sounds like the kind of place you’d enjoy, here’s all the info you need about this popular yet controversial eatery.
What is The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas?
Vegas is a town that encourages you to indulge yourself without restraint, which is why Downtown’s Heart Attack Grill fits right in.
Heart Attack Grill is a fast-food joint like no other, shamelessly celebrating gluttony, overindulgence and the unhealthiest food you can imagine.
It specializes in some of the biggest and most calorie-laden burgers you will ever come across, and revels in the fact that when you eat the food they serve, you are quite probably shaving days or weeks from your life.
Featuring a macabre medical theme and plenty of dark humor based around overeating, if you want to prove your gorging prowess by facing some of the most daunting burgers in existence, this is the place for you.
But be warned, if you don’t finish your meal, you won’t be let off lightly!
A Little History
The first incarnation of the Heart Attack Grill was opened in Tempe, Arizona by current boss Jon Basso in 2005, and from the beginning, the aim was to serve fast food that is shockingly bad for your health.
That restaurant lasted until May 2011 when it closed its doors, and a new branch opened in Dallas, Texas.
However, the Texas venture was only in operation until October that year before it was forced to close again due to non-payment of rent.
Undeterred, Basso opened the Las Vegas version of his restaurant in 2011, a gluttonous eatery that has gone on to establish itself as a Sin City institution.
Location and Opening Hours
If you’re not put off by the prospect of eating yourself to death – or at least a good spanking for not finishing your meal – you can find Heart Attack Grill on Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Here’s the address and phone number:
- Address: 450 Fremont St #130, Las Vegas, NV 89101
- Tel: +1 702-706-7568
Opening Hours:
The restaurant is generally open daily from 11am to 10pm. Hours can change, so check before making a special trip.
The Theme
Heart Attack Grill features a rather unique theme, basing itself on the experience of a visit to the hospital.
The waitresses are referred to as “nurses” and the waiters as “doctors”, and they attend to you dressed in medical-themed attire. The owner, “Dr. Jon”, is part of the restaurant’s persona and is closely associated with the concept.
Diners are “patients”, and when you arrive to “check in”, you are given a medical gown and a wristband to wear before being led to your table.
As you can imagine in a restaurant called “Heart Attack”, the place is suitably morbid. One of its catchphrases is “a taste worth dying for”, and you will find the ceiling adorned with giant bottles of meds.
There are plenty of other humorous touches too, which some will find hilarious while others may consider in poor taste.
You may also notice a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” in which founder Basso is seen enjoying a meal with a host of fast-food and pop-culture characters.
The food is no different, with appealingly or appallingly named items like Bypass Burgers, Coronary Dogs and Flatliner Fries available on the menu. Wine comes served in IV bags, and the whole experience is designed to feel like an outrageous Vegas tourist attraction as much as a burger restaurant.
The Menu
The menu in Heart Attack Grill is simple and centers on the infamous Bypass Burgers in a range of sizes from Single to Octuple.
Each burger contains beef patties, cheese, tomato, onions, mayo, ketchup and mustard. Lettuce is not part of the joke here, obviously.
You can also choose to add slices of bacon for a supplement.
“Flatliner Fries” are available as a side and are famously cooked in pure lard. Other fried extras may include loaded fries, onion rings, jalapeño poppers and cheese sticks depending on the current menu.
If you don’t feel like a burger, your other option is the relatively manageable but still considerable Coronary Dog.
Prices
Heart Attack Grill menu prices can change, and the restaurant’s official web presence is not the easiest place to verify a current full price board online. The safest approach is to treat the numbers below as approximate and check the menu board when you arrive.
| Item | Typical Price Range | Notes |
| Single Bypass Burger | Around $15+ | Bacon costs extra |
| Double Bypass Burger | Around $18+ | Bacon costs extra |
| Triple Bypass Burger | Around $20+ | Bacon costs extra |
| Quadruple Bypass Burger | Around $25+ | Guinness-recognized calorie monster |
| Quintuple Bypass Burger | Around $30+ | For serious challenge eaters |
| Sextuple Bypass Burger | Around $35+ | Expect a towering burger |
| Septuple Bypass Burger | Around $40+ | Only for the very determined |
| Octuple Bypass Burger | Often reported well above $40 | The most extreme burger on the menu |
| Coronary Dog | Around $15+ | Hot dog alternative to the burgers |
| Flatliner Fries | Varies | Cooked in pure lard |
| Loaded Fries | Varies | Often includes chili and cheese |
| Onion rings | Varies | Fried side option |
| Jalapeño poppers | Varies | Fried side option |
| Cheese sticks | Varies | Fried side option |
Along with beer, wine and full-sugar soft drinks, Heart Attack Grill offers butterfat shakes, which fit perfectly with the restaurant’s over-the-top theme.
The restaurant is cash only, so plan accordingly. ATMs are usually available nearby, but it’s better to arrive prepared.
Diners weighing 350lbs and above can enjoy free food under the restaurant’s promotion, but drinks are not included. Guests must weigh in publicly on the restaurant’s scale to qualify.
The Quadruple Bypass Burger Challenge – And Punishment for Failure
One of the restaurant’s most famous attractions is the Bypass Burger challenge.
Those who manage to finish a large Bypass Burger may be placed in a wheelchair and pushed out by one of the “nurses” as part of the show.
However, anybody who is unable to finish all the food they order may be publicly spanked by their waitress using a wooden paddle. This is one of the restaurant’s most famous gimmicks, and it is treated as part of the entertainment.
And for those who think the spanking will just be a light tap on your butt, don’t be fooled – the nurses have been known to deliver some brutal blows that leave grown men wincing in pain. So make sure you know what you are getting into before leaving anything on your plate.
Calories in the Restaurant’s Bypass Burgers
So how many calories do the burgers at Heart Attack Grill contain?
One of the restaurant’s claims to fame is that in 2012, it was recognized by Guinness World Records as serving the world’s most calorific commercially available burger.
The burger in question was the Quadruple Bypass Burger, which was calculated as packing a whopping 9,982 calories.
Nowadays, the restaurant also serves burgers above the Quadruple, including the Octuple Bypass Burger. The Octuple is commonly described as containing close to 20,000 calories, though the Guinness-recognized record is still tied to the Quadruple Bypass Burger.
To put that into perspective, the Octuple’s reported calorie count is close to what many adults would eat over about a week or more.
In any case, this is not the kind of burger you order casually. It is part food, part stunt and part Vegas spectacle.
Controversies of Heart Attack Grill
Unsurprisingly, Heart Attack Grill is not without its fair share of controversy, including at least two deaths connected to spokespeople or highly visible regulars. Here are the details of some of Heart Attack’s darker moments.
- Deaths of Blair River and John Alleman
In 2011, while the restaurant was operating out of Arizona, Heart Attack’s spokesman, a 575lb man named Blair River, died of complications arising from pneumonia.
He was 29 at the time.
Subsequently, another spokesman and regular named John Alleman also died in 2013 after suffering a heart attack outside the Vegas restaurant. He was famous for visiting the restaurant frequently and for becoming part of the restaurant’s public image.
After his passing, his remains became part of the restaurant’s macabre lore – a fitting tribute to a devoted patron or a disturbing addition to the décor, depending on your point of view.
- Diners leaving in real ambulances
In between these deaths, at least two diners reportedly departed the restaurant in ambulances – provided by genuine medical professionals rather than the costumed waiters and waitresses.
In February 2012, a customer suffered a real heart attack in the restaurant – and other diners, perhaps imagining it was all part of the show, were seen taking photos as he was carried out on a stretcher.
Then, only two months later, in April of that year, another diner fell unconscious, supposedly while eating a burger, smoking a cigarette and drinking a margarita.
And yet, despite the clear moral issues, the owner has unapologetically courted the kind of media exposure these incidents bring, with the restaurant leaning into its dangerous-food persona.
- Free food for customers over 350lbs
That customers weighing over 350lbs are given free food – after being weighed on livestock scales in front of the whole cheering restaurant – is considered distasteful by some due to the demeaning treatment of overweight diners and the encouragement of unhealthy lifestyles.
Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas FAQs
Does Heart Attack Grill Take Reservations?
Heart Attack Grill doesn’t accept reservations, so you just have to turn up and wait for a seat.
Is Heart Attack Grill Kid Friendly?
Although kids are allowed in, the adult-oriented humor, medical-themed jokes, public spankings and provocative uniforms mean it’s probably not the best place for every family.
Is Heart Attack Grill Cash Only?
Yes. Heart Attack Grill is widely reported as cash only, so bring cash before you go.
Do People Over 350lbs Really Eat Free?
Yes, the restaurant is famous for its “over 350lbs eats free” promotion. Drinks are not included, and guests must weigh in on the restaurant’s public scale to qualify.
Are You Up For the Challenge?
Perhaps you like the idea of eating until you can barely move, or maybe you’re the kind of person who can’t resist the challenge of consuming improbable amounts of food.
In any case, if you want to visit a burger joint like no other, this is one place to look out for while you’re in Vegas. Just remember to bring cash, bring your appetite – or at least wear a thick pair of pants!