First Impressions

Updated on after the 10/15/23 game against the Patriots!

Having been a lifelong Raiders fan visiting their new stadium in Las Vegas was definitely a top priority.

The stadium from the outside is all black with tinted windows. It’s extremely sleek and modern looking. The stadium itself is much more intimidating than the actual team it fields (at least for the most part of the past 20+ years, sadly).

Appropriately nicknamed the Death Star, it’s definitely one of the coolest stadium nicknames out there and certainly fitting.

Getting To The Stadium

Walking to the stadium is a great experience.

Getting to the stadium on foot is very easy and accessible if you’re visiting from out of town. Especially if you’re staying on the Las Vegas Strip. Even if you’re not staying on the Strip, you can simply get dropped off at Mandalay Bay. From there the walk over to the stadium will only take about 15-20 minutes.

If you choose to drive, parking is quite limited. Due to that, there’s limited tailgate opportunities from what I saw. I believe there’s a designated area for it.

To be honest, I’m not too sure how important tailgating is at the stadium when the Strip is right there. Obviously there’s a TON of places to eat, drink, watch the morning games, gamble, really do whatever. It offers a whole different kind of game day experience compared to other venues.

I got dropped off at New York New York, had a couple of drinks there, and then proceeded to Excalibur to catch the free tram to Mandalay Bay. This was around 11:00ish and there were already a ton of people cramming into the trams.

Once you get to Mandalay Bay there’s a ton of signs that help guide you through the casino to the stadium walkway.

Conveniently, it’s right next to the sports book. You can stop by and bet on the morning games or chill and watch them prior to the Raider game. Because it’s a Sunday and a Raiders home game, the sports book will be packed. You won’t find a seat if you aren’t there early. But it’s still cool to stand around and watch the games.

Once you’re ready to head over to the stadium the exit to the Hacienda Bridge leading to the stadium is literally right next to the sports book. It’ll take about 15-20 minutes to walk to the stadium. It’s definitely a fun game day experience since the bridge shuts down and fans stream across it to get there.

What makes the walk memorable is the palpbable sense of excitement amongst the crowd in anticipation of the game. You can really feel the energy in the air.

Getting into the stadium was quick and easy. The security lines were fast and efficient. It only took a few minutes to get through, which is always nice.

Inside The Stadium

Once inside, the interior of the stadium is really beautiful.  Silver and black is everywhere, including the seats themselves. You can really feel the whole Raiders vibe and it’s wonderful if you’re a Raiders fan!

I didn’t get a chance to walk around and truly explore the stadium. That will have to wait until another visit.

Once comfortably in my seat I was able to take in the whole stadium and was truly a happy camper.

I was sitting on the Raiders sideline in the nosebleeds (second row from the very top) at the 30- yard line but really not THAT bad.  I like having a bird’s eye view to be able to see plays unfold.

The Food

There’s a ton of food options available throughout the stadium as you might expect. I’ve been able to try a few and will update as I visit the stadium more.

Ferraro’s

I ended up getting a Ferraro’s sausage sandwich with peppers for a quick snack.

I wasn’t expecting much to be honest, but it actually turned out to be pretty decent.

The sausage had good flavor with a hint of spice. Peppers weren’t overly soft and had a little crunch to them.  The bun was steamed and wasn’t dried out. This wasn’t the most amazing sausage sandwich ever but it was simple and tasty. Perfect for a sporting event food to go along with a beer.

Speaking of beer, the best part was that they sold the sausage sandwich at the beer cart. Definitely convenient!

Picanha Steak

As one might imagine, this stand in the 343 section sells Picanha items. Picanha is a cut of beef taken from the top of the rump apparently. I had zero idea what it was. I just saw grilled steak sandwiches and nachos. Both of which sounded delicious.

There are only three options here: the sandwich, nachos, and regular chips. I went with the sandwich and nachos which I split. The Picanha Sandwich which is served on a french roll with shaved spinach, chipotle aioli, and chimichurri ($17.99). The Picanha Nachos are served on tortilla chips with black beans, nacho cheese, chimichurri and chipotle aioli ($17.99).

The first thing you notice is that the sandwich isn’t all that big for the $. Not a ton of meat or veggies or chimichurri, which was disppointing. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty tasty sandwich. The steak tastes great. Very good flavor and meat is fairly tender.

The fresh spinach goes well with the meat and the chimichurri is good. The chipotle aioli comes on the side and you drizzle it over the top of the sandwich which adds additional flavor. The french roll wasn’t all that fresh. It seemed a little stale.

Taste wise, this is pretty satisfying. However, they really skimp on stuffing the sandwich full of goodies. I get the lack of meat but there could at least be more spinach and chimichurri to help compensate. This will leave you hungry by itself which shouldn’t be case for the price.

The nachos, much like the sandwich are pretty tiny both in size, toppings and chips. They’re pretty much glorifed stadium nachos with steak and some black beans with chipotle aioli mixed into it. The nachos themselves are pretty tasty. Mainly due to the steak. Otherwise they aren’t very noteworthy.

Pizza Rock

After splitting the sandwich and nachos my friend and I were both pretty hungry still. Luckily, there was a Pizza Rock near Picanha Steak.

They serve three different Sicilian slices here: Cheese, Double Pepperoni, and Veggie. We got the Double Pepperoni ($13.99)

The Sicilian square slices are a good size loaded up with pepperoni. This pizza is really, really good. The chef, Tony Gemignani is a well-known pizza chef. The quality and taste you’d expect from a famous chef has been upheld at the location in Allegiant Stadium. The sauce has fantastic flavor and the cheese is equally high quality. The dough is some of the best I’ve had. I wouldn’t expect that of stadium pizza. It’s light and doughy with some crispiness to it. Everything blends so well together. This is definitely an Allegiant Stadium food I’ll look forward to getting next time.

Exiting From The Game

Getting out of the stadium did take a little while. Being seated in the nosebleeds most likely contributed to this. I navigated an exit route with several flights of stairs that were crammed with people. Getting out of the stairwell back onto Hacienda Bridge took some time. But that was expected given it was a good game and not many people had left the stadium yet.

Even still, once you’re out of the stadium and on Hacienda Bridge you can go anywhere obviously. There’s no figuring out where you parked at or fighting the parking lot traffic to get back onto the freeway. It’s just another little perk to seeing a game in Vegas that’s minutes away from the nearest casino.

The Verdict

This is such a cool stadium. I may be biased as a Raiders fan, but the stadium is truly a sight to behold. The experience is so unique. With the stadium being a walk away from one of the most fun places on Earth with world class resorts and casinos right next door. I highly recommend catching a game here if your favorite NFL team is in town (there’s a TON of visiting fans that go to Vegas for games). You will definitely have a good time, regardless of the outcome of the game, you’re in Las Vegas after all!