Overview

Let’s be honest—Las Vegas is stacked with steakhouses. From opulent, gilded fine-dining palaces to hip modern grill spots with DJ sets and bottle service, there’s no shortage of places to drop serious cash on a steak. So when we found ourselves at VooDoo Steak inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, we went in with both curiosity and cautious optimism.

Our night started on a high note (literally) at The Wine Cellar at Rio—a hidden gem tucked into the depths of the casino. We were there for a special tasting event featuring wines from Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel. The vibe was cozy and elegant, and the pours? Fantastic. Somm and Wine Cellar Manager Hung Nguyen runs the show here, and as always, he was incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming. If you’re a wine lover in Vegas, this spot should definitely be on your radar.

We left the tasting with a bottle of the Far Niente 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon in hand, eager to continue the evening upstairs at VooDoo Steak. Unfortunately, the transition from sophisticated wine tasting to dinner on the 50th floor wasn’t as seamless-or as elevated-as we’d hoped.

Ambiance

Let’s get this out of the way: VooDoo Steak has one of the best views in Vegas. Perched on the 50th floor of the Rio, the panoramic sightlines across the Strip are undeniably striking. If you snag a table by the window around sunset, it feels like a quintessential Vegas experience.

But then you sit down—and start to notice everything else.

The restaurant feels dated, and not in a retro-chic kind of way. Walls are scuffed and damaged. The upholstery on several chairs is noticeably worn. The lighting, while aiming for “romantic and moody,” ends up just feeling a little dim and tired. The overall vibe of the space is more 2008 than timeless steakhouse elegance, and it’s clear that VooDoo Steak is in desperate need of a refresh.

Despite this, the place still holds a certain nostalgic charm. Maybe it’s the slightly faded glamour of old Vegas. Maybe it’s the glittering skyline just beyond the windows. But if you’re coming here expecting the polish of a Strip-front steakhouse at the same price point, you might be disappointed.

Our Meal

Thankfully, the food was the evening’s redemption.

We started with the Wedge Salad ($18.99), a hefty, satisfying stack of crisp lettuce, bacon, tomato, onions, cucumbers, and a chunky blue cheese dressing that packed a punch. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it’s a solid start and generous in portion.

For mains, we went with two standout dishes. First, the Domestic Lamb Chops ($69.99), which came herb-crusted with pistachios and served with pearl onions and puréed potatoes. The crust was flavorful and the lamb tender, juicy, and cooked just right. A definite win.

The 12 oz Ribeye Wagyu Mishima Reserve ($89.99) was the star of the table. This domestic Wagyu cut had excellent marbling and was seared beautifully. Rich, buttery, and deeply savory, this steak showed that VooDoo knows its way around quality beef.

Sides were a bit of a mixed bag. The Blue Cheese Potato Gratin ($16.99) was, hands down, the best gratin we’ve ever had. Layers of thinly shaved Idaho russets, creamy roasted garlic, and the tang of Point Reyes blue cheese—absolute perfection. We would come back just for this dish.

On the flip side, the Creamed Corn ($16.99) was a miss. The bechamel sauce and cheddar overpowered the natural sweetness of the corn, leaving the dish feeling heavy and oddly one-note. We’d skip it next time.

We ended with the Chocolate Layered Cake, a rich devil’s food-style dessert with semi-sweet mousse layers. It was decadent without being cloying, and a nice finale to the meal. Not life-changing, but certainly enjoyable.

Corkage Fee

We brought the Far Niente 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from the tasting downstairs to dinner, and it turned out to be an excellent pairing for the Wagyu ribeye and lamb chops. The bottle’s deep cassis and mocha notes played beautifully with the savory umami of our entrees.

The corkage fee at VooDoo Steak is $35 per bottle with a two-bottle maximum. If you’re planning to bring a special bottle, it’s worth it. 

We can’t promise this will happen to you, but our server waived the corkage fee since we purchased our bottle from the Rio Wine Cellar.

Service

Our server, John, was doing his best. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely wanted to give us a good experience. But he was also clearly stretched too thin. It looked like he had too many tables, and while he kept his cool, service lagged as a result. 

Staffing issues happen. But for a restaurant charging premium prices, we expected a more attentive pace.

Conclusion

VooDoo Steak is a tough one to summarize. On one hand, it’s got stunning views, really solid food (those potatoes!), and a sense of old-school Vegas charm. On the other hand, the ambiance is noticeably worn down, the service—though friendly—is overstretched, and the prices place it in a tier where expectations are simply higher.

If you’re staying at the Rio or heading up for the view, it’s worth a visit. And if you’ve just finished a tasting at The Wine Cellar, you may enjoy extending your evening with dinner upstairs. But would we go out of our way to dine here again? Probably not. There are just too many steakhouses in Las Vegas offering better ambiance, better service, and comparable food—often at similar price points.

One Final Note (There May Be Hope)

There may be brighter days ahead for this high-rise steakhouse and the Rio as a whole. According to a recent article from 8 News Now, the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino is undergoing a massive transformation under its new owner, Dreamscape Companies LLC, which plans to invest nearly $340 million into bringing the historic Las Vegas property back to life. That’s not pocket change, and the early phases of this renovation have already introduced remodeled hotel suites, a new food hall, upgraded convention space, refreshed casino offerings, and flashy new exterior lighting to modernize the resort’s presence on the Strip. The ownership group has made it clear that this isn’t just a surface-level facelift—it’s a full reimagining designed to restore the Rio to its former glory and once again make it a must-visit destination in Vegas. For VooDoo Steak, this means there’s a real opportunity to revamp the dining room, reinvest in staff, and polish the overall experience to match the restaurant’s stunning panoramic views and solid culinary foundation. If these improvements trickle up to the 50th floor, we might just see VooDoo Steak evolve from a “maybe try it if you’re here” spot into a legitimate player in the city’s competitive steakhouse scene. There’s real potential here, and we’re rooting for it.