Le Cirque at Bellagio Will Serve Its Last Plate This August

^{After August of this year, diners will no longer be able to dine under Le Cirque’s big top. (Photo: Bellagio / X.com)}

LAS VEGAS – MGM Resorts has decided to axe another one of its dining establishments, and this time it’s one of the most expensive restaurants at Bellagio. Le Cirque, a staple of luxury dining at the resort since it opened in October 1998, will permanently close on Sunday, Aug. 23. 

The popular French restaurant has hosted many celebrities, royalty, and dining connoisseurs from around the world. According to MGM Resorts, a new restaurant concept will take over the space in mid-2027. 

"Le Cirque played a pivotal role in the city's transformation into the fine dining destination it is today,” Bellagio General Manager Mark Czerniak said in a statement. “We are proud and grateful to those dedicated team members who contributed to Le Cirque's remarkable legacy by delivering an unforgettable experience to guests from around the world every night."’

Saying Goodbye After 28 Years Under the Big Top

Though it may sound like Le Cirque was inspired by Cirque du Soleil, the name is simply French for "the circus," a nod to the restaurant's colorful aesthetic. 

The original flagship location was founded in New York City in 1974 by legendary restaurateur Sirio Maccioni, and the second location landed in Vegas when Bellagio opened in 1998. The New York location closed in 2017, and now the Vegas chapter is closing too.

Le Cirque earned a collection of accolades over its nearly three decades of operations, including a Michelin one-star rating, Forbes Five-Star rating, and an AAA Five Diamond award. The restaurant was named on La Liste's top 1,000 restaurants in the world and was one of the only four Vegas restaurants on the list.

The view of the fountains at Bellagio from Le Cirque’s terrazza area. (Photo: Bellagio / X.com)

The intimate restaurant seats only 40 guests and is decorated in bold colors and art, as expected for a circus-themed fine-dining space. The terrazza section offers stunning views of the Strip with outdoor seats right in front of the Bellagio fountains. 

With that said, dining at Le Cirque typically runs $200 to $400 per person, with tasting menus ranging from $700 to $800. It's easy to spend well over $1,000 once luxury wine pairings are added to a meal.

Bellagio has many other great restaurants offering a variety of options at different price points, including Lago, Mayfair, and Yellowtail. All of them have wonderful views of the fountain show and the high-quality dining you’d expect from a luxury casino-resort like Bellagio.

The Ever-Changing Vegas Strip Dining Landscape

Not everyone will be surprised to see Le Cirque go. John Curtas, a well-respected Vegas food critic, talked about his disappointment with the restaurant’s direction over the years in response to the news. Curtas dined often at Le Cirque and said that it helped to solidify Vegas’s position on “the world’s gastronomic map.”

"The family-run Le Cirque I fell in love with died many years ago (around 2018),” Curtas wrote. “Watching its devolution into a soulless, corporate cash cow has elided many of my fond memories, leaving little more than shrugs and sighs of days gone by."

Along with the corporate influence in the Strip’s restaurant business, there is also a need to adapt to the newer dining trends in 2026. While those ultra-premium (and ultra-expensive) experiences still have their audience, the explosion of celebrity chef concepts with multiple locations and food halls has made it harder for a single high-end restaurant to sustain the consistent demand it once did. 

Le Cirque’s closure is just another example of the Strip reinventing itself. Las Vegas has a funny way of letting go of long-standing, well-loved restaurants to make way for what operators think is the next best thing.

Reservations for Le Cirque are still available through August 23, though availability will likely become increasingly limited as the summer progresses. If you're hoping to dine there before its closure, earlier dining times and weekdays are your best bets for securing a table. 

Seatings run from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Reservations can be made on Le Cirque’s website or by calling 702-693-7111.