Bang Bar by Momofuku, the fast-casual flatbread stall tucked inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas's Block 16 Urban Food Hall, will close on October 4, 2026. The shutdown, announced by MGM Resorts, marks another retreat for chef David Chang's dining empire on the Las Vegas Strip, where he once ran four separate restaurants across multiple casino resorts.
As the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports, once Bang Bar shuts its window, Chang will be left with just one restaurant at a Strip property: the flagship Momofuku location that has anchored the second floor of The Cosmopolitan since January 2017, when it became his first restaurant project west of the Mississippi River, according to Haute Living. Bang Bar itself debuted in that same food hall in April 2021, per the Review-Journal, serving griddled flatbreads rolled or wrapped around fillings alongside rice bowls topped with vegetables and proteins. The name comes from bang, or ppang, the Korean word for bread, the outlet notes.
A Food Hall Built for Turnover
Block 16 opened in 2018 as a 4,600-square-foot food hall modeled after similar dining destinations in New York and Los Angeles, according to the Specialty Food Association, designed to give casino visitors fast-casual options from notable chefs at accessible price points. Bang Bar itself wasn't the hall's original tenant in that spot — it replaced Pok Pok Wing, part of the Pok Pok family of restaurants founded by Portland, Oregon chef Andy Ricker, known for his Northern Thai cooking, per the Review-Journal. Pok Pok Wing closed its Block 16 location on December 6, 2020, at the end of its licensed deal during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Casino.org, clearing the way for Bang Bar's arrival months later.
The food hall has continued rotating its lineup since MGM Resorts took over Cosmopolitan operations. MGM Resorts officially acquired the operating rights to the resort for $1.625 billion in May 2022, per a release distributed on PR Newswire. Block 16's lineup includes established vendors including Hattie B's Hot Chicken, Lardo, Tekka Bar, District Donuts, and Ghost Donkey.
Chang's Shrinking Strip Footprint
Bang Bar's closure fits a broader pattern for Chang's presence on the Strip. He previously shuttered Majordōmo Meat & Fish at The Venetian and Moon Palace at The Palazzo, both closing abruptly on June 6, 2022, shortly after Apollo Global Management finalized its purchase of that resort's operations, according to Casino.org. Once Bang Bar goes dark, the Review-Journal reports, Chang's remaining Las Vegas footprint will consist of the flagship Momofuku restaurant at The Cosmopolitan plus his Fuku fried chicken concessions, which launched at T-Mobile Arena in April 2023 and expanded to Allegiant Stadium in August 2024.
Momofuku and China Palace Group plan to open another concept at The Cosmopolitan in 2027, according to the Review-Journal, though what exactly that new venue will look like remains an open question. The shift mirrors changes happening at Momofuku's corporate level more broadly. The company has also been expanding its packaged goods line of instant noodles, seasoned salts, and chili crunch.
Turnover Across The Cosmopolitan's Dining Scene
Bang Bar isn't the only high-profile name in The Cosmopolitan's dining story this year. LPM Restaurant & Bar is another restaurant discussed in connection with the resort. Momofuku, meanwhile, has also faced turbulence outside the kitchen. The company drew widespread food industry backlash in March 2024 after sending cease-and-desist letters to small AAPI-owned businesses over the trademark chile crunch, a controversy that ultimately led Chang to publicly apologize and drop the enforcement effort, according to the South China Morning Post.
