Atlantic City’s culinary scene will get a lot hotter this summer as the most popular chef in the world — Gordon Ramsay — will open Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Atlantic City.
“I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be opening my third restaurant in Atlantic City — Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen,” Ramsay says in this exclusive for Atlantic City Weekly. “Atlantic City and visitors throughout the tri-state have been so supportive of Gordon Ramsay Steak and Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, so I look forward to having them experience another one of my signature concepts.”
Modeled after the popular Fox television series in which two teams of chefs battle each other in red and blue kitchens until one chef ultimately becomes Ramsay’s next apprentice, this is the first Hell’s Kitchen on the East Coast. The original opened in January 2018 in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace and became one of the most popular restaurants in the city and is still difficult to get into during Vegas’ peak months. The original spawned other Hell’s Kitchen locations in Lake Tahoe and Dubai, and others are also being built in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Miami.
Caesars has a long-standing relationship with Ramsay, first opening the casual Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars in February 2015, followed by Gordon Ramsay Steak at Harrah’s in May 2018.
“Caesars Entertainment is committed to leading Atlantic City’s evolution as one of the country’s modern-day capitals for entertainment, sports and world-class culinary experiences,” explains John Koster, regional president for Caesars Entertainment’s Eastern Division. “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Michelin star chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay and bring the East Coast’s first-ever Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen location to Caesars Atlantic City on the famed Atlantic City Boardwalk.”
Hell’s Kitchen will take space previously occupied by concepts including a boardwalk beer garden, Dusk nightclub and Planet Hollywood.
Hell’s Kitchen is “designed to be an experiential and immersive destination restaurant,” according to a press release, as “guests at Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen will feel transported to the studio set. The inspiration from the hit show is evident throughout all three levels of the restaurant from the signature fiery pitchfork that marks the entryway to the chef uniforms and menu items.”
Even though Hell’s Kitchen will open before Season 21 of the reality series begins, the winner of Season 21 will be named “head chef” and have their portrait hung next to the previous champions on the winners’ wall.
The centerpiece of the restaurant is the open kitchen split in half between red and blue designs with mosaic tiles framing the space, allowing guests from every seat in the house to experience their meal being prepared.
“To further bring the electric atmosphere of the studio into the dining room, additional key elements of the show are infused in the design, such as fire, heat and custom-designed lighting that combine brass rods with pitchfork features that run across the high ceilings,” the press release elaborates.
The menu features many of Ramsay’s classics such as beef Wellington and sticky toffee pudding, as well as pan-seared scallops with English pea puree, lobster risotto, seared fois gras with stewed cherries and Scottish shortbread, braised short rib with creamy polenta, crispy skin salmon with warm white beans, filet mignon, New York strip, baked macaroni and cheese and chocolate sin cake. The restaurant will also offer some specials that are locally sourced.
The Vegas Hell’s Kitchen also offers prix-fixe options for lunch and dinner, so Atlantic City will likely follow suit.
No specific date was given for the opening, but “Hell’s Kitchen” is part of an aggressive culinary plan in Atlantic City by the new ownership of Caesars Entertainment. Previously, the company announced it will open Nobu, a gourmet Japanese concept owned by famed chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Academy Award-winning actor Robert De Niro and film producer Meir Teper, that will be located overlooking the ocean in a former space occupied by a players’ club. More announcements for Caesars’ Atlantic City sister properties – Harrah’s and Tropicana – are expected soon, including at least one celebrity chef concept.
Ramsay’s empire, meanwhile, keeps growing at an unprecedented pace. Since 1997, Ramsay’s global brand has grown to 40 international restaurants in which Ramsay holds a total of seven Michelin stars, ranking him among the top Michelin Star holders in the world.
