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The Canteen Food Hall Gets the Little Things Right at the Rio

Posted on February 22, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Rob Kachelriess

Rob Kachelriess

Sushi rolls from Nama Nama inside the Canteen Food Hall.

There’s a new food hall at the Rio. (Photo: Rob Kachelriess)

City Cast

Did Food Halls Kill the Vegas Buffet?

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The food hall invasion of Las Vegas continues with no signs of slowing down. Fortunately, the new Canteen Food Hall is a welcome addition to the Rio, featuring six concepts in one place that get the subtleties right with comfort food favorites.

🍣 Nama Nama

The centralized circular counter serves poke bowls and hand rolls by the same team behind Tekka Bar at the Cosmopolitan with matcha green tea – on tap! Nama Nama uses quality seafood (like claw and knuckle lobster meat) and slices hand rolls for takeaway orders in easy, efficient packaging, making them far less messy and more like, well, regular sushi rolls. And anytime you can get sake in gel form – that’s a bonus too.

🍔 Attaboy Burger

A simple, straightforward burger menu with fries and onion rings by chef Alex Resnick. Try the Texas Toast burger, which smashes two patties together in a grilled cheese sandwich. Local root beer from Big Dog's Brewery is on tap and makes for a great float with a scoop of Häagen-Dazs.

🍜 Shogun Ramen

Slurp up ramen done right by Master Fu, a Japanese native who came up with 600 ramen recipes for the international Ippudo chain. Three of ‘em are here (with more available at a brick-and-mortar Shogun in Henderson.) The signature tonkotsu broth simmers in pork bones for two days, producing a rich collagen-soaked flavor.

🐮 Tony Luke’s

Tony Luke's brings South Philly cheesesteaks to Vegas with the brand's first location west of the Mississippi. The meat is slow-grilled on a flat-top so it never burns. After the cheese is added, the sandwich is flipped on the grill, allowing the juices to soak through evenly.

🌯 Southland Burrito Co.

El Paso chef Marco Herrera specializes in Sonoran-style burritos, inspired by North Mexican street food. There’s attention to detail in the braised meats and the grilled sear on the wheat tortillas seals the deal – literally and otherwise. The morita chiles in the salsa are similar to chipotle, but with a fuller, smoky flavor.

🐥 Tender Crush

Sink your teeth into New York-themed chicken tenders by the team behind Black Tap at the Venetian. The chili oil in the “K-Town Hot” chicken is more about eye-opening flavor than scorching heat. The doughnuts (fried in biscuit dough) and frozen custard are worthy of any Coney Island boardwalk.

➕More on food halls, and why they keep replacing buffets in Las Vegas.

City Cast

Are Food Halls Replacing the Vegas Buffet?

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