Not everything in Las Vegas has to be a Michelin-starred tasting menu or a buffet with king crab. Sometimes you just want to spend an afternoon trying 16 sodas from around the world and buying way too much chocolate. This was that afternoon.
The Coca-Cola Store and M&M's World are two of the most recognizable tourist stops on the Las Vegas Strip, and for good reason. They are genuinely fun if you approach them the right way: not as a shopping trip, but as a sugar-fueled detour from everything else Vegas asks of you. We had heard about the Around the World soda flight at the Coca-Cola Store for years before finally doing it, and we are glad we stopped putting it off. It is exactly the kind of low-stakes, high-entertainment afternoon that a multi-day Vegas trip needs as a break from casino floors and elaborate dinners.
The Coca-Cola Store and M&M's World sit right next to each other on the Strip, which makes the combination easy. Block out two to three hours, wear comfortable shoes, and set a spending limit before you walk in.
The "Around the World" Tray at the Coca-Cola Store
On the second floor of the Coca-Cola Store, the cafΓ© offers a flight of 16 different sodas sourced from countries across the globe. You get a tray with small pours, work your way through them, and discover very quickly that soda preferences are not universal.
The range is wide. Some of these drinks are genuinely delicious. Others taste like something you would find at the back of a medicine cabinet. That contrast is exactly what makes it worth doing.
The whole experience takes maybe 45 minutes to an hour depending on how much discussion each sip generates, and trust us, some of these sodas generate significant discussion. Going through the tray with a group is better than doing it alone: the reactions when people hit the divisive ones are part of the entertainment.
The Winners
Fanta Melon Frosty (Thailand): The best of the 16. Beautiful green color, perfectly sweet, and frosty in a way that makes you want another sip immediately. If you could buy this at a gas station in the US, you would. The flavor is somewhere between cantaloupe and honeydew but brighter and more vivid than either, with a clean finish that does not leave you with the chemical aftertaste some fruit sodas carry. We would drink this regularly if it were available here.
Fanta Strawberry (Panama): The runner-up. Fruity and refreshing without tasting artificial, which is harder to pull off than it sounds in a soda. Clean finish. This one generated the least controversy at the table and consistent appreciation from everyone. A good strawberry soda is simply a good strawberry soda.
Stoney Tangawizi (Tanzania): A strong ginger beer in the best way. This is not the mild ginger ale you put in a cocktail. The ginger hits you immediately and keeps going. If you like ginger, this is the most interesting drink on the tray. It would make an excellent mixer and it holds up perfectly on its own. We wish we could find this in the US.
The One Everyone Talks About
Beverly (Italy): Famously one of the most divisive sodas Coca-Cola has ever produced, and it earns that reputation. The first sip is intensely bitter with a tonic-like aftertaste that makes you wonder what went wrong. Interestingly, it does soften a little as you continue drinking it, but "it gets slightly less alarming" is not exactly a glowing endorsement. You have to try it, if only so you understand why everyone else warns you about it.
Beverly was apparently created as a pre-meal aperitivo in Italy, which explains the bitterness profile. In that context, it kind of makes sense. As a soda you drink recreationally? It is a hard sell. But trying it is genuinely part of the Around the World experience, and your reaction to the first sip will be a memory you keep.
The tray is a good value for what you get: about an hour of entertainment, something to talk about, and a clear answer to the question of which countries are producing the best Coca-Cola products right now (Thailand, apparently).
The Stores Themselves
Coca-Cola Store
Multiple floors of merchandise covering every possible way to display a Coca-Cola logo. We found 3D-printed cups, recycled glassware, and decorative collectible bottles ranging up to around $70. The $33 twenty-five-ounce collectible bottles are appealing but easy to walk past if you remind yourself that it is a soda bottle. The lower floors are worth a browse for smaller, more practical souvenirs.
The store does a surprisingly good job of making the Coca-Cola brand feel nostalgic and fun rather than purely commercial. There is vintage signage, retro packaging displays, and enough variety in the merchandise that you can find something for different budgets. If you collect anything Coca-Cola related, you will have trouble leaving quickly.
M&M's World
Four floors, which is genuinely more floors than this concept probably needs, and somehow it works. The bulk M&M section is the move: we got about half a pound for around $10, which is a reasonable price for candy you can personalize by color or flavor.
The bulk section lets you build your own mix from dozens of flavors and colors, including some that are not available in standard retail bags. Pretzel M&Ms, caramel M&Ms, classic peanut butter, and seasonal varieties all show up here. The ability to create a custom color combination is especially popular for gifts, and the staff in the bulk section are genuinely helpful about suggesting combinations.
The Vegas-themed merchandise is better here than at most Strip tourist shops because the M&M's branding is actually charming rather than just slapping a casino logo on a mug. There are M&M's character figurines in Vegas-specific poses, branded apparel that is surprisingly wearable, and enough gift options that you could knock out a solid portion of your souvenir list without going to three different stores.
If you are buying gifts to bring home from Vegas, M&M's World has options that feel more thoughtful than most.
Tips for Visiting
Do the Around the World tray first while your palate is fresh. After half a pound of M&M's, your ability to distinguish between the subtle flavor differences in the flight will be significantly reduced. The flavor experience at the Coca-Cola Store benefits from a clean palate. Save the candy shopping for after.
Budget carefully in the stores. It is easy to spend $50 to $100 without noticing because individual items seem reasonable until they add up. Set a number before you walk in. The $10 to $15 range in the bulk M&M section is the sweet spot for getting something genuinely enjoyable without overspending on a tourist-adjacent activity.
Go in the afternoon. Both stores are air-conditioned, which makes them a genuinely pleasant escape from the Strip heat, and the afternoon crowds are more manageable than evenings. On a hot Vegas day, walking into the M&M's World just for the air conditioning is a valid strategy.
Skip the expensive collectibles on impulse. The high-ticket collectible items at both stores are best purchased if you specifically collect that brand. If you are browsing generally, the practical smaller items and bulk candy give you more value and are easier to pack.
The combination works well as a mid-afternoon reset. If you have been on your feet since the morning and need something easy and fun before evening plans, this two-stop combination is the right call. Low-pressure, visually entertaining, and you leave with snacks.
Final Verdict
The Coca-Cola Store Around the World tray is genuinely one of the more entertaining food experiences on the Strip, which says something given the competition. It is interactive, it produces real reactions, and it does not require a reservation or a large budget. M&M's World is fun for what it is: a well-executed tourist attraction that does not try to be more than it is and does its actual job (selling candy) very well.
If you are in Vegas and you have a free afternoon, this combination is worth your time. Especially the soda flight. Especially Beverly.
