The Best Vegas Buffets

July 2, 2015

Las Vegas used to be known for its $1.99-all-you-can-eat buffet deals. But that’s also from a bygone era when casino food was deliberately cheap and not particularly good, meant more as a way to keep the gamblers in.

 

These days, folks are flocking more and more to Vegas for non-gambling attractions and are finding that Vegas has upped its dining game, its restaurant list reading more like a Who’s Who directory of almost every big-name celebrity chef. Luckily, casino buffets have also increased in quality (and prices) to keep up with the burgeoning foodie scene.

 

 

Variety is at the heart of a buffet’s draw; in the mood for seafood? Prime rib? Pasta? Pizza? A buffet has it all. But not all buffets are equal, and here are my top five must-try recommendations.

 

1. Wicked Spoon (Cosmopolitan)

The Wicked Spoon is a foodie’s buffet and is my one, never-miss dining destination whenever I’m in town. It’s not particularly large and many buffets have far more offerings, but what it has on tap is excellent,  many are beautifully presented in individual portions. The food is as pretty as it is delicious.

The salad and dessert bars are, in my opinion, the best on the Strip, but its carving and made-to-order stations are the best stops here. They make a superb fish mousse (usually trout) during lunch, though you can afford to miss this for their fantastically divine dinner menu.

No matter when you go, this buffet is a winner hands down, all day.

 

 

 

2. Bacchanal (Caesars’ Palace)

If Wicked Spoon is akin to a cool, trendy, moody jazz club, then Bacchanal is the Disneyland of buffets. It’s large, bright, with a wide variety of food for every taste, and a long yet worthwhile wait to get inside. Like Wicked Spoon, many of the dishes are served in cute, individual portions (let’s remember that we eat with our eyes first) and you’ll be glad for the hour or two you spent standing in line burning calories.

 

 

 

3. The Buffet (Aria)

The Aria’s buffet, to me, is a junior version of the Wicked Spoon… it even has the same color scheme of warm yellows, oranges and browns, but large windows overlooking the pool area give it a bright, upscale cafeteria feel. It just might be the smallest buffet I’ve ever tried, but it’s got the requisite carving station, seafood, Asian food (sushi and dim sum) and dessert bar. It’s also slightly cheaper and less crowded than many of the comparable buffets on the Strip, which, for me, are huge selling points.

 

 

 

4. Village Seafood Buffet (Rio)

For many people, the biggest draw at the casino buffets is the endless piles of crab legs. (They overdo it on the seafood to get their money’s worth, just like my own mother.) But what if you had a buffet that was ALL seafood? The Rio has just this, and it’s a seafood lover’s dream. The only drawback is that it’s a little on the spendy side, but worth every penny.

 

 

 

5. Le Village Buffet (Paris)

I was surprised to find myself ranking Le Village higher than some Vegas favorites such as the Bellagio and Wynn, but this buffet is in a league of its own. The dining room is set up like a tiny French village – which, to me, is just darling, with groups sectioned off into mini-rooms for a little privacy. Sometimes, the din in buffets is a little to much to bear, and I might argue the same for the theme park-y kitsch here, but the food, highlighting France’s different provinces, is superb. And for dessert, don’t forget to get lost in the selection of macarons — perhaps the most extensive in town.

 

 

I’ll be posting more in-depth reviews of these buffets in upcoming posts, so watch out for those.

# # # # # # # #