Almost every casino in Las Vegas has an all-you-can-eat
buffet
, open to guests and non-guests alike for every meal of the week. Even at the worst you're bound to find something you can keep down, and the cost is low enough that in any case you won't feel ripped off. At its best, the traditional buffet experience is in terms of both decor and flavor like being granted unrestricted access to the food court in an upmarket mall; you'll get top-quality fast food, but not a gourmet feast.
It's no coincidence that in strictly monetary terms the better buffets tend to be in casinos that are
neither on the Strip nor downtown
, and depend on locals as well as tourists. At places like the
Rio
and casinos in the Stations chain, the buffet still serves the fundamental purpose of enticing in customers from elsewhere. Thus they've been at the forefront of innovations like having separate named areas serving different cuisines, or offering "action cooking," where your stir-fry, omelette, fajita or whatever is cooked to your specific order. By contrast, the buffets at the very largest casinos only have to be good enough to ensure that the crowds already in the building don't leave, while also coping with a daily deluge of customers. Hence the poor quality of the buffets at
Excalibur
and the
MGM Grand
, for example.
A new development, however, has been for high-end casinos to raise buffet prices to a level that makes it possible to provide true gourmet feasts. The opening of
The Buffet
at
Bellagio
in 1998 represented a quantum leap in standards, in serving food that would be considered excellent in any conventional restaurant. With dinner priced at $25, however - and $32 on weekends - it also dispensed with the idea that buffets are supposed to be cheap.
Le Village
at
Paris
swiftly unveiled a less varied but equally delectable and expensive spread, but the title of
best buffet
has to belong to
Bellagio
. The best old-style bargains are the
Feast Around The World
buffets at
Sunset Station
and
Texas Station
.
As a rule, buffet prices include unlimited refills on juices and sodas, but you have to pay extra for any alcoholic drinks. You'll also have to pay tax, plus a conventional $1 tip per person. If possible, try to avoid eating between 6pm and 9pm, when the lines at the larger casinos can be endless. Arriving early for breakfast (before 8am) and late for lunch (around 2pm or so) can also save time otherwise spent in line
