Las Vegas - A Different Kind of Buffet Thread...

We have a nice thread going that gives opinions on the different Vegas buffets, but after a so-so experience at the Bellagio the other night, I wanted to get real-time feedback on only the three top "luxury" buffets to get a feel for both the daily menu offerings and quality.

For example, this past Tuesday evening, the Bellagio offered crab legs, jumbo shrimp, roast turkey, chicken wellington, buffalo top sirloin, sushi station, ceviche, poke, and a variety of other standard dishes.

I was disappointed because the crab legs and shrimps were either still frozen or completely encrusted with ice crystals...we actually had to get a plate of legs and leave them on the table to thaw for 30 minutes before we could eat them, but by then they were all soggy.

So with that in mind, I think it would be helpful to vote on the top three daily luxury buffets (no Ballys Stirling brunch or other special event buffets). Given that Bellagio and Wynn are 1 and 2, we need a 3.

Once we settle on a list, perhaps visitors can post the menu items they experience at each buffet with a rating of 1 - 5...that way we can not only choose the best buffet, but also the best value for the money and the buffet that offers the menu items we are looking for.

To get started, here is my Bellagio experience:

Tuesday Evening - 40 minute wait @730pm - $28.95

Menu Item - Rating - Notes

Crab Legs 1 served frozen or soggy
Jumbo Shrimp 1 encrusted with ice crystals, flavorless
Sweet Potatoe Mash 4 nice consistency, good flavor, not too sweet
Chicken Wellington 4 good flavor, moist, pastry not soggy
Buffalo Top Sirloin 3 good flavor, abit overcooked and dry parts
Prime Rib (rare) 5 full of flavor, lean, cooked just right, melt in your mouth
Dimsum Dumplings 1 dry, flavorless, almost no filling, a doughy mess
Poke 5 tuna and salmon: fresh, flavorful, just the right hint of heat
Ceviche 4 good citrus flavor, nice consistency, fresh
Sushi 3 too much rice, not enough fish, inconsistent availability
Braised Bok Choy 2 overcooked flavorless mess
Curry Chicken 4 nice curry flavor, not too strong, very tender chicken shreds
Pasta Bowls 2 abit over cooked and definately over sauced
Cheesecake with Tahitian Vanilla 4 nice consistency, flavor, not too sweet
Carrot Cake 5 very moist, good flavor, excellent icing, perfect size

only 2 desserts :confused: :p

It's almost a consensus here, I think, that Bellagio is very mediocre now thanks to the cost-cutting by the corporate giant owners.

Wynn's buffet is probably the best now in terms of presentation and quality with Aladdin's buffet the better variety. Still, Bellagio has the best desserts.

I don't know, bocastephen, if you like your crab legs warm (that didn't sound right :p) but the staff behind the counter would warm them up for you upon asking.

The dumplings at Bellagio are probably the worse now. Believe it or not, Mirage has very good dumplings and almost always fresh.

Lastly, good idea for this thread, and I'll try to update it as much as I can ;).

We only did Mirage's Cravings buffet during our trip this past December so it's kind of hard to compare it to other buffets we hadn't gone to in over a few years. I had earned a buffet at the Wynn and were going to go for lunch the day we were leaving but they shut their buffet down because a gas leak issue (http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5785504).
Anyways, here's a list of what we tried at Cravings and what we thought of the items:

Tuesday early December with NFR in town: 0 person line up at 8pm but they made us wait 5 minutes. Cost about $24 and a bit. Thought it was good value and would go back.

Cracked King Crab Legs: 4 Generally very good but picked some overly moist ones too.
Peeled Shrimp: 3.5 Good. Ok size. Nothing special.
Ceviche: 4 Very good. Good flavour. Not overly citrusy nor overly "cooked"
Prime Rib: 3 Ok. I got a decent piece. My friend got a dry piece.
Mashed Potatoes: 4.5 Quite nice. Creamy, no lumps.
Haw Gow shrimp dumpling: 4.5 Very good. Comparable to dim sum joints in Vancouver.
Spring Rolls: 3.5 Good. Nothing special.
Pot sticker: 3.5 Good. Nothing special.
Beef and Veggie Stirfry: 2. Ok but I wouldn't waste space for it.
Salmon nigiri: 2.5 Ok. The salmon was decent but not as fatty as I like it. The rice was a little hard (but it's kind of difficult getting around this at a buffet)
Mussels: 2 Ok. Nothing special.
BBQ Pork ribs: 3.5 Good. Tasty sauce. Texture good.
Pizza: 4.5 Very good. Wood fired oven.
Tomato & Mozzarella Salad: 3 Ok. Nothing special.
Eggplant Parmesan: 3.5 Good. Nothing special.
Tortilla Soup: 3.5 Good.
Fajitas: 3.5 Good. Had full condiments to build.
Clam Chowder: 4.5 Split decision amongst us. My friend absolutely loved it but I thought it was good.
Fish: 3.5 One was really good the other was only ok.
Macaroons: 4 Very good.
Gelato: 5 Excellent. Very rich creamy flavour.
Fruit: 3.5 It's fruit. What can you say.

I believe they also had turkey and chicken. We didn't try the other individual deserts. Didn't try their salad bar section.

Service was decent with respect to drink service and removing plates.

I need to take smaller portions at a time and just make multiple trips because I found the quality degraded noticeably as you work your way through your first and last item of food on your plate. Kind of skews your judgement of the food.

I really don't recommend any of the buffets, but Wynn and Mirage have the food most to my liking (lots of lean, low-carb meat, fish, and fowl).

QL

Aladdin buffet:

Lamb kabobs .. 5.0 - perfectly cooked and spiced, good quality meat
Tamales .. 2.5 - nice try, but dry and not enough meat in the filling
Sugar-free cheesecake .. 3.0 - appreciate them offering it

Excellent thread. Thanks to the op. :)

I have heard good things about the Spice Market Buffet at the Aladdin (they claim to be the #1 buffet in LV), but I was not too impressed by my recent breakfast experience there. I thought it was decent, but not outstanding given their claims.

Here is my experience...

Aladdin Spice Market Buffet
Saturday @ 9am, no line (the place was 70% empty), $18.95

Scrambled Eggs 2 Abit dry, crumbly, not hot enough
Carved Sausage 4 Nicely spiced, not too oily, but warm
Patty Sausage 2 Flavorless pressed patty
Smoked Salmon 4 Not too oily, good flavor
Dried Figs 5 Very nice flavor, good sweetness
Fresh Fruit 3 Nice selection, although items could have been riper
Carved Meat 2 Sirloin steak was overcooked, dry and flavorless
Carved Meat 2 Prime Rib was average, cooked medium, too fatty and little flavor
Eggs Benedict (1) I put the rating in parenthesis because I didn't actually eat them, but the two selections appeared dry, wrinkly and spent too much time under the heat lamp with the sauce crusting over...very unappealing

Aladdin breakfast buffet is sub-par. The best, IMO, are Wynn and Mirage in that order.

Aladdin breakfast buffet is sub-par. The best, IMO, are Wynn and Mirage in that order.

I think we're definately going to try the Wynn for its buffet next month, maybe a breakfast and a dinner session. I don't want to steer my own thread offtopic, but given the reported downscaling of the Bellagio at the hands of its corporate masters, has this negative change been reflected in the overall quality of the hotel itself? Are we better off staying at the Wynn for the same price?

I think we're definately going to try the Wynn for its buffet next month, maybe a breakfast and a dinner session. I don't want to steer my own thread offtopic, but given the reported downscaling of the Bellagio at the hands of its corporate masters, has this negative change been reflected in the overall quality of the hotel itself? Are we better off staying at the Wynn for the same price?

With price being equal, I'd stay at the Wynn. But my preference is Wynn over Bellagio anyway. Previous posts on this board have indicated both good and bad experiences at both locations with employees at Bellagio seemingly indifferent. But if you're not the gambling-type, both hotels will likely treat you the same and thus with price being equal, go with Wynn.

Back on topic ;), also give Paris buffet during dinner a try.

I recommend to you the T.I. buffet (dinner). It is $20+tax and the food is much better than Wynn. Believe me, I have always been a big fan of the Wynn buffet. But on our last trip a friend of mine wanted to try this buffet, and I couldn´t believe that for example the Sushi at the T.I tastes like "real Sushi". It tastes fresh (the rice didn't taste like a mass of nothing, if there is salmon you can taste it!!). And for the price of $20 this buffet is my zip-a-dee-doo-dah-Tip-Of-Today! :D

Greetings from Germany,

Oliver

Tried Wynn's dinner buffet on 12/30/06 and Bellagio's dinner buffet on 12/27/06. Mandalay's on 12/28/06. (don't think I was hungry for 5 straight days)

Bellagio had the best desserts of any buffet I've ever tried. Dinner was about the same at Wynn and Bellagio, but beyond the food, I thought the Wynn's dining room was much nicer.

Mandalay's buffet sucked. I think my favorite food there was mashed potatoes and the best dessert was soft-serve ice cream. Yikes.


How do all of you avoid the lines (without gambling away money to get line passes)? Almost a 1-hour wait for Bellagio's buffet on 12/27. On 12/28, the wait for Wynn's buffet was 2 hours! (which is why we went back to our hotel -- Mandalay -- to eat).

I have been to all the buffets mentioned in this thread and I would recommend the two at the Rio (the Carnival World and Village Seafood). Each is convenient to parking and has preferred line access and seating if you are a Harrahs elite.

I think we're definately going to try the Wynn for its buffet next month, maybe a breakfast and a dinner session. I don't want to steer my own thread offtopic, but given the reported downscaling of the Bellagio at the hands of its corporate masters, has this negative change been reflected in the overall quality of the hotel itself? Are we better off staying at the Wynn for the same price?

I stayed at Wynn in June and Bellagio in December, both in a basic room with a premium view. As a hotel, Wynn is leaps and bounds better than Bellagio. Why? Beds, room size, television (including one in the bathroom), toilet closet, and no ridiculous trunk inspections to enter the parking garage.

How do all of you avoid the lines (without gambling away money to get line passes)? Almost a 1-hour wait for Bellagio's buffet on 12/27. On 12/28, the wait for Wynn's buffet was 2 hours! (which is why we went back to our hotel -- Mandalay -- to eat).

There is no way on earth I wait in line 2 hours (even 1 hour) for any meal, let alone a buffet! There are plenty of great places to eat in Las Vegas!

There is no way on earth I wait in line 2 hours (even 1 hour) for any meal, let alone a buffet! There are plenty of great places to eat in Las Vegas!

^ ^ life is too short to wait in line to eat. I never seem to get to the buffets mentioned (and I had 6 ++ trip to Vegas last year) -- I have heard really good things about the Wynn Buffett.... maybe some time this year....

Went to the Wynn Buffet for brunch on 1/7(I normally do not like brunch at buffets as they are overpriced as I do not drink-but my boss treated with some comps she had earned)at 10:30 there was no line at all!
It was fantastic!Best dishes were the whole roasted bacon strip,the dim sum(very good for a buffet)the smoked fish/the fresh fish the fried chicken(not fancy-but greasless and still moist)the fruit,and the numerous desserts both my boss and I tried :D
My boss is reallllllly picky-this was her first time at the Wynn buffet-she loved it!

I nominate MGM's breakfast buffet, but this is perhaps only useful to FT SkyLoft guests. This was late 2005, so maybe someone else can say if it is better or worse since then.

1. I second bocastephen and other posters' ^ for kebabs at the Aladdin.
2. Bellagio because we were there and didn't try Wynn at the time. Due to our dissatisfaction with our (bar wait staff) issues here Bellagio very kindly took this cost off our bill upon checkout. ^ :)

Per the main buffet thread, if possible, learn how to obtain a line pass from the pit boss where you are playing the tables, if your casino has line passes.
No FTer need wait in line!

PS. I was waiting for a reference to a Jimmy Buffet do or a BH shareholder meeting/Do happening in vegas!

As a hotel, Wynn is better than Bellagio in almost every respect. Possible advantages to Bellagio are location and poker room game selection.

QL

The Sterling Brunch at Bally's is located at the Bally's Steakhouse. The brunch will also seat people in the restaurant, al Dente, next to the steakhouse. If seated in al Dente, you'll need to walk out of the restaurant, into the Steakhouse and go get your food and take it back to your table. A bit inconvenient but not exactly the end of the world which is what we experienced a patron giving the maitre'd a hard time with because he was not given a table in the steakhouse. The brunch is only on Sundays from 9:30 to 2:30. Cost is $65 per person plus tax and gratuity.

The food was good, but not out of this world good. I did like the garlic rack of lamb. If you like the rack of lamb at Wynn's buffet, then you'll love the rack of lamb here. It is superb and I rate it a 5.

There was a large variety of salads. The one that looked different and appealing was the shrimp and mango salad, basically peeled shrimp with mango chunks in a light dressing. This rated a 4.

There were stone crab claws, with half the shell already removed so it was fairly easy to eat. Otherwise, just the usual cold crab claws you would find in a cold seafood appetizer sampler at steakhouses. I would rate this a 3 only because it was easy to eat.

Peeled shrimp with cocktail sauce. Standard fare here, rate it a 3.

They had small cups of crab meat for you to put in a tomato gazpacho. I liked this at first but on the second cup it started to taste like an average blended salsa. I rate this a 2.

There was a made-to-order sushi bar. I ordered salmon sashimi and was asked how many pieces. I got three pieces that were all cut rather thick, the way I like it. Good salmon but not extremely fresh, I rate this a 3.

There was an omelet bar, I did not try this, my friend did and said it was good especially since you were allowed to put crab/lobster meat in it.

Grilled tenderloin beef, very well done, medium-rare throughout, not much taste though. I rate would have to rate it a 2.5

Baked lobster, obviously left in the oven too long, bit dry, even the fresh ones that came out were a bit over done. Could, and should, have been better. Rate it a 2.

Sea bass in a cream sauce. Sea bass over cooked for my tastes, rate it a 2. Sauce did not add anything.

Shrimp and bowtie pasta, very buttery flavor, otherwise, nonspecific. Rate is a 2.

Grilled filet mignon. Again, over cooked, to a medium well, may have been sitting there, our seating was 11:00 am. I rate it a 1.

Desserts: I demolished their selection of chocolate covered strawberries :p. They had usual chocolate, chocolate and white chocolate, and chocolate with nuts. All fairly good, medium to large sized strawberries. I rate these a 3.5.

They had the usual buffet style desserts, such as eclairs, fruit mini-cakes, crepe station, cookies, etc.

Wait staff was very good and kept our glasses filled. Champagne flowed freely as did the orange juice, making for great mimosas. The wait staff will offer and bring to you a selection of seafood to the table, of course you can get it yourself. Caviar is also available and included in the price.

Was it worth $65? Probably not, but if you are there strictly for the champagne and caviar, maybe it is. It is a very nice brunch if you want to host a special informal gathering with loved ones or business associates.

My favorite buffet of late has been the Red Rock Weekend Dinner Buffet. It's only $17.95 with your slot card discount. There are no crab legs (have to go to GVR for those) but they have large peeled shrimp and very good sushi (for a buffet). You can also take the shrimp to the Italian area and have them pan fried in butter & garlic. I like this buffet because in the Chinese area they have braised oxtail, a favorite of mine.

Finally tried the Wynn - and boy were we happy we did! This is the best buffet in Vegas, by a landslide.

Sample Menu from our visit
-------------------------------

KING Crabs Legs (not the Queen legs served everywhere else), split and ready to eat

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (huge, sweet and perfect)

Loin of Venison (server rare, not too gamey, although I was chastised for eating "Bambi")

Roasted Tom Turkey (flavorful, but abit dry)

Prime Rib (didn't try - too fatty for my taste)

Assorted Dim Sum (flavorful, nicely done, restaurant quality)

Sushi (limited supply, no custom orders, salmon was perfect, fresh and tender)

Oxtail Stew (didn't try)

Osso Bucco (flavorful, tender)

Stuffing (made from bread slices, it was very dry and unappealing, I didn't try it)

Mashed Potatoes (standard fare)

Assorted Pastas (prepared options were oversauced, but the sauces were great - I poured some of their pesto sauce on my mashed potatoes...mmmm. They also had a custom pasta station)

Salad Station (I didn't try it, but it was fairly large)

Desserts: home made ice cream and sorbet (we tried the egg nog and passion fruit - both excellent). Also had a variety of small pastries...tried a few, all were good.

Finally tried the Wynn - and boy were we happy we did! This is the best buffet in Vegas, by a landslide.


Glad you liked the Wynn bocastephen. Used to be Bellagio was actually better than this but that was during the time Wynn owned it and seemed like eons ago.

I too enjoy eating Bambi :p ;)

Vegas Resources List of Top Buffetts

1. Wynn Las Vegas.
2. Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
3. Bellagio.
4. Harrah's.
5. Paris Las Vegas.
6. Rio Carnival World Buffet.
7. Mirage.
8. Sunset Station.
9. Orleans.
10. Green Valley Ranch Station Casino.
11. Riviera.
12. Fiesta Henderson.
13. Main Street Station.
14. Rio Masquerade Village Seafood Buffet.
15. Gold Coast.
16. Suncoast.
17. Treasure Island.
18. Golden Nugget.
19. Texas Station.
20. Palms.


10 - Worst Buffetts

Arizona Charlie's - Boulder.
Arizona Charlie's - Decatur.
Circus Circus.
Excalibur.
Fitzgeralds.
New Frontier.
Plaza.
Rampart.
Sahara.
Tropicana.

Vegas Resources List of Top Buffetts


Funny why they had to go to 20 spots on the list. There is such a huge dropoff in quality after the third position that it doesn't make any sense to list anymore. Heck Todai/Makena buffets are better than Harrah's.