DenverBrian

Just a note that the self-serve drinks wave has essentially taken over all the second-tier buffets. I have no idea how the service staff is surviving. What are you tipping for when the "service" is reduced to simply busing tables when you're done?

nrr

Paris breakfast "brunch" (with champagne) had been nice, but slightly expensive @$35. Last weekend: (1)minimal fresh fruit selection, (2)desert items were not being restocked promptly.

Felix_LVAIR

• M Resort
• Station Casinos
• Aliante
• Golden Coral

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redtop43

I've lately become a fan of the dinner buffet at Orleans. Posted price is $21 except for Fridays with is $26 for "Shrimp/Steak", but you can get a few bucks off with a player's card. The prime rib is decent, everything is reasonably tasty, and they have a desert crepe station. I'm a big fan of buffet prime rib, so that's a huge plus for me. I think it's a way better value than what the mid-range strip buffets (Planet Hollywood, Paris, etc.) have become. Admittedly I usually stay at Orleans so it's convenient and I'm not paying for transportation to get there.

They also have a Wednesday "Young At Heart" promotion for people over 50 (I plead guilty). If you get one tier point (which I think requires that you push $5 into a slot machine or $20 video poker) you can get a free buffet coupon good for Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.

lowmiles

I usually hate buffets. I hate the idea of food sitting out and a bunch of children reaching over the counter touching everything with their germ-y fingers.. and then people sticking their heads under the glass thingy and sneezing on the food..... lol

The Buffet "AYCE" at the Palms though, is by far my favorite. The food is fresh and of good quality, drink refills are done by humans and bussers come by frequently to clean tables so there is never a stack of plates. The price is pretty decent $20 for most meals and cheaper with status at Station Casinos.

I've eaten at Wynn, Orleans, Gold Coast, Mandalay Bay and probably many more over the years. None of which really inspired a return (with the exception of the Gold Coast due to comps and their dole whip machine).. not even the Wynn, which was good but over-reaching for the price.

iahphx

It's pretty darn obvious that the golden days of Vegas buffets are long over. The economics simply don't work for the casinos.

That said, when I'm in Vegas, I do like to relive the old days and go to at least one buffet, usually for breakfast. Since I'm not willing to pay $30 for breakfast, I try to find the best value choice. I'm heard recently that the Palace Station has revamped its buffet and that it's currently about the best choice in this category. True?

tmiw

When I went to Vegas a few months ago, my friend who lives there took me to M's buffet. It's definitely one of the better ones, even if it is pretty expensive (~$40ish per person) for dinner. Might try to go for a less expensive option next time, especially since I really can't eat more than 2-3 plates' worth of food these days.

RustyC

I've done the 2:30 slip-through at the M weekdays a few times (get through the register for lunch price, then slowly they bring out prime rib and other dinner food). It's a good deal if you can do that and bring an appetite.

Am becoming a big fan of Virgin River in Mesquite...they have a Friday seafood buffet at $17.99 that beats those at $29-ish in Las Vegas. Includes clams, oysters rockefeller, oysters, green mussels, cold shrimp, the smaller crab legs (about the same size the Paris uses now), seafood newburg (pretty good) and a whole bunch of other stuff. You actually get the feeling they're subsidizing some of the cost with money from the casino. I think Mesquite Gaming is even doing "Like Vegas used to be" as a slogan.

Maybe it's a sign of advancing age, but I can appreciate the secondary burgs a lot more lately. The value for the dollar has always been better, so it's really a matter of having enough critical mass of things to do to avoid being bored. Am also fussy about tables with decent odds, rather than one take-back after another (like 6:5 blackjacks) that we've seen.

RustyC

Yeah, it was an eventful 4 months. Seemed longer.

ijgordon

I love a good buffet (and sometimes a mediocre one!), and will usually do one on a Vegas trip, but lunch or dinner for me. I do realize the value is nowhere near what it was 20+ years ago (I remember $1.99/$2.99/$3.99 for B/L/D at Tropicana probably 30-35 years ago.) but I like the variety.
My favorite in Vegas has been the Bally's Sterling Brunch, but haven't been to it in a handful of years. We did the Wynn Jazz brunch which is a hybrid buffet (you can order mains a the menu but they had seafood, carving stations, waffle bar, desserts and some other stuff buffet-style) 2 years ago which was great.

Visconti

Yeah, truly exceptional values back then! They were virtually free.

Now, unless comped, the only marginal values are: (1) Bellagio lunch price at 2:45, and wait for the crab legs & prime rib; (2) the buy one get one free at Cosmo's wicked spoon, and go crazy on the crab legs. Caesars is good, but way overpriced, unless comped.

Never tried the Wynn, but the rest on the strip are pretty underwhelming. Downtown is ok, but never seem to have the really good stuff, like Alaskan king crab legs.

PS - Before the MC became the PMGM, their buffet was the best deal for prime rib. Their rib eye roast was of a higher quality than B's, and their chefs always cooked it to medium rare, unlike the B's chefs that sometimes cooks it well done, rendering it inedible until the next one is cooked. Any chef that makes a Prime rib well done should be fired on the spot.

DenverBrian

Ah, the good old days...35 years ago...when the minimum wage was $1.60.

And the casinos were essentially giant ashtrays, with visible smoke-filled air, and outside the cars belched CO and sulfur dioxide at ridiculous rates.

(Never underestimate the ability for humans to romanticize every bit "good" about the good old days and conveniently forget everything bad about them.)

Low Roller

Yep, as my 80-year old mother always says "There was no such thing as the good old days".

RustyC

There was also the parking on Fremont and constant battle between cars and pedestrians before they pedestrianized the street. I think the old Gold Spike held on longest for the smoke-like-chimneys award (when Jackie Gaughan owned it and they had the $1 blackjack).

OTOH, will anyone be able to top the Rat Pack "Summit at the Sands" or Elvis at the Hilton for the legendary status?

Jay71

Hoping for some recent recon on what are currently the better value buffets on the Strip and downtown, even if for breakfast or lunch. I've read the buffet at Luxor is decent and reasonable. Thoughts?

We used to try to hit up a buffet for dinner every trip down to Vegas but as mentioned in the thread, it's kind of gotten too pricey, particularly the nicer ones, to justify compared to other food options. We've gone to a few buffets offstrip which were pretty good in quality and value, Silverton being the most recent and really like the M casino's during past trips, but think we're just staying on the strip with maybe a few hours one night downtown this go around.