Best Vegas Buffets

Best Las Vegas Strip Buffets

Best Overall: Wynn

Best Fri/Sat Dinner: Bellagio

Best Brunch: Bally's Sterling Brunch

Best Low Price Point: Gold Coast

Best All Day Buffet Deal:  Caesars (Harrah's) 7 Hotel Group

Wynn is our top choice due to small and frequently changed servings that keep food warmer and fresher plus a good selection of quality items such as king (not the more common snow) crab. Desserts are good with more sugar free than many buffets.

Bellagio is slightly favored for Friday and Saturday dinners where greater variety lifts Bellagio just past its close rival. Bellagio’s menu often has more surprises for the weekend nights with somewhat exotic meats and fish such as Kobe beef, Chilean Sea Bass (Alaskan Sablefish), etc. Bellagio’s buffet menu changes more than others in Vegas.

Bally’s Sterling Brunch gains the nod over Wynn and Bellagio although at a much higher price point.  They have good quality champage (not the Wynn's level of Freixenet) plus warm lobster, sushi to order, beef tenderloin, etc.  The outstanding brunch at Zeffirino’s at Venetian was not very far behind with good quality cold lobster tails or split whole. Unfortuantely, they have stopped their brunch for at least a couple of months if not permanently. Mandalay Bay has cold king crab on Sundays.

The Gold Coast (near Strip) buffet quality is only okay but it is much cheaper than other Vegas buffets and recommended for the budget minded just slightly ahead of the Orleans which is also near Strip. Their prime rib is offered nightly with their Friday night splurge of warm snow crab legs, $17.95.

Hilton will sometimes challenge for Locals for best at a low price point such as a Monday and Wednesday $7.99 dinner special. Hilton’s deals are usually not offered to out-of-towners though. If not price sensitive, you should lower the rating on Hilton by a half grade.

Caesars (Harrah's multiple locations) has a 24 hour pass good at any of the 7 buffets as many times as desired regardless where the pass was bought.  The 7 buffets are the Lago (Caesars), Paradise Garden (Flamingo), Flavors (Harrah's), Emperor's (Imperial Palace), Le Village (Paris), Spice Market (Planet Hollywood) and Carnival World (Rio).The $39.99 price ($5 more if no player's card) is not discounted for kids although 3 and under are free. Mandalay Bay's all day pass is rated as second best.

Note that 3rd ranked M Resort and South Point are on the Strip but way south of everything else so they are more a Local’s casino except for drivers coming north from LA. Riviera has an asterisk because their dinner may not be offered at all during some days of the week so check first.

Buffet days and hours are changing more than in the past. If you want to confirm information, phone numbers are provided. The U.S. country code is 00 1, and the area code for all Las Vegas is 702. Below is our ranking of best of the Strip or near-Strip buffets. We also show buffets arranged by price of a Regular Dinner.

There are several buffets that are almost the best in Vegas and could be good alternatives if nearby or experimenting. M Resort has both hot and cold crab on its Sunday brunch with beer/wine included but not champagne. Overall quality and variety is very good. Lines are as bad if not worse than the major Strip buffets with waits of 2 ½ hours for the brunch.

The Mirage has very good quality prime rib and interesting dim sum types of items. Quality is about as good as Wynn and Bellagio but there is less selection so some eaters can strike out here. For the money, this is a good value.

Planet Hollywood’s buffet had been one of the very best in Vegas but has been slightly slipping over the last few years. Acquisition by Caesars (formerly Harrah’s) usually does not portend an improvement in buffet quality. Their mid-Eastern/Indian station sets them apart from most buffets in Vegas and their snow AND king crab (both served cold but can be warmed for you) sets them apart from all other buffets.

Hilton’s buffet is too small with not enough selection to challenge the top buffets in Vegas--although not as limited as Caesars. However, when their deals are considered, it can appeal to Locals. Even if not a Local, quality at least is okay with prime rib always on the dinner menu. On Mondays and Wednesdays, the dinner price is $7.99 if the player’s card has a Locals (Hometown Hot Spot) sticker on it.

Rio has 2 buffets: Carnival World and Village Seafood. Carnival has very good variety. Prime rib is pretty good and cold snow crab is served for dinner and on their Saturday-Sunday brunch. Lunch and Dinner are sometimes half off Mondays to Thursdays or sometimes Fridays too for Locals. Village Seafood is a separate buffet and has not maintained the very high standard of its pre-redesigned days. They have hot and cold crab but it is snow only.

Aria’s buffet has been roundly criticized but is improving strongly. A recent visit was a pleasant surprise compared to a February trial that was poor. Cold snow crab and prime rib are on the Lunch menu with special items such as good lamb added at dinner. Although Aria does not quite keep up with Bellagio on Friday and Saturday night, their lobster (limit of 1) plus steak specialty night is a very valiant try and adjusted for the money, a superior value.

Here is a list of the Strip or near Strip casinos that offer crab legs and which ones offer hot or cold and king or snow crab. We prefer king over snow crab which is part of the reason Wynn and Bellagio get high marks. For example, if you are looking for king crab (a bit smaller than Wynn and Bellagio) on a weekend brunch, you would choose Mandalay Bay but not for their regular dinner where they serve hot snow crab instead.

Circus Circus is shown as blank for dinner and brunch because they do not serve crab at all (they have no specialty dinner nights either). There is a separate table for Specialty Nights.  Riviera has an asterisk because their buffet is on a variable schedule that you should confirm first by phone.

If you are looking for the cheapest bubbly at a Vegas brunch near or on the Strip, both Orleans and Riviera sneak in under $15. A few of the buffets don’t offer champagne at all although you can get beer and wine at M resort which serves its excellent brunch on Saturday and Sunday. MGM’s brunch can be upgraded to champagne for $4.14 and Wynn's champagne upgrade is $7.00 as examples of buffets that charge extra.

Circus Circus, Excalibur, Imperial Palace and Rio Village Seafood do not have a special brunch and are omitted. If not noted in the table below, assume a Saturday brunch and champagne included with an upgrade price necessary at some.

The strongest of the deals is the one at the Caesars group of hotels (formerly called Harrah's Entertainment). These allow you to buy and or eat at any of the 7 without limit for 24 hours--not just for a day. If you time your visits correctly you can get more than 3 meals.  $39.99 ($5 more without a free player's card) is for any day of the week--there are no special night pricings. If you are not a big eater/grazer type, you would lower the ratings by at least a half a grade.

We recommend Le Village at Paris for breakfast, either Le Village or Spice Market at Planet Hollywood for lunch or dinner and Rio's Carnival World buffet for either lunch or dinner. Caesars' Lago has limited selection but the quality is good and might work for dinner or lunch for some buffet goers.

The buffet at Mandalay Bay is a fair deal for big eaters but is your standard 3 meal buffet as are all the following. The Stratosphere buffet is the cheapest if your player's card level is either red or green but the quality is not as high as others. Luxor's All Day Buffet has unlimited (to a point) beer and wine so an imbiber might raise its grade by about a half letter. Note that a not so great buffet is usually just fine for kids who usually like blander food than adults.