Best Las Vegas Buffets

by Jake Gosselin | Oct 11 2007

On the list of reasons why people vacation in Las Vegas, "to diet" doesn't rate very high. Sin City is all about excess in every way, shape and form, and grubbing is one of the most exciting things to overdo while you're there.

Unfortunately, so many Vegas restaurants are either too expensive to afford more than a single dish that wouldn't even fill an Olsen twin or too greasy to eat without suffering an immediate cardiac arrest. Fear not gentle reader, for there is a third and much more satisfying option.

The buffet. These great oases of gluttony truly symbolize the Vegas spirit where nothing is ever denied a person who is willing to pay the price of admission.

Buffets, the good ones at least, provide a customer with not only limitless food but a huge variety to gorge on. So for those who aren't content with a $150 meal that still leaves them hungry or a plate of golden brown "things" from a deep-fryer that leaves them… dead, Bodog Nation presents the top five Las Vegas buffets.

5. Le Village Buffet

Le Village at le Paris Hotel is le yummy. It's also a nice change from the other buffets since it's primarily French cuisine as opposed to the others which often try to overextend themselves by offering every meal ever conceived of on the planet. You'll find no shank of water buffalo in a lemon curry wine sauce sitting beneath a heat lamp next to yesterday's truffle tacos here.

What you will find is a dazzling French feast that is broken down into five sections with each featuring food from a specific French province. Le Village is set in a quaint, yet somewhat tacky, environment that is designed to feel like a little French village complete with its own fake sky. Perfect for whispering in a fake French accent, "Come here my darling. All of zis Camembert makes me want to kiss you under zee stucco ceiling."

But this is Las Vegas and you’re looking for a buffet, so you'll have to accept a little cheese with your French dining experience. Besides, the dishes include lamb fricassee, sautéed sea bass with artichoke crust and duck braised with Riesling.

4. Carnival World Buffet

Carnival World at the Rio is a proud purveyor of more than 300 dishes made fresh daily. They really do have pretty much anything you could want, and the price is tough to beat.

Not only does Carnival have pretty much every main course covered, but it also boasts over 70 different desserts made from scratch by Chef Randy Sebastian, winner of the 2003 National Pastry Championship. What happened to 2004, 2005 and 2006? Huh, Randy, can you explain that to us?

Anyway, they have more desserts than you can eat. Not that you have to eat them. They're yours once you pay the cost of admission, so we recommend you walk in and just start throwing pies. Security loves it when you do that. They think it's hilarious. Give it a try, and tell them Bodog Nation sent you!

3. Cravings, the Ultimate Buffet Dining Experience

Cravings Buffet at the Mirage has 11 different cooking stations and is definitely catered to those looking for variety. The quality to cost ratio at Cravings is about as good as can possibly be expected. And the service is consistently top-notch.

The atmosphere is somewhat strange with bizarre striped carpeting and an unfortunate open dining room that leaves you feeling like you're a character in someone else's acid trip, but that's not necessarily bad, right?

If you're packing a sweet tooth, Cravings might not be the best choice for you as their dessert section is a little sparse, but other than that and the décor, this is a consistently excellent buffet.

2. The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas

Oh, Steve Wynn, you wacky billionaire you. You can't just do things half-assed and call it a day, can you? You just have to go and put together a buffet to end all buffets, don't you? And you won't let us in on the cheap, will you, Steve?

First off, like most of Wynn Las Vegas, the buffet is beautiful. It's a stunning atrium-type atmosphere with towers of plants and flowers spiraling up into some natural sunlight.

The food is fantastic and never has that sameness taste you get in some buffets. You know when the salmon filet in lemon butter somehow tastes just like the chicken in the white wine sauce? Yeah, we don't know how that is possible either or why it's so common, but good old Steve Wynn is having none of that shit.

Wynn's buffets are amazing. We don't know who the mastermind is behind them, but it's probably whoever won the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 National Pastry Championships. If you go there but don't leave room for the tiramisu, you have failed at life. Do you understand us? Failed at life.

1. The Buffet at Bellagio

Can you hear that? That's the sound of angels singing the praises of the Bellagio Buffet and all that it offers: Beef Wellington, leg of lamb, Kobe beef, salmon sashimi, Alaskan king crab legs, apple-smoked sturgeon, giant shrimp cocktail, Mongolian chicken, Mako shark in a winter citrus compote, etc., etc., etc.

The angels, however, do not sing about how cheap the buffet is, but they do hum a conciliatory little tune about the outstanding value this heavenly buffet offers. Come to think of it, the angels don't seem to care much for the décor, which is somewhat cavernous and bland, but because of the food, they seem to be overlooking that.

With an equally good dessert selection, there is really nothing about this buffet to complain about. Unless of course you go at lunch when the somewhat-limited selection might leave you wondering why angels would sing about such a relatively sparse selection. So make sure you go for dinner, and make sure you go hungry.

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