Hoosiergirl

We are going to LV this January and a friend said to me "Don't go to any of the buffet's." She said if you ate from the buffet you would likely get deathly sick. What are your thoughts about her comment?

Melnay71

I don't agree at all. However there were some scary looking buffets in old Vegas on Freemont street but we ate at the Bellagio Buffet and it was very good.

We ate like little pigs because it was so good and neither of us got sick. The food was fresh and very high quality. I am sure they made NO MONEY on us! LOL

We went at about 10:50 a.m. and it was just before the prices went up for the lunch crowd at 11:00 a.m. We were lucky because after we had our first plate of breakfast food we went up for seconds and found they were putting out all different stuff for lunch so we had a whole new selection! Cool!

persimmondeb

I really wouldn't worry about it. Just use common sense, and avoid REALLY cheap ones in run down hotels (and even those will probably not make you sick). My husband and I have eaten at probably dozens of casino buffets over the years, and have never had a problem from one. I have a cast iron digestive system, but he does not. Our babysitter overate at one in the Showboat in Atlantic City, and was fairly uncomfortable for a couple of hours, and some family friends experienced some gastric distress from eating at the one in Circus Circus (reputedly one of the worst in town-and worse then than now) nearly two decades ago, but other than that, no-one I know has ever gotten sick either. Some people don't like the idea of eating food that is out on display, but it shouldn't make you sick.

Luv2TravelRU

We go to Las Vegas at least 4 times a year - and our favorite buffet spots are:

Old Town - Fremont Street - Golden Nugget - a fantastic champagne brunch - keep the champagne a flowing - superb.

On the strip - Luxor - we eat both breakfast and dinner there - can't cook at home for those prices.

What we tend to do is OVER EAT - food is all quality and you have a chef right there in front of you on the speciality meat portion - only problem we have ever had is eating too much.

Make sure you get a listing of all the various activities going on in the Strip outside of the casinos - for instance when the pirate ship happens, when the water sprays go up - the talking statues at Ceasars palace etc - you can spend hours just watching for free all the activities.

SAnParis2

My bad, I thought you were referrnig to Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. You should go there, just to have a drink. BTW - you friend knows nothing about Las Vegas...

SAnParis2

& yes I know Jimmy Buffett has 2 'T's.

nytraveler

Buffet food is

1) generally poor quality - as is anything that's sitting around for a while - it gets soggy or watery or wahtever (versus something freshly cooked and plated)

2) a lot of places don't have proper safety (cold stuff cold enough, hot stuff hot enoughand food changed often enough - as well as god only now what's on the hands/plates of the other people in line.

Frankly - I just get buffets. To me it's like being back in school and waiting to see what awful thing will turn up next. When I go out to eat I want a comfy seat at a pretty table where I can relax with my wine and chat with my companion(s) while the chef and waitstaff deal with bringing me the freshly cooked food.

cocontom

Glad you corrected yourself SAn!

We don't do the buffets because they're expensive enough you can get a freshly made meal for the same amount of money.

SiteC_er

While most of the major strip hotels have greatly upgraded the buffet experience, there are way too many great restaurants which will run you approx the same (sans liquor). When staying at the Paris I will often eat one buffet breakfast as it costs approx the samee as the cafe. The Paris breakfast buffet is very good.

SAnParis2

I do the same, I usually 'load up' @ a buffet for breakfast & then we go 'top shelf' for Dinner. Who has time for lunch ?

VegasMan

Avoid the low end buffets and you'll avoid stomach cramps, that's for sure. Sahara, Excalibur, Imperial Palace, Tropicana, Arizona Charlies and Palace Station are buffets I will not go back to.

Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Planet Hollywood and Mirage buffets offer excellent food.

chepar

As mentioned, if you stay away from the low end buffets, you'll be ok.

I like the weekend dinner buffets at the Bellagio and Wynn. There's a variety of interesting things to try that I wouldn't necessarily order off of a regular menu, like the bison and wild boar (at the Bellagio). I have found the food quality for these two buffets to be very good.

John

NYTRAVELER
You are spot on. Wouldn't go near a buffet. Don't think you will get sick but it all taste like ARMY food!!!!

Tess

Buffets are part of Vegas--I kind of think everyone should go to at least one. Just be smart and don't hit a 'dive' buffet.

We like Rio's Carnival buffet and thought Bellagio's was fine. Ate at Golden Nugget's one night and it was fair.

Just go to buffets with reasonable expectations and you'll be fine--elegant dining, they are not. I've never gotten sick from any Vegas buffet, however.

NorthwestMale

Her comment was dumb...

HOWEVER... when you DO go there for those buffets, do NOT do the extra-cheap thing and opt for the $4.99 buffet when most are $6.99 or the like.

The really skimpy buffet will seem much like somebody put out an awesome spread of food, and then decided that they needed a pitcher of water for some reason... so the squeeeeeeeeeezed it out of all of the food items on your cheap buffet, leaving you with the dry remains.

So go for one of the standard buffets, and don't shave an extra two bucks off your meal just to save two bucks, when it's already very formidable.

bachslunch

Have eaten at a couple Vegas buffets before and never got sick. The best ones are supposedly those at Bellagio and the Wynn, as well as the Paris Le Village Buffet (ate here and liked it a whole lot) and the Spice Market Buffet at Plant Hollywood (the one at the Flamingo was acceptable, though not as good as Paris's). Chances are you won't get sick eating at these as they're more quality conscious, but there are of course no guarantees in life.

crefloors

Living in Reno, I've done plenty of buffets. When I was in Las Vegas last year, my friend had a comp for Wynn and we went there. It was friday night so those paying, paid plenty. It was over 40.00 per person.

I was not impressed...it was...well...a buffet. The food was fine but nothing special. The house Merlot was fabulous and should have been at 12.00 per glass. LOL

Years ago, again in Las Vegas, we ate at the buffet at Harrahs and MGM. Both were horrible, but, that was many years ago, so they may have changed. The busier the buffet is, the fast the food turns over, so you have a better chance of getting fresh food, rather than food that's been sitting on the steam table for quite some time.

I think your chances of getting sick are pretty slim..it CAN happen almost anyplace. I know here in Reno, the restaurants are inspected pretty regularly and there are specifications for holding temps for hot and cold food.

GemmaRose

Last year when I was in Vegas we went to some quite yummy buffets (Bellagio was very nice and you can play a bingo-like game while you eat - uninterrupted gambling). However, for the nice ones they are somewhat expensive and I think we all agreed at the end of the trip that we would have rather spent that amount of money getting one plate of food from a nice restaurant than stuffing yourself with a bunch of random food from a buffet.

msjames

My friends got sick after the Imperial Palace buffet. I avoid buffets because of all the people that handle the serving spoons before it's your turn. Not everyone washes their hands. I think a buffet that had servers holding the implements instead of all the unwashed masses would be better. The fewer people that come into contact with your food, the less likely you will be to get sick. I don't take free samples from the grocery store either. Might was well go up to strangers and lick their hands.