I've been to Las Vegas 3 times in the last year and eat mostly at buffets. Last time 3 weeks ago. The buffet quality seems to change rather quickly. What was good 2 years ago might not be anymore. So here's my short reviews for what they are worth.
Mirage: Best buffet in town for food, value and atmosphere.
New Orleans: Excellent value and food. Like the Rio but much better.(Need a car or take shuttle to get there.)
Rio Carnival Buffet: Success has ruined it. Food quality is bad and lines are long.
Paris:Excellent but not really French food. Great desserts. Show up before 4PM(?)and get lunch price and stay for dinner. Only thing different at dinner is cheese and crab and $10 higher price.
Note: If you want to eat crab, I advise you bring your own crab cracker. Most places don't put them out(Theft?) and I won't risk my teeth.
Bellagio: Excellent but expensive and not the best atmosphere or service.
Monte Carlo(lunch): Good service but mediocre food and poor selection. A disappointment.
Golden Nugget: Good food, long lines, limited selection. Ditto Treasure Island
(where we stayed).
Ceasars Palace(lunch): lousy food, poor selection, poor atmosphere high price.
Sahara:Great value for brunch($4.99). Good selection, good quality. Don't expect atmosphere or gourmet food.
Main Street Station : Quality of food is deteriorating rapidly.
Excalabur and Circus Circus: You'd be better off at the salad bar at Wendys or Carl's Jr.
Don't go for the cheapest. It may be cheap for a reason.

Good Eating,

Gerry

Wow Gerry, thanks so much for a very informative post. It's people like you who makes this all worthwhile. I'll be sure to check out Mirage's buffet next month. I can hardly wait.

Rhonda - We're going in August. Please to a trip report and let me (us) know what you thought about the buffets you tried including info. on good times to go to avoid lines/waits. THANKS

Thanks everyone for your tips! I'm gathering info for an article so anything else you can add will be most appreciated!

I was just in Vegas last week. The Paris Breakfast buffet is excellent. It has a playful Disneyland like atmosphere. Painted blue sky, and a setting that makes it look like a small French village. Very cute and comfortable. They have several food stations where they serve potatoes, sausages, crepes, omelettes, fruits etc... I highly recommend it. It was about $12.00. HAVE FUN!!!

Any article based on information obtained at an anonymous travel chat board should be grounds for dismissal or flunking, depending on the article's intended audience.

If you're for real Paula, you're one sorry author. Doesn't validity and responsible reporting mean anything to you?

I'm preparing for the trip to write the article and I asked for recommendations beforehand. I didn't intend to "write" the article based on the replies I received from my request. Last year Fodorites made my trip to Tuscany a great success and I wouldn't consider any major trip without checking this board for advice.

I went to LV in Jan. and March. Went to a dozen buffets and all I remember is MGM...AWFUL and Bellagio...THE BEST. How many ways can you serve Salmon? Let the Bellagio show you the way. Yummy

Was in Las Vegas last week. Had lunch buffet at Paris Hotel for about $17.00. It was very good, if a bit pricey. Had dinner buffet at Mandalay Bay with my brother. We both thought it just okay -- one bonus was all the shrimp and crab legs you want, and they provided a nutcracker.

How are the lines at the most popular buffets such as Belagio, Paris and Mirage? Can you walk right in, wait just awhile, or wait a long time?
Thanks,
Margery

The buffet at The Mirage is very good, but there's always a humongous line to wait in. I'd rather spend more and go to The Bellagio's buffet. It's fantastic!! It has a line too, but not that long, compared to others. I agree that the MGM'S buffet is horrible!!

Waiting time depends on the popularity of the buffet, size of the restaurant, location, day of the week and time of day. If you try to go at normal dinner time you will encounter the most crowds. If you go at off times eg. early you may just walk in. Also late(after about 8:30 pm) but this leaves you less time to enjoy your diner. At normal dinner time the buffets often fill up and you have to wait for the early birds to leave. I would guess an average wait at normal dinner time for popular buffets would be 20-40 minutes. It can be longer on weekends. Lots of variables. So these are just rough guesses. Weekend brunches can also have long lines. At lunchtime lines tend to be the shortest.

I agree that Bellagio buffet is amazing. I also highly recommend the weekend brunch buffet at the Aladdin - many types of ethnic food, free-flowing mimosas, and most of the food was surprisingly good. Can't remember the exact price, but it was around $16 I think.

Any hotel guests at Paris have luck getting Paris buffet line passes without being a rated casino player?

We got 4 line passes at Bellagio simply by walking up to the concierge and asking for them. She didn't even ask if we were guests (we were). Not that I recommend this strategy...doubt it works most of the time, but saved us an hour wait.

The Rio Suites...They have the best buffet in all of Las Vegas and it is very reasonable...If I were you I would only eat breakfast that day because there is so much food at the Rio you can't imagine.

Where have you been, Maria?
Or...where haven't you been?
Rio's buffet has been summarily relegated to the large list of mediocre buffets now pocking the casino-hotel landscape.
Food quality is lacking at the Rio buffet. Quantity? It's there with plenty to spare. But quality is not to be found.
Vegas' best buffet? Not by a longshot.

Even with a $20+ price, it was almost like a priviledge to eat at the Mirage Buffet. I went to the Rio Buffet, World Carnival, had a plate of food and felt full, but I still hadn't eaten at their Itailian, Mexican, British, Japanese, Monogolian, or Chinese station. I walked away but felt I had wasted part of the $16 entry fee. But, for the price, 5 or 6 dollars at the Sahara or Stratosphere is probably the best value.