OK, I know it may seem a little odd but my husband and I like the variety, casualness and quickness of a buffet. So...we are hoping that the seasoned Vegas travelers can point us in the direction of some great quality buffets. By the way, we are staying at Mandalay Bay in a couple of weeks. Thanks for any input.

The Carnival World Buffet at the Rio was the most enormous buffet I have ever experienced. Every type of food you can imagine, and pretty good. The dessert area was like walking into a bakery and having the run of the place. Highly recommend it.

Bellagio and Paris have about the best buffets on the Strip. The difference in selection between lunch and dinner is minimal, but savvy diners arrive about 4pm to pay lunch prices for the dinner-time buffet.

I agree with Rick. Over the past 6-7 years I think the Rio's buffet, once the best, has gone downhill some in terms of quality. Still tops for quantity.

Bellagio's buffet is not to be missed...really! It's very good.

A great web site that offers restaurant and buffet ratings and comments is at http://www.lvol.com

You should know that the mayor of Las Vegas has decreed that if you weigh over 200 Lbs, you may be barred from a "All you can stuff your face for $2.99 buffet" and forced instread to spend 30 minutes on an excercise bike in the hotel's health spa.

Something to do with trying to discourage humongus sized Americans from visiting the town, i think.

The best buffet in Vegas is not on the strip...it's Fiesta.

I was just in Vegas two weeks ago and stayed at the Luxor *couldn't get into Mandalay Bay, btw.* The buffet at Luxor was pretty good, but twice the price of Fiesta.

Here's a tip though...the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay was pretty neat. I'd recommend it.

Honestly, The Carnival World Buffetat the Rio is the best!!! Even though the hotel is located near the strip (not exactly on the strip) It's the best value and largest buffet. We were there in May.. Loved it.. So much variety... I would definetly recommend this place.
Have Fun!!

You won't beat the Rio buffet but you have to cab it or bus it from the strip - it's across the expressway from Caesars. Buffet at Excalibur may be the worst.

For fresh, fresh, fresh food, great variety, wonderful ambience and superb bakery, you CANNOT beat Le Village, at Paris. Yes, Rio is large, but the quality is just not there. Try Paris, you won't be disappointed.

And by the way, humongous Americans are NOT the only people who eat at the buffets, and those comments are inflammatory and were not asked for in this question. Nothing like making people feel really low because they choose to eat at a buffet, huh?

That does raise an interesting point though, cmw0561. I don't like eating at buffets because I can't get my money's worth. I exercise 4 days a week, eat relatively small meals and have worked hard to stay in the same shape I was in when I started college 20+ years ago. I just can't eat enough at a buffet to make it worth it, and if I do, I feel badly both physically and mentally. I don't suppose many people clicking on this question have the same opinion, though. But it does tie in with the "Why are people at amusement parks so huge" string.

I can't believe that you people are trying to turn this into another "why do large people go to amusement parks" type of thread. Buffets are a staple of Las Vegas and aren't reserved solely for people who want to stuff their faces until they can't eat anymore.
While I'm not a huge buffet fan, they have their upsides, especially in vegas where many times the easiest comp to get is for a free buffet. By the way Bellagio and Bally's Big Kitchen Buffet are good.

We just returned from Las Vegas. We also like the casualness and quickness of the buffets. So many people recommend the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio, and I was eager to try it. It is very large (and crowded, of course) and offers quite a variety; however, I was very disappointed. The food was not all that great and I'm not a gourmet. Also, the place just didn't look that clean. We tried to get in the Seafood buffet but the line was way too long and we were there pretty early.

I have heard such great things about the buffet at Paris, that's where I'd go first. Tried Bellagio and Luxor, not that impressed. (Oh heresy, that anyone should say anything negative about Bellagio!) My fourteen-year old manages get our money's worth at buffets, but I prefer to do the restaurant scene in LV. When paying that much, I prefer artfully-presented and freshly-made dishes.

Are you ready? The best buffet on the Strip is NOT on the Strip. Its at Summerlin. Its a new resort about 10 minutes west of the Strip. It is incredible and the BEST part is that its not crowded.And by the way the Mandalay Bay is a great hotel.JMHO.

bev I'm glad you made those comments about the Rio's buffet. I couldn't agree more about the food quality and the messy-dirty kind of feel to the place, but seems like so many people rave about it. Guess it's one of those personal style things. Heck, I've read people's reports defending the old Continental Hotel and some of the other real flea-baggers. That's what this forum is for, though. Ain't the internet grand.

Greetings -

The best buffets are Bellagio, Paris, and the Fiesta.

The Rio SEAFOOD buffet is good but stay away from the regular buffet there. It has gone waaaaay down hill. We used to go there for Thanksgiving dinner sometimes but not in a few years.

Bellagio weekend brunch is great. We go just for the brick oven, fresh pizza and chilled, peeled-for-you shrimp. Well worth $18.95.

Paris has excellent bread and the banana's foster is great. The only bad thing about the Paris when I was there is that some of the meat dishes seemed to have a very similar sauce. They all tasted pretty good but I thought they should all be a little more different than they were. Perhaps I was there when they were training a new cook?

The Fiesta is a 20ish minute drive from the strip but they have really good BBQ on Friday night. They usually always have some type of BBQ pork or ribs but they have extra stuff on Friday. Skip the Texas which is right across the street. We thought they would have better BBQ, Wrong! Also, we are amazed every time we go to the Fiesta buffet at how attentive the staff is. Rarely do we have to wait very long for anything. As far as service goes, Fiesta buffet beats Paris and Bellagio.

Good luck, have fun.

We agree with the others about the Rio buffet's lack of quality. It's way over-rated and has been for a couple of years now. Several of you hit the nail right on the head in your description of the Rio buffet having a less-than-sparkling-clean presentation.

So many good things have been said about the Bellagio and Paris buffets, we would recommend you check those out for quality and not just quantity.

Vegas Watch

If you are thin, stay away from the buffets unless you want to be crushed by two fat Yanks in the queue!