Which Las Vegas buffet is the best?
 

Okay... This is probably weird for a LV local to be asking, but I need help picking a buffet. :)

My parents are visiting at the end of May and they love doing buffets when they're in town. (They usually frequent the Orleans buffet because it's reasonably priced with decent food.) I'd like to treat them to a "higher end" buffet that they would not usually go to because of the price.

I've narrowed it down to 5, but I need help from here. I'm looking for something with a good variety when it comes to types of food, but I'd also like crab legs and shrimp. We would go on a weekday for dinner, so I'm interested in what the menus are like on any given weekday.

Here's my list:
1. Bellagio
2. Rio
3. Mirage
4. Treasure Island
5. Aladdin

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Aw Jbee, from local to another I'll give you my choices. I have a friend visiting for a week starting tomorrow so we'll be hitting the buffets too:

1. Bellagio
2. Mirage
3. Aladdin
4. Treasure Island
5. Rio (but this is only a guess, I haven't eaten there for a while) also the lines can be looong

Have a great time with the folks!

Thanks, travelinwifey! Does the Bellagio buffet always have crab legs?

Aladdin's buffet always has crab legs, and they are pre-split so you don't have to fight with them!

Mirage is also really good.

TI was just OK. It was lower priced than the others, and you could tell...

Every time I've been there it has, except for breakfast, maybe, which I've never tried. Sunday Brunch is my favorite, though lines are long and it offers good breakfast choices also.

I didn't mention the Paris, which is good, because for me it has gone a little too french, though others may disagree. But the crepes are wonderful.

The Bellagio has crab legs at dinner, but I don't know if they're available for lunch.

Oops, sunshine is right, lobster is offered for dinner and Sunday Brunch only, I just called the Bellagio:)

I ate at the Rio in 2003, June. It was a big sea food one. I was not that impressed to tell you the truth. And I believe it was also about $50.00

I am not going again until the end of june, or I would give you feedback when I returned, sorry.

Oh my another typo.....CRAB LEGS are only offered on Sunday Brunch and dinner buffets:)

Thanks for the info. It's good to know that crab legs are offered on the dinner buffet at the Bellagio, so I guess that would stay on the top of my list.

What about the Mirage buffet? Has anyone been there since they made changes? Also, it looks like the Rio buffet is much less seafoody, based on their website. Has anyone been there recently?

Anyone else have recent reviews? :)

The Mirage was really good, have been there 2 times since the change. They offer a lot of seafood and a nice selection of sushi. They also had crab legs that were very good. And the pizza was good as well. I was mildly disappointed with the desserts which is why I rated it below the Belaggio. But to us it's big and very good.

Quite a few buffets have crab legs now, and I've been to them all, and hands down, the Bellagio has the best ones! So if crab legs are it, then I'd recommend the Bellagio. They only have crab legs during dinner. Here's a tip that we always do to avoid the long lines and the higher dinner prices. We always get there around 3:00

Oops!...didn't get to finish. We get there around 3:00 or 3:30 and pay the lunch price and wait for them to bring out the dinner items. The crab legs usually come out at about 4:00.

Mandalay Bay has a good buffet too and they also have crab legs. Paris and Aladdin as well.

I would take Treasure Island off your list and add Paris. Treasure Island isn't anything special. However, we love the buffet at Paris.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think it's down to Bellagio or Mirage. I would love to go to Paris because it's my personal favorite, but my Dad dislikes French food- what a bummer!

Thanks for the tip on the time, BigJim, but we wouldn't be able to get there until 4 or 5 pm. So.... Which one has shorter lines around that time - Bellagio or Mirage? I guess that's going to be the deciding factor! What do you think?

Good question. My experience has shown that you have to go before 6:00 to most buffets to avoid the long lines. But it could also depend on what day of the week it is. I'm sure weeknights won't be a problem. But if you go at 4:00 or 5:00, the lines shouldn't be too long at either the Mirage or the Bellagio.
Oh, the Paris buffet has MANY other items besides French food. I go there sometimes because it's one of the few buffets that has crepes, which I love!

BigJim,
Believe me, I know all the wonderful things about the Paris buffet. I love the crepes and brie. Mmmmmmm.... Unfortunately, if you mention "French food" to my Dad, he shuts down from there. Since this is a gift for them, I figured I would be better off going with something less "Frenchy". Maybe next time we'll branch out more. :)

So I'm guessing I can't go wrong with either one, but that doesn't make my decision easier! I guess I'll call, get some prices and go from there. Thanks again to all!!

Both times we went to the Mirage buffet at around 5pm there were 1 hour waits. This was on weekends though. We got in line once and it seemed to be moving really fast and it just died so we stood around waiting for the grub another 45 mins=P~ I don't think the line will be as long at the Bellagio because it opens for dinner at 3pm I think, but don't be surprised if there is a 30 min or so wait. The Mirage has more cashiers.

BigJim thank you for the tip about the crab legs. My fellow managers are always dragging me all over the place in search of crab legs at every convention we ever go to. That is how we ended up at the Rio. And I am not even sure if they ended up having them. I do remember that like every dish was sea food.

No problem! I'm afraid I haven't been to the Mirage in a few years, so I'm not sure how good or bad their buffet is. One thing you might want to check is see if the Mirage has crab legs on the day you're going. Some buffets only have seafood on Fri. nights and weekends. But I'm pretty sure the Bellagio has crab legs every night.
I also forgot to mention that even though I like the Bellagio, it is the priciest of the buffets. So if cost isn't a factor, then definitely go for it!

Hi.

It is nice to see Cravings (at the Mirage) and Dishes (at TI) show up on a list of good buffets. They seem to be missing from all of the other threads on Vegas buffets that I have seen (unless I have included them myself).
I'm a big fan of both, but Cravings at the Mirage is a better buffet overall. It is rare to find it without a long line during 'normal' dining hours.
The selection and quality were great. I wish I had been hungrier on my trips there. I didn't make it to the desserts, but the sushi and oriental selections were very good. The carving station had nice offerings, too.
I found the spacious layout helpful.

Enjoy!
Mark

Thanks for the info on the Mirage buffet, manduss- it just makes my decision easier! :)

For those of you following this, I've decided on the Mirage buffet. It turns out that we'll actually be going to the Mirage for a convention, so it just makes sense. I haven't been to their buffet since it was re-done, so I promise a full review on the crab legs after their visit. ;)

Thanks again for all your thoughts and comments! (How did I ever live without Fodors?!?!)

I'm sure you'll really enjoy it Jbee! Look forward to your review!

I would definitely go with the Bellagio Buffet. There is a wide variety of food. You might want to take a sweater if you get cold easily. The air conditioning is on at full blast. Have a great time!

The mirage buffet is fantastic - we preferred it to Bellagio

Just returned and thought I'd add my 2 cents-worth here. Mirage buffet was expensive and the food only meduicre. Also, I wasn't impressed with the cafeteria-style of the food and dining area, but the service was decent. One that is definitely worth the money is Luxor. Food and service both excellent. Large selection and two lines with everything so no waiting. Atmosphere is nice, also, more secluded groupings of tables in an interesting egyptian decor. Best desserts all weekend!

So here's my big buffet report! :)

TIME: 1:30 pm on a Tuesday afternoon.
PLACE: Mirage Buffet.
MEAL: Lunch
PRICE: Almost $20/pp.

OVERALL IMPRESSION
Really, I was unimpressed. We got into line and ended up waiting about 20 minutes after paying to be seated. Once we were in there, we were amazed that we waited so long because half the tables in there were empty. I don't know what the story was there, but it was kind of irritating that they wouldn't seat people at the open tables. Maybe they were short staff, but when you're hungry, you just don't care. :)

SERVICE
Our server was great! He ended up leaving halfway through our meal so we tipped him before he went. We never saw the next guy - he probably thought he didn't have a chance at more tip money... Our first waiter loaded us up on refills before he left, so it wasn't that big of an issue.

FOOD REVIEW:
The pizza and prime rib were good, but the crab legs (rated by my Dad - the expert) were mediocre (sp?) at best.

The sushi bar was also disappointing because they only featured 4 types. It was described to me as one of their highly featured stations.

The dessert table also seemed rather small, but I might be spoiled by memories of the Paris buffet.

The clam chowder was some of the best I've ever had and I ate more potstickers than I should have. I also liked the spaghetti and the salad bar.

RATING
My overall rating for the Mirage lunch would be a C-. I felt like the food didn't justify the price. Maybe dinner is better or maybe we went on an off day - who knows? At any rate, it was good, not great. The food was better at the Orleans the next night and that's probably not the comparison they would want at the Mirage.

Thanks to all for your input. We had a lot of fun doing this, so I guess we'll try again next year! I'm thinking the Bellagio or Wynn will be my next targets. :)

About two more weeks until I go! :) I am taking notes.

JBee, you're wondering why they didn't seat you even though had a bunch of empty tables??? It's ALWAYS ALWAYS like that at the buffets in Vegas!! Plus, the people who work the lines are usually VERY slow! That's another reason there's usually long lines at most buffets.

By the way, does anyone like the buffets in Downtown?? I've found some of the best buffets down there.

BigJim,
I have to disagree that there's always empty tables. Every time I go to the Paris buffet, we're either in very quick or we wait because every table is full. Even the Orleans moves quickly. I don't think I've ever waited more than 10 minutes in that line and we're always seated quickly.

My point was there were at least 50 empty tables and they made us wait at least 20 minutes AFTER paying. Usually the waiting occurs before you pay... The wait time was unnacceptable to me because of my experience at other buffets. The fact that it was 1:30 pm on a Tuesday also made me wonder what the wait was really for. It's not like they were super busy.

Which buffet do you like downtown? I've only tried the Main Street Station buffet 4 years ago, so I'm not familiar with the choices.

dsm - Please include you buffet reviews in your trip report. I look forward to hearing about your experiences! :)

You all seem so expirenced in Las Vegas do any of you have any suggestions for special occasion restaurants that are not buffets? Or a unique place to go? I am meeting my Sis there in August but have never been there.

This is all very interesting and helpful...even thought the orginal poster, *jbee* has been there and back.
I was going to suggest the Paris buffet, excellent...but understand why you didn't want to take your father there. (he might have loved it).
A few years ago we enjoyed the Mandalay Bay tremendously! HUGE, great selections, comfortable,...wonder if it is still as good . Just Excellent.
Ceasars a few years ago was delicious also.
Rio's selection (and many various "stations") was really something...but was terribly crowded and a little junky when we were there,,,but certainly had "something for everyone".
Well, the Las Vegas buffets are FUN!
Too much food of course, but I find them interesting and one can take just what they want.
Some prefer the sit down,waiter brings food, elegant dinners...and that might have it's place, but can be pretty ho-hum sometimes.

Mari-
Thanks for your feedback. Maybe next year we'll go to Paris, because I like it... :) Really, my dad may like it, but he tends to be a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy and sees French food as "stuffy".

I find it interesting that you liked the Mandalay Bay buffet. I ate there once and never went back. I didn't feel like it was that big, but I haven't been there for a few years.

Catburd -
Las Vegas restaurants is a popular subject on the board. Have you done any searches yet? It might be useful to start your own thread stating your price, ambience, etc. preferences. For a nice restaurant with a great view, my favorite is Prime. We always have such a great experience there - the food is good, the service is great, and the view over the lake is wonderful. There's so many others, depending on your budget and what you're looking for!

jbee, will do. That is if I can get everyone on the same page. There are five of we managers going, and a couple are, well shall we say a little too frugal. They try to get us to eat like, take out stuff. We all manage quick service retaurants, so you would think that would be the last thing you would want to do. I know it is for me!

The one girl, the newest general manager, this will be her first convention and first time in Vegas. I am pretty sure the two of us would wander off from them if need be. I am
staying at Mandalay Bay. I was thinking either there or Bellagio as per BigJim.

But............we did not go into Paris the last time that we were there. I personally love French food. Well, I like most everything!

We'll see. I tried two months ago to get them to pick a show to see and everyone was namby-pamby about it. Well, it is too late to get tickets to anything I would want to see, probably.

I do know that part of our entertainment that the company will be providing for us is the Blue Man Group.

I thought of going out to one of these buffets for our one free night. Since we did not pick a show.

I am thinking some crepes would taste just grand.