A guide to Vegas buffets

The city’s many celebrity chef restaurants may get most of the attention, but no Las Vegas experience would be complete without visiting a lavish buffet. With so many scrumptious spreads to choose from, however, which all-you-can-eat smorgasbord is right for you?

Bacchanal Buffet
Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702.731.7928

Wait/reservations/popularity: The Strip’s newest buffet is also its most popular. Be prepared for long lines, as Bacchanal Buffet serves between 3,000 and 3,500 guests each day.

Featured items: Bacchanal Buffet offers more than 500 items made daily, including freshly shucked East and West Coast oysters, soufflés baked to order, hand rolls made to order, red velvet pancakes and Bacchronuts—a donut/croissant hybrid that was developed in-house exclusively for the buffet.

Good to know: Named the No. 1 buffet in Las Vegas by USA Today, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Weekly, Bacchanal Buffet has hosted such big-name stars as Morgan Freeman, Bradley Cooper, Gordon Ramsay and Tyra Banks.

Price: $15-51

Bayside Buffet
Mandalay Bay
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702.632.7402

Wait/reservations/popularity: Reservations are taken for large parties. Call 702.632.7447 or fill out the large party request form online at the buffet’s informational page on www.mandalay.com.

Featured items: Bayside Buffet is known for its award-winning desserts, such as its bread pudding and waffle cones. It’s also popular for its snow and king crab legs.

Good to know: The 622-seat Bayside Buffet offers 200 window or window-area seats with a panoramic view of Mandalay Bay Beach.

Price: $13-30

The Buffet
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702.693.8111

Wait/reservations/popularity: Reservations are not required but can be made for groups of 20 or more by calling 866.259.7111. Additionally, M life members with “Pearl” status and higher are eligible to go through a fast pass line regardless of how many people are in their party.

Featured items: With the finest cuisine hand-picked from myriad exotic places, the Buffet at Bellagio offers even the most discerning diner something to please his or her palate. Kobe beef is offered daily for dinner, and salmon and tuna are flown in fresh. During the gourmet dinner service, fresh racks of lamb and beef wellington are also available.

Good to know: During the gourmet dinner service, guests have unlimited access to a caviar station. The Buffet at Bellagio is the only buffet on the Strip to offer this.

Price: $18-39

The Buffet
Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702.248.3463

Wait/reservations/popularity: Reservations are not accepted. Wait times vary. Expect longer lines during the holidays.

Featured items: The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas features 15 live-action cooking stations as well as a variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. Additionally, every station can create something special, cooked to order. Popular items include the Alaskan opilio crab legs, hand-carved-to-order meats, candy apples, Wagyu beef lasagna and waffle-fried chicken with a chili maple glaze.

Good to know: The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas was voted Best Buffet in Las Vegas by the readers of USA Today in 2012.

Price: $21-48

The Buffet at TI
Treasure Island
3300 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702.894.7355

Wait/reservations/popularity: Wait times vary. Reservations are not accepted. But for sweet-tooths in a rush, the Buffet at TI offers a menu of its mouthwatering desserts to go.

Featured items: The Buffet at TI is known for its country bakery full of delightful desserts, including fresh-made donuts, chocolate-covered strawberries and éclairs, as well as its international station that changes daily, with themes like German, baked potato bar, Mexican and Italian. It’s also famous for its sticky-finger-good barbecue, tossed-to-order salads, wide variety of sushi and piping-hot pizzas served from a rustic oven.

Good to know: The display window at the Buffet at TI often features creations made entirely of food by the property’s executive pastry chef, Debra Mitchell. Previous displays have included an owl family and a musical scene featuring a guitar.

Price: $10-27

Feast Buffet
Red Rock Casino Resort Spa
11011 W. Charleston Blvd.
702.797.7777

Wait time/reservations/popularity: The Feast Buffet at Red Rock Resort is one of the most popular of Station Casino’s Feast buffets. Reservations are only available for groups of 20 or more, so be sure to arrive early in case of a wait. For parties of 20 or more, call 702.797.7517.

Featured items: Although its menu changes frequently to reflect seasonal items, some of the more popular dishes at the Feast Buffet include the sushi, the meats at the carving station and the made-to-order pasta dishes at the Italian pasta station. Omelets are also very popular during breakfast and brunch.

Good to know: The Feast Buffet at Red Rock Resort has been named best buffet in Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Review-Journal several times.

Price: $7-30

Garden Court Buffet
Main Street Station Casino, Brewery and Hotel
200 N. Main St.
702.387.1896

Wait/reservations/popularity: The Friday seafood buffet is the most popular night with wait times up to 40 minutes, but it’s well worth the wait for a wide array of seafood delights. Other nights, the average wait time is 15 minutes. If you’re hungry outside of the normal meal times, you may be able to walk right in.

Featured items: The Garden Court Buffet features seven live cooking stations and omelets cooked to order on brunch days. Seafood night on Friday is the most popular buffet of the week among guests, but steak and scampi on Thursdays and the weekend champagne brunch can also contribute to the downtown buffet’s sustained popularity. The Pacific Asian food station, which occasionally features oxtail soup, has earned a following of devoted Hawaiian customers.

Good to know: The Garden Court Buffet was named one of the “7 Best Buffets in Las Vegas Casinos” by Bon Appétit magazine.

Price: $7-$23

Le Village Buffet
Paris Las Vegas
3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702.946.7000

Wait/reservations/popularity: One of the Strip’s most popular buffets now lets diners avoid the line by making a reservation on OpenTable, making Le Village Buffet the first and only buffet in Las Vegas to offer reservations through the online system.

Featured items: Offering guests a culinary tour of the prominent regions of France — no passport required! — Le Village Buffet recently began serving traditional French macarons. Other menu favorites include the vanilla bean crème brûlée, made-to-order crepes and juicy rotisserie chicken. The buffet also offers a complimentary glass of wine with each guest’s meal during lunch and dinner.

Good to know: Not only is the dining room made to look like sections of a French village, but each food station at Le Village Buffet represents a province in France.

Price: $13-34

Studio B Buffet
M Resort Spa Casino
12300 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Henderson
702.797.1000

Wait/reservations/popularity: Be sure to arrive early, as Studio B has been voted best buffet in the city by the Las Vegas Review-Journal twice since opening in 2009.

Featured items: Guests can enjoy more than 200 dishes daily, including featured items like prime rib (during dinner hours), Kalbi beef ribs, assorted sushi rolls and wild mushroom ravioli. During the weekend seafood dinner, snow crab legs (hot and cold) and lobster ravioli are available.

Good to know: Free beer, wine, espresso, cappuccino and even cordials are included with every meal. The seafood brunch also includes free champagne!

Price: $8-40

Wicked Spoon
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South
702.698.7000

Wait/reservations/popularity: Reservations aren’t accepted, so arrive early, as this is one of the more popular buffets on the Strip.

Featured items: Wicked Spoon’s dessert station is a favorite with guests. Must-try sweets include the Oreo cupcake, chocolate pistachio mousse cake and strawberry cream puff. The buffet also offers a made-to-order mac and cheese station and a daily happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring select beers and cocktails for $5 as well as a glass of the daily selection of red or white wine for $8 ($20 for the bottle). Since its menu changes seasonally, there’s always something new for diners to sink their teeth into.

Good to know: Wicked Spoon is a multiethnic mix of top-quality familiar staples arranged in an imaginative small-plate format meant to satisfy any craving and encourage a high-end gourmet dining experience.

Price: $16-41

—Heather Turk, Brand Publishing Writer