Las Vegas: Not a year old, Bacchanal Buffet welcomes millionth diner

Las Vegas’ Bacchanal Buffet welcomed its one millionth guest during Labor Day, quite an accomplishment for a buffet that won’t celebrate its first birthday until next week.

Tianshu Sun was greeted at Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace with plenty of fanfare – and prizes, too – as she entered the buffet Friday evening along with her companion, Yao Cheng. As lucky diner No. 1 million she was awarded a two-night stay at Caesars, spa passes and unlimited free meals at the buffet.

The Bacchanal buzz began even before it opened Sept. 11, 2012. It began with a menu touting 500 food items, and 30 more have been added over the past year. Daily specials have included such dishes as braised rabbit, osso buco and seafood risotto.

To celebrate its first year, five new items will be added to the menu each week this month. They will then become ongoing offerings.

“We have continued to be creative and push the envelope, even after being crowned the best buffet in Las Vegas,” Executive chef Michael van Staden said in a news release, noting the “best” designation as awarded by USA Today, the Las Vegas Review Journal and Las Vegas Weekly. His kitchen staff, numbering around 100, serves about 3,000 people each day.

Such kudos can result in long lines outside the buffet. To eliminate the wait, a line pass can be purchased for $15. That’s, of course, in addition to the $45.99 ($50.99 Friday, Saturday and Sunday) price of dinner.

Each Wednesday during September, complimentary line passes will be provided to diners displaying a Nevada ID.

A cake 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide adorned with 150 pounds of fondant icing will be on display at the entrance to Bacchanal throughout the month.

Twitter: @LATimesTravel | Facebook