About a year ago, I wrote about how buffets were being written up as dead, yet many were continuing to live on at select casinos, including in Las Vegas.
In the article, as almost a passing mention, I noted that a new wave of All You Can Eat options were starting to pop up in restaurants as a way to offer that sort of experience. Over time, this concept has continued to grow.
Here’s the basic idea: a restaurant offers a window of time where they offer an All You Can Eat experience, often times buffet style but sometimes ordering plates off a limited menu, for a fixed price. These experiences are often offered at quieter times of the week, where a restaurant might otherwise close due to lack of business.
For instance, last fall I tried one at New York-New York, where Chin Chin has offered a brunch American-style buffet during the week. There’s a mix of American and Asian food choices, which is a nice twist, and there was enough variety to satisfy tastebuds for the price.
The other thing of note from my visit was you were getting more of a restaurant level of service quality for what was otherwise a buffet experience. The service here, from the moment we entered until the moment we received our check, was among the better experiences I’ve seen in quite awhile (and I realize I’m saying this in a town known for restaurants and service).
Of course, Chin Chin isn’t the only place offering this. Whether it’s the M Resort’s steakhouse buffet, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown having a brunch all you can eat menus (two locations offering it), or the Border Grill at Mandalay Bay, it seems an increasing number of casinos feature a restaurant with the option, including locations that used to have buffets. The Review Journal recently published a list of some, but this is certainly not all.
The best part about these options is from a pricing perspective they often come in below the cost of a full-on buffet at casinos like Excalibur and MGM Grand. Of course, the selection tends to be trimmer as well, so it helps to look the menus over beforehand to ensure you’ll get your money’s worth.
So if you’re the type that likes to do Vegas on a budget, or are longing for the days of the All You Can Eat buffet, rest assured there’s some options out there for you. You do have to look around a bit, but between the options we’ve provided and the Review Journal’s list, that should get you going with a number of possibilities to research!
The RJ info is behind their paywall. Can you list the places that are offering these modified buffet options? Thanks
Along with the Guy Fieri locations, other strip options they referenced mentioned weekend brunch options at Wynn’s La Cave and MGM Grand’s Hakkasan.