I took my latest trip to Las Vegas over the Thanksgiving weekend. The holiday weekend brought its own round of sticker shocks, such as the $90/person Bellagio Buffet for the holiday weekend, pricing it above the world-famous Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace without the same level of diversity or quality.
But throughout the weekend, my friends and I encountered various scenarios where the value was clearly still there. Casino prices are nothing new, but my iced tea at the Mandalay Bay Starbucks was priced lower than the one here in Palm Springs, where team BCSlots is based.
Three of us ate for about $100 at Tap at Excalibur, courtesy of a 3 for $33 menu that included an appetizer, soup or salad, and a main dish. These were the same full-size dishes that would easily add up to $60 if ordered individually, and proved to be more than enough for each of us.
Diablo’s Cantina at Luxor continues to offer a consistently good Mexican experience. 48th and Crepe at New York-New York still offers a fair price for a filling breakfast.
These are all examples just on the MGM side, which was where I happened to stay this trip, but you could do this on the Caesars side, or the downtown casinos (we had a great meal at Saginaw’s at Circa and at Hash House a Go Go at Plaza as well).
Are these celebrity restaurant experiences? No. And that’s certainly not to say those don’t have their own appeal for those who prefer them.
But these examples are all pretty affordable, and don’t even scratch the surface of the extreme deals found at casinos like the Downtown Grand hot dog and beer special, the Ellis Island Top Sirloin meal, or the Stage Door Casino offers. Ocean One recently closed at the Miracle Mile shops with their insane food specials, but other offers within that same mall are still around such as Blondie’s and La Salsa Cantina.
These deals are sprinkled pretty generously around various parts of the strip, downtown and at locals casinos, so even if you’re without a car and just getting around on foot or via various transit options, you can make your way to value pretty quickly.
There’s certainly a lot to gripe about when it comes to the way Vegas has evolved, and I’m with those who aren’t fans of the latest round of resort fee and parking price hikes, for instance. But there’s still value to be found, and with such a wide variety of opportunities there, you can still have a great time on a budget.
