Buffet of Buffets

Just came back from Vegas and I thought I'd say a few words about the "Buffet of Buffets" for anyone who is interested.

Normally I don't care too much about where I eat or when as long as the food and service is good but my girlfriend (her first time in Vegas) wanted to try out all of the options for the "Buffet of Buffets. Here's a quick rundown of our experiences:

The 24-hour pass can be purchased at at any of the buffets on the list (LAGO - Caesars Palace; PARADISE GARDEN - Flamingo; FLAVORS - Harrahs; EMPEROR'S - Imperial Palace; LE VILLAGE - Paris; SPICE MARKET - Planet Hollywood; CARNIVAL WORLD - Rio).

Price is now $44.99 with Total Rewards card and $49.99 without. Sign up for the card and save $5.00 per person if that's your thing (plus get $5 free slot play).

The pass begins from the time it is purchased and expires axactly 24 hours later. If you get into a buffet 23 hours 59 minutes after your purchase you're fine but some of the palces are sticklers for the rules and may not permit entry even one minute after your pass expires, EVEN IF YOU'VE BEEN WAITING IN LINE FOR 30 MINUTES.

Alcoholic drinks are extra (brunch exception listed below) but all locations have servers who will bring you any juice or soft drink on their menu (a pretty good selection) as often as you like during your meal.

We did not eat at the Flamingo or Imperial Palace. I've heard too many lousy things about the IP buffet to give it a go although the car museum was well worth it - expecially considering the tix were free from the Harrah's coupon book (save about $9 apiece). We bypassed the Flamingo after eating at Harrah's... I figured they'd be about the same but I could be way off on that one.

Here, in order of my preference are the 5 buffets we did use.

#1 - LAGO; CAESAR'S PALACE:
No question about it for me, this was the best. The place wasn't as big as some of the others and the selection wasn't as varied but the food was BY FAR the best of the bunch. Everything tasted just like you'd expect it to taste, as long as you expected it to tase very good. It was nice and quiet and traffic flow was fine. It had a very cozy feel with lots of booths. The meats were juicy and looked as good as they tasted, the vegetables were fresh and cooked just right. Breads and pastas were top notch. As for the desserts, PIE IN A CUP! GENIUS! The desserts are tiny portions (so grab a bunch) and they have little pies in little cups and it's friggin' awesome. Ok, maybe I got more excited about it than I should have but it was simply a delight to have these little plastic cups with all sorts of wonderful pie flavours inside.
We ate dinner there and decided to go for the brunch a couple of days later. A little disappointed that they were pretty much the same menu but it was still greet food. We went for brunch because of the unlimited champagne, mimosas and ceasar's from 11:00am to 3:00pm. I don't drink alcohol but I discovered that my girlfriend sure does.
Ambiance: 9/10 - Food Quality: 9/10 - Presentation: 9/10 - Service: 9/10 - Wait Time: 5-10 minutes

#2 - SPICE MARKET; PLANET HOLLYWOOD:
This was the biggest place seating about 1300. Don't be fooled by the line upstairs... once they get you down the escalator there's another line about 4 times as long. The food and the selection were very good and the room has a nice feel to it; dark hues and old movie posters and not as loud as it could be for the size. Lots of tables for 2 and 4 plus plenty of room for big groups. Traffic flow was ok with a big line at the crab legs. (What's so exciting about a huge plate of crab legs anyway?) I'd say above average in all categories but be prepared to wait a while for a seat. The food selection was ok with different world themes clearly marked above the serving areas.
Ambiance: 7/10 - Food Quality: 8/10 - Presentation: 7/10 - Service: 7/10 - Wait Time: 50 minutes

#3 - LE VILLAGE; PARIS:
I don't like the gaming area of the Paris hotel but the little streets and shops are really well put together. The buffet entrance is just another little door on the street but once inside it's pretty big. The lighting is so-so with the blue sky and cloud theme on the ceiling (a la Forum Shops) and although it does have an open, outdoorsy feel like you might find on a Paris street the layout was rather thrown together it seemed. Traffic flow was a little tight in areas. The food was average but there was a decent selection, offering choices representing the 5 provinces of France. I was disappointed that the eggs seemed to be of the powdered variety and although I was looking forward to having a crepe it wasn't anything special (I had unbelievable crepes in Tahiti and I guess I was jaded). The servers seemed very rushed and harried. Le Village also offers unlimited mimosas and champagne during their brunch (mon-fri I think) which was a nice touch.
Ambiance: 7/10 - Food Quality: 7/10 - Presentation: 6/10 - Service: 6/10 - Wait Time: 25 minutes

#4 - CARNIVAL WORLD BUFFET; RIO:
I could have made this #3 and Le Village #4 but I think Le Village was a bit more... cultured? This buffet bills itself as the best in Vegas and it certainly offers the widest variety in my opinion. The food is standard buffet fare with nothing really standing out. Meats are ok, pastas are ok, veggies are ok... all in all it's pretty much ok. The place has a good number of booths for 2 or 4 plus lots of 4-person tables and although it's a pretty big area it's well divided so you don't feel like you're in a barn. Traffic flow is good and the service was fairly prompt. There is a big dessert selection with a lot of no-sugar-added choices and a half-dozen or so ice creams/sorbets. Getting in was a bit confusing as they break the one line down into 5 or so and when I walked over to the "Buffet of Buffets" line there was a rope up and no one there so I had to squeeze back into another line... this part could be streamlined.
Ambiance: 6/10 - Food Quality: 7/10 - Presentation: 6/10 - Service: 6/10 - Wait Time: 35 minutes

#5 - FLAVORS; HARRAHS:
Ugh. I had heard good things about this buffet and I have nothing good to say about it myself. There was a short line when we got there but once inside there were lots of empty seats... I think they just want to make it look busy from the outside or they're short-staffed. The place has the feel of a low-end diner. As for the food, I can honestly say I'm not a very picky eater but this was terrible. I went for pasta and pizza - awful. I went back for a cut of meat and some potatos - just as bad. I tried a sample of the sushi - one bite and that was it. I finally filled a plate with salad as that was the one thing I didn't think they could screw up and when I took a bite of a dinner roll I literally couldn't get my teeth through the thing. The food wasn't bad as in greasy or rotton or maggot infested... it just wasn't any good. If the IP is worse than this then I'm very glad I stayed away.
Ambiance: 4/10 - Food Quality: 3/10 - Presentation: 4/10 - Service: 6/10 - Wait Time: 5 minutes


We bought 2 passes (each) and got 3 meals out of each. Dinner-brunch-dinner for the first one and brunch-dinner-brunch for the second. All in all a decent value. If you are staying on the strip I'd recommend that you just go to the Ceasar's, Paris and PH buffets to get the best bang for your buck.

Here's a link to the Buffet of Buffets website:

Did your airline make you buy the second seat on the way back. :)

If you sign up at 8pm, you could get dinner, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For $45? Its almost too good to be true. You could even fit a brunch in there if you wanted..

Thanks for the review. I've only been to Rio. I think if I had to try one more, it would be Caesars based on your recommendation.

I love buffets, but for my money you can't do better than off-strip. Love getting a $2.50 breakfast buffet at Stations or Coast with a 2-for-1 coupon. They try very hard to match Strip quality, and sometimes succeed.

Of the list I have partaken of Rio and Caesars.

I like Rio for the sheer variety. Once had a great experience with a manager there who (unprompted) approached our table and insisted we try some of his desserts and made us a plate of bananas foster and crepes suzette combined which was quite tasty.

We also liked Caesars.

Quote: TheNightfly

Just came back from Vegas and I thought I'd say a few words abou the "Buffet of Buffets" for anyone who is interested.Normally I don't care too much about where I eat or when as long as the food and service is good but my girlfriend (her first time in Vegas) wanted to try out all of the options for the "buffet of Buffets. Here's a quick rundown of our experiences:Price is now $44.99 with Total Rewards card and $49.99 without. Sign up for the card and save $5.00 per person if that's your thing (plus get $5 free slot play).

Thanks for the detail. So would you want to do this for more than 48 hours?

Personally, I think anyone who buys a 4 day pass should be permitted to go to the Seafood Buffet at Rio at least once, and anyone who buys a 7 day pass for over $300 should be able to go to the Sterling Buffet at Bally's once (normally $85 per person).

Great report Nightfly!

Quote: pacomartin

Personally, I think anyone who buys a 4 day pass should be permitted to go to the Seafood Buffet at Rio at least once, and anyone who buys a 7 day pass for over $300 should be able to go to the Sterling Buffet at Bally's once (normally $85 per person).

I assume you're suggesting new multi-day options. Currently, it's only available for single 24 hour periods.

HOWEVER, here's some news from their website:

Quote:

**NEW** The Rio Village Seafood Buffet (VSB) is now part of Buffet of Buffets! During their valid period, for an extra $15 (per person, per visit),....

This is a smart move, it makes me want to go to Vegas. If you go 5 times in 24hr, thats $9 per visit. C'mon...

Quote: EvenBob

This is a smart move, it makes me want to go to Vegas. If you go 5 times in 24hr, thats $9 per visit. C'mon...

There's no question that you can get in more meals within the 24 hours but I guess I'm not a very good AP buffet eater because I really don't think I could have put much more in myself beyond the 3 meals I did. I'm not a morning or breakfast person so I was usually up at the crack of noon. I feel I definitely got value for money and even 3 meals (at $15 per) is very reasonable... but I still say stick to CP, Paris and PH.

By the way, I'm not sure about every buffet on the list but I did see at Paris that you can buy your way to the front of the line ($10 I think) if you don't feel like standing with the unwashed masses.

I'm sorry so was PH the only place with crab legs? A plate full of crab legs and a huge cup of butter is the only reason to go to a buffet.

You mean butter-flavored oil. Saves you money on laxatives.

The next step Rio needs to make is have the Seafood Buffet half-price for locals the way the Carnival Buffet is now.

Thanks for sharing, Mr. Nightfly.

I bought the BoB pass once when I was staying at the Rio (it was actually part of a package I purchased). I also dined at Paris and Planet Hollywood separately, with coupons in hand. My impressions were quite different. I won't do the 1000-word thing, but in a nutshell, here's what I thought:

* RIO (2 dinners & a breakfast) was good. Their desserts are a standout. The food seemed fresher for breakfast than for dinner.
* PARIS (breakfast) was also good. Loved the Lyonaise potatoes.
* PLANET HOLLYWOOD (lunch) was very disappointing. Everything I tried seemed to be a little off.

My view on the deal now is that it's not really worth it unless you're anchored to the Strip and can get at least three meals out of it. It started out at $29.99 last year. For a few dollars less, I'd rather pay full price for the buffets at the Gold Coast (across the street from the Rio), among many other dining options in town.

Quote: fremont4ever

My view on the deal now is that it's not really worth it unless you're anchored to the Strip and can get at least three meals out of it. It started out at $29.99 last year. For a few dollars less, I'd rather pay full price for the buffets at the Gold Coast (across the street from the Rio), among many other dining options in town.

When it was really cheap I thought it would drive the final nail into Circus Circus and the Riviera. Although I think CC is only $25 a day, the BoB gives you the ability to walk around and never be far from your meal. At $45 it is far more expensive then downtown, and you get seafood downtown without paying an extra $15.

I think if you pay that for 3 days you should get at least one pass to the Rio. At some points if you are a repeat purchaser of the BoB tickets you should get into the Sterling Buffet at Bally's. The Sterling Buffet is possibly the most expensive buffet in the country except for the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

Quote: ahiromu

the only reason to go to a buffet.

my typical daily diet is huge on vegetables so I have a quite unusual motive seeking out buffets when on vacation. By the 3rd or 4th day my diet has been low in veggies due to what is offered so it is actually possible that I won't feel well [usually some form of dyspepsia due to not being used to all the rich food and the unbalance of it]

Nothing disappoints me more than to see a poor selection of vegetables in a buffet! Most folks want to go crazy on the meats offered. A meat eater myself, I turn into a different person by the end of a vacation.

.....

My buffet strategy is generally "starve myself before going, then pig out". I can't imagine even wanting to visit buffets for 24 hours straight. Also, I can usually get a meal comped (or use points) anywhere I go that has a high density of casinos, so $45 for at most four meals sounds hugely overpriced. I can't speak for others, but the very concept here is rather nauseating. I don't know how the rest of you do it.

Quote: gofaster87

To be honest, buffets are the worst food to be had especially in Vegas. With so many great offerings by fine chefs I think its a waste to indulge your gluttony at a buffet all weekend.

Wow, I think you have it backwards. I think buffets are the best food offerings. I think the ideal healthy diet is tiny portions of a huge variety of food, and buffets are exactly that. For $7 at lunch, I can fill my plate with just a teaspoon each of 20 different veggies and baby portions of meats, go back for cubes of watermelon, cantaloupe, cottage cheese, salad choices. You certainly won't get that paying $90 for just a big-ass slab-o-meat and mac-n-cheese at Craftsteak. My only resentment is places like TI and Mirage that have the salad bar behind glass so I can't cherrypick a single prong of lettuce or broccoli (they have some guy back there who makes my salad for me), or at Cosmo's Wicked Spoon that elegantly gives me huge portions in a dedicated bowl rather than let ME decide I only want a single tablespoon of rice, Cosmo makes me have a cupfull.

I live here, and have a buffet every couple days, usually the Rio, just to balance out my diet. Buffets rule. And I am not fat.

.....

Quote: gofaster87

You are part of a very small group, an exception, that can control themselves at a buffet and eat healthy. When I'm at a buffet I mostly see full plates of fried food at everyone's table.

So true. When I look around at my fellow diners, they're like pigs at the trough. I take all I want, but eat all I take. When my waitress comes around to fill my tea, I can give a big pat-on-my-back for cleaning my plate. I think restaurants should enforce that rule as it make it more expensive for the rest of us when some leave heaps on their plates. Typical classless American behavior.

Quote: gofaster87

By the way, Craftsteak is well worth the money. In fact all of MGMs offerings are damn good, especially Robuchon.

I agree. Best meals I've ever had were from some of those places, but it's not for everyday (on my budget anyway). I recommend a trip out to Rosemary's on West Sahara which gets Vegas' Best Restaurant awards every year and but charges 1/2 to 2/3 of what the celebrity chefs on the Strip charge. Completely worth the trip. Here's what yelp has to say.

Quote: gofaster87

Far from backwards. You are part of a very small group, an exception, that can control themselves at a buffet and eat healthy.

Sure, but that also applies everywhere else, even at home.

.....

I'be sworn off breakfast buffets. Never had a good one. I like my heart attack on a plate freshly cooked, thanks.

I'll do one maybe two buffets on a trip... sit down dining seems to be better value for me now, as I enjoy the dining experience, even at a cheap, good cafe. M resort or Spice market are my choice, though I thought that the Silverton was good too.

If I eat at a buffet, I'm done eating for the day. If I eat light enough to be able to eat once or twice more that day, then I might as well save money and hit up a coffee shop, but even those can be big meals at times.

I'm a snob, only Wynn, Bellagio or M buffet for me. Last time I did M I was pissed they didn't have crab legs. I guess they only have them on weekends.

Quote: JimMorrison

I'm a snob, only Wynn, Bellagio or M buffet for me.

I agree, but waiting on line in Vegas is not why I'm there. Can you pay to go to the front at Bellagio or Wynn? I never asked.

Well, this IS a thread about Harrahs buffets, not Wynn, so if you want to jump the line, become a Diamond Member and you'll never be a peon again.

Quote: zippyboy

Well, this IS a thread about Harrahs buffets, not Wynn, so if you want to jump the line, become a Diamond Member and you'll never be a peon again.

So $10 won't get you to the front? I've never tried it.

Quote: EvenBob

So $10 won't get you to the front? I've never tried it.

Depends on the person you're dealing with. It's so easy to get a line pass pretty much anywhere though that there isn't much of a need to tip.

.....

Quote: gofaster87

Ive had to find the host desk at Bellagio to get a line pass. They usually want to see some play. That was a while back so Im not sure if its any easier now.

Poker room is always easy for a line pass.

With Ceasar's raising the entry price to $45 for the buffet of buffets, I am surprised that MGM-Resorts hasn't come up with their own offer. I see the Excalibur is $25 per day, the Luxor is $30 per day midweek, and $35 weekend, and an extra $10 for unlimited beer and wine.

I don't see an ad on the Circus Circus site, but it used to be $25 for the all day offer.

I thought that the multiple location buffets would be helpful in keeping people on your properties, but maybe the people who buy all day buffets are not big gamblers anyway.

Quote: pacomartin

With Ceasar's raising the entry price to $45 for the buffet of buffets, I am surprised that MGM-Resorts hasn't come up with their own offer. I see the Excalibur is $25 per day, the Luxor is $30 per day midweek, and $35 weekend, and an extra $10 for unlimited beer and wine.

I don't see an ad on the Circus Circus site, but it used to be $25 for the all day offer.

I thought that the multiple location buffets would be helpful in keeping people on your properties, but maybe the people who buy all day buffets are not big gamblers anyway.

MGM hasn't done a lot of cross-promotion between their hotels historically. Until very recently, they were all "go for your own" joints. The MGM southern strip resorts -- Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, and NYNY -- recently started cross-branding as "The Neighborhood." As of now, this does not look like anything more substantial than a stylized logo.

Quote: teddys

MGM hasn't done a lot of cross-promotion between their hotels historically. Until very recently, they were all "go for your own" joints. The MGM southern strip resorts -- Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, and NYNY -- recently started cross-branding as "The Neighborhood." As of now, this does not look like anything more substantial than a stylized logo.

You wonder if you could go back in time to early 2003 when MGM decided to invest in the British casino market and Sands decided to bid in Macau what kind of pros and cons were discussed. Or what went behind their off on June 4, 2004 to buy the Mandalay Group. It seems a significant part of that offer was the desire to acquire the land for the future City Center.

According to today's QoD, CET has raised their prices yet again to an astounding $95 for a weekend day, including Bacchanal. My apologies for quoting the entire answer here, but simply linking to their site is only good for today, since it's a different QoD tomorrow.

Quote: Las Vegas Advisor-QoD

Q:
Do they still have the "buffet of buffets" or all day buffet passes?
A:
This is a topical one that landed in our "in" box just prior to our discovery of some big (and less-than-welcome) changes to the Caesars Entertainment "Buffet of Buffet" pass, so it's perfect timing for a catch-up on the current lay of buffetland.

It was Excalibur that first introduced the "all-day-pass" concept, back in March 2009, when it debuted a fixed price of $25 that entitled you to eat at the Roundtable Buffet as many times as you liked in one day for $25. Since at that time, the regular price was $11.99 for breakfast, $14.99 for lunch, and $17.99 for dinner, eating any two meals in one day with the pass offered a saving; if you could stomach breakfast, lunch, and dinner at what has traditionally been considered one of the least-enticing buffets in Las Vegas, the saving was $20, or almost half-off. Plus, the offer included a line pass, allowing you to walk right in past the hungry hordes.

Evidently, the experiment worked, and a number of other buffets around town jumped on the bandwagon, including Luxor (which joined up with its sister property to offer a reciprocal all-in price that covered meals both at More, its buffet, and Roundtable), plus Mandalay Bay, Orleans, Monte Carlo, Palace Station, and the entire Caesars Entertainment Group (or at least most it) followed suit, often with some really great deals. For example, Stratosphere's unlimited-access deal for $19.99 (aside from Fridays, when it was $24.99), gave guests a $21 discount against the price of all three meals, while when MGM Grand debuted its pass in May 2009, allowing you to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner for $29.99, it represented a whopping $28 off the rack rate for all three, at one of the better buffets in town.

By September of the same year, however, it seemed that enthusiasm for the trend, which perhaps had merely been introduced to boost sales in the slower summer months, was waning. Mandalay Bay and the Orleans both discontinued their all-day passes, and Palace Station hiked its all-inclusive price by $4, to $23.99.

This setback was evidently only temporary, however, and not only were the MBay and Orleans passes later reinstated, but in April 2010 came word that what was still Harrah's Entertainment (now Caesars Ent.) had taken the concept to a new level, following the Excalibur/Luxor model, with the introduction of the "Buffet of Buffets" pass that worked across multiple properties. For the bargain introductory price of $29.99, guests could eat as many of the buffets at Harrah’s, Flamingo, Imperial Palace, Paris, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and Rio (Carnival World only) as they could handle in a 24-hour period. Obviously, some of these meals are far more enticing than others, but Planet Hollywood's Spice Market, and Le Village Buffet at Paris, for example, have always been in the upper echelons, and if used judiciously the savings with the pass could be huge. The Rio's Village Seafood buffet was also later added to the CET roster, albeit for an additional $15 surcharge, adding even more potential value and diversity to the deal.

However, since its introduction, the price hikes for the Buffet-of-Buffets pass have been almost too numerous to keep up with, occurring virtually as frequently as our monthly call-around to all the buffets in town to check prices and times for the LVA newsletter. The September 2012 debut of the new Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, which has similarly upped its prices every time we've blinked and which also comes with a surcharge if you wish to eat there using the pass, has added additional complications when calculating the value of the CET all-dayer.

So complicated is the current scenario across the CET roster, in fact, that we devoted a massive Today's News item to it only last week, as we tried to get our heads around all the nuances. We'll replicate that summary below, for all those who missed it; in the meantime, here are the current prices for the other remaining all-day buffet deals around town (Monte Carlo's has been discontinued); you can compare them with the prices for individual meals, plus check for any fine-print exclusions, in our comprehensive Buffet listings (click the individual property name for additional information).

Excalibur/Luxor - $35
Mandalay Bay - $42.99
Orleans - Mon-Sat, $25; Sun, $27
Palace Station - $19.99
Stratosphere - Mon-Fri, $29.99; Sat & Sun, $34.99

CET's BUFFET-OF-BUFFETS PASS

April 4, 2013 12:35 Buffet News from CET: So, prices are up again for Caesars Ent's "Buffet of Buffets" pass, which is now $49.99 (or $54.99 without a Total Rewards card, but those are free, so get one). The pass, which enables diners to eat as many meals at as many buffets as they can stomach in a 24-hour period, was formerly $47.99/$49.99 (originally $29.99, with a players card, when the concept debuted in 2010, but there have been so many price hikes since that we can't even count them).

But wait, there's more. Much more. After extensive online sleuthing, coupled with some official misinformation, which failed to throw us off the scent, we can confirm lots of other stealth hikes have been added to the cost of using this "discount" pass.

For one thing, the price quoted above now only applies during the week. Back in December, it transpires, CET (very quietly, to the point of silently) introduced a weekend surcharge, and Friday/Saturday it's now $64.99 with a Total Rewards card, or $69.99 without. We've seen them allude to this in a few places now, but only on the B-of-B FAQ page did we find disclosure of what that price actually is and when it applies; even the official recorded information on the B-of-B dedicated hotline has not been updated to reflect the change. Nor had the change ever been disclosed to us, even though we call every single buffet in town every single month, specifically to check prices (see the ultra-timely Question of the Day for 4/4/2013, which is all about our Buffet listings.)

Talking of the hotline, this also fails to mention that the up-charge for using the pass at Caesars' uber-gourmet Bacchanal Buffet has also been increased. While it was formerly a flat fee of $15 on top of the price of the pass, should you wish to include this buffet in your 24-hour chowdown, it's now an additional $15 for breakfast, $20 for lunch, and $25 for dinner. We called Caesars and were told summarily that, "It's always been that way." No, it hasn't! And if you don't believe us (or any of the other third-party sites, reviews, and blog entries we checked), just call CET's own recorded-info line on (702) 862-3530 for proof!*

So, this means that if you wish to eat the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars for dinner on the weekend as part of your "Buffet-of-Buffets" experience, and you don't have a Total Rewards card, it's going to cost you ... wait for it ... a total of $94.99 for the pleasure -- and that's not inclusive of tax.

The one tiny bright spark in all of this is that the up-charge for using the pass at Rio's Village Seafood Buffet, which was added to the pass-eligible list back in April 2011, has been dropped from $15 to $10. They don't tell you that on the info line, either.

Was at the Paris buffet yesterday
Had an irate customer near me
He was complaining to the manager
"How can you serve a Breakfast buffet without biscuits and gravy"

I myself was a little disappointed in the breakfast choices but its only breakfast

There is a old saying. Ehen the forest is so big, you have all kinds of birds.

Quote: terapined

Was at the Paris buffet yesterday
Had an irate customer near me
He was complaining to the manager
"How can you serve a Breakfast buffet without biscuits and gravy"

The customer was entirely correct. Sacrilege!