41 replies to this topic

[CRUZMISL]

Hi All,

I'm heading back to Vegas again. I used to always eat breakfast at the Paris buffet but it has seemed to go downhill over the years. Any suggestions where I can get a decent breakfast? It doesn't necessarily have to a be buffet style but the selection is nice.
Thanks!
Joe

[nightscotsman]

Well, of course you could get a fabulous breakfast at Jean Philippe Patisserie in Bellagio. Freshly baked croissants, danish, etc. and made-to-order sweet or savory crepes. The only drawback is the limited seating for dining in.

I also personally think the Bellagio buffet is the best on the strip.

[Foodie-Girl]

Another vote for the Bellagio breakfast buffet and I'm not even a person who eats a huge breakfast.

It ends up to be less expensive than room service (my usual choice for breakfast as I can pre-order it the night before and it's hot at my door right on time) and, if you're there during the week there is no problem with waiting in line.

[estherschindler]

Well, of course you could get a fabulous breakfast at Jean Philippe Patisserie in Bellagio. Freshly baked croissants, danish, etc. and made-to-order sweet or savory crepes. The only drawback is the limited seating for dining in.

I also personally think the Bellagio buffet is the best on the strip.

Wow, Neil -- thanks for that link!

Would you also recommend Bellagio for a place to stay? (That would give me an excuse to have breakfast at your place.) I'll be going to yet another conference in Las Vegas in November; it'll be held at Mandalay Bay but I don't feel compelled to stay on site.

Taking pity on the original note-writer: I had a few really good breakfast buffets at Mirage. A little more expensive than some, but the choices were much wider (smoked salmon for instance) and the quality better. But it's been a few years.

[CaliPoutine]

I third the recommendation for the Bellagio breakfast. I think the last time I had it, it was about 12.99. Ridiculously reasonable for the quality and choice.

Now, ask me if I would ever wait in line again for 3 FREAKING Hours on Thanksgiving for the dinner buffet

[JenBrava]

Blech!! We ate at the Bellagio Buffet (we stayed at the Bellagio on our honeymoon) on 8-31 and it was awful! None of the food was at all fresh, the scrambled eggs were runny, the sausages were over cooked (I could barely cut them with a knife!), and there was barely any food available! I couldn't believe the way the guests were fighting over the scraps like rats in the NYC subway. Worst of all, the waitress we had was MEAN! (We tipped up front when we paid, too, apparently we didn't tip enough.) We couldn't get any coffee and when we did, the coffee tasted like DIRT! After 45 minutes of begging for scraps and caffeine like the rest of the masses, we bailed and drove down to the Venitian to go to Bouchon and eat a civilized breakfast. This was my first trip to Vegas, but it'll be my LAST trip to a Vegas buffet.

[rjwong]

JenBrava,

First, congratulations on your honeymoon!!

Second, I'm sorry to hear that you had an awful experience at the Bellagio Buffet. Did you report this to the management? Since you all stayed at the Bellagio, you should definitely write a gracious, yet firm letter to them why your dining experience was less than acceptable, if you haven't already.

Based upon my personal experience, as recently as 4th of July 2005 & Christmas 2004, the Bellagio Buffet has been wonderful. Mind you, buffet-style restaurants tend to bring out the little piggy in me (Well, this little piggy can't eat as much as he used to ... )

[CRUZMISL]

Well I just got back from Vegas last night and tried the buffet at the Wynn. It was OK but nothing special. Most of the food was cold and not worth the money. We were staying at the Venezia tower so we ate the remainder of our morning meals at Bouchon. The breakfast is truly the best in Vegas IMHO. Yes it's expensive but they make their own jam for crying out loud. It is very consistent and the pastries are beyond reproach.

Other notables I visited were Olives, Mona Ami Gabi, Sushi Roku, and Lotus of Siam (clearly the best value)

Joe

[ChzHead]

I'm not one for buffets, but if you want to pickup some amazing pastries.....go to Bouchon. We got the tip from our waiter at Delmonico's. When he said that they have the best muffins ever...I thought that he was crazy....until I tried them! You can actually order some at the counter and get them to go. All the pastries that we tried (which was one of each), were amazing! DO NOT pass on the sticky buns (they're filled with vanilla pastry cream)!

[JenBrava]

Thanks for the congrats. I think we're just going to consider the Bellagio buffet a lost cause and never go there again. We got such a good deal on the room for the week that I think we'll just cut our losses - especially since the other restaurants there were so great: Fix is a great spot for dinner and I LOVED sitting at the chairs around the kitchen at Sensi. The experience was overall positive with that one downside.


If I had to do it over again, I'd just get pastries to go from Bouchon every day. To they make their coffee to go? The Bouchon Caramel was to die for! Heck - we're actually thinking of just staying at the Venitian next time just so we can be close to Bouchon and the awesome bread.

[Foodie-Girl]

Thanks for the congrats.  I think we're just going to consider the Bellagio buffet a lost cause and never go there again.  We got such a good deal on the room for the week that I think we'll just cut our losses - especially since the other restaurants there were so great: Fix is a great spot for dinner and I LOVED sitting at the chairs around the kitchen at Sensi.  The experience was overall positive with that one downside.


If I had to do it over again, I'd just get pastries to go from Bouchon every day.  To they make their coffee to go?  The Bouchon Caramel was to die for!  Heck - we're actually thinking of just staying at the Venitian next time just so we can be close to Bouchon and the awesome bread.

***Gee, sorry your experience was THAT bad. I don't think it's possible to ever get quite as good a meal in a buffet as when seated in a restaurant....or even room service for that matter...though Bellagio brings breakfast up with a "hot box" on the cart and everthing is perfectly prepared.

I ate at Sensi twice last month and also thought it was a knock-out!

[Aileen]

Interesting. I was in Vegas in June. We went to the MGM breakfast buffet. It was actually very good (I was surprised). Everything was fresh, hot (or cold), and tasty. I even played it risky and ate an egg benedict - they say never eat hollandaise at a buffet - and didn't get sick! I wouldn't call it gourmet, but it was worth the money ($18).

[angberke]

It seems I am in LV more than I am home and Bouchon is my pick for most any meal. I would absolutely recommend it for at least one morning meal. All the better when my daughter is with me and orders the waffles from the children's menu. Sometimes the fact that she is a picky eater definitely works to my benefit!

Grand Lux Cafe (also at the Venetian, of Cheesecake Factory lineage) is decidedly more institutional but I admit I love the bagels w/ smoked salmon. I have never been much of a buffet fan so I cannot comment on the quality of any of them. I do love the pretty treats at Jean Philippe (at Bellagio as mentioned above) but it isn't really a place to sit down and enjoy your meal. Enjoy!

[leviathan]

I haven't been to Vegas for a number of years, so I need a quick primer on which buffets I should hit. I'm looking for suggestions on which buffet to go to for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

What exactly will be the difference between the Bellagio and Wynn and Mirage buffets? Don't they basically serve the same food?

And, is the Alladin still the best cheaper buffet in Vegas?

[HungryChris]

Get a players club card at Paris and receive a coupon for their breakfast buffet. With the coupon it is a steal. Without it is still a great deal. Have a great time!

HC

[Elrushbo]

I haven't been to Vegas for a number of years, so I need a quick primer on which buffets I should hit. I'm looking for suggestions on which buffet to go to for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

What exactly will be the difference between the Bellagio and Wynn and Mirage buffets? Don't they basically serve the same food?

And, is the Alladin still the best cheaper buffet in Vegas?

As Chris said, Paris cannot be beat for breakfast buffet. Wonderful pastries! You WILL eat way too much!

For lunch, Cravings at Mirage was good. Good selection, and a Tihany designed buffet? Not too many of those!

For dinner, I'd go with Wynn or Bellagio. If you're going to go to a buffet, might as well go to a good one, imho why go to a lesser buffet and save $10?? Enjoy yourself!

Edited by Elrushbo, 30 August 2007 - 05:33 AM.

[David Ross]

I haven't been to Vegas for a number of years, so I need a quick primer on which buffets I should hit. I'm looking for suggestions on which buffet to go to for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

What exactly will be the difference between the Bellagio and Wynn and Mirage buffets? Don't they basically serve the same food?

And, is the Alladin still the best cheaper buffet in Vegas?

The Alladin Hotel is now a Planet Hollywood Hotel. However, I think they did retain the 'Spice Market Buffet' from Planet Hollywood. I can't attest to the buffet as I haven't been there for about three years. At that time it was good, not great, and cheaper than Paris and Bellagio.

While many of the food selections-i.e., chilled shrimp, prime rib-may be the same at the buffets, each has its own character, style and differences in food.

Right now my top buffet choices are Wynn, Buffet at Bellagio, Cravings at The Mirage and Dishes at Treasure Island.

Cravings is not as expensive as Wynn or Bellagio. And a small detail I love at Cravings-the big glasses that they use for ice water, with a twist of lemon. It's pretty hard to top a big glass of ice water in Las Vegas. The set up of Cravings is a bit difficult at the salad station as you have to ask the cook to prepare your salad for you-they don't have a lot of pre-made salads that you can just choose from without dealing with a cook. On three recent visits in the past year, I found some of the stations were not even open-and that was at the height of the dinner hour. It's dissappointing to go to say the Asian station looking for some potstickers only to find the station either closed down or only offering sushi.

Dishes is a fairly new buffet-I think Treasure Island opened it about a year ago. Treasure Island by the way is now referred to as "TI." It is no longer the theme of a family-oriented pirate cove. They still have the pirate theme, but think of the outdoor pirate battle now being called "The Sirens of TI" and you get the idea. Dishes buffet is styled to be enticing to the younger, hipper crowd that TI is targeting as their core customers. It is very good for breakfast. Cheaper than Wynn or Bellagio and those tiny little donuts are marvelous. The cook will dip it in chocolate and add some sprinkles for you. Very decadent.

Between the high-end buffets at Wynn or Bellagio I prefer Wynn for the quality of the food but Bellagio for the larger selection. Bellagio has very good fresh seafood, salads and often serves wild game meats like venison or elk. Recently I've enjoyed their fresh sardine salad and Korean kimchi salad with octopus. Quite unique for Las Vegas buffets.

The setting at Wynn in the garden room area of the buffet is beautiful. That's the main dining hall as you enter the buffet. The buffet line and food areas are a bit cramped but the quality of the food is really good. While it may sound odd for a high-end buffet, their fried chicken is the best I've found at a buffet. And their dessert station is the best in my opinion-tiny little bowls of floating island with caramel sauce-an old-fashioned dessert that you can't ever find at a restaurant. And their cupcakes with mounds of pink frosting!

[Andrew Fenton]

Dishes is a fairly new buffet-I think Treasure Island opened it about a year ago.  Treasure Island by the way is now referred to as "TI."  It is no longer the theme of a family-oriented pirate cove.  They still have the pirate theme, but think of the outdoor pirate battle now being called "The Sirens of TI" and you get the idea.

It's a Kurt Vonnegut theme? COOL.

Though I hope that the drinks don't come in glasses chilled by ice-nine...

[BryanZ]

I liked Paris a lot for breakfast a few years ago. Not sure if my tastes have since changed or it's gone down hill at all, but it still seems to be a favorite. I preferred the Bellagio buffet to the Wynn buffet in my recent Vegas travelblog, but the room at the former is somewhat depressing, very buffet-like.

[Elrushbo]

I liked Paris a lot for breakfast a few years ago.  Not sure if my tastes have since changed or it's gone down hill at all, but it still seems to be a favorite.  I preferred the Bellagio buffet to the Wynn buffet in my recent Vegas travelblog, but the room at the former is somewhat depressing, very buffet-like.

I for one prefer to skip the buffets altogether. The line at the Paris for breakfast is often half an hour or more. We waited for twenty minutes at Cravings for lunch and the place was only half full! Long lines at good buffets are commonplace. When I'm on vacation, the last thing I want to do is stand in a looooong line! For breakfast, there are a multitude of cafes and restaurants that will serve better food without making you wait. For dinner, the lines and the price are dealbreakers for me. $35 or so for the buffet at the Wynn? For $35, you can find a ton of places with better food for dinner, heck, for $48 you can have the 3 course dinner at Boulud! There are other fine dining restaurants that offer three course menus for around $40.

[markk]

For a friend, I'm looking for an "over the top" buffet in Las Vegas? Does The Venetian have one? Is the Wynn now considered to be the end-all of Las Vegas buffets? Who has one that would really knock a person's socks off, even if the food might not be as great as the (probably horrifying) experience?

Thanks.

[David Ross]

For a friend, I'm looking for an "over the top" buffet in Las Vegas?  Does The Venetian have one?  Is the Wynn now considered to be the end-all of Las Vegas buffets?  Who has one that would really knock a person's socks off, even if the food might not be as great as the (probably horrifying) experience?

Thanks.

Sorry, no buffet at The Venetian. When Sheldon Adelson built The Venetian is was reported that he said he'd never put a buffet in the building. Why I don't know-buffets are very popular and draw throngs into the casinos. Adelson is apparently a control freak and was very involved in the design and decor of The Venetian so maybe he felt a buffet would water down the Venetian theme. Whatever, it probably wouldn't have made a difference to the customers-they'd probably eat up an Italian themed buffet.

Right now I would rank Wynn number one and Bellagio number two for gourmet-high end buffets and Bally's Sterling Brunch on Sundays as the 'over-the-top' buffet experience. I think the Sterling Brunch is in the $75 range right now and the lobster, champagne, rack of lamb and prime beef are what put it in the Las Vegas showgirl-gaudy-gilt range.

There are lots of comments on Las Vegas buffets at egullet so start searching and reading for others opinions. But if I was truly a player at the tables, I'd put my bet on the buffet at Wynn.

[rjwong]

There are lots of comments on Las Vegas buffets at egullet so start searching and reading for others opinions.  But if I was truly a player at the tables, I'd put my bet on the buffet at Wynn.

Sorry, David, as they say in Las Vegas, "Better luck next time ..."

I ate at the Wynn Buffet back in early Aug. I wasn't too impressed with the food. The outside decor near the entrance was very beautiful. I would have to say the Bellagio would be the better place, at least in terms of variety. Mind you, it's been a while since I've eaten there, usually for lunch ...

I've never ate at the Bally's Sterling Brunch ... yet. I'll have to try it, at least once ...

[BryanZ]

I'm with Russell re: the Wynn and Bellagio. Only Bally's Sterling Brunch on Sundays has true "WTF" factor. Not so much "wow!" because even at Bally's the food isn't of wow-quality. It's more like, "I can't believe I can load my plate with lobster tails, fillet mignon, oysters, and caviar, then come back and do it again."

[stetson99]

I read somewhere that Sheldon Adelson did not put a buffet in the Venetian because he felt that this type of restaurant would be too low class for what he considered to be a very high end establishment. I cannot find the link right now, but I will post it if I can hunt down the story.

[Othafa9]

not on the strip, but for my money, the Red Rock casino has the best buffet around.......

[Cilantro]

Dunno if buffets can be considered "low class."

My friend and me went to Rio the other day for the seafood buffet. It was $38 a person!

Needless to say, we beat feet.

Anyhow, one of my friends is a contractor for the hotels and eats in their employee dining rooms every day. In general, we consider EDRs to be an excellent representative of the buffets.

I called him and he said the best EDRs are Wynn, Bellagio, and Mirage. So.. those are probably the best buffets too.. at least, in his opinion. =}

[rjwong]

Anyhow, one of my friends is a contractor for the hotels and eats in their employee dining rooms every day.  In general, we consider EDRs to be an excellent representative of the buffets.

I called him and he said the best EDRs are Wynn, Bellagio, and Mirage.  So.. those are probably the best buffets too.. at least, in his opinion. =}

Cilantro, why do you consider EDRs an excellent representative of the buffets? Is that where the food comes from for those EDRs, namely the buffet leftovers?

[gfron1]

I know when I worked at Keystone Ski Resort, we ate like kings in the back room - salmon and fillet every night! I think its a fair representation of the buffets. We actually got so sick of it that it was a joy when the chef would make a special staff meal.

[Cilantro]

Cilantro, why do you consider EDRs an excellent representative of the buffets? Is that where the food comes from for those EDRs, namely the buffet leftovers?

rj, though the question is simple, the answer is rather complicated.

The short answer is, "yes, but not in the way you're thinking."

They don't normally take stuff that's been sitting in the hotel pan over the steam table for 5 hours and take it downstairs to us. That would probably be a health code violation anyhow.

They do order the same stuff for us that they order for upstairs, though. It comes from the same suppliers, through the same receiving dock(s), through the same inspection.

EDR pretty much raids the storage rooms and takes whatever. People say the EDR is essentially the same as the buffet, but I say the EDR has more stuff. EDR get the shrimp and stuff like that upstairs gets too, but we also get stuff the buffet think is lame, like tangerine slices out of cans, hard boiled eggs, etc.

When you have an event and you get those weird round things of meat with asparagus served in that cartoon thing with the round silver lid, we get those too. They're just hidden in the fridge because there are not enough for everyone, and the EDR cooks could only gaff a few extra.

A lot of stuff is "centralized" for efficiency. Like one internal butcher shop will supply everybody with the meat. Or one hotel's kitchen will make all the soup, and send it out to the other hotels [this is only true for hotel owned restaurants like the buffet, cafes, etc. Not for outsiders, who actually own most of the restaurants... so if you're wondering why the hotel owned cafe has the exact same soup as the hotel owned restaurant at the property next door, now you know -- albeit at a different price].

"Yeah but for stuff that is not cooked earlier by some upstairs guy that you guys gaffed, buffet cooks are different from the EDR cooks." Well... yes. But the same F&B director is in charge of both. They are hired to the same standards, and they get paid the same.

I always found that interesting. EDR costs are billed to "payroll," but managed by "f&b."

Disclaimer: I do not work in F&B, have never worked in F&B, and don't work in hotel/casino/etc at all. Not sure why I used "we." Each casino/hotel in general operates as a wholly independent subsidiary, with some minor exceptions (such as the aforementioned centralization of some food stuff between hotels) and each F&B director can therefore run it however the heck he wants.

Edited by Cilantro, 10 October 2007 - 08:19 PM.