The survivors and the best
Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace is still the champ — 250-plus dishes, $65 weekdays and $85 weekend dinner, with legitimately great crab legs and a made-to-order dim sum station. Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan is the design pick, small-plate presentation, $55. Wynn's buffet closed in 2020 and has not returned, which broke my heart. A.Y.C.E. at Palms is a smart mid-tier at $40 with underrated Indian and Filipino sections. Skip Circus Circus and Excalibur buffets — they exist, and that is the kindest thing to say.
Downtown and off-Strip value
The Buffet at Main Street Station downtown is $28 and one of the last honest deals in Vegas — no crab legs but excellent BBQ and prime rib on weekends. Golden Nugget's buffet reopened at $35. Off-Strip, Studio B at M Resort in Henderson is $40 and includes beer and wine, which changes the math. Feast Buffet at Red Rock Casino is the locals favorite at $32. Reservations are now essential everywhere on weekends — walk-up waits routinely hit 90 minutes at Bacchanal.
Good to know
Are buffets back to pre-pandemic form?+
Prices are up 40 percent and roughly a third of the pre-2020 buffets never reopened. Quality at the survivors is arguably better.
Best time to hit a buffet?+
Weekday lunch — $10 to $20 cheaper than dinner and lines are half as long. Weekend brunch buffets are the worst value.