As far as Las Vegas buffets go, The Buffet at Bellagio rates as my favorite one at the moment. It's not the cheapest buffet in town, but it's certainly worth the price you pay for what you get.
I love buffets because I am able to take smaller portions of food that I would normally not try - or would not select because a full order would be too much of a particular type of food I don't necessarily want to eat a lot of - and I am not as likely to waste any of the selections I try. My thought is that you can always take more, but not less. Being a buffet, I can do this with ease and not feel guilty or overdo it.
I've eaten at The Buffet at Bellagio four times so far - twice for lunch, and twice for dinner - and I have always been struck by the absolutely fantastic selection of fresh and properly heated or cooled foods available to diners, no matter what time of day it is. When I've had lunch there, it has been earlier in the day and I have not encountered any lines, and offerings have always been replenished quickly so that everyone gets a chance to try everything. For my dinner visits, one was a little earlier in the evening (5:00 p.m.) and the other was around prime Vegas dinner time (8:00 p.m.), and the line was out into the casino but moved pretty quickly. Again, the selections were fresh and kept properly heated or cooled and replenished quickly. I have never waited because a dish was empty on the buffet line.
The selections are extensive: numerous soups, vegetable salads, pasta salads, hot and cold meat and vegetarian entrees, vegetables, King Crab legs, peel and eat shrimp, fresh breads and pastries, a full sushi bar, pizza, fresh fruit and dozens of desserts - including sugar-free options - are always available. In addition, the buffet offers hot and cold plates so that your meals are kept heated or cooled as needed.
Some of my favorite selections on this buffet include: Shrimp Louie, Beef Wellington, herbed polenta, Pesto Rock Shrimp Pizza, Rigatoni Bolagnese, Pasta Putanesca, Singapore style noodles, California rolls, vegetable spring rolls, and bread pudding with rum sauce. Still, the selections change day-to-day and visit-to-visit, so I'm always looking forward to trying new offerings. I'm looking forward to finally trying the breakfast buffet during my July trip.
The wait staff has always been prompt and attentive; drink glasses are refilled quickly, and dirty dishes are removed immediately. Looking around the buffet, I've noticed that tables are quickly cleaned and readied for the next patrons, no matter if there's a line of people waiting to get in or not. Employees are constantly cleaning, but you don't notice them unless you're looking for them (I am always looking!), and they are very unobtrusive. The buffet is pretty and well laid out, with a bar in the center of the main buffet area and the buffet surrounding it in a semi-circle. No tables are too far from any area of the buffet, so you feel like you can easily get up and navigate the area and return to your seat without getting lost in the process.
If you get a chance to experience this buffet, try it! I don't think you'll be disappointed. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate it a 9.75.
Current buffet hours and prices on their website:
Breakfast: 7 a.m. - 11 a.m. $14.95
Lunch: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. $19.95
Dinner: 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. $27.95
Brunch: Sat. and Sun. 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. $23.95 without champagne, $28.95 with champagne
Gourmet dinner: Fri. and Sat. 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. $35.95
Nice review. If you are frugal, you can go into the buffet before 4 and then wait for the supper stuff to com out.
ReplyDeleteI do that all the time, Dewey. I prefer going in for the breakfast price before the lunch items come out, AND heading in for the lunch price before the dinner items come out for both Bellagio and Wynn. They're great buffets, but you can certainly save a considerable sum by doing so (and the cashiers are well aware of it, so there's no need for anyone to feel self-concious about going in right before the cutoff time).
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