There isn't a Las Vegas casino currently that has a round-the-clock buffet (most stop serving dinner around 9 or 10 p.m. and don't start up again until the breakfast shift, sometime between 6 and 8 a.m.). However, back in the summer of 2011 the Gold Strike in Jean, Nevada, extended its buffet hours to be round-the-clock, offering a daily late-night menu, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., that features typical breakfast fare (bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit, cereal, etc.), plus omelets, waffles, and hamburgers all made to order, in addition to classic sandwich options like grilled chicken and BLT, for just $6.99.
Historically, the first 24-hour casino eatery in town was the Buckaroo Buffet or "chuck wagon" at El Rancho which, in 1946, introduced the concept of round-the-clock dining -- for just $1! -- with a menu of cold cuts, salads, and a small selection of hot and cold entrées to "appease the howling coyote in your innards." However, although this pioneer was named the "Buckaroo Buffet," it ended up being the precursor to the 24-hour coffee shop, as opposed to being the forefather of the famous Las Vegas-buffet concept.
We checked the LVA newsletter archives and back in 2005, there were three 24-hour buffets, including the Boardwalk, Plaza, and Riviera. The Boardwalk was imploded in 2006, its passing mourned by very few (especially on the culinary front); the Plaza buffet, which had long-since ceased to be 24-hour hours, closed at the end of 2010 ahead of the hotel's closure for a complete remodel (it reopened sans buffet); and the Riviera buffet is not only no longer round-the-clock -- at the beginning of this year it even ceased serving dinner and is now open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. only.
These days, the classic coffee shop is also somewhat on the way out (see Today's News and Question of the Day archives for recent coverage); on the other hand, however, the late-night-dining scene in general has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with multiple -- often very reasonably priced -- options, spanning every cuisine type from American to Thai, Japanese to Italian, Korean to Greek, so click the "Late-Night" button in our Restaurant section for inspiration, if you're suffering from after-hours munchies.
Buckaroo Buffet image appears courtesy of UNLV's Center for Gaming Research; Boardwalk Surf Buffet was supplied by a reader.
