Yes you can.
We last answered this question in 2009, and nearly eight years later, it remains the greatest buffet "line pass" in Las Vegas.
You’re supposed to check in with a hostess, who’ll take a look to see if there are enough seats for your party at the bar in the middle of the buffet.
But in our experience, you can just walk past the line, the cashiers, and the hostesses to see for yourself. If there are empty seats, sit yourself down and wait for the bartender to acknowledge you; he or she'll ask if you want something to drink. Alcohol is extra, of course, but soft drinks come with dinner. Once you're set up, it's off to the face-stuffing races.
You pay when you're done with the meal; the bartender brings you the bill and you settle up with him or her.
If there aren't enough seats at the time, talk to the bartender, who can tell you how long a wait you'll have. It's often way shorter than the wait outside.
Here's the example from the 2009 QoD.
An LVA staffer took a date to the Bellagio buffet one December 30, the night before New Year’s Eve, at 6:30 p.m. He knew it was prime time on one of the busiest nights of the year at one of the most popular buffets in town and ordinarily, he would've shown up 90 minutes earlier, but he and his date had extenuating circumstances for eating there just then. The line was 150 deep and he was praying for two seats at the bar.
He walked his hungry date to the end of the line, watching her face get longer and longer as they passed more and more people and got farther and farther from the food. He told her to stay put for the moment and took her coat.
When he got to the bar, not only were two seats available for them, but two more were vacant and two other patrons were paying their bill. The staffer claimed two of the vacant seats with the coats, signaled the bartender who gave him a thumbs-up, and went back for his date.
Instead of a 90-minute wait, they were eating within 90 seconds and boy! Did she think he was a savvy Vegas stud.
On the way out, the staffer and his date saw people still standing in line who were there on their way in.
