Will We Ever See Bargain Buffets Again?

When I first visited Vegas, there were a lot of buffets that tried to offer the lowest prices with really cheap food. I remember the breakfast Buffet at Circus Circus didn't offer bacon or sausage. They had some kind of imitation bacon made out of soy. And at the buffet at Harrah's when it was Holiday Inn, they didn't carve prime rib or any good cut of beef. They carved something called "steamboat of beef" and put a limit on how many shrimp you could have. Now, the trend seems to be to offer quality food and to charge accordingly. I'm curious if the LVA staff thinks we'll see the day when some casino thinks they can lure in the players interested in bargains, maybe not as much as places like Circus Circus and Holiday Inn did in the old days, but they could probably offer a decent spread for somewhat less than the current lowest buffet prices.

Though we tend to have a positive outlook on most things, we're not optimistic about the return of a "decent spread for somewhat less than the current lowest buffet prices." The buffet impetus continues to move, in fact, in the exact opposite direction.

The Buffet at Luxor closed on March 30. It was almost decent and wasn't too expensive, around $30 when we tried it last year. And the Westgate's Fresh Buffet closed on May 5. We liked this one -- better than decent and definitely on the low end of prices in the current Vegas buffet bailiwick. That leaves 11 remaining from as many as 40-45 AYCE spreads in previous decades.

Resorts World opened without a buffet. Fontainebleau opened without a buffet. Durango opened without a buffet. Station Casinos, once a staple of decent low-priced smorgies, has eliminated them entirely. Boyd has one left, at Main Street Station, the only one downtown. The Garden Court Buffet at MSS is actually one of two that could be considered decent and at the lower end of prices: $22-$31 with a club card. The other is the Market Place Buffet at Rampart at $19-$30 with club card. These are popular for sure and they lure players, but we wouldn't call them a huge draw in the way that the Carnival World at the Rio or the original Feast at Palace Station or the all-you-could-eat king crab buffets at Ellis Island and Railroad Pass were.

So no. Our opinion is that the classic Las Vegas bargain buffet has gone the way of free parking on the Strip, $5 table limits, full-pay video poker, 99-cent shrimp cocktails, dinner shows, live keno, coin-in slots, and the Stardust.

What do you all think?

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sunny78 Jun-04-2025

Southpoint?

Oooh, you forgot Southpoint casino buffet! At about $20 for lunch, imho, excellent price for very good quality.

David Miller Jun-04-2025

For the Money

 The buffet at South Point is the best buffet available for the money - hands down.

Tim Soldan Jun-04-2025

Westgate

I am very sorry I didn't get a chance to use the MRB coupon for the Westgate Buffet before it closed without notice. I told my wife the day before it closed that we needed to get over there to check it out. Then boom it was gone. You snooze you lose.

Michael Taylor Jun-04-2025

Sorely missed

The buffet at Southpoint is quite good!  Good price, decent quality and reminds me of what Vegas used to be like. But then South Point itself is old school and treats customers/visitors like they used to in Vegas

Edso Jun-04-2025

Westgate buffet

Bummer on Westgate buffet closing.  It was pretty good and using the LVA coupon that Tim mentioned, was a nice play.  They had a decent spread. Sigh!

Tommy G Jun-04-2025

SouthPoint

Curious, Any reason you didn't mention SouthPoint? The buffet is reasonably priced and the food is good.

Donzack Jun-04-2025

The M in Henderson was the best. Sorry to see it go.

PaulaNH Jun-04-2025

$$$

Until people stop going to Las Vegas, paying exorbitant prices for everything from rooms to parking, resort fees to valet, food to crappy pay tables on everything, Las Vegas will never become what it once was….. a great playground for adults with a price point for everyone to visit. Sad, but true. I used to visit 6 times a year from the northeast coast. I haven’t been since 2008 with absolutely no plans to ever return. The entire Valley had something for everyone. No it’s for suckers with more money than brains. Such a shame. I loved all the “ other” things to do there outside of the casinos too. Now I won’t even visit those places if the rooms were free.

Hal Grimes Jun-04-2025

Mr

Simply sad, yet greed prevails.

Lucky Jun-04-2025

Circus buffet and Pepto

I remember about 40 years ago, going to Vegas with my Dad from Los Angeles.  Stayed at the Dunes.  My Dad wanted to get the cheapest Buffet he could find, even if it cost more to get there.  Tried the CC buffet.  He loved it.  I got so sick, we had to find a drug store to get some Pepto.  Never ate there again.  We did hit other buffets, like Flamingo, MGM (Ballys/Horseshoe).  One of the best times with my Dad that I remember.  He made it to over 100 years old.

OMB13 Jun-04-2025

LVA SPoint issues

A few years ago, Anthony/LVA had a falling out with the SP and SP stopped participating in the Member Rewards Book. Though Anthony has mentioned many times on his podcast that SP gives a good gamble, that's about as far as he goes promoting them.
It's a shame that my 2 favorite Vegas things, the SP and the LVA, can't get back together
because SP is a great "old school" run casino.
AND....the buffet is an excellent value with consistently the best prime rib on a buffet I've ever had.

Carey Rohrig Jun-04-2025

Bacon

I remeber the "bacon" @ Circus Circus it was called Sizzle Lean, loved it nothing like it

Marla Corey Jun-04-2025

Palms

Is the Palms buffet closed?

OMB13 Jun-04-2025

Maria

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/buffet-restaurants/

Richard Quon Jun-05-2025

Palms is very good

Marla, Palms buffet is still open and excellent.  With the LVA BOGO it’s a great deal and offers brunch with unlimited mimosas and crab legs.  Only downside is the normal 30 min to 1 hour wait to get a table.  We ate there last week and try to every visit to vegas.  Worth it.

Question of the Day - 04 June 2025

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