Category: Las Vegas Advisor

The venerable Riverside has the only buffet in Laughlin and for a joint that’s the main action in town and has everything else you can imagine, it’s a perfect fit. Like many restaurants in this river destination, the big picture windows look right out on the Colorado, so it’s a bright and airy space that holds plenty of buffet-goers.

Brunch runs 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; dinner starts at 3:30 p.m. and ends at 8:30 Sun.-Thurs. and 9:30 Fri. and Saturday. We eyeballed dinner, then came back the next morning to try the brunch buffet.

Brunch and dinner have the same salad bars, cold cuts, and desserts, with similar Mexican and American stations. Of course, brunch comes with the breakfast choices: scrambled eggs, omelets, bacon, sausage, potatoes, blueberry pancakes, French toast, and the like. Dinner adds Italian, Chinese, and carving (roast beef, ham) stations.

The above photos show breakfast and brunch: Denver scramble, ham, bacon, and melon versus a barbecue pork rib, pulled pork, beef stroganoff, cod, and vegetables.

The whole thing reminded us of the Excalibur buffet in terms of quantity and quality, though at 40%-50% of the price. Brunch here is $17.99 and Sunday champagne $26.99; dinner $23.99, Friday seafood $35.99. By comparison, Excalibur’s brunch is $32.99, $38.99 on Friday, and $43.99 for the weekend mimosa.

Frankly, we’ll take the Riverside minus $8-$15. Oh, and parking is free and convenient at the Riverside; at Excalibur, that adds another $20-$25 to the buffet tab.

The Prime Rib Room at the Riverside in Laughlin is a long-standing, casual, and popular steakhouse-style restaurant specializing in slow-cooked, tableside-carved, prime rib dinners. You also have a choice of two other entrees, chicken cordon bleu and fish of the day, but so few diners opt for either that the wait people generally don’t even bother asking about them. “And how would you like your prime rib cooked?” is the standard query from the order taker.

From the minute the room opens at 4 p.m. nightly, this restaurant is packed and the setup is so efficient that the service is perfectly timed. In fact, the vibe is relaxed and comfortable, making it a first choice for visitors and locals looking for a hearty dinner without overly formal surroundings (like the Riverside’s Gourmet Room next door). The big picture windows overlooking the Colorado help that cause, especially if you eat before dark, though later, the lights from Bullhead City across the river also add to the ambience.

After you’re seated, a member of the staff suggests you help yourself to the buffet; you’re told that when they see you’re almost finished with those plates, they’ll come and take your entree order.

The buffet features a fairly extensive lineup of salads, potatoes, vegetables, breads, and desserts; the two serving lines are identical on both sides and move hungry diners through quickly.

When it’s prime time, you tell your wait person how you want it, from rare to well-done. Serving carts, complete with scales, plates, knifes, warmers, and to-go boxes, are scattered around the room, so the staff doesn’t have to go far; your dinner comes quickly, covered with sauteed mushrooms, swimming in jus, and accompanied by a delicious horseradish (from mild to hot).

We couldn’t believe how much meat we were served, enough for lunch and another dinner the next day. Also, we wanted an end cut and that’s not only exactly what we got, but it was as tender as rare would’ve been. Fantastic!

Then you go back to the buffet for dessert, with pies, brownies, cookies, soft-serve, and sugar-free selections — icing, as it were, on the cake.

Oh, and did we mention the price? One size fits all, baby: $27.99. With tax it came to $30.34. In Vegas or anywhere else, that’s half-price for the quantity and quality of the food.

You gotta gotta gotta make reservations. When we called and asked what times were available, we were told, “Any time. We’re wide open.” When we got there right at 5:30, the line in front of the hostess stand was out the door and people without reservations filled the entryway.