Buffets across Las Vegas have undergone a transformation in recent years, not only with design and décor, but with menu items as well. Although you’ll still find plenty of buffet staples, you’ll find a whole range of new, gourmet dishes and experiences, with individual portions and items made in smaller quantities, ensuring a fresher dish and less food waste. Here are some of the most recent changes in Vegas’ buffet spread:
Cravings Buffet
Cravings Buffet (The Mirage) At Cravings, the Chef’s Table experience is the new stand-out star. The VIP experience includes a multicourse menu served by the chef himself. Watch as he whips together fresh-cut salad, tempts with charcuterie platters filled with decadent cheeses and meats, slices rodizio-style meats and makes chocolate-and-fruit desserts that are so lovely that you’ll want to break out the camera for these sugary little sculptures. Don’t fret if you have specific dietary restrictions, as the menu items can be made to each person’s specific wants or needs. Unlimited soft drinks, beer and wine are also included in the experience. (It’s available only for parties of eight or more and must be reserved in advance.)
Medley Buffet (The Orleans) Parent company Boyd Gaming invested several million dollars in the redesign of The Orleans buffet, and it shows. The décor is fresh, with pretty chandeliers hanging over the dining areas and oversized copper kitchenware items along the perimeter of the buffet line. On the line itself, you’ll find a traditional carving station plus other “action” stations that allow made-to-order specialty dishes (such as crepes or fresh seafood) to be rotated out periodically. You can order up custom pho in another area, and a separate dessert area features such items as crème brûlée.
Savor the Buffet (Tropicana) Tropicana’s buffet also recently underwent a total redesign, and it’s all good. That made-to-order trend is strong here, with pizza and pasta stations allowing you to custom-order pastas with an array of fresh sauce and flavors from sweet potato to spinach. Choose three dough thicknesses for flatbread-style pizza in two (!) minutes flat. Live action stations are also spread through the buffet.
A.Y.C.E
A.Y.C.E. (Palms) This buffet just opened a few days ago, so everything is brand spanking new. Inside the venue, you’ll find a smoker, a brick oven for pizza and baked foods, a rotisserie, a global cuisine area and even a health food section. Some highlights of the menu include oxtail poutine, baked chili pie, zucchini noodles with vegetable Bolognese and bourbon-glazed ham. And it’s a food hall setting, which means you could be sitting near a new neighbor and comparing notes on all the incredible dishes. Add on craft beer or a gin and tonic and you’ll be set.
Crafted (Stratosphere) If you’re looking for something to go along with freshly carved meats or a huge selection of desserts, then make sure to take advantage of Crafted Buffet’s bottomless specialty cocktails. Enjoy margaritas every night, with Lynchburg Lemonades added Monday through Thursday, Cape Cods on Saturday and Mai Tais on Sunday (there is an extra charge for bottomless alcoholic drinks and beer buckets). Crafted offers a robust salad station and, during breakfast, guests can build their own omelets. Specialty dessert items include an indulgent bananas Foster and—don’t miss this—the buffet’s own signature bread pudding.
