12 Shuttered Vegas Buffets We Really, Truly Miss

Anyone who has ever been to Las Vegas knows that it's a fever dream of bright lights, shopping, restaurants, live shows, and — of course — casinos. While there are still some outstanding luxury buffets that aren't to be missed on any trip to Sin City, Vegas regulars know that you just won't see as many casino buffets anymore. 

Even with a post-pandemic rebound in tourism and the restaurant industry as a whole, Las Vegas buffets didn't make the same rebound. When people started returning to the city for weekend getaways and milestone birthday parties, they found that Vegas had a number of brand-new restaurants ... but only a few buffets. Celebrity restaurants were in, and so were food halls. Buffets were out, and that's sad.

Not all buffets are created equal, of course, and not all of the truly stellar — or just downright fun — buffets that we miss were a casualty of COVID. In a place like Vegas, you expect things to evolve as the city moves with the trends, constantly updating and reinventing itself to remain a stand-alone vacation destination. That means restaurants come and go, and surprisingly, there are some that seem to have vanished with little to no fanfare whatsoever. Others met an end in a way that was just as big and flashy as the city itself, so let's take a walk down memory lane and see how many of these now-defunct buffets you remember.

If you're wondering what it was like to walk into Sterling Brunch in its heyday, just imagine a massive buffet with all the fresh seafood you can imagine, stretching into the distance in a way so beautiful that you'd think it would have inspired The Eagles to write a song about it. The Champagne flowed freely, tireless employees brought out tray after tray of lobster, crab, and some of the best lobster ravioli around, and as recently as 2019, customers were singing the praises of this buffet.

And that makes it even more surprising just how little information we could find on it. We're not the only ones, either, with would-be customers taking to Reddit and Tripadvisor to try to find out if it's still around. Alas, it's not. 

Exactly what happened to Sterling Brunch is also a bit of a mystery, with many claiming that it was one of many restaurants and buffets to close because of COVID. It does seem, however, that there's a little more to it. Sterling Brunch was in Bally's, and in 2022, Bally's rebranded as the Horseshoe Casino. The rebrand — which included the disappearance of Bally's social media — was official by the end of the year, and it now offers dining choices including restaurants bearing the names of Martha Stewart and Guy Fieri, a deli, a food hall, and a steakhouse. But no more Sterling Brunch.

Las Vegas has something for everyone, and caters to all our secret fantasies. Even the most cynical of adults could step away from the real world for just a little bit, and some of the casinos and buffets had been brilliant at exactly that kind of immersive experience. The Buffet at Luxor was one of those, until 2025.

Sure, the food at Luxor's Buffet couldn't compete with any of the best celebrity chef steakhouses on the Vegas Strip, but it was affordable, accessible, filling, and you didn't need to plan months in advance to get a reservation. Perhaps more importantly, it was fun. Anyone who grew up wanting to be Indiana Jones, or anyone who counts "The Mummy" as among their favorite movies (and that's everyone, because Brendan Fraser is an absolute treasure) could embrace their inner archaeologist in this ultra-fun buffet. Even if it was only over some standard yet decent buffet food, it's as close as many of us will ever get. 

And that's what makes the March 30, 2025 closure of Luxor's buffet a sad day. While there was no reason given for the closure and no immediate announcement made as to what was going to be taking the space, it's safe to assume that the story is similar to that of other closed buffets, and it's simply a response to a shift in what's popular with customers.

This one is kind of a double whammy, and things started to change for the buffets at Rio back in 2015. The Village Seafood Buffet had been a Vegas staple since 1997, and it was famous for being exactly what the name suggests: a seafood-only buffet. Lobster, crab, oysters, shrimp, sushi ... you name something that came out of the sea, and they had it. However, the Village Seafood Buffet was shuttered in 2015, and sort of reopened as a section of the Carnival World Buffet. The whole thing was rebranded as the Carnival World & Seafood Buffet, which added seafood to a buffet that had a focus on different cuisines. But, we're not done here yet. 

Fast forward a few years, and the Rio was ailing. COVID hit, the merged buffet closed, and that all happened in the midst of a period of time when many neighboring casinos were getting updated and remodeled. Rio, on the other hand, was sold by its parent company and the buffet remained closed amidst the upheaval. 

Jump ahead again to 2023, and plans for the Rio's foodie landscape were finally announced. The buffet wasn't going to reopen at all, and instead, the space was going to be turned into the rather blandly named Canteen Food Hall. Individual restaurants include Nama Nama (sushi), Tender Crush (fried chicken based on the neighborhoods of New York City), and Shogun Ramen.

Feast Buffet is a little different, and it was actually the buffet chain that operated at Station Casinos in both Las Vegas and Henderson. Back in the 1990s, it was a big deal and attracted all kinds of attention for a brand-new and novel set-up that included stations where customers could see their food being cooked. The buffets included wildly popular locations at Red Rock and Green Valley Ranch in particular, and they were all notable as being the kind of places that were a staple for area residents. Now, these buffets are no more. 

It was the locals who were not just upset by the 2021 announcement that Station was going to be overhauling its casinos to get rid of the buffets, but worried. The buffets were consistently good and consistently affordable, and with families hard-hit by COVID layoffs, those buffets had also been a reliable, affordable way to feed people. 

Representatives from Station acknowledged that it was a financial decision. The Red Rock resort, for example, was remodeled to include a sushi bar and grill, an Italian restaurant, an oyster bar, a steakhouse, a Mexican restaurant, and a noodle bar, among others. Other Station properties got a similar remodel, and given how important these buffets were to the community, that's a bummer.

When it comes to the things that have come together to make Las Vegas what it is today, the Mirage is one of the most important. With its aquarium, volcano, and live shows that included the iconic Siegfried & Roy as well as Cirque de Soleil, it kind of set the bar for what the city should aspire to. It opened in 1989, and over the years, it also attracted scores of tourists to its Cravings Buffet.

Even though reviews for Cravings Buffet were something of a mixed bag of opinions on what was a pretty standard buffet offering all the standard buffet foods, there's no denying that the Mirage was one of the most influential casinos that shaped the city as it is today. Being able to enjoy a buffet meal before heading out to watch an erupting volcano? It doesn't get much cooler than that.

Yes, Cravings Buffet is now closed, and so is the Mirage. In 2022, the Mirage was sold to Hard Rock International for a whopping $1.075 billion, which will pay employees — including 1,700 hospitality staff — an $80 million severance package before demolishing the iconic building and replacing it with a new, Hard Rock-themed resort.

Planet Hollywood's Spice Market Buffet is another one of the buffets we miss, but there is a caveat: We miss this one as it was in its heyday. Once lauded by visitors for the option to add bottomless alcoholic beverages for a low additional price, for its crab legs and mini cheesecakes, for its incredible dessert selection and handmade crepes, and for foods from a variety of cuisines, more recent reviews are less favorable. Given the back story, we kind of understand why.

Back in 2017, Planet Hollywood suffered a major water leak that flooded areas including parts of the restaurants and casino. It was ultimately connected to a break in the sprinkler system, and Las Vegas locals took to Tripadvisor to keep people posted. They reported that the Spice Market Buffet remained only partially open for weeks following the flood, and it's easy to see why that would lead to a lot of disappointed people. Menus still available for the buffet show an almost shockingly small selection of American, Middle Eastern, and Mexican dishes, and while it's not clear just what happened to the buffet, it's believed that it never recovered to pre-flood popularity and was simply a casualty of changing trends.

There's a very good reason to miss the Chuck Wagon Buffet, and that's the fact that not only was it the trend-setting first buffet in Las Vegas, but it cost only a dollar. It opened in 1946, and although today's buffets are infamous for catering to those who go to Vegas for the casinos, the Chuck Wagon Buffet had an even bigger target audience that included the scores of people who were working on building the Hoover Dam. 

The buffet was built into the El Rancho casino, and it quickly became clear that the officially named Buckaroo Buffet was keeping customers in seats — and gambling — for much longer than they would have stayed without some sustenance. Initially, it was pretty straightforward stuff that consisted mainly of cold cuts and sandwiches, but as fans of pairing soup and sandwiches for a satisfyingly delicious dinner, we get it.

El Rancho's buffet opened about five years after the casino itself, and it's credited for kicking off Vegas's love of buffets. The legacy might live on, but the entire El Rancho complex met a pretty horrifying end: On June 17, 1960, it burned to the ground after a fire started in the adjoining Opera House Theatre. (In an interesting footnote for fans of Old Hollywood, many of the pictures of the fire were taken by Red Skelton, and Betty Grable lost most of her wardrobe: She'd been performing there when it happened.)

Ever want to try some of the best pastries in Paris? Do you have a bucket list of the best coffee shops you'll need to visit if you make it over to France's capital city? If the answer is affirmative, Paris Las Vegas's Le Village Buffet would have been your vibe. And yes, sadly, we do have to refer to it in the past tense, as it closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened. 

The buffet wasn't just serving up Parisian favorites, either, and had dishes dedicated to each of the country's provinces. While there were incredible pastry selections, an extensive variety, and it was often lauded for its vegetarian options, more recent reviews suggested that this buffet had moved out of its heyday and into its twilight years even before COVID. What remained a major draw was the ambiance, leaving diners to enjoy their meal while feeling like they were surrounded by a quaint French village.

We do, however, kind of understand why this one went away. As much as we love the village square feel, it seemed as though it was more suited to Disney than Vegas. It was perhaps more "Beauty and the Beast" than Parisian chic, and an update was due. Paris Las Vegas has been remodeled for a fancier vibe, with restaurants by Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, Martha Stewart, and Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel Marche.

It's mind-numbing to even try to fathom the amount of money that goes into maintaining, upgrading, and overhauling the casinos and restaurants of Las Vegas, and that's the thought that brings us to Treasure Island's Corner Market Buffet. In 2018, Treasure Island closed its Dishes restaurant, sank $3.6 million into a massive remodel and renovation, and opened the Corner Market Buffet. The big draws were meant to be a farmers' market vibe, unlimited drinks for an extra $14.99 per person, and seafood on the weekends. 

Reception was mixed, but those who loved it really loved it. It was lauded for things like the dessert selection and sheer variety of drinks, offerings of Korean, Chinese, and Italian cuisines as well as standard American selections, and an outstanding fresh fruit section that almost made people forget about pastries and desserts. 

Shockingly, this buffet was only around for less than two years after its major renovation, and when it was replaced, it wasn't with another restaurant. Instead, it was replaced with The Race & Sports Book, which is now called the Golden Circle Sportsbook & Bar. Visitors sit in the kind of desks that students might take exams in, watch monitors, and place their bets on games, races, matches, and fights.

Yes, there really are flamingos at the Las Vegas resort of the same name, and this is another buffet where it's the atmosphere that gets it on our list. The Paradise Garden Buffet may have gotten plenty of reviews for food that was mediocre at best, but when you get to eat that food while you're sitting there watching flamingos wander through their tropical paradise and koi swim through the water around them, well, that's what you're in Vegas for, isn't it? 

Other reviews note that the Paradise Garden Buffet was just sort of a typical Vegas buffet, with nothing outstanding other than the view. If you're the type who goes to a party and finds yourself gravitating toward the hosts' pets, this was definitely for you, though. Add in Cajun dishes and a build-your-own bloody mary bar, and it had fans. 

Unfortunately, it's also unclear just what happened to this one. In a 2022 Reddit post discussing the fate of the buffet, a Redditor who claimed to be an employee at Flamingo said that in 2020, it had been completely blocked off and was being mostly used for storage. At the time of this writing, there's currently a food hall, steakhouse, and restaurants from Gordon Ramsay and Vanderpump, among other dining options.

Head to Aria today, and you'll find the Proper Eats food hall instead. The Buffet has been replaced by a series of restaurants that — at the time of this writing — includes Laughing Buddha Ramen, Easy Donuts, Seoul Bird, and Lola's Burgers. The switch happened in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and when The Buffet closed, it simply didn't reopen.

In this case, it was kind of a matter of taking advantage of the closure to give the dining choices at Aria a modern makeover. The mastermind behind the redo was Clique Hospitality, which told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that it was simply a matter of buffets being out, and a food hall-style experience being more what customers were going to be looking for when tourism kicked off again in earnest. And it makes sense. With The Buffet already closed, it was the perfect time to reevaluate what it was going to look like when it reopened. Part of the big concern was quality, and according to reviews, The Buffet had seen its heyday long pass.

Five-star reviews, however, lauded this one for its crab selection in particular, saying that it was a must for seafood lovers. It got high marks for drinks like mimosas and a rum punch, a vast array of desserts, pastries, and cakes, and budget-minded customers reported that it hit the balance between affordable and quality. Days were numbered, though, and The Buffet is nothing more than a memory.

Back in 2017, Tropicana remodeled the Beach Cafe into something that had some serious potential. The idea behind Savor was that it would serve not the standard buffet fare, but a sort of serve-yourself cafe with cuisines that included Italian, Mexican, and Cajun classics. You could even order a made-on-the-spot pizza, and honestly, that got our attention right there. 

Savor was relatively small, and while there was some serious potential there, it perhaps didn't get as much attention as it should have. That makes us sad. The pizza was outstanding, the build-your-own-waffle bar was the stuff of dreams, and the smaller size meant that it was more efficient, always fresh, and it was more easily manageable by staff. Savour, however, is definitely gone: The decades-old Tropicana was demolished in 2024 to make way for a baseball stadium. 

It was something of the end of an era, too, and we can't help but draw parallels between the demolition of this Vegas mainstay and the fate of buffets. Once famously associated with the Rat Pack, it was one of only two casinos left from that era. (The other is the Flamingo, which has technically been rebuilt.) History, it seems, moves on in many ways.