As Buffets Decline, One Las Vegas Spot Still Stands Out

For a city once synonymous with all-you-can-eat excess, it is a sad truth that even Las Vegas is losing its outlandishly big and lavish casino buffets. The 2020 pandemic is mostly to blame for shuttering these 12 Vegas buffets we really, truly miss, but there is still one standout on the Strip that has managed to hold on to its reputation: the Buffet at Wynn. So what's going on behind these gilded doors to keep tourists coming back year after year?

First, the Wynn buffet offers a quality-over-quantity approach. Traditional buffets are often all about sheer volume and spectacle, but here you get restaurant-level cooking. There are no steam-table trays sitting out for scarily indeterminate periods of time. Rather, food is prepared in smaller batches, with many dishes prepared to order. With sixteen live-action cooking stations, you're not only getting fresh, made-to-order food, you're getting a little show as well. A peruse into diners' reviews on Tripadvisor reveals the appeal: "A definite highlight was the live Cinnabon rolls prepared fresh by the charming chef, a must-try!" 

Variety also plays a big role at the Wynn buffet, but it's more curated than overwhelming. Guests get to travel the world with stations featuring Mexican birria, Asian dishes, or seafood boils. Another diner on Tripadvisor notes, "this is no average buffet, it has things like parmesan truffle tator [sic] tots and all kinds of cuts of quality meats and tons of unique foods from different parts of the world."

Of course, the Buffet at Wynn is in no way the cheapest option in Las Vegas, and that's certainly part of the trade-off. You're paying for a luxury experience that focuses on premium offerings, like tuna sashimi and wagyu steamship round. There's a reason the Wynn is one of the best luxury buffets in Vegas. 

In a post-pandemic landscape where many buffets had to cut back on expensive items, Wynn has largely maintained its commitment to fancy dishes to help justify the $59.99 price tag for the Daily Gourmet Brunch. In fact, many fans opt for the even more expensive Seafood Gourmet Dinner at $79.99 so they can load up on lobster tails, snow crabs, and oysters on the half shell. And yes, you can rest assured that the Vegas buffet staple, prime rib, will also be there.

Of course, the high price is only justified if you're ready to eat your weight in jumbo shrimp cocktails. In a post in the Las Vegas Food Scene Facebook group, one person writes, "I thought the Wynn was worth it, but you have to eat your face off for any buffet to be worth it at these prices." Even the penny-pinchers and jaded eaters on Reddit agree, with someone commenting, "The only two buffets worth going to are Wynn Buffet and Bacchanal at Caesar's. If you search the Vegas sub you'll see dozens of threads to this effect."