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A patron shows off a full plate at the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace on Tuesday, September 11, 2012.
Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012 | 8:04 p.m.
Traffic on the Las Vegas Strip labored along at a slow pace Tuesday, Dec. 25, with the sounds of the holiday interrupted by some honking and naughty words from impatient drivers. Pedestrians wore light jackets and sunglasses while the sun bounced off of cars. People filled the sidewalk to capacity. On Christmas Day, the Strip is the same.
More than a few ventured out to for a bite to eat. The ravenous hordes in line -- some waiting as long as three hours -- chose to brave the strip for Christmas dinner to avoid messiness and complicated preparation, or just to be with friends on a day off.
Jared Andrews and his family set their sights on the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace. Usually they stay home in Oregon, but this Christmas, Andrews decided to do something different in celebration of his wife’s birthday.
“We heard this is the buffet capital of the world, and this is the $17 million buffet,” he said.
He had been waiting with his wife and two daughters for two hours.
“Just a half hour away,” he said.
The chance to eat a nice meal without the added legwork brought many to the trough Tuesday.
“(The buffet is good) like everything else here,” said Callie Dycus of Las Vegas. “It’s just easier than dealing with preparation and cleanup.”
A few miles south at the M Resort, Neo Liu had been standing in line for over an hour. He was by himself.
“I’m here with my girlfriend. She’s still gambling,” he said with a laugh.
The Los Angeles resident broke his normal routine of visiting family because of the deals he found, and because he had heard the buffet at the M Resort was one of the best in town.
“This is one of the main reasons we’re here,” he said. “Vegas is kind of the closest getaway.”
There ain't a buffet in town worth a 2-3 hour wait.
Waiting 3 hours in a buffet line is not exactly how I want to spend Christmas.
2-3 hour wait? Buffet xmas dining has changed since i was a Vegas kid...
2-3 hours? How dumb. There's not a buffet in town worth a 5 minute wait.
the M buffet is worthy of the wait!
I waited in line about an hour at M. Brought a book to read while in line and have no regrets.
Bacchanal is the worst buffet in Vegas. Long lines. Hot foods are cold. Pre-measured portions are skimpy. Service is non-existant. Decor is cheap. A logistical nightmare to wind through the food line. And it is too pricey. Basically, it offers nothing out of the ordinary. King crab, but skinny king crab. If you request them hot, you still get them ice cold. Rib lamb chops are too thin, therefore overcooked. Bone in rib-eye? A little slice is all you get, no bone in that. 500 dishes? I doubt it. If you get a piece of fried chicken with sweet potato fries in a basket, and then a little farther down get a piece of fried chicken in a basket and after that a basket with sweet potato fries, are those counted as 3 separate dishes? At best, it's two. Obviously their offerings are overstated.
Same food vendors (Cysco, United Food)aell and service all the hotel/casinos in town so food served at the buffets is pretty much the same from one place to another. (Why do you think so many buffets had butternut squash soup this Christmas? Probably a vendor special, not a special recipe.) Bacchanal is not worth the price, the hassle or the disappointment.
M is far better. More value-priced, Red Rock also can't be beat for variety, freshness and service. Santa Fe is also very nice, with fewer selections than Red Rock and a bit lower price. Great decor in both those Station buffets.
I've been to the new Caesar's buffet on three different occasions. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone. At first I thought "its new" and they would work out the problems. Truth is the service has gotten worse and nobody cares. I think people show up get overcharged and steal everything that not glued down to the table. Don't waste your time. Food is OK but not worth the wait.. I'll give it a year and it will probably be gone.
Skipped the buffets, went to a local free-standing restaurant and was immediately seated. No issues with the food or service.
Baked a beautiful 7 pound glazed ham and baked giant yams at the same time. Prepared the yam flesh with lots of butter and brown sugar stirred together. Sliced the ham, sliced fresh bollo rolls, mayo and mustard for sandwiches. Today, we will have ham and eggs and the last bollo rolls toasted and buttered for dinner. Tomorrow for dinner we will have more ham with the leftover yams and broccoli. We never drove to the Strip, stood in line, and got more than 3 wonderful dinners, a lunch and a snack for under $15. It's a good life!
M really is great. Stations' Red Rock, Green Valley and Sante Fe are pretty tasty and really inexpensive. But 'ya gotta' plan these things when you go.
Surprised the big buffets don't do a call service rather than have those diners standing in line all that time. They could be sat gambling in the casino and be called on cell phones.