This Enormous Las Vegas Buffet Serves 250 Dishes And Books Out Months In Advance — Here's My Incredibly Honest Review Of It
When you think of Las Vegas, you might imagine rows of slot machines on casino floors, residency shows on every corner of The Strip, and the infamous open container laws. But if there's one additional thing that Vegas is known for, it's the all-you-can-eat buffets.
And while nearly every major hotel in Las Vegas has its own version of a buffet, there's one that's larger, more expensive, and arguably more well-known than just about all the rest: The Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace.
If you're unfamiliar with the Bacchanal dining experience, it originally debuted in 1966 as the Bacchanal Room when Caesars Palace opened. Guests got to experience a three-hour, seven-course meal that included wine service and shoulder massages, and they were even fed grapes from toga-clad waitresses.
The Bacchanal Buffet is massive. It takes up a whopping 25,000 square feet — and chefs serve around 250 different individually sized food options from 10 interconnected kitchens.
It's meant to be an experience — but it's also expensive. At the time of my visit, the the brunch buffet started at $64.99 per adult, and dinner was $79.99 per adult. (Kids ages 4–10 cost around half of the adult rate.)
You can find full pricing information at the bottom of this post.
If you're able to score a reservation and fork over the hefty price tag, you will get 90 minutes to eat and drink as much as you can — everything from crab legs and shrimp, to quesabirria tacos, to Vietnamese pho, to more desserts than you can imagine.
So if you're thinking of taking a trip to Sin City and aren't quite sure if the Bacchanal Buffet is worth a bite, here is a complete breakdown of what the famous Caesar Palace's breakfast and brunch buffet entails — including menus for each station, photos of the food, and tips for first-timers.
*BuzzFeed was provided this meal free of charge; however, we were under no obligation to give a positive review.
First things first: as mentioned, the buffet is a beast. It requires a plan to tackle, whether you're going for breakfast, brunch, or dinner. (I'm not joking. I highly recommend getting oriented with the different stations when you first arrive to get a feel of the place and all the food items.)
However, before you even set foot in the dining room, you'll need to check in upfront. As a warning: the entrance can be a tad confusing and overwhelming, as there is no clear indicator of where the check-in starts. Pro tip: there is a line of computers up front where a staff member with an iPad will be. This is where you'll check-in.
Also, there are three checkpoints you must pass before you enjoy the buffet. First, you'll check in for your reservation or to see if a table is available. (The Bacchanal Buffet does accept walk-ins, but it's strongly encouraged to schedule a reservation well in advance as guests generally will be unable to find same-day openings.)
Next, you'll be told to go to a counter in the back to pay for your buffet. Finally, you'll head to the host stand to wait in line to be seated. This three-step process shouldn't take long to go through, but I read that the wait time can be a little bit longer during dinnertime — so make sure to go earlier than your reservation time, just to be safe.
Once inside the dining space, the buffet is your oyster for an hour and a half. You'll have a designated waiter (who will be accompanied by an assistant) to take your drink order and pick up your finished plates throughout your buffet experience. Non-alcoholic beverages are included in the buffet price (think: coffee, tea, soft drinks, and orange juice), but if you want an alcoholic beverage, that will be an extra charge.
Of note: The waiter will give you a full pot of coffee when you order coffee, which I recommend chugging so you can have enough energy to experience the whole buffet. Trust me.
As I mentioned, there are 10 stations that make up the Bacchanal buffet: American; sushi; seafood; Mediterranean; Latin; Mezze (charcuterie, smoothies, and bread); Chinese; Korean; Southeast Asian; and dessert. All of the areas are connected on the left side of the dining room — minus the dessert station, which is located closer to the center.
Unlike some other Las Vegas buffets, there is no kid-specific section. So if you have a kid who may be a picky eater, Bacchanal might not be a great fit. On the other hand, if you have food allergies, those are clearly and helpfully labeled throughout.
While the individual stations are labeled with signs, they're also decorated with eye-catching decorative items to visually indicate which kitchen is which. I found this helpful to better navigate all the different food options, which seemed overwhelming at first.
Talking about interior decorations, the buffet dining room feels large in scale while simultaneously feeling snug. If you've ever eaten at a fast-casual theme park property at Universal Studios or Disney, for example, you'll instantly recognize the layout. It's a mix of square and long rectangular tables spread throughout the three rooms with opaque dividers and thick, white-tiled pillars separating areas to give the illusion of privacy and space.
While the majority of the rooms and kitchen floors are covered with tile, most of the dining areas are covered with carpet.
Even though the dining areas have carpets, the floors were immaculate — like seriously, there was no crumb in sight. While this might sound silly to some, I think this speaks to how the whole experience felt like a well-oiled machine.
When I was there, it seemed like the majority of the staff had earpieces in their ears to communicate with one another, and every station was quickly "refilled" with new food items while every plate was cleared upon my return with new dishes.
As someone who has worked in tourist-area restaurants in Orlando, Florida, this is a magical (and rare) thing to witness, and I hope these staff members are getting paid top dollar — because they deserve it.
So now that we've gone through the nitty gritty, it's time to rate the food. Also, just to give context to the items that I selected, I'm unable to eat shellfish — but I was able to eat pretty much everything else on the buffet line.
I started with the station furthest back: the Asian area. It combined the sushi, Korean, Chinese, and Southeast Asia kitchens.
For each station, I also wanted to share a list of everything served on the day I was there — because this was tough to find in my research before I visited. However, note that items may differ if you visit.
Asian kitchen menu: Tri-colored salad, Asian noodle salad, Filipino whole roasted pig with dipping sauce, pork lumpia, Filipino pork skewers, sawsawan, ensaladang kamatis sa patis, chicken tikka masala, sushi, poke bowls, crab rangoon, vegetable spring rolls, shiitake potstickers, ginger and garlic clams, kalbi short ribs, chicken with gochujang sauce, kimchi fried rice, black garlic ramen, tonkotsu ramen, Vietnamese pho, tom kha, congee.
To me, there were some hits and misses. While the flavors and variety were impressive for the most part, some of the meat selections were either overly fried or overcooked.
It could be because I got there around the early afternoon, but some of the food items tasted like they been sitting under the heat lamps for a bit longer than desired – which, unfortunately, can happen a lot in restaurants. Because of that, some of the food items missed the mark.
Here's a snapshot of my plate:
For instance, General Tso's chicken and Korean chicken were overly fried, even though the flavor profile was tasty. As for the chicken tikka masala, part of the chicken was incredibly dry, while the chicken that was further toward the bottom and soaked in the sauce was tender and delicious — so again, I think it might be a heat lamp issue.
As for the winners, I would 100% go back to eat the steak pepper beef, the kimchi fried rice, and the spicy edamame. Every item had the perfect amount of kick to them, but I would have liked the kimchi to be crunchier.
Next I went to the Mezze kitchen — otherwise known as the assorted bread, smoothies, charcuterie, cheese, and salad area.
Mezze kitchen menu: Dragon fruit and chia parfait, acai bowl, blueberry granola parfait, meat charcuterie, cheese charcuterie, various breads and rolls (cornbread, whole wheat bread, etc.), pineapple turmeric smoothie, green juice smoothie, pitaya smoothie.
I felt like this kitchen should have been a clear winner in a lot of areas, but it didn't quite nail it for me. On the plus side: There is a very good selection of charcuterie, bite-sized breads, and parfaits to choose from if you need a break from the heavier items from the buffet.
On the downside, the smoothie-based items were extremely thin in consistency or melted because of the heat lamps.
The acai bowl, for example, tasted delicious, but I couldn't fully enjoy eating it without coming across the skins of the fruits. Not sure if this is done on purpose, but it's just something to be mindful of if you get this dish.
Here's a snapshot of my plate from the Mezze kitchen:
For me, Mezze winners included the homemade granola that was on top of the dragonfruit and chia parfait. The parfait itself was just fine, but the granola blew my socks off with its semi-sweet, not overly hard crunch. It's mixed with seeds, honey, and oats, and I basically gobbled that up in three seconds flat.
The other thing I want a whole bag of? The multi-grain roll. I'm a cornbread girl through and through, but I was really, really disappointed by it. It tasted overly processed and had no real corn flavor (I prefer having real kernels in my cornbread and I couldn't find it in my bite).
However, as for the multi-grain roll — please get 20 of these. The roll is not overly salty, it's incredibly soft, and it has the right amount of heartiness.
Next up: the Mediterranean kitchen.
Mediterranean kitchen menu: arancini, Croque Madame, breakfast pizza. smoked salmon pizza, brie and apple pizza, Caprese salad, garlic bread rolls, lamb gyro, Caesar panzanella salad, Italian wedding soup, grandma's meatballs, egg and omelet bar.
For me, this was one of the better (yet smaller) areas. There were quite a few items that stood out that I would've gone for seconds of. However, to be completely honest, I was also starting to get really full by this point.
I know, I know. It might not seem like a lot of food, but each item was really rich in flavor. It was great, but it also made me slow down quicker than expected, which wasn't great — especially under a tight 90-minute time limit.
Here's a snapshot of my plate:
If my stomach didn't give up on me, I would have gone back for more pan-seared salmon and the brie and apple pizza. Both of these items were extremely tasty. When it comes to salmon, I'm sometimes afraid that it will be smothered with butter — but this was not the case with this salmon. If you love seafood, get this dish.
As for the other two items on my plate: the gyro wasn't bad but wasn't drool-worthy either. The bread was very tasty and soft, but the lamb meat itself was kind of forgettable — so go ahead and put your energy elsewhere.
Friends, as much as I wanted to try the Croque Madame, I JUST COULDN'T DO IT. By this point, my soul left my body to try to survive, and the thought of eating this made me nauseous. In person, it looked so delicious and extremely creamy, but it also looked very rich, and my body was shutting down. I'm so sorry I failed you, but if you've tried this, please let me know if you liked it!
Again, I was getting really full at this point — but for the sake of a complete review, I moved on to the Latin kitchen.
Latin kitchen menu: Salsa molcajete, chicharron, guacamole, tortilla chips and salsa, duros, pineapple mangonada, ube horchata, strawberry kiwi virgin mimosa, huevos divorciados, Mexican churros, Sonoran street dog, chile torreados, fried plantains, duck carnitas quesadillas, chilaquiles, quesabirria tacos, achiote toasted chicken, frijoles rancheros, pozole rojo, corn tortillas, ceviche campanchano, Peruvian ceviche, ceviche pulpo.
As someone who is half Puerto Rican, I was really, really excited to see this kitchen — not that there was much of any PR food available (chefs, please add Pernil for the holiday season), but for the fact that so many of the Latin cuisines were being highlighted.
All the dishes looked vibrant and delicious. However, my one complaint is that I wished it would have celebrated the individual cultures more, just as the Asian kitchen did. Everything here was mostly labeled "Latin" aside from the few Mexican and Peruvian dishes — and I think it's a missed opportunity not to individualize the labels from the countries they come from.
Here's a snapshot of my plate. (Also yes, there are some American dishes on my plate here, but we'll talk about those under the American kitchen review.)
This is one of the larger kitchens within the buffet — and while I wish I had the opportunity to eat more of the individual-plated dishes, I went for the basics since I was getting full. My ethos: If a restaurant knows how to make simple meals really, really well, then everything else should be good too.
The verdict? The rice tasted pretty close to homemade, but it only had corn in it (I wanted added black beans.) Unfortunately, though, the chicken was extremely dry.
As for the other items, I loved the churros, but I could tell they had been sitting there for a while, so I wish they did this as a made-to-order kitchen option instead. The quesabirria tacos had the right flavor, but the bite I took was extremely fatty and I wasn't served a broth for dipping — so I would have liked for that to be added as well.
If there's one thing you should absolutely not skip, it's the ube horchata. If I could have taken the whole tube just for myself, I would have. The waiter was telling me they make it in-house and you can absolutely tell they put a lot of love behind this drink. The consistency was perfectly thick and it wasn't candy sweet. I'm not joking, I still dream of this drink to this day.
Up next? The American kitchen.
American kitchen menu: monkey bread, loaded oatmeal, pancake and waffle bar, buttermilk biscuits, country gravy, chicken fried steak, smoked fish potato salad, iceberg wedge salad, summer fruit salad, braised short rib benedict, baby loco moco, smoked brisket, prime rib, grilled tri-tip, Portuguese sausage, kielbasa, breakfast sausages, roast turkey, truffle-roasted chicken, honey baked ham, slab bacon, smoked gouda cavatappi, corn on the cob, Boursin mashed potatoes, corned beef hash, crispy bacon, griddled hash brown, Denver scrambled eggs, gumbo, breakfast sliders, brunch fries.
This was also one of the larger kitchens in the buffet — with a lot to choose from. It's where you'll find the very traditional American breakfast options. You want bacon? You got it. Buttermilk biscuits? All yours.
I will say it was nice to see some Southern dishes and there was no avocado toast or cereals in sight.
Aside from that, just be mindful that the American kitchen is very heavy in the meat department (no surprise there, right?) — complete with a full carving station.
Here's a snapshot of my plate from the American kitchen (yes, it's the same image as the Latin kitchen, let me explain below).
While I couldn't try all the items I wanted to because I was getting extremely full at this point, I was able to snag the s'mores waffle and the monkey bread. Did they take my breath away? Not really. The monkey bread tasted bland and the waffle was just a cute-ass waffle. You can skip these, as there's nothing too memorable about them — but maybe the waffles would be a major hit with kids since it's 99% sugar.
I'll also note that during my visit, the majority of the individualized meat breakfast dishes were nearly gone — so those seemed like a big hit with guests.
Next up was the seafood kitchen — which included some vegan options, too.
Seafood kitchen menu: crab Florentine benedict, shrimp and grits, lobster Boursin egg bite, New England seafood boil, mussels, crab claws, clams, shrimp cocktail, bagels with smoked salmon, vegan chili, plant-based breakfast sausage, vegan tofu scramble.
As mentioned, I wasn't able to review this area because I'm unable to eat shellfish. However, if you're vegan, this is where they keep the vegan breakfast options — which were about three items when I was there.
The seafood section also included something that many guests seemed to prioritize: the crab station. It's brought out between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and reservations made between those hours have an upcharge for it.
The line gets long, but it will dissipate quickly. Plus, there is also a mini crab cart that comes out, so depending on your reservation time, you may need to strategize this into your buffet experience as well.
From what I observed, it seemed like there was a little ~budget trick~ to getting the crab menu while you're there. Again, the crab station is normally brought out between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., so if you schedule your breakfast reservation right before this time, it seems like you might be able to have access to the crabs when they come out without paying extra.
Finally, the finish line: the dessert kitchen.
Dessert station menu: crepes, s'mores, mini pecan chocolate tarts, berry cheesecake, ube chiffon cake, cherry cheesecake, vanilla cupcakes, crème br?lée, banana cream pie, lemon panna cotta, egg tart, cnnamon rolls, croissants, danishes, strawberry giggly, raspberry panna cotta.
Gelato bar flavors: watermelon, mango, sugar-free wildberry, blood orange, mint and chip, green tea, vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, banana cream, strawberry cheesecake, cappuccino, crème br?lée, peanut butter cup.
This station was a lot of fun. Not only are most dishes prepared in mini plates so you have the opportunity to try a little bit of everything, but there's also a crêpe and a gelato station so you can mix and match if you want to. (Ice cream on top of a crêpe? Why not??)
Here's a snapshot of my plate from the dessert kitchen.
I highly recommend getting the crème br?lée because they knocked it out of the park.
As for the other items on this plate, I was disappointed by the gelato. While there were a lot of flavors to choose from, and I might have just picked the wrong one, I wasn't a fan of the mint and chip. It tasted a little too icy to me and the flavor tasted artificial.
I also love Thai tea, but this was slightly missing the mark for me as well. The consistency was amazing, but the flavor was slightly off to me.
Overall, I would give the Bacchanal Buffet a 7.5/10. While none of the foods really wowed me (aside from the ube horchata: hi, I miss you), I do think that if you love to eat and the price point is within your means, this is a buffet you should experience at least once — simply for the grandness of it all.
I mean, have you ever seen a buffet have a Filipino kitchen alongside a Latin kitchen without sacrificing quality and quantity? Probably not.
The grandness can also have its downsides, though. It was impossible to eat everything I wanted to because 1) there was simply too much, and 2) there was a strict 90-minute time limit, narrower than some other comparable Vegas buffets. So, even though I went kitchen to kitchen for the purpose of this review, I would highly recommend NOT doing that if you go.
Instead, just add different items from the different kitchens to make sure you get to try a little bit of everything. You will likely feel rushed either way, and the 90-minute time limit is strict — so make sure you strategize your must-have dishes if you can, or potentially skip this buffet if you are looking for a dining experience that's not so time-constricted.
I found the Bacchanal Buffet to be impressive in its efficiency, quantity, and quality. It seems they have thought of everything when it comes to what an over-the-top Vegas buffet should look and feel like — aside from having a show, of course. Still, I would almost prefer for them to lessen the amount of food (without sacrificing the different cuisines) to improve the quality even more.
Since I found the Bacchanal Buffet website to be a little light on information, a full list of the hours and prices are below. However, it's still recommended to call ahead to double-check, since times and prices can be subject to change.
Regular Brunch:
? Thursday–Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Starting at $64.99 for adults, $32.50 for children ages 4–10
Crab Brunch:
? Thursday–Monday from 1 to 3 p.m.
Starting at $79.99 for adults, $40 for children ages 4–10
Dinner:
? Tuesday and Wednesday from 3:30 to 10 p.m.
Starting at $79.99 for adults, $40 for children ages 4–10
? Thursday and Monday from 3 to 10 p.m.
Starting at $79.99 for adults, $40 for children ages 4–10
? Friday–Sunday from 3 to 10 p.m.
Starting at $84.99 for adults, $42.50 for children ages 4–10
*NOTE: Bacchanal Buffet also has holiday pricing, as well as additional menu items available, on special dates, including Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and Easter.
On other holidays, like Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, major citywide events, etc., there may be a surcharge on the listed pricing.
Time limit: 90-minutes*
*However, if you or someone in your party has a disability and requests a longer time, the Bacchanal team will accommodate.