Many Las Vegas signatures have been “luxe-ified” in recent years, including the classic buffet—at least at Caesars Palace. After a $17 million renovation in 2012, the iconic hotel’s buffet was reborn and changed the landscape all over town. The glamorous and gluttonous buffet encouraged grand, Roman-style feasting, yet set in a chic interior by powerhouse designers Super Potato. Bacchanal Buffet Las Vegas soon set the standard for all other buffets after it. Now, Bacchanal has celebrated its second anniversary with more dishes than ever, like the ones shown in its fancy celebration video.
Among nine open kitchens, you’ll find chefs cooking dishes right front of you, rather than food sitting on a hot plate for hours. Another signature factor in its 500 dishes served daily? Presentation. Bacchanal offers small portions already plated, such as the shrimp and grits and ceviche with mango slaw. Nearly two years later, Bacchanal is still the best Las Vegas buffet on the Strip. Here are 10 delicious reasons why.
The food is consistently fresh. Unlike a lot of buffets, food doesn’t sit out at Bacchanal. Staff is continually turning over plates and pans so that dishes are both they’re hot and fresh without that stale, heat-lamp taste. When I was going for another order of fried chicken, the current bowl was whisked away and I was immediately brought out a piping hot presentation with even juicier chicken.
The line pass. Though Total Rewards Diamond and Seven Star members have their own VIP line, any diner can purchase a $20 line pass to skip Bacchanal’s (sometimes) lengthy lines and wait times. Additionally the new digital FreshTxt kiosks let you “check in” in line and virtually hold your place for hours, alerting you by text when it’s your turn. For a $15-$30 upgrade cost, Bacchanal Buffet is also available for those who have purchased a “Buffet of Buffets” pass.
The variety. You can go crazy pretty much at any of the food stations. Dig into multiple soups, more than 20 kinds of fresh-baked bread, multiple seasonal cheeses and more than 100 pastries.
The breakfast. Early risers have plenty more reasons to get up early here: think Bananas Foster donuts, churros, pancakes, breakfast quesadillas, mini waffles and eggs made any way you like them. Plus, many of the popular lunch items, including the Asian stations, pizza, pasta and seafood, are available at breakfast time.
The customization. Aside from salad bars, most buffets don’t allow for much “create your own” as you would like. At Bacchanal, small stations let you design many of your own dishes. The Mexican bar features a plethora of toppings that can go on anything from the tortilla chips to the tacos. We loved the guacamole (yes, made fresh) and lime salsa. A charcuterie area of sliced meats and premium cheeses is great for low carb options, and the various sauces and toppings at the Asian area is convenient to dressing up your dim sum however you want.
International flair. Don’t want to spend a bunch of money trying a foreign cuisine you may not like? Bacchanal has several dishes inspired by cultures around the world, so you can experience new tastes without breaking the bank. I personally loved sampling the pad Thai, the Chinese egg tart and the shu mai.
The seafood bacchanalia. Right at the front entrance you’ll notice an entire area devoted to goodies from under the sea. Stone crab, snow crab, scallops, bowlfuls of fresh shucked oysters, mussels, crab legs, prawns, you name it. There are also small plates of hot seafood dishes. Hint: this station is the keeper of that corn chowder with lobster. Stock up.
The blend of familiar and adventurous dishes. While you’ll find many high-quality comfort food staples at Bacchanal—sliced pizza, barbecue, French fries, Caesar salad, fried chicken—this place thinks out of the box, too. Go ahead and try the roasted red pepper and crab gazpacho or gumbo-esque shrimp and grits dish. Bacchanal’s spiffiest new offering is caviar, whole fish and lobster as upsell charges. The whole fish option was introduced to target the large groups that often dine at Bacchanal. Available for lunch and dinner, you can order a whole fish for the table with prices ranging from $21.19 to 26.19 per pound. Choose from Norwegian Mackerel, New Zealand Tai Snapper and Golden Pompano. Further customize your catch with two different preparation options: -Grilled Whole: Belly stuffed with fresh lemons and aromatic herbs, seasoned with fleur de sel and fresh cracked tellichery black peppercorn – Charred lemons & fresh herbs for garnish -Fried Whole Asian Style: Tamari soy & yuzu base sauce, ginger and scallion topped, hot sesame oil sear to finish, chili thread and cilantro garnish
The dessert. Oh, the dessert. The sweet endings at Bacchanal aren’t just crammed to an end corner—these babies are so beautiful, they live on their own Dessert Island (I like to call it) away from the buffet line. Each edge of the square-shaped dessert feast features confection after confection. Butterscotch cookies, cake pops, chocolate lava cake, peanut butter cup cupcakes, cinnamon buns, sugar-free goodies, crème brulee, mini soufflés and crepes made on the spot. The gelato area features at least 10 or so flavors at a time. We combined the lemon sorbet with a scoop of the sugar free raspberry sorbet, and then really overdid it with a scoop of Nutella crunch gelato piled with sprinkles. I also loved the tapioca dessert topped with a dizzyingly delicious mango sauce.
The fancy interior design. Bacchanal is the furthest setting from a Vegas’ old school cafeteria-like buffets. With its ultra-modern aesthetic, the 600-seat space sometimes feels more like a chic retreat. The three elements that inspired the design—wood, steel and glass—all play off each other for a sleek, contemporary look and feel.
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