Mandalay Bay Buffet Review
Updated Mandalay Bay Buffet Review. It used to be great, years ago, before they changed their target market. Now it’s average but with a few great touches.
Since the change they seem to have decided to serve average dishes of average quality and provide a relatively limited range of choices (one day all I saw was chicken, almost!). It is better than before but, as it is, it does not make it into our top 5 Vegas buffets. Having said this, there are a few dishes which, on our latest visit, were very well prepared, and a few excellent items which you will not find anywhere else:
The Good Aspects (Mandalay Bay buffet Review):
The bright (mostly), large, elegant decor and atmosphere of its beautiful dining rooms: they are all large, elegant, have large marble or granite tables, polished marble floors, all with plenty of foliage throughout to give it an extra touch of class and add a relaxing-looking feel to it all. Moreover, seating is uniquely spacious (plenty of space between tables) and very comfortable, as well as (in some sections) somewhat partitioned in order to offer a real feeling of intimacy, which is unique to this buffet! Having said this, there are some darker areas though the seating is still comfortable.
As you enter you would be forgiven if you though you had just entered a very exclusive restaurant rather than a buffet! If you can, always go to the brighter rooms at the end which enjoy huge windows overlooking the tropical water gardens (leading to their beach, a real beach they created, and other pools). When we are there we often feel as if we’re dining at a high-class tropical resort, furnished in a rather elegant colonial style. This was particularly the case in the ‘glorious days’ when Mandalay Bay was a highly exclusive, expensive resort.
The service (Mandalay Bay buffet review): usually good. But, all the gorgeous and generous trimmings we used to receive when simply asking for a pot of tea are no longer served. They used to have freshly squeezed orange juice, though these days all Vegas buffets seem to prefer concentrate (when you are lucky).
Food in a nutshell: Chicken, chicken and chicken and… More chicken. Some pork too… Fish lovers will be disappointed unless you are lucky enough to show up on a day in which they serve grilled and breaded salmon (it was very nice!). Vegetarians and healthy eaters may like the salad bar with artichokes and the good fruit bar with blueberries and blackberries (a real rarity in Vegas buffets), but nothing else. For breakfast they used to serve the best French toast I’ve eaten in Las Vegas (buffets), but not on my latest trip.
What’s the Food actually Like? Mandalay Bay Buffet Review
Good fresh REAL blueberries and blackberries at breakfast, at times mixed several other types of fruit; an excellent Greek Yogurt to accompany them too. If they don’t have them out (blackberries and blueberries), all you have to do is ask nicely, and they will usually bring some over for you. Their fruit section is actually much better than average.
The appetisers section includes smoked salmon (at times, other times only ‘cheap’ ham and processed cheese!), blue cheese, capers, pickles, artichokes (this in the salad section) and soft cheese. This allows you to create a really great made-to-order omelette (if you are adventurous, pick the ingredients yourself and ask nicely), or simply to enjoy a touch refined culinary pleasure (certainly compared to many other buffets).
At the other end of the buffet you will find, especially if nearing lunch (and here you can enjoy the beloved roll-over, namely no break between breakfast and lunch, so you can enjoy both) a good salad bar with a good range of lettuces (none of the ‘plastic lettuce’ you find at cheap buffets); they used to provide extra virgin olive oil (and not the usual dubious ‘blend’ of oils), but I was told that what they offer is only ‘olive oil’ (though on my last trip it was not dense enough to be olive oil in my opinion), which is however a step up from many other Vegas buffets; you’ll also find good balsamic vinaigrette and a plethora of other great good dressings, as well as blue cheese. Here you will also enjoy (if you like healthy delicious foods) marinated artichokes (of a lesser quality than in the past, but at least they are still there as a great addition to your self-made salad, though they could use some Kalamata olives!)
Once you have indulged in some healthy, nutritious and and still decent (though not great) options, one used to be able to savor extremely tasty yet delicate sausages and other great cooked food.
These days, however, you will find seafood favorites (crab legs, snow and king, un-cracked, as well as shrimps) at dinner or on ‘speciality brunches’; a ridiculous number of chicken dishes (far too many), plenty of sausages, pork and some turkey. Ton of heavy, fried or deep fried dishes. Fish lovers will be heavily disappointed, since there is actually nothing to eat, definitely not for lunch or brunch. At breakfast and brunch you will have the ubiquitous made-to-order omelette station; when this changes into made-to-order pasta (average-quality North-American style with equally average sauces).
Other dishes: there were few cooked veggies, no Thai or good Chinese dishes, some Mexican (they’re everywhere of course) dishes including Menudo. Essentially it’s a meat buffet with a decent salad dressing section (but no pre-tossed salad) and a few other offerings. During the weekend (brunch) I found a decent Sushi (nothing special by all means) and unhealthy but relatively flavorful dishes.
The Dessert Section had unique items of above-average quality, but of course nothing like at Rio or at Bacchanal, Wynn or even Studio B. Nevertheless, it was good enough. If you like desserts, check our best Vegas buffets for dessert page.
Free Alcohol or Not? You can enjoy unlimited alcohol for an additional price, which is what you will find in most Vegas buffet; this is a good idea, since buffets offering free alcoholic drinks included in their ‘base price’ have significantly declined in quality.
Drawbacks (Mandalay Bay buffet review): although the dining rooms are very large, spacious and comfortable, the actual food stations are small (you won’t have the vastness of the M Buffet or the Rio Buffet, for example).
The main problem with this buffet is the massive break between lunch and dinner. A disgrace. Lunch ends far too early (2.30pm, which is when some people wake up in Vegas!) and, if you are late, you are left waiting for quite some time for dinner. At Mandalay Bay this is particularly inconvenient since it’s so far South, making it very difficult to opt for other buffet options. Most decent buffets offer roll-overs between all meals so you don’t have to leave or you don’t have to wait for dinner. A real disgrace. For that reason alone, if I stay at Mandalay Bay, I go for breakfast only. If I wake up late, I go Mid Strip and have real ‘food’ fun.
Hours & Prices (Mandalay Bay Buffet Review)
Note: before showing you the price they advertise on their own website, I walked in on a Friday morning and I was actually charged for a ‘week-day brunch’ (I have the receipt to prove it). So always double check by phone before you choose any buffet.
Breakfast
Monday – Thursday 7:00 AM – 11 AM
Adults $18.99 Children $12.99
Lunch Monday – Thursday 11:00 AM -2:30 PM
Adults $21.99 Children $13.99
Dinner Daily 4:30 PM -9:45 PM
Adults $32.99 Children $21.99
$10.99 Unlimited Beverage Package (Dinner Only), Premium Beer, Draft Beer, Wine & Sparkling Brut
Brunch Friday – Sunday 7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Adults $25.99 Children $20.99
$7.00 add Unlimited Sparkling Brut to your Brunch Experience
Friday brunch: definitely NOT worth the price (about 30 dollars with taxes), compared to much better buffets in Vegas. Unless you particularly love REAL blackberries (a rarity in Vegas) and REAL blueberries, and an excellent Greek Yogurt to go with them.
As with all other buffets or restaurants in Vegas, prices and times can change suddenly and without notice; seasonal changes also apply (they happen more often than we would like); we therefore recommend you check with them by phone: (702) 632-7777
Location: 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South (South Strip, the last property in the South Strip ‘tourist area’ after Four Seasons). If you enjoyed this updated Mandalay Bay buffet review, you will probably find the following pages useful too:
Best Buffets in Las Vegas, including affordable ones – Las Vegas Coupons Easy Guide – Best Meat Buffets in Vegas – Best Vegas Buffets for Seafood Lovers – Best Vegas Buffets for Dessert Lovers – Jules’ Latest Vegas Videos