Paris Buffet vs. Bally's Buffet

[Maggie Mae]

It would be hard to say enough good things about the Paris buffet.

Each area of French cuisine is represented at its own station, so if you don't know a lot about the regions of France and their differing cullinary styles, this buffet is a great education - in addition to being a great meal. I ate way too much - even more than usual at a buffet - because of the great variety of foods that you just can't get anywhere else.

The atmosphere is like the casino. A little too dark with a brightly lit blue sky painted overhead. It takes some getting used to, but I guess it grows on you because I seem to keep going back!

The only drawbacks at Paris were the price and the less than enthusiastic service. I use comp points for a late lunch at 4:30, because the "dinner" that starts at 5:00 is exactly the same but costs about $15 more. Also, you can go to Bally's dinner buffet for the same price as the Paris lunch price!

Per the Bally's buffet, the atmosphere is a well-lighted upscale dining look and the service is always good. The buffet is almost all American fare, but some Asian dishes and seafood are thrown in for variety. All of the entrees I've had were good, and the shrimp (steamed, chilled and ready for cocktail sauce!) is always perfect. The major stand out is the pecan pie/tart. You've never had better, especially since it comes with a fabulous sliver of melt in your mouth chocolate!

[Steve]

The problem I have with the Paris Buffet is the same problem that I have with Harrah's. It basically stays them same all the time. The food items do not change. Being a non-experimental eater, I stick to the basic items and they are OK. I have always found the service to be good.

The Bally's Big Kitchen Buffet has improved and I enjoy this buffet more than the Paris buffet as it sticks to the basic food groups. The Chinese section that did need some major improvement and was ok the last time I was there. The Spare Ribs were awesome. The service is great but waiting time can be long as the table turnover is very slow.

Hopefully, the Food and Beverage Director from Bally's will be making some posts for our Forum members soon.

Steve

[marmirdc]

We haven't tried the Ballys Buffet yet, but we have been to the Paris on our last visit and we WOULD NOT go back again!...what a disappointment, like Steve said, no variety just like Harrahs. The only good thing we had there was the coffee!..so what does that tell you? One of these days we will give Ballys a try and see what we have been missing.

Any Day Above Ground Is A Good Day!

[jays491628]

I have gone to the Paris several times and would return.

BUT, (IMHO) every reply seems to say what I found. The menu does not change and the only difference between the lunch and dinner menu is the addition of crab legs. I am not an expert on crab legs but I was told they were King Crab. The ones I had tasted like the Snow crabs at other buffets.:o

BTW. I think the menu at the Bellagio does change.

[tryon4]

We might be a little predjudiced as we have put the Big Kitchen on our must do list. We tried Paris and although it was fine it was not in the same league as Bally's. Bally's is basic foods, well done and always a good mix. The trick is to plan on arriving early as the line does tend to slow down a bit and my wife is convinced that the cashiers come from the land of misfit food employees. :) Once seated though the service is great. One of the things I especially like is that they cut the beef thick enough so that you can enjoy it. Salads are fresh and appetizing and they usually have a great soup. Take your time and enjoy this one. And for us the final treat is always the homemade ice cream. We had heard that it was discontinued but it was there in September.

[STR8 FLUSH]

We will be there next week and since I am a goumand:rolleyes: I will be happy to do a in-depth, behind the scenes report on this buffet. But since I only do 1 buffet per LV visit, I am not sure which buffet I will do. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or brunch. Probably not the $62 sterling brunch, no matter how nice they are.:D

[polar]

I feel I must have had the best of both worlds on our last trip( just home this past Saturday) My husband and I had not been to either of these buffets before and this time had breakfast at Paris,was amazing,walked right in at about 9:00am and just loved it! Will be sure to go back next trip.Went for a late dinner to Bally's,about 9:00pm on Wed. again walked right in,and all of the selections looked like they had just been put out,it was awesome!The service at both were terrific.Would highly recommend both Paris and Bally's for breakfast and dinner respectively!

[Treasurerat]

Looking forward to Bally's buffet, but concerned about the lines.

Does anyone know if you are a hotel guest, can you get a line pass?

[Vegas Vic]

We had lunch at Bally's last December and it was very poor. Our server was excellent but the food was not worth the price...and our lunch was free.

Maybe it was an off day because the buffet was almost empty and perhaps the food was left out too long or something..

[sonntex]

I feel I must have had the best of both worlds on our last trip( just home this past Saturday) My husband and I had not been to either of these buffets before and this time had breakfast at Paris,was amazing,walked right in at about 9:00am and just loved it! Will be sure to go back next trip.Went for a late dinner to Bally's,about 9:00pm on Wed. again walked right in,and all of the selections looked like they had just been put out,it was awesome!The service at both were terrific. Would highly recommend both Paris and Bally's for breakfast and dinner respectively!

Thanks for the tip.

You have solidified my plan. Will be staying at the Paris in a few weeks and plan to eat breakfast at their buffet and dinner at Ballys before the Jubilee 10:30 show.

[hhalligan]

I ate at the big kitchen buffet at Bally's 4 years ago and said I would never go back. It must have improved. Paris buffet was much better . I dislike buffets in general even the one at the Bellagio. I like meals served to me while I am on vacation. Seeing many people loading there plates with shrimp and crab legs to get their moneys worth is not my idea of pleasant dining. Vegas is fun so even a poor buffet will not destroy your trip. Have a good time.

[Nevada]

ate at ballys two years ago only thing I have to say is I'm glad I had my Imodium A-d along wife also needed them. have eaten at paris three times food is somewhat different on some Items but was able to get plenty of good things. prime rib was better then what I had at harrahs and Rio the past couple of nights. liked the fresh crepes fresh off the grill

[polar]

Thanks for the tip.

You have solidified my plan. Will be staying at the Paris in a few weeks and plan to eat breakfast at their buffet and dinner at Ballys before the Jubilee 10:30 show.
You are very welcome.I hope you have a great trip and wonderful meals!(Iam green with envy,wishing I could be going back) LOL sonntex

[stuffarooni]

I've had the Village Buffet (Paris) champagne brunch a few times and recommend it. Food and service were very good each time.
As far as Bally's, hhalligan stated it best: it must have improved since the last time I went.

[Steve]

Just to let everyone know, the Bally's buffet had a recent food "facelift" a few months back. I was invited by the Food and Beverage Manager to give it a try and the improvement in preparation and presentation were very noticeable.

The Chinese section has the best Spare Ribs in Las Vegas! You can make a meal out of them. Other tasty items were the Steak and Prime Rib. You might want to give it another try. Lunch is a real bargain as most of the dinner items except for the Crab Legs are available.

Steve

[whitecap]

We average 1 trip per year to LV. We look forward to breakfast at the Paris buffet. We would be very dissapointed if any of our many favorite items were gone and replaced. Sometimes change is not good.

[Rex]

You mean people actuallly go the the Paris buffet to eat something other than the King Crab Legs and Jumbo Shrimp?

I refuse to belive it ;)

[wiley]

We had the Paris breakfast buffet in October, and it was excellent!

Enjoy.

[slotman]

I have not eaten at Ballys buffet for over a year but believe they have made some changes in that time-I hope they would because it breakfast there was a bit bizarre-it was like they put out all the leftovers from dinner the night before- ok if you want ribs for breakfast- I have had breakfast twice and just had Thanksgiving dinner there- Everytime it has been great! Service has been outstanding(as smokers we get seated in the small "cottages" off the main floor which is just great) Noticed lines can get long right before they change from breakfast to lunch to dinner, as people try to pay cheaper price to get two menus! I love buffets for the opportunity to try things I would never order on a regular menu, as I may not like them. So I would rank Paris very highly and comparable to Cravings, Alladin, Rio etc as offering those choices and high quality and fresh ingredients. If that is not your thing, might as well use those Buy one- get one coupons and hit the low budget buffets which also offer great value for the money!

[sonntex]

Ate dinner at Bally's buffet on the 22nd. Went in about 6:15-no line. We were seated in a booth just around the corner from the food; that made it even better not having to walk very far. The food was very good. A lot of fish offerings and it was fresh. They even had hushpuppies. Salads were very good. Caesar salad was great and they had cold slaw and pasta salads. Very good selection of salads. Other foods were all good. Prime rib was good and the vegetables were all freshly prepared. The desserts were good as well. Very good bread pudding-not too sweet and they were several tarts, cookies, etc. Service was better than average. We tipped a little extra. We will good back every time we are in LV. Only bad part for us was that there was not a smoking section, but we can live with it. (4 forks)

Ate breakfast at Paris buffet on 24th. Went in about 8:30-short line. Was seated in a special smoking room-was very smoky. Food was okay. Scrambled eggs were very good. Did not have to add seasoning to them. Bacon was cooked crisp but had gone limp and tough under the warming lights. French toast was good and the warm peaches and pineapple were right up my alley. Didn't try the pancakes as they were too thin and looked over cooked. I'm into standard old breakfast fare, so was not impressed with all the pastries, crepes, etc. Probably will not go back there for breakfast very often. (3 forks) Would rather have breakfast at the Sao Paulo/Rio eventhough it might cost a lot more. Much better breakfast there.(5 forks)