1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

Food budget?

Discussion in 'Restaurants & Buffets' started by jacdobe, Dec 28, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. jacdobe

    jacdobe Newbie

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2014
    Messages:
    6
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    2
    We are planning on going to Vegas in June of 2015 for 7 days and I was wondering how much to budget for food for 2 adults per day. We will probably be fine with a small breakfast and one larger meal per day. We would like to have at least three sit down meals and we could probably do buffets for the rest. We're pretty casual but I know hubby would probably like at least one or two nice meals. Thanks,

    Jean
     
  2. searchin

    searchin Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2011
    Messages:
    147
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4
    $100.00 a day sounds about right
     
  3. merlin

    merlin MIA

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2009
    Messages:
    3,755
    Location:
    mn
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    All depends on where you are staying, the strip will be way more than offstrip or downtown, I stay downtown and while i usually get most of meals comped if i had to pay it would be maybe 20-25$ a day(for 1) tops for the 2 meals you mentioned.
     
  4. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2009
    Messages:
    5,820
    Location:
    Burnaby, BC
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    There is a lot of variety in Las Vegas as far as food choices, quality and pricing, but to give a really simplified idea of the prices you can expect:

    Cheap buffet: $20-25 per person
    Mid range buffet: $25-30 per person
    Higher end buffet: $35+ per person

    Coffee Shop/Cafe average breakfast: $8-11 per person
    Coffee Shop/Cafe average lunch: $9-12 per person
    Coffee Shop/Cafe average dinner: $9-17 per person

    Typical basic sit down restaurant breakfast: $9-12 per person
    Typical basic down restaurant lunch: $10-15 per person
    Typical basic down restaurant dinner: $15-20 per person

    Nicer sit down restaurant lunch: $12-25 per person
    Nicer sit down restaurant dinner: $15-30 per person

    Better sit down restaurant lunch: $20-25 per person
    Better sit down restaurant dinner: $20-40 per person

    To go to higher end and fancier restaurants the price can go anywhere from tens of dollars to hundreds of dollars, just talking about basic restaurants.

    And this is more meant to be a rule of thumb guide to give you an idea of what to expect for most places, not the ultimate definitive guide to Vegas food pricing in case somebody wants to nitpick or start citing examples like "I ate at ____ and it was only ___".
    You can find cheaper prices by going downtown or off strip and checking for dining specials can help too. There are food courts at a few properties where you can usually find some cheap dining options that can help stretch out a budget if you need... like my wife and I will usually start off with breakfast at McDonalds, go to a basic cafe type place for lunch where we'll split something and have an appetizer and then spend more on dinner or do a buffet.
     
  5. jacdobe

    jacdobe Newbie

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2014
    Messages:
    6
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    2
    Thank you for all your replies. They were very helpful.

    I seem to remember very cheap and very good (one and the same) buffets in Vegas from when I was there (at least 10-15 years ago). I remember raving about the $12 Prime Rib buffet that I found on the strip. I don't recall which hotel but it was a big name one. From perusing the boards, it seems like those days are long gone. It looks like I will have to increase our dining budget from what I had envisioned.

    Thanks again,

    Jean
     
  6. Malibugolfer

    Malibugolfer High-Roller

    Joined:
    May 25, 2011
    Messages:
    798
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    100
    Do you gamble? Buffet comps are easy to come by even for low level players.
     
  7. LolaDoggie

    LolaDoggie VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2009
    Messages:
    4,299
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    6
    I can't put away the food like I used to. But, I'm not a fan of cutting back on meals to save a buck. I know people do it but it just doesn't say "fun vacation" to me. There's a better way without comps if you're not a gambler. I do a lot of coffee shop specials, both on and off the menu types, coupons, and MyVegas. We eat 2 to 3 meals a day and average about $50 a day for food for 2 adults. I'd rather budget on the high side, so I call it $75 a day and we've never spent more.
     
  8. jacdobe

    jacdobe Newbie

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2014
    Messages:
    6
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    2
    We definitely won't be cutting back on meals to save money, no worries there! We like to eat too much for that, lol. But we rarely eat more than one large meal a day and maybe a piece of fruit and yogurt or salad for lunch, so two meals should be plenty.

    I do gamble a little... I like craps and won enough my last tine in Vegas to pay for the entire trip. I don't expect that again but we may be able to get a few comps at least. We also will have done rewards from MyVegas so that will help.

    Thanks for all the tips.
     
  9. Bernie2

    Bernie2 MIA

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2008
    Messages:
    1,466
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    138
    I would look at Ellis Island or Gold Coast for a cheap good breakfast. If, you want a nice sit down dinner certainly Circus Circus Steakhouse.
     
  10. jacdobe

    jacdobe Newbie

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2014
    Messages:
    6
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    2
    Thanks! Ellis Island and Gold Coast are on the list to look into, but Circus Circus is not happening. I have a thing about clowns. <shudder>
     
  11. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

    Joined:
    Aug 24, 2009
    Messages:
    6,341
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    75
    If you'll have a car, or aren't opposed to taking the bus, you can eat well just off-strip or downtown at a fraction of the cost of eating exclusively on the strip. I like to indulge too much to rent a car :drunk: and am too lazy to learn the bus schedules. But there are plenty of folks on the board who swear by both.

    Even if you never leave the strip, there are still bargains to be had if you know where to look. Off menu specials, happy hours etc. Also, if you want to eat at a high end joint for cheap, check out the lunch special at Estiatorio Milos (inside Cosmopolitan). It's a three course meal (yes, the portions are small but more than enough for lunch) for around $20-25 per person. You'll get a top notch meal in a beautiful setting and won't have to dress up or fork over several hundred bucks for the privilege. Best deal in town, IMO.

    As far as strip food prices in general, I'd say that you should figure that each meal (provided you're paying full price) will cost about 25-50% more than it would in your hometown (depending on how swanky the hotel/casino is). Unless you live in a major metro area in the northeast or west coast, that is.
     
  12. vegasqc

    vegasqc VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2010
    Messages:
    3,640
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11
    50$ per day per person is more than enough
     
  13. Crambone

    Crambone Gnaeus Pompey Magnus

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2011
    Messages:
    995
    Location:
    Phoenix
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    66
  14. heatherlovesvegas

    heatherlovesvegas VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2012
    Messages:
    2,033
    Location:
    Woodland Hills, CA
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    30
    Hmm maybe $100 a day, a person? Maybe a little less. No less than $1000 I would say. Be realistic, just going to get fruit and yogurt and coffee WILL be $20.

    Breakfast if you sit down, $50 for two, fast food $20. There are several places in the Miracle Mile shops that have really cheap breakfast deals. Might be worth checking out if you just want eggs and toast.

    Nice burger joint (Holstiens, BurGR) probably $50-60 for two

    Upscale dinner joint (Julian Serrano, Border Grill, Mon Ami)... $75-150 for two

    Steak - $200-$500.

    I'm talking realistic dining, on the strip... I don't care how good the food is at Gold Coast, it'd be pretty darn hard to convince me to stop what I'm doing and drive over there for lunch.
    We usually do a "brunch" sort of meal, snack, and a nice dinner every day, steak once a trip.
     
  15. tominiowa

    tominiowa High-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2004
    Messages:
    807
    Location:
    USA
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    300
    Hope this is OK to post. Take a look at LVA coupon book for $50. It has plenty of 2 fer 1 at buffets and now has lots of 1/2 price at nice steak houses up to 25-$50.
    You get your $50 back easy esp if you go DT once to use all the free plays in it. Just a thought. Sorry if I am not to mention LVA. 7 day trip makes this worthwhile.
     
  16. rhino29

    rhino29 Tourist

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2006
    Messages:
    36
    Interesting comments

    For my last two trips I've actually taken a record of how much we've spent on food and it can be surprisingly low
    Bearing in mind we always have a car so getting anywhere isn't a problem, and we generally just did one meal a day (we usually rent an apartment and have bagels or something for breakfast, that isn't included in this list)
    Here's my food spend for two people for two weeks Sept 2014

    Naked City Pizza (free size upgrade from LVA) -$20
    Ellis Island (LVA 241 Coupon) - $13
    Caesers Buffet (free with Total Rewards points) -$0
    Cleo (SLS) - $65
    Mirage Buffet (free with MyVegas comps) - $0
    Santa Fe Station Buffet (LVA 241 coupon) - $15
    Carson Kitchen (downtown best meal of the trip) - $55
    Red Rock Buffet - (LVA 241 Coupon) - $25
    Bellagio Buffet (Free MyVegas) - $0
    Silverton Buffet (LVA 241) - $18
    Palms Buffet (LVA) - $25
    Fried chicken from Albertsons in apartment - $10
    Wicked Spoon Buffet - $60
    Truck U BBQ truck - $10
    Rio Buffet (LVA 241) - $35
    Palace Station Buffet (LVA 241) $15

    So I make that about $370 for two people for two weeks

    My March trip was about the same but included trips to:
    Desnudo Taco (now closed)
    Fat Choy
    Rolling Smoke BBQ
    Chada Thai


    Vegas can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it
     
  17. danny8235

    danny8235 MIA

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2014
    Messages:
    317
    Location:
    Nc
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    Ellis Island steak/eggs 5.99. Not on menu must sk for it
     
  18. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2010
    Messages:
    9,414
    Location:
    Florida
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    32
    Do some research and $100 a day is possible.
    Charge all meals to your room and if you gamble enough you may be able to get some meal charges taken off your bill.

    Buy soda and water at WalGreens or CVS.

    Earls serves plenty of meals under $10.
    There are a number of sandwich places and some even serve ones big enough to split.

    The Paris breakfast buffet is under $20 per person and pretty good.

    There are a number of Subway place too if you really wanted to stick with the basics.
     
  19. Flowers

    Flowers VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2014
    Messages:
    14,642
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    30
    Agree that it can be done for under 100; it all depends on what you want to do. One suggestion to keep the costs down but to still have a great meal in a great environment but for breakfast rather than dinner. For example, for me few meals of any kind beat the blueberry french toast, sausage and black coffee at Mon Ami Gabi. For two that might run around $50 but you could eat dinner for free at Ellis Island, Gold Coast or pretty much any of the Boyd properties by playing through $200 in a machine and with an ACG coupon. There are often various specials for buffets where you can make that a heavier meal and enjoy a light dinner or small plates for dinner. Alternatively you could have a couple of days where you eat at mostly off strip properties for a coupon and a little coin in and then splurge more for dinner on a different day. During a big buffet breakfast I often pack a couple of bananas for later That's enough for breakfast for me if it goes with a coffee and a breakfast bar on another day. There are many combinations to keep prices down while still enjoying your meals over the course of a week. I would also recommend checking out hotel promotions for the week of your travel. .

    Enjoy the trip planning!
     
Tags:
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.