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Riviera Buffet?

Discussion in 'Las Vegas for the Frugal (not Cheap)' started by Sam D, Jun 8, 2012.

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  1. Sam D

    Sam D Low-Roller

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    The Riv website indicates that their combo offer of a dinner buffet and Comedy Club admission is still being offered for just $22 or roughly half of the normal combined price.

    Has anyone done this? Or has anyone eaten at the Riviera buffet lately? A few years back it was pretty lousy but I seem to recall reading that it had been revamped and vastly improved. I'd like to take advantage of this deal but not if the food is really bad.
     
  2. chef

    chef Resident Buffetologist

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    Food is still very mediocre. Sorry.
     
  3. sammasseur

    sammasseur VIP Whale

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    It now stands at the bottom of the buffet rankings, now that Sahara has closed. Just horrid.
     
  4. tatterdema

    tatterdema VIP Whale

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    The worst I have ever had was IP buffet. That was before Harrahs took over, so maybe it is better now.
     
  5. sammasseur

    sammasseur VIP Whale

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    Oh, yeah, forgot about that one. Mercifully. First and only time I ate there, I was the only one inside. Never even had a server come by. Awful....
     
  6. Candy Apple

    Candy Apple VIP Whale

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    We went to the IP buffet for breakfast five years ago...and left hungry. Terrible!
     
  7. acoluzzi

    acoluzzi Low-Roller

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    Riviera dinner buffet was very bad when I was there in April. I was given a comp to it as the steakhouse was closed. The only thing decent was the beef at the carving station. The rest of the items looked very poor and not appetizing in the least.
     
  8. xmarksx

    xmarksx VIP Whale

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    How is it IP’s buffet can be so consistently bad for so many years? I tried to think of a worse place (IE Circus Circus) and just could not thing of one. 1986 was my first post-21 year of age trip to Las Vegas. A couple of friends and I hit IP’s buffet and I can still remember how hideous it was. 2012 and it still is!
     
  9. sammasseur

    sammasseur VIP Whale

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    Their big plan is to replace it with a Golden Corral. Obviously they don't even trust themselves to operate the place...
     
  10. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    LOL...how bad does a buffet have to be for Golden Corral to be an improvement?! :vomit:
     
  11. C0usineddie

    C0usineddie VIP Whale

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    I think this was filmed there

    [youtube]KtkpTrvwQ6c[/youtube]
     
  12. tatterdema

    tatterdema VIP Whale

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    Right? My mom LOVES GC. I took her a couple of weeks ago. Guess what. No bathrooms. They were out of order (construction), with port a potties outside in the parking lot. No place to wash your hands. There WAS a sanitation dispenser on the wall, but it was high enough that kids could not reach it. Needless to say, I refused to continue.... It was packed though, so other people didnt have issue with it.
     
  13. Sam D

    Sam D Low-Roller

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    Thanks for the replies. The comments here about the Riviera buffet are pretty much in line with most of the reviews I saw posted on other sites after I started this thread.

    I have actually eaten there several times when I used to stay at the Riv. That was 15 years ago or more and it was okay then. But I guess it has gone way downhill since then, enough so that the $22 buffet & comedy club deal doesn't look very attractive now.
     
  14. bdjb61232

    bdjb61232 Tourist

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    Had the buffet at the Riv a couple weeks agowhen we were in town and i can say it was probably the worst dining expierience ive ever had in my life. Terrible food and selection, the only edible thing i came across was the cottage cheese. And on top of that service was horrible too, waitress never came around for a drink order until i finally flagged down a disintrested hostess after about 20 minutes. Would've just left with out the drink but we figured they couldnt screw up a pepsi and mt dew, wrong, even the fountain pop tasted like shit. So we learned that next time we go exploring the north strip, don't eat there.
     
  15. salukidean

    salukidean High-Roller

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    Just eat at the Terribles buffet the day before....it will make the Riv buffet seem gourmet!
     
  16. NickPapageorgio

    NickPapageorgio OG of the Sal Sagev Hotel

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    All joking aside, for a small spread, Terribles actually has a decent lunch. You need to hit it at 1130 when its fresh, but it ain't half bad. I have a hard time chooisng it over the Bougainvillea Cafe, which is the most underrated coffee shop in Vegas. (Sourdough Cafe as well)

    The Riv buffet..... sad indeed, but still far better than Excal, the old Sahara, old Boardwalk and Westward Ho. I had a good lunch there a few years ago..... ribs were fresh and tender, but my next visit was aweful. The place is kinda creepy and just plain bad.

    Nick:beer:
     
  17. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

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    worst buffets so far: terribles, cc, and ip....have not tasted/tested Riv but these comments are funny...i dont mind excal buffet but its not great

    and GC to IP is MEGA improvement even though I'm no fan of GC....lol
     
  18. Denny

    Denny High-Roller

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    The American Casino Guide has Riviera coupons for a 2/1 Buffet and 2 Free Comedy Club Tickets if that gives you an indication of the amount of business those 2 places are drawing.

    I was just in Vegas a week ago and just want to add a comment about the Golden Nugget buffet. While it may not exactly qualify for the "terrible" status of the aforementioned buffets I was far from impressed. In fact I downright did not like it at all. It is small and vastly overrated.
     
  19. NickPapageorgio

    NickPapageorgio OG of the Sal Sagev Hotel

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    The 2/1 coupon for the buffet is not an indication of total receipts. Refer to the 2/1 buffet coupons (recent past and present) for the Mirage, Rio, Red Rock, Orleans, Green Valley Ranch etc. All of these buffets are successful. Granted, the Riv buffet isn't breaking sales records, but your coupon logic is skewed. Many times Vegas casinos offer 2-1's tied to successful dining establishments and shows.... Those are GREAT coupons! Other times, you get 2/1's to Sahara, IP, Riv.... not so great.

    The Riv comedy club is hurting for business. Agreed on the GN buffet... subpar. MSS is the true downtown buffet champ.

    Nick:beer:
     
  20. Gilgo Beach

    Gilgo Beach Newbie

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    I would have to agree with most that the Riviera is really bad! I found the Sahara to even be much better.
     
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