The restaurant is open for all-you-can-eat Asian dining seven days a week for well under twenty bucks a person
The value of a good meal couldn’t be any more appreciated right now. According to Square, we’re entering an era of “lunchflation” with supply-chain issues and inflation causing prices for wraps to go up 18%, tacos to climb 12% and burgers to rise 8%. Even salads (already a high profit-margin item) have risen 11%. So where can you get the most bang for your buck when eating out in Las Vegas?
Krazy Buffet is one of the most reliable options for maximizing dollars during a meal in Las Vegas. The restaurant is open for all-you-can-eat Asian dining seven days a week for well under twenty bucks a person. Here’s the inside scoop on what you need to know about the business and its hot-and-ready cuisine.
1. Krazy Buffet could be the best buffet value in town
Krazy Buffet serves more than 120 dishes with a focus on Pan-Asian cuisine, featuring common favorites like Mongolian-style beef and broccoli, orange chicken and pork-filled potstickers. The price is $17.49 for adults and $10.99 for kids 4-10 years old during dinner (4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.) and $12.99 for adults and $7.99 for kids during lunch (10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Monday-Saturday. Dinner prices and selection are offered all day Sunday (10;30 a.m. to 10 p.m.).
Compare that to high-profile resort buffets on the Strip, which tends to run anywhere between $35 and $75 per person. Is there a difference in the quality of food? Of course there is. But Vegas casino buffets, which originally started as an inexpensive loss-leader to draw in gamblers have turned into experiential bucket-list meals. If you’re just looking for inexpensive food with ample variety for a routine lunch or dinner, Krazy Buffet makes a lot more sense.
2. Krazy Buffet used to be a furniture store
Krazy Buffet has been around for nearly 15 years; an eternity for a restaurant in a town like Las Vegas, where dining options come and go at breakneck speed. The family-owned business occupies its own stand-alone building in a business and retail park near Sahara Avenue and Cimarron Road, putting it almost exactly between the Strip and Summerlin. The space used to be a Liberty Glenn furniture store, but you’d never know it when paying a visit today. The dining room is divided in two halves with at least seven buffet stations positioned in the center, including a sushi window and dessert bar.
3. There’s a secret system for keeping food fresh and hot
Look carefully, you’ll notice a few small numbers in black ink on the sneeze guards above the food. Those represent the time each dish was brought out to the station. Like with all buffets, some items are fresher than others, but this one does a good job of cycling through the food and bringing out replacements when needed. The hot food stays hot. The cold food stays cold.
4. Timing is everything
Regulars love what could be Krazy Buffet’s best known dish: unlimited steamed crab legs. However, they’re only available during dinner service. They require a bit of work to crack open for a relatively small amount of meat, but that’s not much of a problem when you can grab as many as you like during a buffet. Dinner customers can also feast on endless oysters in the half-shell. Neither dish is served during lunch, but get a seafood fix with baked salmon, salt-and-pepper shrimp (with heads on), and a few different seafood salads.
5. Turn your buffet into a takeaway order
Most buffets won’t let you take food to go, but this place is different. Krazy Buffet has a special off-menu deal for takeaway orders. Just stuff anything you can inside a styrofoam box and soup cup and you’re good to go. The price is a little higher – $14.08 during lunch and $17.49 during dinner – but it’s worth it when you’re in a rush during lunch break.
6. There’s no time limit
Krazy Buffet has lots of food, so take your time and enjoy it all (or as much as you can handle) when dining in. Even during lunch, there are at least a dozen options for sushi rolls (served straight from the chef’s counter alongside hand-pressed nigri) and four soups, ranging from simple miso to a heat-packed sweet-and-sour soup with chili flakes adding heat to tofu, shredded cabbage and a gelatinous egg broth.
7. Mix things up with American touches
It may catch first-timers by surprise, but a few traditional American favorites work their way into the selection. So don’t be surprised to see pizza, chicken wings and French fries at the buffet station. The fun part – they don’t have their own area. They’re just mixed in alongside crab rangoon, sesame rolls, and other Asian bites. It doesn’t have to make sense. Just roll with it.
8. Self-serve your way to a few custom hacks
During the early days of the pandemic, Krazy Buffet modified its format, having servers bring food out directly to tables. Things are back to normal now. The servers bring a drink, some napkins, minimal silverware (a fork and spoon) to the table, along with the check with a fortune cookie at the end. That’s it. The rest is up to you – even tracking down knives and chopsticks.
The best part about self-service is coming up with fun hacks. Customers are encouraged to drop their own wontons in the wonton soup, but feel free to add some grilled chicken or fried pork in there too. When it’s time for dessert, load up apple pastries and brownies on a plate and walk over to the soft-serve machine, where you can give your treats a finishing “à la mode” touch.
9. Krazy Buffet has zero web presence
Want to know more about Krazy Buffet? Well, it’s not easy. The restaurant has let its official website address lapse and go dormant. The owners don’t bother with social media handles either. No Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Nothing. If you have any questions, call 702-869-6699. Customers are generally seated on a first-come, first-serve basis, but Krazy Buffet will take reservations for large groups of 10 or more.
