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If the word "buffet" conjures images of Sunday dinner at the Sizzler, think again. The Las Vegas buffet has reached near highbrow status, without the luxury price tag. Sin City restaurants embrace the bigger-is-better buffet philosophy with opulent food lines offering hundreds of options. You'll find the requisite macaroni salad and mashed potatoes, but don't be surprised if Mako shark or a side of baba ghanoush ends up on your plate. Buffets typically run from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. with specific breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch schedules. Much like the food they serve, prices vary. It's not too hard to find single-digit breakfasts like the one at Excalibur's Round Table Buffet (3850 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, 702-597-7777), but expect to pay upwards of $15 at the fancy schmancy Wynn Las Vegas. Lunches are usually in the mid- to upper-teens, and dinner ranges from the high teens into the twenties. It's the champagne brunch (blame the booze) that will set you back the most—prepare to dish out between $20 to $25 per person.

Before you dive head first into a plate of prime rib, keep in mind that not all buffets are created equal. Some stand pork loins and beef shanks above the rest. At the Bellagio, a unique menu is what sets its buffet apart from pretenders to the throne. Be on the look out for Kobe beef, apple-smoked sturgeon, and venison along with usual fare like Asian entrees and Italian plates. Perhaps the swankiest all-you-can-eat in town, the Wynn Las Vegas (3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas, 702-770-7000) features 17 live-action stations so you can watch your meal being prepared (no meatloaf leftovers here). And you know you're in the presence of greatness at Rio's Carnival World Buffet (3700 W. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, 702-777-7600) when the desert station boasts more than 70 different varieties of pie alone. Consistently ranked by Las Vegas residents and critics as the best buffet in town, this glorified food court has something to satisfy even the pickiest palate—from Mexican taco fixings and a sushi bar to good old American hot dogs and milkshakes.

Though you're likely to walk out of any of these culinary marathons in a food coma of sorts, where else can you scarf down filet mignon, seaweed salad and a side of cornbread all in one sitting? Indulge you must.