Revamped Wynn Buffet to make Fourth of July weekend splash

The Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas will reopen July 1, the company announced Monday. The reopening will come just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, the latest in a string of holidays that have been driving the recovery of tourism in Las Vegas.

Eight royal palm trees imported from South Florida and placed at the entrance will be part of a new look, and executive chef Jason Duarte, who spent more than a decade at M Resort, has designed a new menu. The buffet will have 16 food stations, including one dedicated to eggs Benedict and offering such variations on the classic as lobster, smoked salmon, and corncake and spinach. There also will be a pancake station with such choices as red velvet chocolate chip, and buttermilk and vanilla bean.

A Southern Italian station will offer dishes such as lasagna alla Bolognese and crispy chicken parm, and the de rigueur Mexican one with such favorites as chorizo and eggs, carne asada and Mexican street corn. Barbecue classics including pork and beef ribs and dry-rubbed rotisserie chicken will be offered in another spot, and at the dessert station, crepes will be made to order with various toppings.

A handful of other buffets have reopened, including those at Caesars Palace, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, MGM Grand and South Point. But the Wynn Buffet’s path to reopening was not without obstacles. After it initially closed with the rest of the tourism corridor in March, leading analysts to wonder whether Las Vegas’ iconic dining experience would be a permanent casualty of the pandemic, it reopened in mid-June with a business model that included social distancing and dishes chosen from a menu and served by staff. That proved to be unpopular with guests. A spokeswoman said at the time that feedback had shown they “prefer a more traditional buffet experience over the served all-you-can-eat format,” and the buffet shuttered again at the end of the Labor Day weekend.

The new version, which will offer reservations and a pay-at-the-table option, will initially be open Thursdays through Mondays, serving breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m., brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 3 to 9 p.m., ranging from $38.99 to $64.99.

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.