Laughlin Dining Guide
Laughlin Nevada's casino resorts offer an impressive variety of dining options, from all-you-can-eat buffets and casual restaurants to fine dining steakhouses and fresh seafood. Many restaurants offer special deals and promotions throughout the week.
Dining by Category
Best Buffet Deals
- Riverside Buffet — Great variety at budget prices, especially the lunch special
- Edgewater Buffet — Fresh seafood nights on Friday and Saturday
- Harrah's Fresh Market — Premium buffet with carving stations
- Golden Nugget — Upscale buffet with a la carte quality
Dining Tips
Use your Players Club card at restaurants — many offer dining discounts. Midweek dinner specials are significantly cheaper. Ask about early bird specials, typically served from 4-6 PM. The buffet lunch is always a better value than dinner.
Eating in Laughlin — A Realistic Guide
Laughlin dining isn't going to win any Michelin stars. Let's get that out of the way upfront. What Laughlin does well is affordable, filling, no-nonsense meals at casino restaurants where the portions are large and the prices are low. If you're looking for a $14 buffet with prime rib, a $28 ribeye at a casino steakhouse, or a $9 breakfast that comes with unlimited coffee refills — Laughlin is your town. If you want molecular gastronomy and craft cocktails, you're in the wrong desert.
Casino Buffets — The Main Event
Buffets are the heart of Laughlin dining. Every major casino has one (except Golden Nugget, which ditched theirs in favor of better sit-down restaurants). Here's the honest ranking:
Edgewater Buffet — Best overall. The Friday and Saturday seafood nights with crab legs and shrimp are the most popular dining event in Laughlin. Lunch runs $14, dinner $18-$22. Get there by 4:30 PM on Friday or expect a 30-minute wait.
Riverside Resort Buffet — Best value. Lunch for $12, dinner for $15-$18. The Sunday brunch with champagne is legendary among Laughlin regulars. Carving station, omelet station, and a solid dessert selection.
Colorado Belle / Edgewater — Connected by walkway, so you can scope both buffets and pick the one with the better menu that night. Smart move.
Flamingo Buffet — Themed nights (Italian, Mexican, seafood) keep things interesting. Prices run $12-$20. Nothing spectacular but consistent quality.
Avi Native Harvest Buffet — Worth the 10-mile drive if you want a quieter dining experience. Lunch $12, dinner $16-$20.
Steakhouses and Sit-Down Restaurants
Claim Jumper at Golden Nugget — The best restaurant in Laughlin, period. Steaks, seafood, pasta, and salads in a full-service setting. The portions are famously huge — the meatloaf is the size of a football, the nachos serve 4 people. Entrees $18-$45. Make a reservation for Friday and Saturday dinner.
Stockman's Steakhouse at Edgewater — Classic casino steakhouse. Ribeye, New York strip, filet mignon at prices that would make a Vegas steakhouse laugh. The 16oz ribeye for $28 is the best steak deal on the strip.
Prime Rib Room at Riverside Resort — White tablecloth, proper steakhouse vibes. The prime rib is the star — slow-roasted, thick cut, served with horseradish cream and au jus. Prices run $25-$40 for entrees.
24-Hour Cafes and Late Night
Most Laughlin casinos have a 24-hour cafe or coffee shop: Riverside, Edgewater, Harrah's, Flamingo, and Ramada all have round-the-clock dining options. The menus are similar — burgers, sandwiches, breakfast all day, club sandwiches, and the occasional slice of pie. Prices run $8-$15 for most items. After midnight, these cafes are the only game in town since Laughlin doesn't have late-night restaurant culture.
Dining Across the River in Bullhead City
Bullhead City, Arizona is a 5-minute drive across the Laughlin Bridge, and it has more restaurant variety than the Laughlin strip. Chain restaurants like Applebee's, Denny's, Cracker Barrel, and McDonald's are all in Bullhead City. There's also Mexican restaurants (El Palacio is the local favorite), Chinese take-out, pizza delivery, and a Safeway grocery store if you want to stock your hotel mini fridge.
The drive across the bridge is worth it for lunch or dinner if you're tired of casino food after a couple of days. Gas is also cheaper in Arizona, so fill up while you're over there.
How to Eat Cheap in Laughlin
- Use Players Club points — Most casinos let you redeem points for dining credits. Play for an hour, eat for free. The math works.
- Buffet lunch over dinner — Same food, lower price. Lunch buffets run $4-$6 less than dinner at every casino.
- Happy hour specials — Casino bars offer discounted appetizers and drinks during afternoon hours. Check each property's daily schedule.
- Stock the mini fridge — Drive to Bullhead City Walmart, buy breakfast items and snacks, save $10-$15/day by eating breakfast in your room.
- Brunch deals — Pioneer's Granny's Champagne Brunch (under $15 with unlimited champagne) and Riverside's Sunday brunch are the best meal deals in Laughlin.
Special Dietary Needs in Laughlin
Laughlin's dining scene isn't exactly modern when you look at dietary accommodations, but it's improving. Most casino buffets now label allergens and offer gluten-free options at their carving stations and salad bars. Vegetarians will find enough at any buffet to build a full plate, though the selection isn't as creative as what you'd find at a major city restaurant. Vegan visitors should stock up at the Safeway in Bullhead City — the casino restaurants' vegan options are limited to side dishes and salads at most properties.
Golden Nugget's Claim Jumper restaurant is the best option for dietary flexibility — they can modify most menu items for allergies or preferences if you let the server know. The steakhouses at other casinos can usually accommodate basic requests (no gluten, no dairy) with advance notice.
Drinking in Laughlin
Casino bars in Laughlin serve the standard American beer and cocktail lineup. Don't expect craft cocktail programs or artisan spirits — this is well drinks and domestic drafts territory. The good news: free drinks while gambling are still a thing at most Laughlin casinos, which is becoming rare even in Las Vegas. Tip your cocktail waitress $1-$2 per drink and service will be faster.
If you want better drinks, the bars at Golden Nugget and Harrah's have slightly more sophisticated menus. The Cadillac Mexican Kitchen at Golden Nugget makes proper margaritas with real lime juice. Beyond that, bring your own bottle to the hotel room and pre-game there — there's no corkage fee for drinking in your own room, obviously.
Laughlin Dining Summary
Laughlin's food scene won't challenge any foodie cities, but that's not the point. The point is filling plates at fair prices in casino restaurants where nobody rushes you, portions are generous, and the buffet line always has prime rib. Eat the Edgewater seafood buffet on Friday, the Prime Rib Room at Riverside on Saturday, and Pioneer's champagne brunch on Sunday. That's a Laughlin dining weekend done right — three great meals for under $60 total. Try replicating that math in Las Vegas or any other casino destination in America. You can't.