Marketplace Buffet Rampart Casino: Summerlin, Nevada
Note: We visited when this was called the “Rampart Buffet.” Since then, the name has changed to Marketplace Buffet.
We were tired. We were hungry. We were still adjusting to West Coast time. And by the end of the day, we didn’t have any energy left to consult Yelp for a place to eat, nor did we want to drive anywhere. So we set ourselves up for some culinary punishment by eating dinner at the Rampart Buffet/Market Place Buffet, a mediocre buffet restaurant located inside of the JW Marriott Hotel, where we were staying.
This is an off-strip resort, so if you’ve been to Vegas but never venture off the strip, you’ve probably never heard of this place. So let’s get into the review of the Marketplace Buffet inside the JW Marriott hotel in Las Vegas Nevada.
Marketplace Buffet – Details and Location
The Marketplace Buffet is located within the JW Marriott Hotel Resort. This is an off-strip hotel located in Summerlin, Nevada.
221 N Rampart Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89145
Hours: 11am – 9pm daily
Cost: $14.99 for the dinner buffet, which I felt was reasonable for Las Vegas. Some on-strip buffets cost twice as much (but probably have better quality food, let’s be real).
Eating at the Marketplace Buffet in Las Vegas
Ok, now that we have the details out of the way, let’s get back to business. We were staying at the JW Marriott and if you stay here, you’ll see that there are a few different places to eat here, including the Hawthorn Grill. But since my sis and I we were in Vegas, we figured we had to do a buffet. When in Rome, right?
Plus — buffets mean that we can mix 5 kinds of pop IN ONE CUP. SCORE.
This buffet will set you back about $15/person. That price point alone will tell you that this is not some snooty smorgasbord – it’s your average run-of-the-mill buffet, where you’re likely to find a rouge chicken thigh under your table and a staff that turns a blind eye to someone stuffing their pockets with dinner rolls (without using the tongs, of course), or filling up a soup bowl with soft serve ice cream. As I did, pictured above.
Buffets like the Marketplace Buffet aren’t fine dining by any means. The food here is palatable, as long as you have a reasonable threshold for institutional cuisine. So if you ate in your college dormitory or served time in prison, I guess this means you. Everything has to be made to last under a heat lamp or a steam tray, so you know this shit is loaded up with preservatives.
The food was okay. Nothing memorable, but nothing horrible either. They had a lot of choices from each of the different stations – I had a salad, mashed potatoes, pizza, orange chicken, mac & cheese and everything in between. Eat eat eat!
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But what I don’t understand about buffets is why people pile on so much goddamn food on one plate. You can take your time and go up multiple times, without putting the honeyed ham on top of the apple crisp. But it’s laziness, I suppose. The more food on your plate, the less time you have to spend getting up, fiddling with a new plate and waddling through the buffet line, which means more time for shoveling food down your gullet.
The good thing about this Marketplace buffet is that there are no rambunctious, inebriated morons running around — it’s a quiet buffet where you can enjoy your rubbery chicken and warm watermelon slices in peace.
Marketplace Buffet – Las Vegas – Final Thoughts
This is a run-of-the-mill buffet, with average food (at best) and average prices. It worked out well for us because we were staying in the hotel. Do not drive out here if you are staying on the strip! (Similar prices and food quality can be found at the Planet Hollywood Buffet). Would I eat here again? Sure, if I was staying at the JW.
