Rio’s Breakfast Buffet is Decent (and FREE for some!)

Key Points:

• An All-you-can-eat buffet is offered daily at The Kitchen Table for $30.33 after tax, but Hyatt Globalists eat free.

• I thought the food was of high quality. The sausage, bacon, eggs, and waffles were fantastic.

• A couple of my biscuits had spots that were hard as a rock, but that’s my lone gripe.

The Kitchen Table replaced Hash House a Go Go at Rio (which has impressively renovated suites), and I was jacked to learn they had an all-you-can-eat breakfast offering on top of a traditional à la carte menu.

Despite not being a huge eater or a big “breakfast guy” in general, I figured it’d be fun to swing in for a look.

The buffet is free for Hyatt Globalists, and I’m sure plenty can take advantage of it as Rio is a World of Hyatt property.

The buffet costs $30.33 after tax for everyone else (me).

What’s in the Buffet?

Since stopping in, I’ve watched & read a handful of reviews, and the menu items appear to vary slightly from day to day, but many of the “staples” are consistent.

The setup resembles a hotel continental breakfast, but I thought the food itself was of much higher quality than what you’d find at a roadside Holiday Inn Express, which is good, because I’d be bitter if I paid $28 USD for that.

The first stop is the Greek yogurt station, which I skipped. I don’t like how Greek yogurt is always so watery. It freaks me out a bit. Why did it even get popular to begin with? Normal yogurt was completely fine.

Next up was the fresh fruit, which looks to change depending on the day and week. I don’t really believe in consuming plant life in Vegas, so I skipped this also, opting for higher-value items down the line.

This is where things started to get interesting.

Biscuits and gravy captured my heart at Fort Knox during my basic training. As a northerner, I had never experienced them, but as a calorie-deprived trainee, I fully embraced them.

Grits were also something I was introduced to. I didn’t take to them. They’re like plain mashed potatoes.

Grits aren’t even part of this buffet, so I’ll move on now.

Portions of the biscuits were hard as a rock, but it’s AYCE, so I just avoided the hard parts and dug into the rest.

Next up were the tater tots & standard scrambled eggs. It looks like these are often substituted with breakfast potatoes.

I skipped the standard scrambled eggs to tackle the fancier option with diced tomatoes and spinach mixed in, violating my no-plant-life-in-Vegas policy.

That said, spinach is a super food, and I figured it’d help reverse some of the damage my vices were causing.

My favorite items in the buffet were the sausage links and bacon. The bacon wasn’t too crispy (I like mine limp, damn near raw), and the sausage links were spectacular.

This isn’t “low budget” meat.

There was a display case stocked with pastries & bread, and a toaster was on standby.

The make-your-own waffle station was the bees’ knees, though. I was already stuffed, but had to make one, and it was amazing.

I didn’t take a picture of my waffle, unfortunately. Or my plates of food. I totally forgot, and am kicking myself right now. I’m going to blame it on being moderately hungover and sleep-deprived.

Near the buffet was a drink station stocked with hot water, coffee, tea, and fruit juice. I ate at the bar, and the bartender kept my coffee topped off.

The Verdict on Rio’s Breakfast Buffet

I’m not a big enough eater to get $30+ worth of value from a breakfast buffet, but The Kitchen Table’s AYCE offering is a great deal for big eaters.

Obviously, the value is there for Hyatt Globalists, as this is complimentary.

The à la carte menu makes this a compelling offering for couples or groups with 1 or 2 big eaters. They can hit the buffet, while the rest of the crew can save a few bucks and order a standard breakfast.

I was initially underwhelmed by the continental breakfast look of the buffet… It was tiny in a large space, but I ended up impressed by the quality of the food.

I doubt I’d make a separate trip from the Strip or Fremont Street if this were the only reason I was visiting Rio, but it could be a no-brainer for those staying here or visiting anyway.

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