Ouch. So Lady Luck threw a drink in your face and stormed away. Or maybe you spent all your cash on Vegas' spectrum of other amusements, and now you simply need a cheap meal.

Happily, these four options neither bankrupt your wallet nor your palate.

Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South;

702-693-8111; www.bellagio.com/restaurants

A substantial number of online foodies, as well as Vegas locals I know, credit Bellagio with offering the best buffet in town. It costs $20 at lunch, and the crowds can vary from teeming to nonexistent to teeming again in a matter of minutes. If the line swerves round the corner, don't sweat. It moves quickly.

It is, as buffets go, classy. Among the many choices: a composed salad station offering a decent niçoise; kurobuta pork shoulder braised in apple cider with apple compote; dry-rubbed, St. Louis-style ribs; pizzas that emerge constantly fresh from the oven; curried duck breast (the most polished dish I sampled); sushi rolls; turkey with stuffing; and soft-serve ice cream.

Roving servers are sweet souls who won't prod you to rush. I spied folks who looked like they'd been lingering for quite some time.

A remodeling of the buffet's Parisian café setting, street lamps and all, will soon occur. No word yet on what the new look might be, though the hotel will be installing a new station offering – wait for it – flambéed dishes. Yeehaw!

Mandalay Place,

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino,

3930 Las Vegas Blvd. South;

702-632-9364;

www.mandalaybay.com/dining

Those same Vegas locals I know prize this gem from chef Hubert Keller for being an affordable and satisfying option on the Strip. And, actually, Burger Bar's flexible pricing would allow it to fit in any category in this roundup.

Mandalay Bay

Console yourself with a Surf and turf burger at the Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

So let's begin from the top down: Big spenders could splurge on the $60 Rossini burger made from American kobe beef and studded with foie gras, shaved truffles and Madeira sauce on an onion bun. Customers feeling financially secure might opt for the $24 surf and turf burger fashioned from Black Angus beef, half of a grilled lobster and grilled asparagus.

But if you're down and out, there's no shame in the $8 Ridgefield Farm burger. I know, $8 is still quadruple the amount you'd pay at a fast-food joint, but here you get to sit in a hip sliver of a joint, watching the attractive crowd and maybe the game on the TV over the bar.

If you have the extra pocket change, the $12.75 American Classic with bacon, American cheese, tomato and onion on a sesame bun comforts with its archetypal toppings. If you're truly busted, the $6 veggie burger awaits.

Paris Las Vegas,

3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South;

702-946-4251; www.harrahs.com

La Creperie in the Paris Hotel is the cheapest place I know in Vegas for an inexpensive bite that can still hit a sweet (or savory) spot on the taste buds.

La Creperie

Casino losers can buoy their spirits with a fruit crepe at La Creperie in the Paris Las Vegas hotel.

We're in no-frills territory here. Walk up to the counter, place an order and watch the chefs pour out batter on those evocative round griddles. Retrieve the crepe when it's ready and have a seat in the unassuming eating area to the left.

I'm fond of unceremonious combos: sautéed spinach and mushroom with cheese or ratatouille with egg, and crepes suzette or Nutella with banana slices for dessert. Staffers also let customers design their own concoctions.

This is also a good spot for a solitary breakfast. Something about the meandering layout of the hotel as a whole makes it enjoyable for strolling by one's lonesome.

1145 Las Vegas Blvd. South;

702-388-1906

OK, you're over it. You're ready to divorce yourself from the Strip and its claustrophobic cluster of people, flashing lights, blaring music and encroaching buildings all bleeding together and assailing the senses.

Breathe. Here's one antidote, at the far end of Las Vegas Boulevard, in a very humble strip mall. Rincon Criollo is a hole-in-the-wall in the best possible meaning. It's a Cuban restaurant with an utter lack of posturing.

Dallas doesn't have many homey Cuban food options, which makes Rincon Criollo worth a lunch trip no matter what your budget is. The cooking here has soul: roasted, marinated pork leg falls into tender, ropy chunks. The chicken in the arroz con pollo tastes fresh, and the yellow rice is gently but distinctively seasoned. The Cubano sandwich yields an honest crunch, and scattered slivers of pickle perk up the layered meats between the bread slices.

Don't forget the sides: maduros (mashed ripe plantains drizzled with olive oil), yucca fries with a garlic-infused dipping sauce and even avocado slices to further enrich the pork leg.

The laid-back service (there may be one person waiting tables) and determinedly plain interior presents a contrary vision of Las Vegas to what most visitors experience. But it can be soothing to enter a glitz-free zone. Perhaps some flan and a strong coffee before you head back?