What chain restaurants would you compare NCL restaurants to?

[BOS_CruiseGuy]

Based on the wide range of reviews of NCL restaurants, I think it can be hard for new cruisers to have a good idea what to expect from the NCL dining options. I have read all sorts of adjectives, from 'inedible' to 'phenomenal'.

 

While opinions on food quality/taste will always be varied, I would like to know how people think NCL food compares to restaurants on land. I am especially interested in comparisons between MDRs and specialty restaurants.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[sparks1093]

I equate NCL's food (from our last cruise of course) to be comparable to good banquet food- DW and I paid $40 a plate for a banquet at a concert around the time that we last cruise and DW thought the food on NCL was a bit better than what we had. We ate in the Italian restaurant on the Dream (before it was a surcharge restaurant) and felt that was easily Olive Garden quality if not a bit better.

[coold8]

Hi there,

 

It depends on where your eating!

 

There are the obvious ones Teppanyaki is modeled after Benihana and Moderno is modeled after Fogo De Chao. Cagney's a Ruth Chris/Morton's Mainstream kidn of deal (not quite a BLT or a Charlie Palmer if you are familiar with those brands).

 

One could argue that NCL main dining room food is similar to what you get at a mid-range wedding. Generally easily scalable dishes with a flair and perceived "high-end food" think Crème brûlée.

 

Haven club reminds me of eating at my favorite city club which is kind of a cross between an elegant menu and made-to-order/you tell us what you want menu.

 

La Cucina restaurant is loosely based on Olive Garden, but the quality of the food is clearly better than that awful place.

 

Noodles is generally a wok/sushi restaurant, and I would venture to say it doesn't really resemble that much on a national level. Custom wok restaurants have never really taken off on land, but I guess you could say it is like Vapiano in the sense you can speak to the chef while he cooks your food. The Sushi reminds me of any run of the mill sushi joint you would find in a city, not the best, but not the worst, your not talking about Nobu here.

 

Le Bistro does not have a equivalent restaurant because I don't know many French Fine Dining chain restaurants. I can't think of many french chains that are on the high end (there is Au Bon Pain and La Madeline but those tend to be fast food).

 

O'Sheehan's can be related to any numerous Irish Pub chains ranging from Fado to whatever you have in your town/city.

 

Buffet is like Golden Corral but with more flavor and less health food violations.

 

Anyone disagree?

[danh78]

Hi there,

 

It depends on where your eating!

 

There are the obvious ones Teppanyaki is modeled after Benihana and Moderno is modeled after Fogo De Chao. Cagney's a Ruth Chris/Morton's Mainstream kidn of deal (not quite a BLT or a Charlie Palmer if you are familiar with those brands).

 

 

Anyone disagree?

 

You must have had a much better experience at Cagney's than we did. I would put it closer to a Texas Roadhouse/Outback type of place.

[LrgPizza]

You must have had a much better experience at Cagney's than we did. I would put it closer to a Texas Roadhouse/Outback type of place.

I've never eaten there, but judging from the menus I've seen and reviews I've read, I've never thought Ruths Chris, but always assumed more like one of those you've mentioned.

[cruisecrazy82]

Hi there,

 

It depends on where your eating!

 

There are the obvious ones Teppanyaki is modeled after Benihana and Moderno is modeled after Fogo De Chao. Cagney's a Ruth Chris/Morton's Mainstream kidn of deal (not quite a BLT or a Charlie Palmer if you are familiar with those brands).

 

One could argue that NCL main dining room food is similar to what you get at a mid-range wedding. Generally easily scalable dishes with a flair and perceived "high-end food" think Crème brûlée.

 

Haven club reminds me of eating at my favorite city club which is kind of a cross between an elegant menu and made-to-order/you tell us what you want menu.

 

La Cucina restaurant is loosely based on Olive Garden, but the quality of the food is clearly better than that awful place.

 

Noodles is generally a wok/sushi restaurant, and I would venture to say it doesn't really resemble that much on a national level. Custom wok restaurants have never really taken off on land, but I guess you could say it is like Vapiano in the sense you can speak to the chef while he cooks your food. The Sushi reminds me of any run of the mill sushi joint you would find in a city, not the best, but not the worst, your not talking about Nobu here.

 

Le Bistro does not have a equivalent restaurant because I don't know many French Fine Dining chain restaurants. I can't think of many french chains that are on the high end (there is Au Bon Pain and La Madeline but those tend to be fast food).

 

O'Sheehan's can be related to any numerous Irish Pub chains ranging from Fado to whatever you have in your town/city.

 

Buffet is like Golden Corral but with more flavor and less health food violations.

 

Anyone disagree?

 

I've not cruised with NCL yet but I like the comparisons you gave. Sounds like a fair comparison to me, and none of it sounds to shabby to me :D

[SissasMomE]

Based on the wide range of reviews of NCL restaurants, I think it can be hard for new cruisers to have a good idea what to expect from the NCL dining options. I have read all sorts of adjectives, from 'inedible' to 'phenomenal'.

 

While opinions on food quality/taste will always be varied, I would like to know how people think NCL food compares to restaurants on land. I am especially interested in comparisons between MDRs and specialty restaurants.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Personal opinion - MDR = low to mid cost wedding fare, or something like that. I guess if you're going to compare it to a chain restaurant, maybe something along the lines of Bonefish Grill or an Outback quality meal. Cagneys = maybe a step above Outback or Longhorns. Le Bistro is nice, and I would not compare that to a chain. Teppanyaki - depends on where you live. It is definitely better than anything I have had in North or Central Jersey; comparable to what I have had in Florida (means very good). Moderno - not as good as a true Rodizio found in NNJ, but it is still good, IMO. I'm Italian, and you couldn't give me a dinner for free in La Cucina ... but then again, I wouldn't step foot in an Olive Garden either. ;)

Edited January 31, 2014 by SissasMomE

[SissasMomE]

I equate NCL's food (from our last cruise of course) to be comparable to good banquet food- DW and I paid $40 a plate for a banquet at a concert around the time that we last cruise and DW thought the food on NCL was a bit better than what we had. We ate in the Italian restaurant on the Dream (before it was a surcharge restaurant) and felt that was easily Olive Garden quality if not a bit better.

 

I agree with the banquet comparison.

[graphicguy]

Hi there,

 

It depends on where your eating!

 

There are the obvious ones Teppanyaki is modeled after Benihana and Moderno is modeled after Fogo De Chao. Cagney's a Ruth Chris/Morton's Mainstream kidn of deal (not quite a BLT or a Charlie Palmer if you are familiar with those brands).

 

One could argue that NCL main dining room food is similar to what you get at a mid-range wedding. Generally easily scalable dishes with a flair and perceived "high-end food" think Crème brûlée.

 

Haven club reminds me of eating at my favorite city club which is kind of a cross between an elegant menu and made-to-order/you tell us what you want menu.

 

La Cucina restaurant is loosely based on Olive Garden, but the quality of the food is clearly better than that awful place.

 

Noodles is generally a wok/sushi restaurant, and I would venture to say it doesn't really resemble that much on a national level. Custom wok restaurants have never really taken off on land, but I guess you could say it is like Vapiano in the sense you can speak to the chef while he cooks your food. The Sushi reminds me of any run of the mill sushi joint you would find in a city, not the best, but not the worst, your not talking about Nobu here.

 

Le Bistro does not have a equivalent restaurant because I don't know many French Fine Dining chain restaurants. I can't think of many french chains that are on the high end (there is Au Bon Pain and La Madeline but those tend to be fast food).

 

O'Sheehan's can be related to any numerous Irish Pub chains ranging from Fado to whatever you have in your town/city.

 

Buffet is like Golden Corral but with more flavor and less health food violations.

 

Anyone disagree?

 

Great direct comparisons. Fairly close to my ratings except for the follwing....the Golden Corral. I think the food in the NCL buffet is much better than that...closer to the buffet you find on the Vegas strip, at one of the nicer hotels.

 

O'Sheehans seems like a TGIFridays.

 

LaCucina is closer to Carraba.

 

The rest I agree.

[destaw7182]

After reading so many reviews on this board about the food on NCL I still had no idea what to expect for my upcoming cruise, and of course as many posters have stated it is all dependent upon your own personal tastes. The chain restaurants comparisons are very helpful, and in some cases I assumed the same (especially La Cucina). I think I'm only interested in trying Moderno on my upcoming cruise. DH and I enjoy Brazilian steakhouses.

[mein18]

Hi there,

 

It depends on where your eating!

 

There are the obvious ones Teppanyaki is modeled after Benihana and Moderno is modeled after Fogo De Chao. Cagney's a Ruth Chris/Morton's Mainstream kidn of deal (not quite a BLT or a Charlie Palmer if you are familiar with those brands).

 

One could argue that NCL main dining room food is similar to what you get at a mid-range wedding. Generally easily scalable dishes with a flair and perceived "high-end food" think Crème brûlée.

 

Haven club reminds me of eating at my favorite city club which is kind of a cross between an elegant menu and made-to-order/you tell us what you want menu.

 

La Cucina restaurant is loosely based on Olive Garden, but the quality of the food is clearly better than that awful place.

 

Noodles is generally a wok/sushi restaurant, and I would venture to say it doesn't really resemble that much on a national level. Custom wok restaurants have never really taken off on land, but I guess you could say it is like Vapiano in the sense you can speak to the chef while he cooks your food. The Sushi reminds me of any run of the mill sushi joint you would find in a city, not the best, but not the worst, your not talking about Nobu here.

 

Le Bistro does not have a equivalent restaurant because I don't know many French Fine Dining chain restaurants. I can't think of many french chains that are on the high end (there is Au Bon Pain and La Madeline but those tend to be fast food).

 

O'Sheehan's can be related to any numerous Irish Pub chains ranging from Fado to whatever you have in your town/city.

 

Buffet is like Golden Corral but with more flavor and less health food violations.

 

Anyone disagree?

 

Thank you for the comparisons. Albeit we realize a lot is subjective, your analysis gives us a perspective of what to expect on our first NCL cruise.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

[gymbomb]

Great direct comparisons. Fairly close to my ratings except for the follwing....the Golden Corral. I think the food in the NCL buffet is much better than that...

 

LaCucina is closer to Carraba.

 

 

This has been my experience as well.

[bakerintn]

Well, here in middle TN, a medium wedding reception meal would be served family style and include dry slices of ham, mashed potatoes, biscuits, canned corn, maybe fried chicken and white gravy. A lower end wedding dinner would more likely be catered by Krystal or a pulled pork BBQ place.

 

I have never had a meal in an NCL MDR that was even close to that. The presentation is at a high level and the sauces are mostly quite good. Yes, the MDR is a banquet service, but with individual choices (versus everyone getting the same entree). I would class the NCL MDRs at a high level banquet service that would cost about $25 per person at banquet halls in most major cities.

[mrobstad]

Hi there,

 

It depends on where your eating!

 

There are the obvious ones Teppanyaki is modeled after Benihana and Moderno is modeled after Fogo De Chao. Cagney's a Ruth Chris/Morton's Mainstream kidn of deal (not quite a BLT or a Charlie Palmer if you are familiar with those brands).

 

One could argue that NCL main dining room food is similar to what you get at a mid-range wedding. Generally easily scalable dishes with a flair and perceived "high-end food" think Crème brûlée.

 

Haven club reminds me of eating at my favorite city club which is kind of a cross between an elegant menu and made-to-order/you tell us what you want menu.

 

La Cucina restaurant is loosely based on Olive Garden, but the quality of the food is clearly better than that awful place.

 

Noodles is generally a wok/sushi restaurant, and I would venture to say it doesn't really resemble that much on a national level. Custom wok restaurants have never really taken off on land, but I guess you could say it is like Vapiano in the sense you can speak to the chef while he cooks your food. The Sushi reminds me of any run of the mill sushi joint you would find in a city, not the best, but not the worst, your not talking about Nobu here.

 

Le Bistro does not have a equivalent restaurant because I don't know many French Fine Dining chain restaurants. I can't think of many french chains that are on the high end (there is Au Bon Pain and La Madeline but those tend to be fast food).

 

O'Sheehan's can be related to any numerous Irish Pub chains ranging from Fado to whatever you have in your town/city.

 

Buffet is like Golden Corral but with more flavor and less health food violations.

 

Anyone disagree?

Excellent comparisons! Cagneys and Le a Bistro clearly my favorites! With the up charge!

[SissasMomE]

Well, here in middle TN, a medium wedding reception meal would be served family style and include dry slices of ham, mashed potatoes, biscuits, canned corn, maybe fried chicken and white gravy. A lower end wedding dinner would more likely be catered by Krystal or a pulled pork BBQ place.

 

I have never had a meal in an NCL MDR that was even close to that. The presentation is at a high level and the sauces are mostly quite good. Yes, the MDR is a banquet service, but with individual choices (versus everyone getting the same entree). I would class the NCL MDRs at a high level banquet service that would cost about $25 per person at banquet halls in most major cities.

 

$25 pp ... wow. It's cheap where you live! $25 pp here would get you ... I dunno. Fried chicken, maybe. lol

Edited February 1, 2014 by SissasMomE

[bambione]

I happen to love Olive Garden and Outback Steak house, so if anything compares to that I'll be happy. I've never been impressed with banquet food, but as long as it's hot I'll be happy. If it's not hot, I'll just send it back. I love salads, and it's hard to mess those up. So I think I'll be content on my first NCL cruise on the Getaway the end of March.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Custom wok restaurants have never really taken off on land, but I guess you could say it is like Vapiano in the sense you can speak to the chef while he cooks your food.

There's one custom wok chain, similar to Norwegian's Noodles restaurant, that I can easily think of: Stir Crazy. You pick one protein (meat, shrimp, or tofu), mix and match vegetables of your choice, pick between rice and noodles, and pick one sauce. The chef dumps it all into a wok and cooks it; then a server brings it to you. Chicago area has a bunch of them, and I'm sure there are locations in other major cities too.

Edited February 1, 2014 by LandlockedCruiser01

[Kdiamond55]

Personal opinion - MDR = low to mid cost wedding fare, or something like that. I guess if you're going to compare it to a chain restaurant, maybe something along the lines of Bonefish Grill or an Outback quality meal. Cagneys = maybe a step above Outback or Longhorns. Le Bistro is nice, and I would not compare that to a chain. Teppanyaki - depends on where you live. It is definitely better than anything I have had in North or Central Jersey; comparable to what I have had in Florida (means very good). Moderno - not as good as a true Rodizio found in NNJ, but it is still good, IMO. I'm Italian, and you couldn't give me a dinner for free in La Cucina ... but then again, I wouldn't step foot in an Olive Garden either. ;)

 

I will ditto all of this. We live in the south Florida area which is packed with amazing restaurants and we're foodies, so while the food on NCL is enjoyable and I have no complaints for a cruise ship, I would agree with the comparisons that were made above. And LOL but I totally agree about Olive Garden/La Cucina. Our favorites are Cagney's (but it isn't as good as Ruth's Chris which is one of our favorites) and Moderno, Teppanyaki is good for that sort of thing, the sushi Place, eh, just ok for me, and haven't tried Ocean Blue yet but will be trying it this next cruise.

 

You really can't go wrong though, and I have to say the food is better than RCCL and Carnival by far. I've even heard that from other people.

[45014]

I happen to love Olive Garden and Outback Steak house, so if anything compares to that I'll be happy. I've never been impressed with banquet food, but as long as it's hot I'll be happy. If it's not hot, I'll just send it back. I love salads, and it's hard to mess those up. So I think I'll be content on my first NCL cruise on the Getaway the end of March.

 

In December 2013 we were on the Jewel and I don't think I had hot food all week. I never send food back, but I surely did on that cruise.

[newmexicoNita]

it totally depends on the ship and even the time: I would probably say, the MDRs are similar to a mid priced chain. the difference being the size of the servings, which are much smaller. I like that. The difference between NCL MDR food and a "TGIF" would be the appeal and way the dining rooms are set up. They resemble nice hotel dining rooms, not the look of a fast food sit down chain. I like the comparison to a good banquet in a mid priced hotel. That comes closer.

 

As for the specialty dining rooms: They are equivalent to a 4 star dining experience in our estimation. I would put most of the NCL Asian restaurants on a par with PF Changs, maybe even a little better. Modernos is like most Brazilian steak houses with great meats and a wonderful salad bar. We don't often do Cagney's but it is a step up from Outbake, that is for certain. I can't compare Le Bistro because we don't, normally eat at French restaurants on land and I do not know of any chain French restaurants. I would put Blue Lagoon more in the category of a "TGIF" or something similar. It is a good place, for a quick snack type meal in a very casual atmosphere.

[NLH Arizona]

Personal opinion - MDR = low to mid cost wedding fare, or something like that. I guess if you're going to compare it to a chain restaurant, maybe something along the lines of Bonefish Grill or an Outback quality meal. Cagneys = maybe a step above Outback or Longhorns. Le Bistro is nice, and I would not compare that to a chain. Teppanyaki - depends on where you live. It is definitely better than anything I have had in North or Central Jersey; comparable to what I have had in Florida (means very good). Moderno - not as good as a true Rodizio found in NNJ, but it is still good, IMO. I'm Italian, and you couldn't give me a dinner for free in La Cucina ... but then again, I wouldn't step foot in an Olive Garden either. ;)

Have to agree with all but La Cucina. I tried it on my last cruise and was pleasantly surprised, but then I'm Norwegian, English, Irish and Dutch, so not an authority on real Italian style food. And yes, I do go to the Olive garden LOL! Can't speak to the food in MDR, as I haven't eaten there.

 

Also, the Asian restaurant (not the Teppanyaki restaurant) was such a disappointment; it was worse than my local Asian restaurants and they are not great. It was always empty, so I guess others felt the same way.

Edited February 1, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[babyher]

$25 pp ... wow. It's cheap where you live! $25 pp here would get you ... I dunno. Fried chicken, maybe. lol

 

Seriously. Around here $25pp gets you a Chicken McNuggets *LOL*

[lamchops]

While opinions on food quality/taste will always be varied, I would like to know how people think NCL food compares to restaurants on land. I am especially interested in comparisons between MDRs and specialty restaurants.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

As someone who has spent a lifetime managing restaurants and convention centers my opinion is that:

 

MDR = hotel/convention sit down banquet fare at $40+ per person (not fine dining but generally good)

Buffet = mid range Vegas Hotel buffet at $20 for lunch & $30+ for dinner

 

BTW, I was once a Culinary manager for Olive Garden! LOL! It's not real Italian food but "Italian Inspired".

Edited February 1, 2014 by lamchops

[silvercrikhix]

Great thread idea, OP :)

It really helps us know what to basically expect in the dining aspect on NCL.

It all sounded fine enough until someone said GOLDEN CORRAL :eek:

We had the displeasure last year, in the Orlando area, of trying to eat at one.

Good heavens...... it was nasty, gross and disgusting soooo,

we are hoping the buffet isn't THAT bad.

We have been fairly happy with the buffets on CCL & RCCL.

Someone pleeeease say the buffet it is not like Golden Corral !

[jakeT]

Originally Posted by coold8

Hi there,

 

It depends on where your eating!

 

There are the obvious ones Teppanyaki is modeled after Benihana and Moderno is modeled after Fogo De Chao. Cagney's a Ruth Chris/Morton's Mainstream kidn of deal (not quite a BLT or a Charlie Palmer if you are familiar with those brands).

 

One could argue that NCL main dining room food is similar to what you get at a mid-range wedding. Generally easily scalable dishes with a flair and perceived "high-end food" think Crème brûlée.

 

Haven club reminds me of eating at my favorite city club which is kind of a cross between an elegant menu and made-to-order/you tell us what you want menu.

 

La Cucina restaurant is loosely based on Olive Garden, but the quality of the food is clearly better than that awful place.

 

Noodles is generally a wok/sushi restaurant, and I would venture to say it doesn't really resemble that much on a national level. Custom wok restaurants have never really taken off on land, but I guess you could say it is like Vapiano in the sense you can speak to the chef while he cooks your food. The Sushi reminds me of any run of the mill sushi joint you would find in a city, not the best, but not the worst, your not talking about Nobu here.

 

Le Bistro does not have a equivalent restaurant because I don't know many French Fine Dining chain restaurants. I can't think of many french chains that are on the high end (there is Au Bon Pain and La Madeline but those tend to be fast food).

 

O'Sheehan's can be related to any numerous Irish Pub chains ranging from Fado to whatever you have in your town/city.

 

Buffet is like Golden Corral but with more flavor and less health food violations.

 

Anyone disagree?

 

 

Teppanyaki is modeled after Benihana

They are ok, cannot do that much to that type of food. And show.

Moderno is modeled after Fogo De Chao.

Moderno has a nice salad bar and you just have to wait for the food you want. Do not get full up on the chicken

Cagney's a Ruth Chris/Morton's Mainstream kind of deal (not quite a BLT or a Charlie Palmer if you are familiar with those brands).

Cagneys is more like a better outback, not a Ruth Chris, or BLT

They do not do Dry Age Steaks

 

one could argue that NCL main dining room food is similar to what you get at a mid-range wedding. Generally easily scalable dishes with a flair and perceived "high-end food" think Crème brûlée.

Agree

Again they put names on things like Creme brulee, that does not resemble the real thing

 

Haven club reminds me of eating at my favorite city club which is kind of a cross between an elegant menu and made-to-order/you tell us what you want menu.

 

That is my favitort restaurant

La Cucina restaurant is loosely based on Olive Garden, but the quality of the food is clearly better than that awful place.

Agree better the Olive Garden. Not really great.

 

Noodles is generally a wok/sushi restaurant, and I would venture to say it doesn't really resemble that much on a national level. Custom wok restaurants have never really taken off on land, but I guess you could say it is like Vapiano in the sense you can speak to the chef while he cooks your food. The Sushi reminds me of any run of the mill sushi joint you would find in a city, not the best, but not the worst, you're not talking about Nobu here.

Agree,

 

Le Bistro does not have a equivalent restaurant because I don't know many French Fine Dining chain restaurants. I can't think of many French chains that are on the high end (there is Au Bon Pain and La Madeline but those tend to be fast food).

Le Bistros food is good, Not close to a real French restaurant

 

O'Sheehan's can be related to any numerous Irish Pub chains ranging from Fado to whatever you have in your town/city.

It's OK to eat at. I really can't compare it to an Irish Pub

Buffet is like Golden Corral but with more flavor and less health food violations.

When we discussed if the Buffet and golden Corral are better than one another. I just can't do that. Buffet is a Buffet