Allure Specialty Restaurants

[LetsGoToDisney]

First time on Allure. What are some of the specialty restaurants that are a must do for first timers?

[rodenboy]

Personally I would say Chops Grille is a must, however some seasoned cruisers disagree. I liked Samba Grill and Giovanni's as well but Chops is the one I will always go back to.

[dacsmom]

I agree, Chops is #1 and Giovanni's is #2. I do enjoy lunch in Giovanni's Table on embarkation day.

Edited August 15, 2015 by dacsmom

[BekkaW]

If you're open to being a little adventurous, on Oasis class I would say 150 Central Park! It's only available on this class of ship. DH and I really enjoyed it.

[LEOwife]

We love Izumi, the Japanese restaurant. We normally get a sushi roll and then the steak hot rock and share!

[MMOMOM]

We really liked Chops on both Oasis and Allure! Of course was a little better since they actually approached us while we were going into MTD and told us it was 1/2 price that night! We said we weren't sure we had the time since we were going to a show. The girl said, 'I will personally make sure you are there in time' .... so we went and she did! Great experience! :) Actually the whole trip was! We ate inside that night since we were in Barcelona and it was a little chilly then (mid May) but on the Oasis in the Caribbean, we ate outside and it was oh so lovely with the twinkling lights in Central Park .... wonderful!

[barbon2]

I agree, Chops is #1 and Giovanni's is #2. I do enjoy lunch in Giovanni's Table on embarkation day.

 

 

Exactly how we felt.

 

Barb

[vtcolin]

150 central park is outstanding, if you're willing to pay a bit more. For an even more unique experience (and for an additional price), they offer each course paired with a different glass of wine hand picked by their sommelier! Excellent!

[LetsGoToDisney]

Any opinions on Samba Grill??

[Dinkachu]

Any opinions on Samba Grill??

 

The men (50, 57 and 80) and the young men (22, 23 and 25) in our group LOVE SAMBAS. All you can eat grilled meat and a few sides really appeals to them.

The ladies in our group are less enthused about all you can eat meat on a sword.

 

Here are some of the highlights:

 

SAMBAS has the BEST grilled veggies anywhere on the ship and there are plenty of them on the open vegetable buffet. We find the portions of veggies in other dining rooms small.

 

You can ask for FISH. I had grilled salmon and it was WONDERFUL. A nice, thick grilled piece of salmon. This is not on the Samba menu, but they bring it every time I eat there - just ask.

 

The lamb chops were very nice and so was the top sirloin. Some of the beef was a bit tough and salty. You can taste it and just not eat what you don't like. They will bring you more of what you do like - just ask.

 

Desserts were good too. There was a nice selection of desserts.

 

Oh - They have ladies dressed in Brazilian costumes and the men enjoy dancing with them.

 

We're booked for Sambas on our next cruise.

[RadioRob]

I would absolutely recommend a trip to Chops. A fantastic experience. It was a smash hit with our group.

[andyhp]

Ate at Sabor on Allure last week, the food was excellent.

Dinner tasting menu at $19 was great value and far too much food for one person!

[scrapycruiser]

Ate at Sabor on Allure last week, the food was excellent.

Dinner tasting menu at $19 was great value and far too much food for one person!

 

Would love to see a menu. What did you get to eat ?

[brightbluestaroftx]

If you can swing it, do them all. They are all very different. You will find people on here cheering and complaining about every restaurant.

 

Central Park 150 is a very special treat. They do 2 menus during the trip; both are fabulous. It is not cheap but it is a superb time. Food is very good. Chef's table is also an interesting, intimate experience.

 

Chops and Samba both suffer from using not the best quality steak AND from the lack of open flame. Not to say you can't have a great meal, but adjust your expectations. It is no traditional steakhouse experience.

 

The Italian place, the wine bar, izuma are all fine places to eat. Again, they don't get the best ingredients so if you adjust your expectations and look for the positives, your dining experiences will be all enjoyable.

 

The ship does offer a few promotions to get people to eat in the various restaurant. If you make a reservation the first night, you get 20% of bill back in OBC. If you make 3, 4, or 5 reservations, you get a certain percentage of the bills back in OBC. Not a bad deal.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

We always enjoy 150 Central Park....and the Samba Grill was excellent as well.

 

Recommend both.

[mollybax]

What is the cost of Central Park 150?

[Clarea]

What is the cost of Central Park 150?

It's $40 per person for our upcoming Oasis cruise.

[riclop]

We LOVE chops and Giovanni's.

[kristi_k1052]

I've been on several Royal cruises and have always found it a unnecessary to make specialty dining reservations online prior to the cruise, however, we have never been on Allure. Do you recommend making reservations in advance to get the best times or are there plenty of reservations available when you get onboard? Also, do they offer better deals for booking once onboard or is it the same 30% off offer they show online?

 

Thanks,

Kristi

[pharaoh]

I read that the price per person for Chef's Table is $85? Can anyone confirm?

 

What is the reason it is priced so high, and is it worth the money?

[papcx]

I read that the price per person for Chef's Table is $85? Can anyone confirm?

 

What is the reason it is priced so high, and is it worth the money?

 

 

Depends on which ship your on as it does differ, but around $85 sounds right.

 

Chefs table (or Prime table as it seems to have been rebranded) is a multi-course dinner with wine pairing for each course.

 

Only you can decide if it's worth it, but the food is superb, the wine free flowing and if you get a nice group (anywhere between 8 - 16 people) it can be a truly memorable experience.

[Jenhem31]

Lunch at Giovanni's on embarkation day!

[Clarea]

I read that the price per person for Chef's Table is $85? Can anyone confirm?

 

What is the reason it is priced so high, and is it worth the money?

Chef's Table is $95 on our upcoming Oasis cruise.

[pharaoh]

Depends on which ship your on as it does differ, but around $85 sounds right.

 

Chefs table (or Prime table as it seems to have been rebranded) is a multi-course dinner with wine pairing for each course.

 

Only you can decide if it's worth it, but the food is superb, the wine free flowing and if you get a nice group (anywhere between 8 - 16 people) it can be a truly memorable experience.

 

Thank you for the prompt info!

 

Okay, that clears it up for me. I figured the price had to do with the wine pairings. My mom was interested in this for our upcoming Allure cruise, but neither of us are wine drinkers. I think we'll re-assess.

[brightbluestaroftx]

I dont remember the cost for either CP 150 or Chef's Table but they are the most expensive meals on the ship.

 

 

On my last cruise when I did the Chef's Table, we had 2 young adults that weren't 21 and one or two other folks that didn't drink alcohol at the table, they may have reduced the price, I can't be sure. In addition to the multiple course meal, we each got a RCCL wine decanter ($40 in the store) and some take away goodies too. Well worth the price.

 

CP150 is a step above Chef's Table in terms of creativity, experience, etc. I will find the personalized menus and can scan them to put them up here.

 

Definitely do the wine bar for a mid day snack. You don't have to drink the wine, but the small plates they offer are tasty.