Is the Steakhouse a worthwhile experience?

[skimble]

We are on the Panorama, and we are wondering if it would be worthwhile to go to the steakhouse.

$38 seems a little steep when other decent dining experiences are included with the cruise.  
Any advice?

[Joe817]

Without question, it is definitely worth it! The steak I had(filet mignon) was broiled to perfection, the ambiance is par excellance, the side(sauteed mushrooms) complemented the steak perfectly, and the dessert(cheesecake), incredible! It's huge. I couldn't finish it.

 

$38.00 is what I would spend(or more) at a good steakhouse here in Texas. IMO,  it's definitely worth it. Give it a try! 

 

[cmukid87]

Do it.  Grand scheme of things it's not that expensive.  $38 gets you an appetizer, entre, desert and gratuity is included.  The quality of the food in the steakhouse is much better than the MDR.
 

My favorite is the tuna tartare or beef carpacio for your appetizer.  The filet mignon or surf for main and cheesecake for the desert.  You will leave either stuffed or with a box with your desert in it.

[ColeThornton]

YOLO!

 

Don't be cheap.  It's vacation.  😉

[Joebucks]

Last time I went, I had the lobster bisque, wagyu flat iron, and art at your table. The bisque had too much sherry for my liking. The steak was good, but nothing special. Art at your table was more fun than tasty. None of us left raving about it, especially at $38pp.

 

I do plan on trying it again. For whatever reason, except for Hyde Park, I think steakhouses are overrated and overpriced. I also always regret not getting a ribeye. Ribeye is king.

[ColeThornton]

3 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Last time I went, I had the lobster bisque, wagyu flat iron, and art at your table. The bisque had too much sherry for my liking. The steak was good, but nothing special. Art at your table was more fun than tasty. None of us left raving about it, especially at $38pp.

 

I do plan on trying it again. For whatever reason, except for Hyde Park, I think steakhouses are overrated and overpriced. I also always regret not getting a ribeye. Ribeye is king.

 

Can you please explain "art at your table"?   Thanks much.

[CruiseMGM]

5 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Can you please explain "art at your table"?   Thanks much.

 

I haven't been yet, but googled and found this. I think the kids in our group on our upcoming cruise will be all over this! Looks fun. But googling the chocolate sphere? That's what I'm thinking about ordering!

 

Can You Feel It? | Art At Your Table Dessert | Carnival Cruise Line - YouTube

[silversneakers]

10 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Can you please explain "art at your table"?   Thanks much.

We just did this while on Mardi Gras.  It's unique.  A white board is placed on your table with the artistic dessert chef drawing on the board  with various colored squiggles and ending with a large, white chocolate ball (or egg) and then he cracks it to display a dessert to be shared. It was amusing, good, and great for a one-time experience.  Everyone at the table is required to order this as dessert as no other desserts can be ordered.

[DPTexas]

We didn't think it was worth it.  When we were on the Dream in February, the service was poor, the steak was mediocre and the art at the table was "cute" but clearly not a dessert that could be eaten (the party at the table beside ours had the cheesecake which looked delicious).   We went the first night and perhaps that was the issue.  We do not drink alcohol so the wine special was not the draw.  We wanted a great first-night-on-the-ship experience which did not live up to our expectations and the reviews we read prior to our cruise.  We usually eat in the MDR and with the exception of one night at the Chef's Table (which was fabulous as always), we enjoyed the menu there with stellar service each night thereafter.

 

[sparks1093]

We tried the steakhouse for the first time in November and really enjoyed it. The food was good, and it was a more upscale experience. The art at the table was interesting and there was enough that none of us left hungry. My son (who is a meat cutter) ordered the Wagyu and that it was "ok" while our other son ordered it and thought it was really really good. DW had a filet, that had to be butterflied because she likes her meat well done and I had the NY strip. We felt that it was worth the upcharge. 

[Cherries Jubilee]

It wasn’t worth it to me personally but the other 4 members of my family thought it was worth it.

 

 The quality of the steak was definitely better but the taste was just okay. I also didn’t love the sides or the dessert. The best tasting thing I tried (and we all tasted each other’s food) was the pork belly appetizer but honestly the pork belly appetizer in the main dining room was also delicious.

 

 I was on Horizon and it was only about 4 weeks old so it might have gotten better. It also might be seasoned better by different chefs.

[ledges1]

I have not eaten at the steakhouse. I have eaten many times at Morton's and Ruth Chris. How does it compare? Cuts of meat, flavor, etc ...

[Hoosierpop]

It’s definitely worth it compared to a similar steak at home. Meaning, the $38 price point is very reasonable. Whether it’s worth it given you already paid for a meal that night is a different question.

 

I like it. I’m not a steak expert but the food is good, service is good, and my wife really likes it.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Hoosierpop

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, ledges1 said:

I have not eaten at the steakhouse. I have eaten many times at Morton's and Ruth Chris. How does it compare? Cuts of meat, flavor, etc ...

A step below those two and a step above Outback and Longhorn. 

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, skimble said:

We are on the Panorama, and we are wondering if it would be worthwhile to go to the steakhouse.

$38 seems a little steep when other decent dining experiences are included with the cruise.  
Any advice?

On the Panorama they have two different specials that you can get on board.  One consists of 3 meals at either cucina del capitano, jiji's or a 15.00 credit at guys dinner BBQ or the sushi place.  You can also double up and do 2 nights at JIji's and one at cucina.  Instead of paying 45, you save 7 and get it for 38.00.   Another option is paying 60 for the steakhouse and two of the other places, saving you 8.00.

 

I personally would do two nights at jiji's and one at cucina for the same 38 that you would spend for one night at the steakhouse.

[silversneakers]

1 hour ago, ledges1 said:

I have not eaten at the steakhouse. I have eaten many times at Morton's and Ruth Chris. How does it compare? Cuts of meat, flavor, etc ...

Does not compare.

[groundloop]

The steakhouse experience seems to vary from ship to ship, and from what I've heard sometimes from night to night. 

 

We were on Magic in September with some leftover OBC to use up and booked the steakhouse.  We were very happy with it, good food, good service, etc.  The couple seated at the table next to us had "art at your table" so we got to see it up close.... very entertaining.

 

We also went to the steakhouse on Pride in December and were quite disappointed.  Service was very slow and the food wasn't all that good, definitely not worth the price.  

[LatinaInTexas]

I personally would skip the steakhouse and go to Ji Jis twice lol. Last month on the Panorama service at both the steakhouse and the Italian place was pretty bad, I'm talking hours. At JiJis the service was perfect both times we went.

I don't care for a lot of the things on the steakhouse menu so the menu is not special to me. At JiJis I tried new things and loved everything I ate, both times.

I will say the ribeye at the steakhouse was amazing both times husband got it. My filet was very good also but the Australian wagyu was not good. They also seem to serve the smallest baked potatoes I have ever seen at the steakhouse.

Art at the table was an interesting novelty and the chocolate sphere was pretty bad. It melted into the texture of thin, watery chocolate soup and didn't taste good.

I didn't get to try the cheesecake because I got it to go and it fell on the carpet while I was trying to put it in the fridge. I did notice my piece was tiny compared to the ones I saw served at other tables.

[CRUISEWITHH]

This was our first visit to the Steakhouse on the Radiance a few weeks ago.  Our friends ordered the steaks and were very pleased with them.  I ordered the lobster and got two very tasty tails. 

The food was definitely a big step up and the service was equal to any "very upscale" restaurant on land.

 

The dessert Cheesecake is not believable!   It is about 5" high and such a huge wedge that the people at the next table asked if it was for the whole table.  Oh, yea, also it was delicious....

 

 

[jerseyjjs]

I just ate at the Nouveau steakhouse on the Legend last week.  I ordered the NY strip, caesar salad, mac n cheese and baked potato.   We decided we'll just order the steak in the MDR for an extra $20 in the future.   The potato was the same as the one I had in the buffet, the caesar salad was not much different than the MDR's and the mac and cheese was watery.   Just my observation.

Edited March 28, 2022 by jerseyjjs

[ledges1]

3 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

A step below those two and a step above Outback and Longhorn. 

Thank you for the comparison. I know what to expect if I go.

[cellfree]

We have enjoyed the Steakhouse several times on various ships, mostly great but we have also had a couple times when the steak cut/tenderness wasn’t tough. Last week we did go to David’s on the Pride.The appetizer choices are plentiful (you can choose two although they do not “tell” you that), i felt the choice of sides with the entrees weren’t great, dessert options nice. One evening a dinner last week we both chose two entrees, shrimp and a filet, and husband’s comment at end of meal was “that was better than our steakhouse meal.” We would go to the Steakhouse again but will wait awhile. 

[skimble]

We did end up going to the 555 Steakhouse.  The steaks were perfect.  We did the wine pairing for $20 extra. It was equivalent to 2 full glasses of wine.  Was that worth it?  Yes, sort of. The wines were decent.  
‘we were very disappointed in the cheesecake, so much so, we did not finish it.  Cheesecake should have a creamy texture. This had a dense, cake-like texture. It was over cooked. 
I don’t think I would do this again.  

[hurricane0226]

Plus first night steak house gets a bottle of wine.

[boomhower]

For us it is.  The Australian Wagyu is a darn good steak.  Sides are great and it's enough food you'll be stuffed.  As it should be for the cost it's a substantial upgrade over the MDR.  For a comparable meal on land you aren't going to come close for the price.  Of course you have to take away whatever you value the MDR cost at as well.  It's certainly a splurge but we find it worth the cost.