Chops Grille - Lunch

[fac429]

Hey!  We'll be on the Navigator in a couple of months, and I'm considering booking a lunch at Chops Grille.  One thing I've noticed is that there appears to be a lot of overlap between several of the appetizers and salads as those offered in the MDR.  So I'm curious for those who've eaten items such as the shrimp cocktail, beef carpaccio, and wedge salad at both places- are these the same dishes?  Or are the Chops versions bigger/different/better?

 

Thanks!

[CruiszBug]

4 minutes ago, fac429 said:

 So I'm curious for those who've eaten items such as the shrimp cocktail, beef carpaccio, and wedge salad at both places-  are the Chops versions bigger/different/better?

All the above!

Edited September 1, 2022 by CruiszBug

[ScubaCat3]

I can only speak for the shrimp cocktail. It is bigger and better at Chops. I probably wouldn’t order the MDR shrimp cocktail again. No matter what ship I’m on I always go out of my way to get the Chops shrimp cocktail. 
 

Of course, everyone’s taste is different.

[coffeebean]

You get what you pay for. Chops is better.

[fac429]

Thanks all! 

[Airbear232]

1 hour ago, fac429 said:

Hey!  We'll be on the Navigator in a couple of months, and I'm considering booking a lunch at Chops Grille.  One thing I've noticed is that there appears to be a lot of overlap between several of the appetizers and salads as those offered in the MDR.  So I'm curious for those who've eaten items such as the shrimp cocktail, beef carpaccio, and wedge salad at both places- are these the same dishes?  Or are the Chops versions bigger/different/better?

 

Thanks!

I really don’t pay much attention to anything but the Chops Steak and fixings!   Mmmmm!

[homedepot124]

Lunch at Chops is a bargain compared to dinner.   

[cruisegirl1]

I find the dining room wedge salad to be just about as good as in Chops. 

 

Shrimp Cocktail and  Beef Carpaccio are better in Chops.  Dining room shrimp are much small than Chops shrimp. Of course they  all come in frozen.  Beef Carpaccio in dining room was a mushier consistency than in Chops. Didn't seem like a real piece of thin sliced beef in MDR.

M 

[rudeney]

Food in the MDR is being mass-produced to serve over 1,000 guests at a time.  Chops cooks-to-order for at most 80 guests at a time.  Even if they were using the same raw ingredients, Chops is just going to serve a better dish.  Not only that, they do use better food in Chops.  Most steak cuts are "prime" grade instead of "choice" or even "select" that the MDR uses.  They are going to use larger shrimp for a better presentation.  Eating at Chops or any of the specialty restaurants will be like eating in a land-based restaurant where the MDR will be like eating a pre-plated meal at a hotel banquet facility.  This is true even for lunch.

[SilkySal]

After we board Mariner this October, we're heading straight to Chops, hoping to use our BOGO discount for lunch! I'd much rather have a nice, quiet lunch on the usually hectic boarding day than deal with a crowded WJ buffet, so hoping they'll honor the BOGO for lunch and will plan to do that for every cruise in the future! Cheers friends!

[Airbear232]

10 hours ago, rudeney said:

Food in the MDR is being mass-produced to serve over 1,000 guests at a time.  Chops cooks-to-order for at most 80 guests at a time.  Even if they were using the same raw ingredients, Chops is just going to serve a better dish.  Not only that, they do use better food in Chops.  Most steak cuts are "prime" grade instead of "choice" or even "select" that the MDR uses.  They are going to use larger shrimp for a better presentation.  Eating at Chops or any of the specialty restaurants will be like eating in a land-based restaurant where the MDR will be like eating a pre-plated meal at a hotel banquet facility.  This is true even for lunch.

Sadly, all true. 

[rudeney]

1 hour ago, Airbear232 said:

Sadly, all true. 

 

I don't really think it's so sad.  I find the MDR food to be good, just not great.  They do a decent job with what they have.  I've never had a bad meal, and I've had a few very good experiences.  It's just a different experience than a more intimate restaurant like Chops.  

[Airbear232]

16 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

I don't really think it's so sad.  I find the MDR food to be good, just not great.  They do a decent job with what they have.  I've never had a bad meal, and I've had a few very good experiences.  It's just a different experience than a more intimate restaurant like Chops.  

I would agree with you, if it was the MDR a few years ago.  I just find the quality of food has gone down significantly since restart.  I wonder how many top chefs they lost.  It’s not the same. 

[rudeney]

1 hour ago, Airbear232 said:

I would agree with you, if it was the MDR a few years ago.  I just find the quality of food has gone down significantly since restart.  I wonder how many top chefs they lost.  It’s not the same. 

 

Ah, my next cruise will be the first since the restart, so I am basing my experience on the MDR from before COVID.  I can see that with crew shortages and less experienced crew members, combined with supply chain problems, that the food quality in the MDR (and really anywhere) could be suffering.

 

I'll be on Voyager in 4 weeks, and it was one of the last ships to restart, so I am sure it's had a lot of challenges with a new crew.  I bought the UDP and intend for us to eat all meals in specialty restaurants, but I may need to try one dinner in the MDR just to see how things are.  

[Cruising89143]

On 9/2/2022 at 8:03 AM, SilkySal said:

After we board Mariner this October, we're heading straight to Chops, hoping to use our BOGO discount for lunch! I'd much rather have a nice, quiet lunch on the usually hectic boarding day than deal with a crowded WJ buffet, so hoping they'll honor the BOGO for lunch and will plan to do that for every cruise in the future! Cheers friends!

Make sure that they’re open for lunch on boarding day. We had booked lunch in Chops on the NV prior to the cruise. It was bookable on the website. After boarding we were told that only Jamie’s was open for lunch. Chops and Hooked were not even though they could be booked on RCI’s website. 

[Airbear232]

6 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

Ah, my next cruise will be the first since the restart, so I am basing my experience on the MDR from before COVID.  I can see that with crew shortages and less experienced crew members, combined with supply chain problems, that the food quality in the MDR (and really anywhere) could be suffering.

 

I'll be on Voyager in 4 weeks, and it was one of the last ships to restart, so I am sure it's had a lot of challenges with a new crew.  I bought the UDP and intend for us to eat all meals in specialty restaurants, but I may need to try one dinner in the MDR just to see how things are.  

We’ve done four since December and we’re on Voyager in July in the Baltic.  Hopefully, everything is just do to issues with restart and supply chain.  I’d be very unhappy if it’s due to a business decision to make up revenue.  Regardless, any cruise is a good cruise.  Have a good trip. 

[latebuyer]

Just wondering if anyone has tried the salmon at chops lunch?