Burgers on the ship, not good quality. American Dinner different burger or same?

[JandC_Cruising]

We like the burgers at O'sheehans/Local.  It's our go-to lunch on embarkation day when staying in standard cabin.  We didn't notice anything different in March.

The burger in the Haven has always been good too, but i've got to remember next time I get the chance to order it without the brie...it's just too rich for me..  

Went to American Diner for lunch in March on the Joy one day and frankly didn't see the value vs. the free burgers at the Local...

 

 

[complawyer]

patrlr. i was just throwing in a little bit of sarcasm vis-a-vis ncl burgers vs. mickey d's, although you must admit, ncl's are still a cut above. still, rememeber in my post, ncl is grilling out dozens of burgers per meal. while it doesnt justify anything, sometimes quality goes by the wayside when quantity is required. 

 

(1) i may be in the minority, but  a burger on any of my cruises, is so far down on my list of priorities or requisites, as to be almost non existent. i dont go on a cruise for a burger, when there are so many other choices  after 25 ncl cruises, i dont think ive bothered to have one of their burgers more than maybe half dozen times, they're usually dried out to the point of being almost

non-edible, so, most of the time i just pass. i did have an o'sheehan's burger   many years ago, and if was really good. for the most part i avoid o'sheehans, as i think their service "sucks" 

 

(2) By the way, and i think this is most important for those of you that dont live in california, we have in and out burgers. "Nuff said"!!!

[podgeandrodge]

6 minutes ago, complawyer said:

patrlr. i was just throwing in a little bit of sarcasm vis-a-vis ncl burgers vs. mickey d's, although you must admit, ncl's are still a cut above. still, rememeber in my post, ncl is grilling out dozens of burgers per meal. while it doesnt justify anything, sometimes quality goes by the wayside when quantity is required. 

 

(1) i may be in the minority, but  a burger on any of my cruises, is so far down on my list of priorities or requisites, as to be almost non existent. i dont go on a cruise for a burger, when there are so many other choices  after 25 ncl cruises, i dont think ive bothered to have one of their burgers more than maybe half dozen times, they're usually dried out to the point of being almost

non-edible, so, most of the time i just pass. i did have an o'sheehan's burger   many years ago, and if was really good. for the most part i avoid o'sheehans, as i think their service "sucks" 

 

(2) By the way, and i think this is most important for those of you that dont live in california, we have in and out burgers. "Nuff said"!!!

A freshly cooked McDonald's quarter pounder would beat the NCL burger hands down. It actually has some texture to it!

 

I'm not talking about the burger suffering from quality due to how many are being grilled. My last one was hot off the grill and horrible, no way was it a 100% beef burger . Bland taste, mush texture. 

 

I will try the American Diner tomorrow and hopefully it will be of quality comparable to Royal's Johnny Rocketts , which at least has fresh ground beef. 

[DCGuy64]

56 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Unfortunately, special orders would not negate the issue with the "meat" -in quotes because I really don't know what to call it!  Burgers in the Local are cooked to order, more or less, as far as I know.  I don't think what they use in the buffet is any different than what they use elsewhere. 

Well, at the risk of stating the obvious, taste is VERY subjective. I happen to like the taste of the burgers, you do not. No one is "right" or "wrong" here, because when it comes to what people do and don't like, there's no such thing. That said, I personally prefer the taste of the burgers at O'Sheehan's over the Garden Café, but the latter, especially when cooked to order, suit me fine. To each his own, I guess.

[julig22]

2 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Well, at the risk of stating the obvious, taste is VERY subjective. I happen to like the taste of the burgers, you do not. No one is "right" or "wrong" here, because when it comes to what people do and don't like, there's no such thing. That said, I personally prefer the taste of the burgers at O'Sheehan's over the Garden Café, but the latter, especially when cooked to order, suit me fine. To each his own, I guess.

Just curious, when was the last time you had one of their burgers?  As I said, they USED to be excellent.  But then they changed what they were using as "meat"  - probably about a year ago, maybe a little longer.  And I've not gone back since, maybe they've gotten enough complaints that they are edible again.

[RB9643]

 

Still trying to figure out why anyone would get a burger on a cruise ship, when there are 1000 other things to try.

 

But then, I'm a hotdog guy, so there you go...

 

 

[DCGuy64]

15 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Just curious, when was the last time you had one of their burgers?  As I said, they USED to be excellent.  But then they changed what they were using as "meat"  - probably about a year ago, maybe a little longer.  And I've not gone back since, maybe they've gotten enough complaints that they are edible again.

December 2022. I had a great, thick, juicy cheeseburger with bacon at O'Sheehan's on the Epic. And later on, a decent burger at the Garden Café, cooked to order. I agree with @complawyer that hamburgers aren't the main thing I eat on a cruise, though. But now and then I get a hankering for a nice burger, and they always seem to hit the spot! ☺️

Edited June 15, 2023 by DCGuy64

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, RB9643 said:

 

Still trying to figure out why anyone would get a burger on a cruise ship, when there are 1000 other things to try.

 

But then, I'm a hotdog guy, so there you go...

 

 

I thought like this too! Then I had three or four days of stuffy food in the restaurant. I wanted simple food. After all, I'm just a simple fat man. Just a nice, simple burger that was tasty and hot. After the first, I realized I should try it in various venues and on different cruises to see if they all are as abysmal as my first. They are, with fleeting exceptions. 

[graphicguy]

I remember talking to the head chef on one of my NCL cruises during a "Meet and Greet".  He said that the steaks, poultry and sundries like burgers were all sourced from fresh only supply houses.  The only proteins frozen were seafood, as they had to be transported from non-local sources.  When someone asked specifically asked about burgers, he said it's 80-20 beef to fat ratio.  So, if you like really lean burgers, you're out of luck on their cruise ships.

 

He said there was no reason for them to freeze any of the beef since they went through all of it very quickly and the only time it would be frozen was on longer cruises.

 

Since it was a 7 day cruise I was on, I'll assume he meant 9+ day cruises.  I would also imagine they restock at the ports they dock.  Probably some difference in suppliers from port to port, too.

 

 

[graphicguy]

6 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I thought like this too! Then I had three or four days of stuffy food in the restaurant. I wanted simple food. After all, I'm just a simple fat man. Just a nice, simple burger that was tasty and hot. After the first, I realized I should try it in various venues and on different cruises to see if they all are as abysmal as my first. They are, with fleeting exceptions. 

Now you're just being modest!!!!!  (j/k)!

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I remember talking to the head chef on one of my NCL cruises during a "Meet and Greet".  He said that the steaks, poultry and sundries like burgers were all sourced from fresh only supply houses.  The only proteins frozen were seafood, as they had to be transported from non-local sources.  When someone asked specifically asked about burgers, he said it's 80-20 beef to fat ratio.  So, if you like really lean burgers, you're out of luck on their cruise ships.

 

He said there was no reason for them to freeze any of the beef since they went through all of it very quickly and the only time it would be frozen was on longer cruises.

 

Since it was a 7 day cruise I was on, I'll assume he meant 9+ day cruises.  I would also imagine they restock at the ports they dock.  Probably some difference in suppliers from port to port, too.

 

 

That makes me even more disappointed. The only type of hamburger I purchase is 80-20! When we grind our own, we try to get it to be 80-20 as well. Not sure if we're successful at that though. Alas, NCL burgers aren't good. But, I'll keep trying, hoping to find the one-offs that I have been able to have (accompanied by lots of condiments, extra cheese, and more)!

[cruiseny4life]

Just now, graphicguy said:

Now you're just being modest!!!!!  (j/k)!

Haha! No humble brag here. 🙂 

[DCGuy64]

80-20 is the right ratio, maybe even 85-15. You have to have *some* fat for there to be any flavor, in my opinion. 90-10 is good if you're trying to avoid fat, but 80-20 is my go-to, and it's usually the cheapest at Safeway! 😂

[julig22]

7 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

December 2022.

I forgot - I did get a burger at the "sports bar" - the Sun's equivalent to the Local - a few weeks ago.  And it tasted like a real burger (even though I forgot to ask for bacon). So it seems like maybe they are back on track!

[mugtech]

Do any NCL ships offer veggie burgers?  Had some on last two Royal Caribbean cruises, available by request, usually a five minute wait.

[graphicguy]

Forgot to mention, O'Sheehans or The Local have really good burgers, too.  Again, you can see them being prepared at the open kitchen.

[justhappy]

53 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

80-20 is the right ratio, maybe even 85-15. You have to have *some* fat for there to be any flavor, in my opinion. 90-10 is good if you're trying to avoid fat, but 80-20 is my go-to, and it's usually the cheapest at Safeway! 😂

Yes! And this is why my favorite cut of steak is a ribeye, the fat helps make it tasty.

[Oakman58]

1 hour ago, RB9643 said:

 

Still trying to figure out why anyone would get a burger on a cruise ship, when there are 1000 other things to try.

 

But then, I'm a hotdog guy, so there you go...

 

 

 

I'm a hotdog guy too, so you can imagine my joy when I was on a Princess ship for the first time and saw they offered a chili dog at their Trident Grill.  You can imagine how disappointed I was in what I was served.  Who in their right mind would call this a chili dog?

[RB9643]

4 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

 

I'm a hotdog guy too, so you can imagine my joy when I was on a Princess ship for the first time and saw they offered a chili dog at their Trident Grill.  You can imagine how disappointed I was in what I was served.  Who in their right mind would call this a chili dog?

 

 

 

 

Good lord! Are those freaking kidney and black beans on a hotdog? Where's the chili?

 

 

[WexIrl]

1 hour ago, RB9643 said:

 

 

 

But then, I'm a hotdog guy, so there you go...

 

 

Funnily enough, I would always rate/judge any chipper/takeaway here on the quality of their burger. I love burgers!

However I have never had one on a NCL cruise, because I discovered the hot dogs in O'Sheehans & The Local and I was sold.

Savage Cabbage!

[Travelicious]

The two times I ate burgers at the American Diner, they were delicious, juicy, and huge.  

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, mugtech said:

Do any NCL ships offer veggie burgers?  Had some on last two Royal Caribbean cruises, available by request, usually a five minute wait.

I believe all NCL ships offer veggie burgers… you can request at the grill at the buffet. I think they are also available from room service and I THINK you can get them at the local/ o’sheehan’s, but not sure.

[DCGuy64]

30 minutes ago, RB9643 said:

 

 

 

 

Good lord! Are those freaking kidney and black beans on a hotdog? Where's the chili?

 

 

Hmm, well that looks like a hotdog with veggie chili on it. (Blech!) But then I'm married to a vegetarian, and she likes vegetarian chili. But that ain't no chili dog I'VE ever seen! Reminds me of the name of the character John Candy played in the movie Space Balls. 😉

Edited June 15, 2023 by DCGuy64

[hallux]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Forgot to mention, O'Sheehans or The Local have really good burgers, too.  Again, you can see them being prepared at the open kitchen.

Yeah, I kind of mentioned that venue back in post 9, I don't think the kitchen is visible on all ships...

Edited June 15, 2023 by hallux

[omahabob]

3 hours ago, julig22 said:

The burgers at O'Sheehans (or Local) used to be really good.  But they changed the meat, as has already been mentioned.  Not sure what the problem is but I found them nearly inedible and I'm not all that picky.  Chalked it up to a fluke the first time, maybe just the supply for that particular ship.  Tried again on my next cruise and still awful.  Haven't gone back.  I go to the buffet and get a chicken breast instead.

I wonder if that's ship specific. We sailed on the Getaway in May, and we loved the burgers at O'Sheehan's.