Help me choose my specialty dining!

[skittl1321]

I am trying to decide between Los Lobos, Food Republic, and Cagneys. I need to pick 2, as I'm not going to shell out for the third.

 

I've read so many reviews that Cagneys is hit or miss, that I was thinking of skipping it; but I really like a nice Filet Mignon, so it seems like a good opportunity.

The other two menus look really good and seem to get great reviews, but are things I can easily (and cheaply) eat at home.

 

I'm a solo, not a super big eater, so don't need a huge meal. I am a little confused what is included with the free at sea dining at each restaurant. I've heard at food republic you get 4 things?  At Los Lobos, I really want the table side guacamole, is that included? Is it entree, appetizer, and dessert? 

[luv2kroooz]

Skip Los Lobos and go to your local, authentic Mexican joint. No value on NCL.

Among the three you listed, I would get the filet at Cagney's 

[skittl1321]

To add a bit of a complication to the decision... just notice Le Bistro has a steak au poivre, which is one of my favorites.

 

So that is now on the list for me to figure out... 

[jemz1949]

You don't mention which ship but if you are asking which I would choose of the three you listed, I would only choose Cagney's.  You might consideras other options Le Bistro, Ocean Blue or Palomar again dependent on what ship you will be sailing and what you like.  I would also skip Moderno and Teppanaki but again those two are just not at the top of my list.  

[bkrickles1]

We loved Los Lobos on Encore and I love Food Republic for lunch and the table side guacamole is included! 

Sailing on Joy in 12 days (no Los Lobos) and we'll be doing Cagney's and Teppenyaki for dinner and I have 2 extra dining credits that I'll use for FR and TBD. 

[sharonann24]

Go to Cagney's and Le Bistro.  We are doing Onda this time on the Prima for my dad but we have never had a bad meal at Le Bistro.  I would not do Mexican or Teppanyaki. Teppanyaki was just too much food that it was not enjoyable.  Moderno is good , but also a ton of food.  Cagney's and Le Bistro are more portion appropriate.

[ggTexasGal]

We have eaten at Los Lobos twice in the past seven months. Once on the Prima last Fall, and on the Bliss in April.  Both times the food at Los Lobos was excellent (despite my own preference to have eaten elsewhere when we booked our restaurants).

My personal take about the restaurants is this: If I am not satisfied with what I choose, I can stop eating what I don't care for, and then go to the Garden Café, or The Local, IF I am still hungry later.

Edited July 11, 2023 by ggTexasGal
spelling error corrected.

[ChiefMateJRK]

It's a crap shoot.  You know that the show will be good at Tepanyaki.  The steak has always been crappy, so I've settled on shrimp and chicken.  The rice will never taste like Benihanas, but it's basically all you can eat (which isn't much for me).  I've had great steaks and crap at Cagney's.  Los Lobos is very popular here, and I can't remember a bad experience.  Food republic is a great stretch for people who aren't solo (which you are).  At the end of the day, just throw a dart.  I would do Los Lobos and Cagney's and hope for the best.  It's just food and there's a lot more on the ship.

[AKR2011]

I highly recommend Los Lobos. The food there is excellent. For tye other meal I would choose either Cagneys or Le Bistro.

[lepidoptera]

28 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

It's a crap shoot.  You know that the show will be good at Tepanyaki.  The steak has always been crappy, so I've settled on shrimp and chicken.  The rice will never taste like Benihanas, but it's basically all you can eat (which isn't much for me).  I've had great steaks and crap at Cagney's.  Los Lobos is very popular here, and I can't remember a bad experience.  Food republic is a great stretch for people who aren't solo (which you are).  At the end of the day, just throw a dart.  I would do Los Lobos and Cagney's and hope for the best.  It's just food and there's a lot more on the ship.

For Tepanyaki when my parents went in March they had switched the steak to sirloin from filet. My parents did not get it, but one of the sailing companions did and it was worse than normal. 

 

Food republic I’ve eaten at as a solo and thought it was still worth it. I got 3 dishes and a dessert, and ate it all. Very good food.

 

If I was choosing I would do Le Bistro and Food Republic. I see in a later post op mentioned steak au poivre-Le Bistro is consistently very good (I always eat there at least 1 time) whereas Cagney has been hit or miss. Or do Le Bistro, Las Lobos and do a few dishes a la carte at food republic for lunch one day. 

[destar]

Another vote for Los Lobos. Between Tepanyaki and Cagneys, I would go for Cagney, you get more bang for your bucks there. Both are just ok for us, but it is hard to please a New Yorker with either of those 2 choices.

[shof515]

i love the show at Tepanyaki and sometimes hate the very noisy environment  there with all of the clingy sounds

 

Cagney is favorite overall even thru it can be hit and miss depending on the ship

[insidecabin]

Our current trip(Dawn) skipped Cagnies and took the steak at La Cucina  very good. 

Bistro was ok.

Los Lobos too much food.

Did a second PAYG to burn some OBC $47

guac, quesadilla, corn was enough with the big bowl of chips.

 

Have loved Food Republic when available.

[European_CruiseGirl]

Which ship? If you have Ocean Blue people are raving about its’ filet mignon. It is much much better than Cagney’s people say. 

[odie1024]

I will also add a vote for Los Lobos, we did a B2B in February, one 11 day and a 7 day and on each leg visited Los Lobos which was excellent. Gauc is made table side and was outstanding as was everything else we had there. You did not mention Le Bistro but highly recommned for escargots, french onion soup and either dover sole or the duck. If there is an Ocean Blue would also recommend. Cagneys is very good but food does vary. I am on the Escape in Septemeber and have selected Cagneys, Le Bistro, Ocean Blue and will book Food Republic once on board to try as we have not eaten there yet. Of course its all personal preference. Enjoy!

[skittl1321]

Oops, forgot to name the ship and most people hide signatures! I am on the Encore, first time on NCL. 

 

Sounds like I should put Le Bistro high on the list.  
I hadn't considered Ocean Blue because I don't do sea food, and I think the entrees and desserts probably put a steak at Le Bistro above Ocean Blue for me.

 

Teppanyaki wasn't really on my list; if I'm getting steak at Le Bistro, then I don't really need to go to do the same on Cagneys.  Now it's just deciding between Los Lobos and Food Republic.  I could honestly do either ala carte and just get a small meal from them out of pocket; but I usually don't spend extra on a cruise (and with solo supplement, this cruise is already getting expensive), so I'd have to just pick one...    

 

Too many choices!!  Thank you all for your opinions!

[RocketMan275]

13 hours ago, lepidoptera said:

If I was choosing I would do Le Bistro and Food Republic. I see in a later post op mentioned steak au poivre-Le Bistro is consistently very good (I always eat there at least 1 time) whereas Cagney has been hit or miss. Or do Le Bistro, Las Lobos and do a few dishes a la carte at food republic for lunch one day. 

 

the menu for Le Bistro on the NCL website doesn't list steak au poivre.  It does list a Filet de Boeuf Rossini which I would never choose since it is topped with foie gras.  

[thedarklord]

Picking two restaurants out of the three you listed, I'd choose Cagneys twice. I know people say it can be hit and miss, but for me it's always been a hit.
Personally, I struggle to choose between the prime rib and the ribeye, so going twice lets me have both!

[BirdTravels]

17 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

I am trying to decide between Los Lobos, Food Republic, and Cagneys. I need to pick 2, as I'm not going to shell out for the third. I've read so many reviews that Cagneys is hit or miss, that I was thinking of skipping it; but I really like a nice Filet Mignon, so it seems like a good opportunity.

The other two menus look really good and seem to get great reviews, but are things I can easily (and cheaply) eat at home. I'm a solo, not a super big eater, so don't need a huge meal. I am a little confused what is included with the free at sea dining at each restaurant. I've heard at food republic you get 4 things?  At Los Lobos, I really want the table side guacamole, is that included? Is it entree, appetizer, and dessert? 

 

It is totally a matter of our taste.

 

You get 1 appetizer, 1 salad/soup, 1 entrée, and 1 dessert at most restaurants. You get any 4 items at Food Republic. At Teppanyaki you get one of their meals. 

 

For us (who cruise on NCL 4-5 times a year), Cagney's is toward the bottom of the list. The food quality and service has been problematic across the fleet. And, there are any number of comparable steak places at home that do a better job. So, for us, it is a "no" to Cagney's. 

 

 

We go to Food Republic for lunch on every cruise.... but it would be great for dinner too!

 

Los Lobos is one of our favorite restaurants. Even if you can't eat all, it is fun and fresh. Guacamole made tableside, Carne Asada are some of our favorites. 

 

 

Le Bistro is our favorite restaurant and you can get a seafood or steak or chicken or duck. 

 

Upcharge for the lobster... which is one of our favorites

 

 

Another restaurant favorite is Teppanyaki. Dinner and a show

 

[skittl1321]

Now I think I am leaning towards Le Bistro and Los Lobos.  I might duck into Food Republic for an ala carte lunch...but I'm pretty cheap and tend to do included meals, so may just need to wait for the next cruise.

 

I think the comments have knocked Cagneys off the list though.  It's so hard to choose!  I guess this is a good problem to have- too much good food.

[bkrickles1]

1 hour ago, skittl1321 said:

Now I think I am leaning towards Le Bistro and Los Lobos.  I might duck into Food Republic for an ala carte lunch...but I'm pretty cheap and tend to do included meals, so may just need to wait for the next cruise.

 

I think the comments have knocked Cagneys off the list though.  It's so hard to choose!  I guess this is a good problem to have- too much good food.

In my opinion, Le Bistro beats Cagney's but my wife doesn't really like any of the entrees at Le Bistro so we do Cagney's which has always been good to very good for us. 

And, I mentioned earlier, we loved Los Lobos! 

[insidecabin]

5 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

Oops, forgot to name the ship and most people hide signatures! I am on the Encore, first time on NCL. 

 

Sounds like I should put Le Bistro high on the list.  
I hadn't considered Ocean Blue because I don't do sea food, and I think the entrees and desserts probably put a steak at Le Bistro above Ocean Blue for me.

 

Teppanyaki wasn't really on my list; if I'm getting steak at Le Bistro, then I don't really need to go to do the same on Cagneys.  Now it's just deciding between Los Lobos and Food Republic.  I could honestly do either ala carte and just get a small meal from them out of pocket; but I usually don't spend extra on a cruise (and with solo supplement, this cruise is already getting expensive), so I'd have to just pick one...    

 

Too many choices!!  Thank you all for your opinions!

As solo become mates with other solos and hope one of the latitude takes you as a guest on their free meals.

 

I maxed out additional dining on encore on the inaugural it was great.

 

Had to do lunches to use all the meals, many were shared as OH did not have the extras.

 

If FR is getting good reviews I would do that over Los Lobos.

[Cruiseguy14]

I have dined at le bistro, Cagney and la cucina. Obviously food is a very personal taste but I’ll give you my two cents. 
 

First it’s my experience that any comparable restaurant on land is better than what you will get at sea. This is not to say that they don’t have good dishes but I’ll take a $50 steak on land over a $50 steak at cagneys. This might sound obvious but I think it’s important in your decision making. 
 

With this in mind, think about your offshore experiences and how they might affect your experience. If you live near a great steak house you frequent maybe you choose Le Bistro bc French food is less readily available. That’s usually why I choose Le Bistro.

 

I think all the speciality restaurants are comparable. None of them will be the best of that cuisine that you ever had on land but it will be a solid meal. Don’t stress over the decision that much bc your probably not missing out on much.

[JandC_Cruising]

@skittl1321  Based on what you have said, I would suggest Le Bistro as one.   In our experience they have a better steak than Cagney's.  There is an upcharge for their Filet with Fios Gras, but I think you can ask for it without the Fios and avoid the upcharge (sorry if I'm wrong on that front).  You will be able to order One Appetizer, One Soup or Salad, One Entree, and One Dessert.  More than enough food I'm sure.

I would then suggest Food Republic over Los Lobos.  While the guacamole is good and fresh, everything else was just fine in our mind and nothing better than a chain Mexican restaurant.

Food Republic has a HUGE variety of foods (dumplings, sushi, noodles, skewers, etc.).  You can pick any four dishes  and typically that is enough for two of us to share for dinner.  

Enjoy!

[schmoopie17]

I'm still talking about the filet I had in Le Bistro on the Bliss in 2019. Much better than anything I've had at Cagney's...and I thought Cagney's was pretty good (until then).

Edited July 15, 2023 by schmoopie17