What food items did you like best at Q barbeque. Example Brisket vs short ribs- Best desert to order---

[Jetswdo]

Looking over menu choices for an upcomng cruise.  I'd like to know the highlights of the various specalty restaurants starting with Q-- How is the brisket vs short ribs-  Deserts look fab--- But if yu could pick just one, which would it be?

[ggTexasGal]

Sadly, Qs brisket was overly salty and fatty for us.  Sides were blah.  We skipped desserts!

[vacation44]

31 minutes ago, Jetswdo said:

Looking over menu choices for an upcomng cruise.  I'd like to know the highlights of the various specalty restaurants starting with Q-- How is the brisket vs short ribs-  Deserts look fab--- But if yu could pick just one, which would it be?

Looking forward to the replies.   We have been on the Joy twice and never tried this restaurant.   However, we plan to try it next June as all of the young adults in our party (eight in total) like county music and want to eat there one night.   

[FLAHAM]

In my experience, this has been the most disappointing of the specialty restaurants.  Food Republic was among the best.

[lihoney]

We got the pit master platter. We liked it, especially the brisket. It was a lot of food.

[BirdTravels]

We went to Q once and have avoided it since. You really can’t get a good BBQ when there is no open flame on a cruise ship. 
 

And, on the newer ships, NCL has actually turned Q into a complimentary restaurant. 

[MacGuffin3]

9 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

You really can’t get a good BBQ when there is no open flame on a cruise ship. 

How do they cook everything? Salamanders?

[dobiemom]

I love Q Texas Smokehouse. 😋 I usually get the Deviled Eggs, Pitmaster Platter, Banana Pudding or Peach Cobbler. And I think they have a smoky peach margarita. 😋

Edited July 23, 2023 by dobiemom

[Coastalbreezes]

There's little I don't like at Q although the meats are always hit or miss. I've had delicious brisket and ribs but also had too dry brisket and ribs.I do enjoy the deviled eggs, the cornbread and the bread pudding or brownie for dessert.

[njkate]

BLAH, food is not great after trying twice we just sat at bar with drink to listen to the music

[iluvthe-c]

We are looking forward to the Q most, of all the dining venues on our next Joy cruise.  We have eaten there twice.  Their cornbread is delicious.  My favorite dessert is the pecan pie and DH's is Bread Pudding.  Don't let the tiny serving size of sides that come with the main course disappoint you.  They are all good but you'd have to be rolled out of there if they gave you more.  Two of us shared 1 specialty dining credit and were still unable to finish the meal.

The vibe is fun - especially if you are country music fans!  And the smoked peach margarita is delicious.

[JandC_Cruising]

Our last cruise on the Joy we went twice in large part to just share some food and listen to the live music (which was great, btw).  

The first time we got the Platter.  The brisket was too salty, but the other meats were good, especially the Chicken and Sausages.  

There is a lot of food, so the 2nd time we went we just split a salad, the chicken with sides, and the peach cobbler.

We would not go there and burn two specialty meals there however. 

 

[Jetswdo]

Ok, so I guess we will try the brisket- skip the short ribs-- We don't eat pork, so the platter there won't work for us. I'm sure Q won't taste as good as our regular and land restaurants, but we would like to try it just the same.

 

We are planning on doing Food Republic for lunch on sea day-- How is the terriyaki chicken and the beef?  I don't eat sushi, but my husband does.  Are the deserts worth having.  If so which would be your favorite?

[Coffeeluvr05]

Our family went to Q one night just for dessert and everyone but me had the brownie thing. I had the banana pudding and it was delicious! Their desserts are huge. I couldn’t finish it by myself. I guess the brownie thing was pretty awesome too. 

[EngrJones]

I tried that platter with some of everything.  I liked nothing.  I doubt I'll ever return (except to sit in the bar area and listen to live music).

[BirdTravels]

19 hours ago, MacGuffin3 said:

How do they cook everything? Salamanders?

Stick it in the oven. Slather in BBQ sauce. 

[davencl]

Went once. Won't go again. Entertainment was good, BBQ meat was dry and tasteless(full disclosure: I've had dry and tasteless at land based restaurants). Smoked it is not.  Sides were fine and desert was great.  However if you've never been you should try it regardless of the reviews.

Edited July 24, 2023 by davencl

[MacGuffin3]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Stick it in the oven. Slather in BBQ sauce. 

Just big electric ovens?  Are they allowed to call it "Barbeque" without fire or smoke?  There must be some sort of law against that, it sounds like bbq blasphemy.

[debenson0723]

3 hours ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

Our family went to Q one night just for dessert and everyone but me had the brownie thing. I had the banana pudding and it was delicious! Their desserts are huge. I couldn’t finish it by myself. I guess the brownie thing was pretty awesome too. T

We did that sometimes too.  I will order the deviled eggs, spicy peach margarita and banana pudding, paying out of pocket (or using OBC). So happy that Q is now complimentary at the Indulge Food Hall but I do miss that banana pudding!

[ggTexasGal]

9 hours ago, davencl said:

Went once. Won't go again. Entertainment was good, BBQ meat was dry and tasteless(full disclosure: I've had dry and tasteless at land based restaurants). Smoked it is not.  Sides were fine and desert was great.  However if you've never been you should try it regardless of the reviews.

Yes, despite my experience, I do think it's worth trying again.

[cruiseny4life]

In March we were on Joy. Here's what I wrote in that review about Q.

******************

Q Texas Smokehouse

I was a tad bit worried about this one. How good can BBQ be without smoke and flame?

 

 

We had a 5:45 PM reservation. When we entered we discovered "The Wanted" were slated to start playing at 6:30. We thought about eating quick and getting out of there, but then some friends of ours came in and sat with us. We just dealt with the music. It was tough! Lots of Jimmy Buffet, Beach Boys, Zac Brown Band, Billy Currington, and some much older songs I haven't heard.

 

I loved it! The music was great! Funny thing. I grew up in rural, central New York. About twenty minutes from where I live now. My mom loved country music and music from the 70's and 80's. I was the kind of child that hated what his mom enjoyed. Welp...after five years in Montana, I've learned to appreciate country. Not the twangy Reba country, but the proud strokes of Zac Brown Band, the lovely pipes of Caroline Jones, and a few others. The country in the middle of nowhere Gulf of Mexico was quite grand, with an added bonus of them not playing it too loudly. Just don't try to make me like music from the 70's and 80's.

 

 

FOOD!! That's why we're here. Not music.

 

First, I did try the Smoked Peach Margarita. A couple of them. So, I guess my mention above that I didn't try other bars onboard was wrong. I did try the bar here. It was a good margarita, though I was a little scared of it. Most nights that start with tequila, end with me not remembering most of the evening. I stopped myself after two, plus a cosmopolitan. Thankfully, I do remember the evening!

 

Oh, right. Food. Here we go!

 

He tried the loaded fries. I'd rate these as better than those at Food Republic, but the actual meat portion was still just...well a couple bites. Oh NCL.

 

Maple bacon deviled eggs. Yum! Very good. The filling of the eggs is better than the filling of the eggs offered as an appetizer in the Haven Restaurant. Probably more normal person, than elite out of touch Havener ingredients. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate loving the Haven?

 

We both got the Pitmaster Platter which supposedly comes with a 1/4 pound each of brisket, pork spare ribs, smoked chicken, and sausage. I'm glad I wasn't paying $32 for this. Look at those two ounce, not four ounce side cups. The portion of cornbread was ok, but it was dry and sweet. We all know real, southern cornbread ain't sweet! It's a very northern version of cornbread. Not quite Texas, here. I'd normally say not-Texas is good, but not in this case.

 

The sausages were tasty. I'd have preferred them not cut down the middle to retain the juices as they were cooked, but I'm sure they aren't as efficient to cook in that manner. The chicken was...well, it was juicy and cooked well. It had virtually no taste though. I had to load up on the sauce. The best part of BBQ is the sauces are always readily available for items that need it. Unfortunately, the pork spareribs and brisket needed a lot of sauce too.

 

Don't get me wrong. The food was good. It's about what I expected. I'm glad we tried it out. I'd probably go again, with a dining package. Not a la carte.

 

We ordered one side each. These were included. Onion rings and macaroni and cheese. They were both mediocre. Better than the buffet. Unfortunately I love mac and cheese. Give me some creamy, oven baked goodness with lots of extra sharp cheddar and noodles. I'd be in heaven. Let's just say, I was in purgatory. Not hell. Not heaven. But, it was good.

 

Take home banana pudding.

 

 

After I removed the meringue, the pudding was excellent. I wish it had some soaked in the puddin' Nilla wafers and a few more bananas, but it was good. I was surprised by how good it was. Not too sweet. Just right. Yum!

[NillaB]

Would it be possible to go there just for a dessert - maybe sitting at the bar?

I'll be on the Joy if that matters.

[gmbhardy]

On 8/12/2023 at 1:16 AM, NillaB said:

Would it be possible to go there just for a dessert - maybe sitting at the bar?

I'll be on the Joy if that matters.

Yes. I go there just for the pecan pie.

[NillaB]

37 minutes ago, gmbhardy said:

Yes. I go there just for the pecan pie.

Yes! Pecan pie 😀