Best Specialty Restaurant Food 2024

[The Traveling Man]

On 2/21/2024 at 5:53 PM, poona1 said:

Hey cruisers..I'll be sailing on the Getaway to Bermuda soon. To those who have eaten at the Specialty restaurants, what particular food item was really appetizing given how much ncl has cut back...

 

I have booked Le Bistro and I have 2 more platinum rewards specialty restaurants yet to book so I was wondering which is truly worth it for the taste!!

 

Not too crazy for the meat quality in Moderno and not interested in Teppanyaki as I'm solo...any further recommendations, Thanks!

Food preferences are subjective, but here's my two cents worth. 

 

I don't care for the food served in Q restaurant.  Good BBQ needs to be smoked slowly over low heat.  NCL cooks it hot and quick, so the flavor and texture just aren't the same. 

 

Teppanyaki lost a lot of patrons when they cut the quality of the steak, but I'm still a fan because I usually order shrimp, scallops, and calamari.  They do a great job with those, the food could not be served any fresher, and the chefs put on an entertaining show. 

 

Le Bistro used to be my go to choice on every NCL cruise.  I still go their sometimes, but it no longer is my first choice.  They used to offer a great pepper steak as well as rack of lamb.  I always chose the Napoleon for dessert.  They have either eliminated or changed so many menu items that it's tough to find something I like.  About the only things left which I like are the Dover Sole and Lobster Thermidor, which are delicious, but the Lobster costs extra.

 

There's plenty to choose in Ocean Blue if you enjoy seafood.

 

I've cut back on my visits to Moderno lately, mostly because the chefs seem to think that garlic is the only spice in their pantry.  A little garlic is fine, but I think they overuse it.  We did dine there a couple of nights ago on the Pearl.  The Filet Mignon was perfect, but several other cuts of meat were overcooked, some were actually burned to a crisp.  The salad bar, though, is absolutely the best on the ship.  It might even be worth to price for a vegetarian.  Skip the meat and enjoy the salad.

 

I had a couple of bad experiences in Cagney's with poor service and less than sterling quality food.  Then I tried their Grilled Fisherman's Platter.  I haven't bothered ordering steak in Cagney's since then.  A couple of years ago they changed the menus in most of the restaurants, which meant that Cagney's now offers the lamb chops that I used to love in Le Bistro.

 

Le Bistro has often been compared to Olive Garden.  The pasta offerings leave much to be desired, but once on the Epic I had the best steak I've ever had (at least on board a ship) in La Cucina.

[Grandmafreddie]

What was wrong with lamb going on grttaway and was going to order it. Usually get prime rib 

[ggTexasGal]

On 2/24/2024 at 5:39 PM, The Traveling Man said:

Le Bistro has often been compared to Olive Garden.  The pasta offerings leave much to be desired, but once on the Epic I had the best steak I've ever had (at least on board a ship) in La Cucina.

In what way does Le Bistro (French) compare to Olive Garden?

La Cucina pasta ...maybe?!!!  🤔

[Panhandle Couple]

In Dec I had the pork chop at Le Bistro, and it was very good.

 

Later that month, on the Breakaway, I had the pork chop in Cagney's.  It was also very good.  Both are very large and thick, and were served at right temp and juicyness. 

 

Personally, I can make better steak at home than Cagney's (and most any other up scale steak house I eaten at in the last 5 years). 

 

I miss the pork Osso Bucco in La Cucina.  I'm not a fan of lamb, which took it's place.

 

Veal seems to have disappeared in a lot of places, including NCL.  I had some really good veal parm last week locally.

 

  

[poona1]

Is it still true to avoid seafood beyond the second day as they only replenish at the start and the quality decays over time?

 

This is my main reason I avoid Ocean Blue or any other seafood late into the cruise..

unless they replenish their supplies at every couple of stops which I doubt?

[zqvol]

8 hours ago, poona1 said:

Is it still true to avoid seafood beyond the second day as they only replenish at the start and the quality decays over time?

 

This is my main reason I avoid Ocean Blue or any other seafood late into the cruise..

unless they replenish their supplies at every couple of stops which I doubt?

It’s all frozen and thawed as needed 

[The Traveling Man]

18 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

In what way does Le Bistro (French) compare to Olive Garden?

La Cucina pasta ...maybe?!!!  🤔

Sorry, sometimes I remember to look over my text before submitting it, but sometimes I get my tongue caught in front of my eye teeth so I can't see what I'm saying.  Yes, of course I meant La Cucina, not Le Bistro.  Thanks for catching that.

[The Traveling Man]

9 hours ago, poona1 said:

Is it still true to avoid seafood beyond the second day as they only replenish at the start and the quality decays over time?

That should not be a concern.  Virtually all the seafood brought on board arrives frozen.  It is thawed one day at a time.

[davencl]

On 2/24/2024 at 3:39 PM, The Traveling Man said:

There's plenty to choose in Ocean Blue if you enjoy seafood.

 

I had a couple of bad experiences in Cagney's with poor service and less than sterling quality food.  Then I tried their Grilled Fisherman's Platter.  I haven't bothered ordering steak in Cagney's since then. 

 

 

The best steak I've ever had was in Ocean Blue.  Go figure...  🙂 

[Karaboudjan]

2 hours ago, davencl said:

The best steak I've ever had was in Ocean Blue.  Go figure...  🙂 

 

I think the best steak my wife has had was at La Cucina.

 

The osso buco at La Cucina was one of my favorite meals.

[The Traveling Man]

4 hours ago, davencl said:

The best steak I've ever had was in Ocean Blue.  Go figure...  🙂 

And some of the best seafood I've had on an NCL ship was in Cagney's.  My best NCL steak was in La Cucina on the Epic, while the five-pepper steak in Le Bistro (no longer on the menu) ranks a close second.  Cagney's is a bit further down the list.

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, Karaboudjan said:

The osso buco at La Cucina was one of my favorite meals.

I only had it once before it was removed from the menu.  It was delicious.

[Karaboudjan]

55 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

I only had it once before it was removed from the menu.  It was delicious.

 

It's gone? 😬 I have not been there for a couple of years, but I saw it was still on the sample menu.

[Seas2mountains]

On 2/22/2024 at 9:44 AM, cruiser2015 said:

Brownies for cookies? Sounds like a good swap for my taste.

But, they took away our cookies on the Bliss and I don't remember seeing a single brownie in 15 days.

I guess the fleet is scattered regarding these modifications.

 

On 2/22/2024 at 12:38 PM, vacation44 said:

There were no brownies last week on the Encore.    

I agree about NCL not being consistent with what is served.
 

Here are the brownies we found in the buffet on the Gem around mid-afternoon over President’s Day weekend.  We did not try one. 
 

The cookies still made an appearance in the Haven/suite lounge in the Port of Miami and also in the Haven pool area each day. They are too dry and crunchy for me. 

[stinkyharriet]

9 hours ago, davencl said:

The best steak I've ever had was in Ocean Blue.  Go figure...  🙂 

I ordered steak in Ocean Blue last month.  I was not disappointed.  

[Seas2mountains]

19 hours ago, poona1 said:

Is it still true to avoid seafood beyond the second day as they only replenish at the start and the quality decays over time?

 

This is my main reason I avoid Ocean Blue or any other seafood late into the cruise..

unless they replenish their supplies at every couple of stops which I doubt?

We have had Ocean Blue on the first and last night of the cruise and have not noticed a difference in quality. We honestly thought the seafood was all probably frozen anyways. 
 

I would recommend it for one of your choices. It is a favorite of ours and was also for our son and his fiancée, too, when we were on the Escape last summer. (They call it Bayamo on Escape but it is the same menu.)
 

Ocean Blue recommendations. 
 

Appetizer - Blazing Shrimp

Soups/Salads - all good choices 

 

Entree - Fisherman’s platter especially if it is a good catch of the day. My husband likes it fried and I like it grilled. 
 

Sadly the Brussels sprouts are no longer available to order as a side. 
 

Here are some photos. The bread was really good, too. 
 

It was a bonus to be able to sit outside on the waterfront the first night. 

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

It's gone? 😬 I have not been there for a couple of years, but I saw it was still on the sample menu.

It wasn't available the last time I went to La Cucina , about a year ago, but it may be back now.  Not sure.  YMMV.

[Seas2mountains]

On 2/21/2024 at 7:35 PM, complawyer said:

the lobster thermidor in le bistro is to die for. worth the extra $25.00 upcharge. french onion soup and escargo are both great. 

 

Thank you for the recommendation. I’m going to try the Lobster Thermidor in about two weeks. My husband usually gets the Sea Bass and I usually get the Dover Sole and we have found it to be consistently good on all ships.

 

The Filet de Boeuf is also good and it’s fun to try to say it with a French accent. 
 

We love the escargot, too, and our granddaughter loves the French Onion Soup. 
 

The Marquis au Chocolat (second photo from end) is amazing if you have room for dessert. The shape is quite interesting and we’ve had servers laugh about it and my husband makes jokes about it every time I order it. 
 

I also like the Frazier for dessert. 

[poona1]

OP here..Thanks so much for the pics, Seas2mountains..looks real appetizing...

I originally wanted to choose Cagneys for its value and the ribeye but seems like many posters have confirmed that the meat quality is lacking...

 

I might go with Ocean Blue this time around and enjoy the sunset on the Waterfront..

 

BTW, can anyone educate me on the quality of a frozen seafood...cuz a frozen lobster or sea bass doesn't sound too great

[cruiser2015]

11 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

 

I agree about NCL not being consistent with what is served.
 

Here are the brownies we found in the buffet on the Gem around mid-afternoon over President’s Day weekend.  We did not try one. 
 

The cookies still made an appearance in the Haven/suite lounge in the Port of Miami and also in the Haven pool area each day. They are too dry and crunchy for me. 

Oooh!

I want to plant my flag on that mountain of brownies.

Now, where is that ice cream scoop station...😋

[Andy0215]

All of this probably has been mentioned but here is my take just off epic this past Sunday.
 

Cagneys was good. We both had fillet and they were good and both were prepared medium as we ask. The whole meal was just…good. It wasn’t great. 
 

Moderno was not good. The only that keeps me from saying awful is the salad bar WAS great. The meat however was the worst I have ever had in a Brazilian steak house. Everyone around me seemed to love it though according to comments I heard made to their servers. The bacon wrapped chicken was very good. The other cuts were not. Unfortunately for me the worst was the picanha. That’s usually my favorite at any Brazilian place and it was impossible to cut and had absolutely zero flavor. Even the simple sausages had weird consistency and just didn’t taste good. We barely got “one round” of meats and left for other options.

 

Teppanyaki was average. The rice and chicken was pretty good. The steak was a subpar cut of meat and again did not have much flavor. The service in both teppanyaki and Moderno were very bad. Unfriendly at moderno and not enough of em at Teppanyaki. We had empty drinks for probably half of our meal. (Only came to offer a refill one time at basically the end of the meal when we got their attention)

 

All that being said we had one other specialty voucher we didn’t even use due to our experience in the other 3. We felt we had better options elsewhere. 

[fmrlkr]

On our recent Joy cruise we ate at Cagneys, La Cucina, Ocean Blue and Le Bistro.  After several attempts, I am giving up on Cagneys.  The best part of the meal was the creamed spinach, the potatos au gratin and the OMG cheesecake.  The filet and Blue cheese ravioli in La Cucina was a better steak.   Love the carbonara.  The duck at LeBistro was terrific and escargot!!  We also loved Ocean Blue, scallops and pork belly, enough said.

  

I do miss the old osso bucco at La Cucina, it is now lamb shanks.  The older version had the bone marrow.