Which restaurants are MUST EATS and which to SKIP?

[stooken]

Can anyone that has already cruised comment on this? The menus look great but then looks can be deceiving.

[jsinohio]

Can anyone that has already cruised comment on this? The menus look great but then looks can be deceiving.

 

 

The menus are already available for online viewing? Mind sharing where you found those? :)

[UK_Cruiser]

The menus are already available for online viewing? Mind sharing where you found those? :)

 

 

Here http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1232127&highlight=menus

[david_sobe]

Someone posted all the menus online a week or so ago. If you scroll back a few days you will find them.

They all look great to me. I have never had a bad meal on a cruise. I think it is what you like to eat should dictate your choice sicne there are so many different kind of restaurants.

 

I have eaten at Cagneys on several NCL ships. It is always the best steak you will ever eat. I cruised with someone from Argentina in January and they are very picky with steak and they loved Cagneys as much as me. It is worth the $25 cover charge because you are getting a $45 meal easy (with appetizer and dessert).

[UK_Cruiser]

Someone posted all the menus online a week or so ago. If you scroll back a few days you will find them.

They all look great to me. I have never had a bad meal on a cruise. I think it is what you like to eat should dictate your choice sicne there are so many different kind of restaurants.

 

I have eaten at Cagneys on several NCL ships. It is always the best steak you will ever eat. I cruised with someone from Argentina in January and they are very picky with steak and they loved Cagneys as much as me. It is worth the $25 cover charge because you are getting a $45 meal easy (with appetizer and dessert).

 

You ever eaten in Johnny Rockets on RCI cruises ?

 

Disgusting muck

[jsinohio]

Here http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1232127&highlight=menus

 

 

Thank you!!!

[DMorris]

This is just my opinion... but I didn't care for the Mexican or French restaurants on NCL... I loved Cagney's and the Italian. In October I am doing Cirque, Moderno, Cagney's, Italian and Tappenyaki.

 

Cagney's is amazing... the juiciest and most melt in your mouth steak I have ever had.

[UK_Cruiser]

This is just my opinion... but I didn't care for the Mexican or French restaurants on NCL... I loved Cagney's and the Italian. In October I am doing Cirque, Moderno, Cagney's, Italian and Tappenyaki.

 

Cagney's is amazing... the juiciest and most melt in your mouth steak I have ever had.

 

 

I'm going to be brave and try the Escargot in Le Bistro !

[DMorris]

I'm going to be brave and try the Escargot in Le Bistro !

 

I will say the Escargot was the only thing I loved at Le Bistro... YUM!!! I do love a good Escargot with alot of garlic. You will enjoy it. I didn't care for the other items.

[Quincella]

This is just my opinion... but I didn't care for the Mexican or French restaurants on NCL... I loved Cagney's and the Italian. In October I am doing Cirque, Moderno, Cagney's, Italian and Tappenyaki.

 

Cagney's is amazing... the juiciest and most melt in your mouth steak I have ever had.

Which brings us back to the ubiquitous "food is subjective." ;)

 

I happen to love Le Bistro! Cagney's is very good, but certainly not the best steak I've ever had (or even close), so I doubt I'll be paying extra to go back there again.

 

I agree with you on the Mexican, but I also didn't find the Teppenyaki to be anything special (it's just like any land-based hibachi) or Italian (also the same as any land-based Italian).

 

I MAY try Moderno, just because it's different but then again I've been to several churrascaria-style restaurants and I'm not sure this will be "outstanding" enough in its class to warrant an extra fee. I'll also definitely be booking Cirque Dreams and Dinner, not because I think the food will be so much better but because the overall experience is new and different.

 

I happen to like the MDR food just fine, although I do admit I think the quality in the specialties to be better. Just not better enough to warrant the extra fee for me, except in Le Bistro.

 

I will also say that if you live in a place where you can't get a decent steak, or haven't done hibachi or churrascaria or whatever, you can't go wrong here. NCL does very well with their specialty dining. For sure.

[DMorris]

Which brings us back to the ubiquitous "food is subjective." ;)

 

I happen to love Le Bistro! Cagney's is very good, but certainly not the best steak I've ever had (or even close), so I doubt I'll be paying extra to go back there again.

 

I agree with you on the Mexican, but I also didn't find the Teppenyaki to be anything special (it's just like any land-based hibachi) or Italian (also the same as any land-based Italian).

 

I MAY try Moderno, just because it's different but then again I've been to several churrascaria-style restaurants and I'm not sure this will be "outstanding" enough in its class to warrant an extra fee. I'll also definitely be booking Cirque Dreams and Dinner, not because I think the food will be so much better but because the overall experience is new and different.

 

I happen to like the MDR food just fine, although I do admit I think the quality in the specialties to be better. Just not better enough to warrant the extra fee for me, except in Le Bistro.

 

I will also say that if you live in a place where you can't get a decent steak, or haven't done hibachi or churrascaria or whatever, you can't go wrong here. NCL does very well with their specialty dining. For sure.

 

I agree... food is very subjective. What I like someone else may not and vice versa... you have valid points though. Myself I don't worry about the extra fees... don't mind paying them on vacations really.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Can anyone that has already cruised comment on this? The menus look great but then looks can be deceiving.

 

Stooken, food is soooooo subjective. Some people love something and others will "hate" it.

 

Having posted that disclaimer I ate at the following specialty restaurants on the Epic:

 

1. Moderno - NCL's version of Texas de Brazil.

 

LOVED the decor and the service was FANTASTIC. Food was good, non-stop and I thought their salad bar, which they share with Cagney's quite well. This is a highly recommended/must do, in my opinion

 

2. Teppanyki - My first experience with this one on land or sea. Waiters and service was very good. Our chef was ok but the show was less than what I saw other chef's doing (minor point). I just thought there was too much garlic for my tastes (and I LIKE garlic). I wouldn't do this one again.

 

3. La Cucina - The Italian restaurant. This is located in the forward part of the ship. We had a table by the window and watched pods of dolphins swimming. I loved the decor as well. The service was fantastic as well. The food - well we ordered a little of everything and my wife and I both LOVED their pizza because it reminded us of the pizza we had in Rome. I would do this again just for the atmosphere and the pizza alone!

[david_sobe]

Someone posted all the menus online a week or so ago. If you scroll back a few days you will find them.

They all look great to me. I have never had a bad meal on a cruise. I think it is what you like to eat should dictate your choice sicne there are so many different kind of restaurants.

 

I have eaten at Cagneys on several NCL ships. It is always the best steak you will ever eat. I cruised with someone from Argentina in January and they are very picky with steak and they loved Cagneys as much as me. It is worth the $25 cover charge because you are getting a $45 meal easy (with appetizer and dessert).

LOL NO

I would not eat at Johnny Rockets on a cruise ship. I like to eat at places at sea that I dont have on land. RCI can put in a McDonalds and I would eat their either.

I guess for some Johnny Rockets is fun but if you wanted a burger, I am sure another restaurant on the ship would be alot better.

What I was talking about was any cruise ship restaurant (not fast food) I have eaten at has great food with great presentation. And I am a picky eater too ;)

[UK_Cruiser]

LOL NO

I would not eat at Johnny Rockets on a cruise ship. I like to eat at places at sea that I dont have on land. RCI can put in a McDonalds and I would eat their either.

I guess for some Johnny Rockets is fun but if you wanted a burger, I am sure another restaurant on the ship would be alot better.

What I was talking about was any cruise ship restaurant (not fast food) I have eaten at has great food with great presentation. And I am a picky eater too ;)

 

 

We dont have Johnny Rockets in the UK and there really aren't that many dining options onboard RCI ships as there are on NCL ships. Nowhere near in fact.

[CaptData]

Same here no Johnny Rockets here. I found if you go when they are rushed then it is not as good as waiting a little. Breakfast there was good.

[Oldsweets]

I think is a perfect example of different strokes for different folks regarding what people like or don't like. We love the Mexican and dislike the Italian while find that Cagney's is good and Asian Fusion isn't. We travel with large groups often and even within our groups we have many who disagree with what I just wrote. It is worth your time to case each of these places and get a feel for the place. Lastly, keep in mind that the staff make a world of difference and can change the feel of a place from trip to trip. We were on Spirit in Jan and had some very poor service in some restaurants and just got off the Spirit again in July and it was like we were on a different ship the service had improved so much.

[stooken]

Thanks everyone!

 

I agree, food is subjective but if a lot of the reviews are bad for a certain restaurant then I won't waste my time wanting to try it. You can like/dislike certain foods but how they cook it can really change things.

 

Cagney's sounds like it's going to be on the top of my list.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Thanks everyone!

 

I agree, food is subjective but if a lot of the reviews are bad for a certain restaurant then I won't waste my time wanting to try it.

 

 

I'd be really surprised if any of the speciality restaurants on the Epic were rated anything below good. The hardest problem you'll have is choosing which one(s) to do.

[sdmike]

Moderno = meat coma. I can't wait. :)

[Arubamoose]

Since we are going on the cruise with my vegetarian AND vegan 20-something daughters - we sure will not be doing Cagney's! Plus we have been to much better steak houses elsewhere (The Old Homestead, Smith and Wolinsky to name a few) - and we've been disappointed at Cagney's twice before. May sneak away to try Moderno - just because. But we will wait to compare it to Texas de Brazil which we love (and our daughters love it too for the salad bar). Will not do Teppanyaki - better hibachi places on land - not for $25. We will do sushi and asian - easy choices to eat as a family but I know it will not compare to NYC Chinatown. Will do La Cucina for the same reason although we cook WAY better Italian ourselves. And we will most likely do Le Bistro - did it on the Dawn and it was awesome - did it on the Sun and it was good. I am a sucker for escargot.

 

So - yes - LeBistro, La Cucina, Sushi, Asian. Maybe - Italian, Moderno. No - Cagney's, Teppanyaki.

 

Definately - all the FREE places.

[ukbecky]

In our last 21 days on NCL, we've only eaten in the MDR once.

 

We usually like the Asian fusion but didn't feel Shanghai's was worth it on Epic( it wasn't as good as on other ships)

My teenagers liked the Noodle Bar

Wasabi(sushi) very good.

Won't be doing Teppanyaki again(feel it has reached 'overpriced' category)

La Cucina is decent

Le Bistro is dependable

Cagney's is ok/good - I find it inconsistent

O'Sheehans wings aren't as good as I remember from Blue Lagoon but really loved the space

 

Moderno was GREAT and our favorite

[Let'sGoNow]

My sister just came back from a RCCI cruise and she said Johnny Rockets was awful.

 

On my last NCL cruise, the Bistro was very good! Unfortunately, I was seasick (rough storm at sea) and couldn't enjoy my entire meal. I am looking forward to eating at the Bistro on the Epic.

[Egret32]

Except the Teppanki--because we can do this locally any time. We did sushi twice for lunch and it was fab. Lots of super fresh sushi for $16 for 2 of us, including miso soup and a brilliant dessert of a green tea cake and green tea ice cream. The noodle bar for lunch was fine, but probably not worth it.

 

Moderno was the big hit. Each meat was succulent and personally we preferred to Cagney's. They had family style veggies including rice and beans. Now the beans were not the correct Brazilian mix, but the Brazilian chef was coming on in NY. For vegans--they had a most delicious salad bar with pricey items like hearts of palm and great mushrooms etc. A vegan could get her money's worth with these items with careful picking. You will never have better lamb chops, steaks, ribs etc--and as much as you can eat and cheaper than Cagney's.

 

Le Bistro was so good we wanted to go back again, but the time slots were wrong. Wonderful foie gras and generous and we loved everything. We do like French food very much anyway and felt the price was fine.

(They made their money on our wine.)

 

La Cucina was fine for price and Italian. We especially like the location forward.

 

Had fine meals at Taste and Manhattan Room including lobster tail at Taste.

 

There was not a meal we didn't like!

[sjbdtz]

On the TA we ate at:

 

Moderno

Cagneys (twice)

Le Bistro

Wasabi

Teppanyaki

Sushi Bar

Epic Club

La Cucina

Garden Cafe

the outdoor version of Garden Cafe (used to be Great outdoors...not sure what it was called on EPIC)

O'Sheehans (my least-favorite meal)

Casino

 

 

We didn't eat at either Taste or Manhattan Room, although we heard they were quite good.

 

We were fully prepared to eat at the Courtyard Grill, but it wasn't open due to the weather.

 

We also ate at the Spiegel Tent twice (Once for MurderMystery, the other time for Cirque Dreams)

 

And we had treats delivered to our suite....so we ate there, too

 

 

 

So by my count, that's 17 venues where we could have eaten, at dinner.....depending on whether we had a big lunch, and depending on how hungry we were.

[LSauls7537]

We're going to try everyone we can on 9-11, will let you know....can't believe we found another cruiser from St. Cloud!

 

Linda and Lou

St Cloud, FL