Favorite restaurant on Allure

[edeneyes]

So far, Chops. We each had a wonderful steak and too much food to eat for one meal. The service was excellent.

[Booking It]

Our favorite place to eat was actually the Boardwalk Dog House. Just for a quick Smokehouse brat, but it was delicious!

 

Our favorite place at night was the Aqua Theatre. When they weren't showing Ocean Aria, they had movies. It was so great to sit under the stars with the warm, salty breeze from the ocean while drinking vodka and eating popcorn. If there wasn't a movie, we would take cards or a travel game and play there. It was the perfect spot to hear the ocean and see the wake.

[shipshape sam]

What is your favorite restaurant on Allure??

Me, never been on it but I am excited to try Samba Grill.

 

Also where is/was your favorite place to hang out in the evening?

Me, will probably be the casino. :rolleyes:

 

Samba's was our favorite Speciality Restaurant. We went back a second time. We actually tried all Speciality Restaurants on this cruise. Ate in MDR once on formal night and being wedged into a wall of tables for two was not a good thing.

 

Our least favorite was a tie between Chops which was dark and unappealing and 150 Central Park which served sample portions, at least for me. :)

 

We did also try Chef's Table and it was great. There were only 12 of us and we even did things with the other couples afterwards during the rest of the cruise. The wine flowed and we felt it the next morning too. :)

[Gonzo70]

On my Allure cruise last year I managed to hit all the food venues; here are excerpts from my review that pertain to the restaurants:

 

We had a fun time hitting all 26 venues.

 

150 Central Park: This was a highlight of the cruise. Chef Molly Brandt was onboard for the first few days of the cruise to roll out the new menus. My wife and I dined there for both menus and had a wonderful experience across the board - food, ambiance and service. Well worth the $40 price tag. It is a tasting menu, so does require a bit of a sophisticated palate and is not for picky eaters since there is no a la carte options (though they will try to accommodate some adjustments as well as allergies and special diets).

 

My wife and I love frequenting Chicago's fine dining and modern/trendy restaurants, so it was really nice to have a similar experience on a cruise ship. The food quality and service were nearly on par with some of Chicago's Michelin starred restaurants. We had a really nice chat with Chef Molly after the first meal and it was interesting hearing her take on the venue. We had commented that the portion sizes were fairly large for a tasting menu and her explanation made sense; she indicated that she is attempting to emulate a typical Michelin starred restaurant (and some of the courses even are modeled after famous dishes such as Per Se's bread course served with an interesting variety of salts from around the world), but that she had to make some tweaks for the venue to work on a cruise ship (i.e. the larger portions as well as not making the dishes or ingredients too challenging; she commented that she aimed to not put anything on the menu that would scare off her grandmother). We did not elect to do the wine pairings, but the first night enjoyed their famous cucumber martini (which was outstanding, but a tad pricey at $15) and some wine by the glass; for the second night we had them retrieve a bottle of Belle Glos' Clark & Telegraph (one of our favorite wines) from Vintages next door.

 

Also a nice touch, you are printed out a personalized menu as a keepsake with your name on it. This is one of the best meals I have had for $40. While they could do a couple more tweaks to even closer emulate a Michelin star venue (i.e. smaller portions but the addition of an amuse bouche, cheese cart and mignardises), both my wife and I were extremely impressed that a mass market cruise line has a restaurant of this caliber.

 

Chef's Table was also a highlight and one of the best meals we have had at sea. Loved the intimacy of the meal (served in the Concierge Lounge's upper level with each course described tableside by the chef). Excellent, well prepared and interesting food and nice wines paired with the courses.

 

Park Cafe and Solarium Bistro (excellent crepes at lunch, nice Asian soups and a wonderful salad bar) were our favorite free venues.

 

The ice cream shop had some excellent gelato and the flavors rotate some each day (one day I had an outstanding banana cream pie and cookie dough flavors in a waffle cone with caramel) which at just over $4 (including the gratuity) was a good deal (it was a very large portion).

 

My wife loved the Cupcake Cubbard which features gourmet cupcakes (the flavors also rotate here daily) that come to a little over $3 (with gratuity). The coca cola flavored cupcake was pretty cool.

 

We enjoyed our lunch at Rita's (great fish tacos) but took a pass on the Rita Fiesta party (seemed fun if you like loud venues and lots of boozed up people, but we are past the point of seeking that type of atmosphere).

 

Izumi was also pretty good; not as good sushi as what is served at my favorite land based venues, but definitely the best sushi I have had on a cruise ship.

 

Chops was just fair; nice ambiance in Central Park (we dined al fresco), but our server had too many tables and my steak was overcooked and the quality of the meat seemed not much better than what is served in the main dining room.

 

The biggest disappointment was Samba Grill (horrible service with extremely push hard sell on alcohol and lots of overcooked, poor quality meats - the only flavor came from the sauces you used tableside). If you enjoy quantity over quality and like well done meat this is your place, but if you are enjoy properly cooked, quality meat avoid this venue! Interestingly the chicken dish and the plantains were the only items I enjoyed there.

 

The other miss was surprisingly Giovanni's Table (I had heard so many good things about this venue and had greatly enjoyed Portofinos on other ships). Our server was a dufus - he mixed up our appetizers, never filled our water glasses, the venue was noisy, my wife's gnocchi was grossly overcooked and my rissotto was too rich and lacked any hint of the truffle element described on the menu.

 

Vintages on the other hand was quite good and the most authentic of the themed restaurants; the five tapas plus dessert for $8 is a great value; large portions, tasty food with a nice presentation and the interior of Vintages is the coolest looking venue on the ship IMHO. Nice selection of wines to boot; they had three Belle Glos wines (one of our favorites).

 

The buffet was a zoo the couple of times I popped up there and the selection was underwhelming - definitely more about quantity than quality.

 

Our one night in the MDR was a decent experience; we prefer the ambiance of the specialty venues, but our meal was pretty good quality wise in the MDR and our servers friendly.

[Pebbles468]

Gonzo... Another great post! Thank you!

 

 

I realize tastes are subjective, however, I have not seen very many positive things about Rita's. What's exactly is the problem with Rita's?

 

Samba ~ Is it only carved meats??

[Miggsoo3]

My favorite was the Samba Grill.

[shipshape sam]

Gonzo... Another great post! Thank you!

 

 

I realize tastes are subjective, however, I have not seen very many positive things about Rita's. What's exactly is the problem with Rita's?

 

Samba ~ Is it only carved meats??

 

For sure it is subjective and also service can also effect the overall impression vs just quality of food.

 

For Samba's, we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and did not receive anything being pushed on us. The soup was delicious, the salad bar was very good and the meats were very good, with some much better than others. I tend to not like sausages, but there were quite a number of choices for you to try. My personal favorite was the lamb. It was so good, that was the main reason I wanted to try again and on our sailing was not disappointed when I had the lamb the second night.

 

We tried Rita's for lunch and thought it overpriced for the quality of food. My only positive was the waiter did go to another bar to get me a Boddington's, so he got a very nice tip! :)

[MelGurl]

Samba's was our favorite Speciality Restaurant. We went back a second time. We actually tried all Speciality Restaurants on this cruise. Ate in MDR once on formal night and being wedged into a wall of tables for two was not a good thing.

 

Our least favorite was a tie between Chops which was dark and unappealing and 150 Central Park which served sample portions, at least for me. :)

 

We did also try Chef's Table and it was great. There were only 12 of us and we even did things with the other couples afterwards during the rest of the cruise. The wine flowed and we felt it the next morning too. :)

 

I am undecided about the MDR we are on our honeymoon and want to make this cruise not like a cruise in the past, but we have met some great people who were seated with us. So we will see I am trying to decide on at least one more restaurant but it's tough!

[MelGurl]

On my Allure cruise last year I managed to hit all the food venues; here are excerpts from my review that pertain to the restaurants:

 

We had a fun time hitting all 26 venues.

 

150 Central Park: This was a highlight of the cruise. Chef Molly Brandt was onboard for the first few days of the cruise to roll out the new menus. My wife and I dined there for both menus and had a wonderful experience across the board - food, ambiance and service. Well worth the $40 price tag. It is a tasting menu, so does require a bit of a sophisticated palate and is not for picky eaters since there is no a la carte options (though they will try to accommodate some adjustments as well as allergies and special diets).

 

My wife and I love frequenting Chicago's fine dining and modern/trendy restaurants, so it was really nice to have a similar experience on a cruise ship. The food quality and service were nearly on par with some of Chicago's Michelin starred restaurants. We had a really nice chat with Chef Molly after the first meal and it was interesting hearing her take on the venue. We had commented that the portion sizes were fairly large for a tasting menu and her explanation made sense; she indicated that she is attempting to emulate a typical Michelin starred restaurant (and some of the courses even are modeled after famous dishes such as Per Se's bread course served with an interesting variety of salts from around the world), but that she had to make some tweaks for the venue to work on a cruise ship (i.e. the larger portions as well as not making the dishes or ingredients too challenging; she commented that she aimed to not put anything on the menu that would scare off her grandmother). We did not elect to do the wine pairings, but the first night enjoyed their famous cucumber martini (which was outstanding, but a tad pricey at $15) and some wine by the glass; for the second night we had them retrieve a bottle of Belle Glos' Clark & Telegraph (one of our favorite wines) from Vintages next door.

 

Also a nice touch, you are printed out a personalized menu as a keepsake with your name on it. This is one of the best meals I have had for $40. While they could do a couple more tweaks to even closer emulate a Michelin star venue (i.e. smaller portions but the addition of an amuse bouche, cheese cart and mignardises), both my wife and I were extremely impressed that a mass market cruise line has a restaurant of this caliber.

 

Chef's Table was also a highlight and one of the best meals we have had at sea. Loved the intimacy of the meal (served in the Concierge Lounge's upper level with each course described tableside by the chef). Excellent, well prepared and interesting food and nice wines paired with the courses.

 

Park Cafe and Solarium Bistro (excellent crepes at lunch, nice Asian soups and a wonderful salad bar) were our favorite free venues.

 

The ice cream shop had some excellent gelato and the flavors rotate some each day (one day I had an outstanding banana cream pie and cookie dough flavors in a waffle cone with caramel) which at just over $4 (including the gratuity) was a good deal (it was a very large portion).

 

My wife loved the Cupcake Cubbard which features gourmet cupcakes (the flavors also rotate here daily) that come to a little over $3 (with gratuity). The coca cola flavored cupcake was pretty cool.

 

We enjoyed our lunch at Rita's (great fish tacos) but took a pass on the Rita Fiesta party (seemed fun if you like loud venues and lots of boozed up people, but we are past the point of seeking that type of atmosphere).

 

Izumi was also pretty good; not as good sushi as what is served at my favorite land based venues, but definitely the best sushi I have had on a cruise ship.

 

Chops was just fair; nice ambiance in Central Park (we dined al fresco), but our server had too many tables and my steak was overcooked and the quality of the meat seemed not much better than what is served in the main dining room.

 

The biggest disappointment was Samba Grill (horrible service with extremely push hard sell on alcohol and lots of overcooked, poor quality meats - the only flavor came from the sauces you used tableside). If you enjoy quantity over quality and like well done meat this is your place, but if you are enjoy properly cooked, quality meat avoid this venue! Interestingly the chicken dish and the plantains were the only items I enjoyed there.

 

The other miss was surprisingly Giovanni's Table (I had heard so many good things about this venue and had greatly enjoyed Portofinos on other ships). Our server was a dufus - he mixed up our appetizers, never filled our water glasses, the venue was noisy, my wife's gnocchi was grossly overcooked and my rissotto was too rich and lacked any hint of the truffle element described on the menu.

 

Vintages on the other hand was quite good and the most authentic of the themed restaurants; the five tapas plus dessert for $8 is a great value; large portions, tasty food with a nice presentation and the interior of Vintages is the coolest looking venue on the ship IMHO. Nice selection of wines to boot; they had three Belle Glos wines (one of our favorites).

 

Our one night in the MDR was a decent experience; we prefer the ambiance of the specialty venues, but our meal was pretty good quality wise in the MDR and our servers friendly.

 

 

Thanks for this! looks like 150 central park is going to be the other restaurant!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

My favorite: Giovanni's Table, both for lunch and dinner.

 

Hubby's favorite: The Dog House (Allure). He grabs a snack there every day of the cruise. As a vegetarian all I can eat there is the saurkraut, but I have to say it is the best I have ever eaten.

[adelrey]

Gonzo... Another great post! Thank you!

 

 

I realize tastes are subjective, however, I have not seen very many positive things about Rita's. What's exactly is the problem with Rita's?

 

Samba ~ Is it only carved meats??

 

 

Rita's.....I love authentic Mexican food (or at least whatever I can find in NJ that is close enough to it) and this was far from it. The salsa tasted like the kind from the jar and the guacamole was not good either. I can't even remember what I ordered for dinner, I just remember being disappointed with it and wishing we had went to the MDR that night.

[Don Pedro]

Like Gonzo70 I've also eaten at all the Allure options and agree with his review and comments. While I enjoyed all the venues, I think Vintage's is the hidden gem on the Allure. Great Atmosphere, wonderful tapa menu and excellent wines. Also thought the Chef's Table was outstanding.

[eldolko]

1. 150 Central Park

2. Champagne Bar

[MelGurl]

1. 150 Central Park

2. Champagne Bar

 

 

Does the champagne bar have music or anything?

[OCruisers]

I think 150 Central Park is considered the most upscale restaurant. We sure loved it.

 

We also loved 150 Central Park. Giovanni's and Chops were other favorites. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[Lionesss]

Well, last July when we cruised we did not do any specialty dining, and now I figured we missed out.

Looking into making reservations this time..........thinking about CHOPS, and wandering if my selection can be sold to the other family members.

So post away, and include chops.

Thanks for letting me hijack.

Sea Ya

[TravelerThom]

I thought 150 Central Park was quite good. Diamond Plus C&A get BOGO the first night, and the place was still empty when we were there. I suspect that you can negotiate a similar deal without a coupon without much trouble. I learned a few years ago that Celebrity and RCI (both owned by RCCL) often give a deal in their specialty restaurants on slow night IF you ask (especially if you look like you are willing to walk).

 

Note that while most of the places discussed in this thread are at extra cost, Boardwalk Dog house and Park Cafe have no surcharge. Johnny Rockets has a surcharge for most meals, but has no surcharge at breakfast; they have made to order omelets, but may not be for the cholesterol challenged.

 

enjoy

Thom

[OCruisers]

Johnny Rockets has a surcharge for most meals, but has no surcharge at breakfast; they have made to order omelets, but may not be for the cholesterol challenged.

enjoy

Thom

 

:D Funny above ... cholesterol challenged.

 

We liked Johnny Rockets for breakfast ... sort of made it brunch. Liked we could be seated and served. We enjoy sitting in their patio area and people watching while having breakfast. I could never eat my whole omelet but it was always good. DH :rolleyes: enjoyed all of his.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[riclop]

Love Giovanni's table.

[eldolko]

Does the champagne bar have music or anything?

 

No. That's part of why I like it so much. I'm not always in the mood for loud music. The Champagne bar is a perfect place to enjoy a conversation. We really loved the staff and sat there every night.

 

Sometimes we sat there before dinner and sometimes after. Sometimes both before and after. ;)

 

One night they served complimentary caviar. That was the best night. :cool:

[MelGurl]

Well, last July when we cruised we did not do any specialty dining, and now I figured we missed out.

 

Looking into making reservations this time..........thinking about CHOPS, and wandering if my selection can be sold to the other family members.

 

So post away, and include chops.

 

Thanks for letting me hijack.

 

Sea Ya

 

No problem, I like seeing all the opinions and experiances of people. I will make my own when I am on but someone might sway me to go somewhere else haha

[MelGurl]

I love BRUNCH haha we will most likely be doing this! No challenges here, young and in love hahaha :p

 

:D Funny above ... cholesterol challenged.

 

We liked Johnny Rockets for breakfast ... sort of made it brunch. Liked we could be seated and served. We enjoy sitting in their patio area and people watching while having breakfast. I could never eat my whole omelet but it was always good. DH :rolleyes: enjoyed all of his.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[alaska_planner]

the only specialty restaurant we ate in was Rita's for the fiesta (terrible - don't do it)..

 

but of the free restaurants - we liked all of them for the most part..

 

we really enjoyed the MDR and the Windjammer...

going against the trend, we thought the Solarium Bistro was nice, but we liked the windjammer more...

 

again, going against the trend, we weren't fans of the park cafe (except for the bagel, lox and cream cheese DH had for breakfast there every morning)........

 

we did like the wipe out cafe....i thought i'd hate it, but it was great for a quick snack...

 

my favorite food on board? no...not the roast beef - i'm a vegetarian (those things look downright vile to me :eek: )

my favorite food was the chocolate frozen yogurt - the soft serve machines - one in the wipe out cafe and the other near the smokers area on the pool deck...

i ate several times my weight in that stuff.....really yummy....

much better than what they have on the disney ships..

 

and my second favorite food on board? the french fries in the windjammer....mmm....bet you can't eat just one! :rolleyes:

 

DH's third favorite food? the donuts on the boardwalk in the morning...

 

you can see we eat healthy when we're cruising!! :)

[Erik101]

I realize tastes are subjective, however, I have not seen very many positive things about Rita's. What's exactly is the problem with Rita's?

 

 

The problem with Rita's is that the food is extremely bland. There are barely any seasoning and spices among the 3 dishes we tried. I love Mexican food and when we stopped at Cozumel, we found a hole in a wall place that served excellent food with lots of flavors.

 

To answer the OP's inquiry, my fav was the Chef's Table. I thought the flavors of the food balanced with the wine pairing and the presentation was excellent. Besides Rita, my least favorite was Chops! I've had better steak on land.

[Gonzo70]

Besides Rita, my least favorite was Chops! I've had better steak on land.

 

Steaks at an upscale land based venue are generally going to be vastly superior to Chops (or any mass market cruise line's steakhouse). Chops does not serve prime grade beef and all the beef is previously frozen. Good restaurants on land serve prime (often aged to boot) and the beef is fresh, never frozen. Chops also on average is not as good at cooking steak to the requested temperature as at a nice land based venue. I do find Chops to be a step up from the steaks served in the main dining room, but certainly not near the caliber of quality land based steakhouse.