Where To Enjoy Lunch With Table Service On Port Days? Foodies, Please Tell Us Your Favorite(s) Bites On Viking Ocean!

[C-sea]

Many cruise lines close their main restaurant for lunch during port days. Is there available table service on Viking Ocean Cruises when in port for lunch? While talking about food, what are your favorites in the various venues, not to be missed, on the Viking Ocean Cruises.

Edited June 21, 2021 by C-sea

[Clay Clayton]

I don’t believe The Restaurant is open on port days.  That leaves the World Cafe, the Pool Grill and Mamsen’s. None of them offer full table service, or didn’t in the before times.  I think I read somewhere that you now order your food at the grill and it is delivered to your table. In the past you waited for it.
 

Mamsen’s would be the closest to table service IMHO. You order what you want, if it’s a cold dish it is handed to you.  But hot dishes are delivered to you at your table. 
 

Favorite Viking Dishes

Breakfast:

Grilled lamb chops-The Restaurant

Raisin Pistachio Bun-The Living Room

Waffle-Mamsen’s

Potatoes Lyonaise-The World Cafe

 

Lunch:

Seared tuna-Pool Grill

(we have a salad made at the World Cafe while tuna is being prepared and then have the tuna on top)

Hamburger with Onion Rings-Pool Grill

Open Faced Sandwiches-Mamsen’s

 

Afternoon Tea:

Scones with clotted cream-The Winter Garden

 

Pre-dinner:

Cold seafood and sushi-The World Cafe (then enjoy it at the Aquavit Terrace)

 

Dinner:

Chilean (NOT Mediterranean) Sea Bass -The Restaurant 

Cold Pea Soup-The Restaurant 

Lotus Menu - The Chef’s Table

Whole Split Lobster-The Restaurant

Steak Florentine-Manfredi’s 

 

Desserts:

Gelato-The World Cafe, try the sugar free flavors of ice cream and cookies-some we like better than full sugar ones

Cold Pea Soup-The Restaurant (seriously-it’s that good)

 

[C-sea]

Clay,                                                                                                                                                                               Thank you so much for your thoughtful & detailed answers to my inquiries. I love lamb chops but for breakfast, that will be a first for me, and I'm sure delicious! The two different venues to create a salad/tuna lunch plate is a gem! Fresh seafood alfresco pre dinner, YES!   I Love all your dinner choices, I enjoy preparing and eating Chilean Bass at home, it will be great to see how the Viking Chefs prepare this dish. I do wonder if I can order the lobster at The Restaurant any evening if we are not there on the night it's on the menu, as we have reservations for 4 nights in the specialty restaurants. Thanks for your opinion about the Lotus menu. Please share your second menu choice at The Chef's Table. My husband David has to be careful with sugar so I'm happy that the sugar free ice cream & cookies are delish! Sincerely, thank you Clay for your time and experience, it is such helpful info. May you have a wonderful and safe upcoming voyage.    

 All my Best,

Cheri

 

Edited June 22, 2021 by C-sea

[Clay Clayton]

8 hours ago, C-sea said:

Clay,                                                                                                                                                                               Thank you so much for your thoughtful & detailed answers to my inquiries. I love lamb chops but for breakfast, that will be a first for me, and I'm sure delicious! The two different venues to create a salad/tuna lunch plate is a gem! Fresh seafood alfresco pre dinner, YES!   I Love all your dinner choices, I enjoy preparing and eating Chilean Bass at home, it will be great to see how the Viking Chefs prepare this dish. I do wonder if I can order the lobster at The Restaurant any evening if we are not there on the night it's on the menu, as we have reservations for 4 nights in the specialty restaurants. Thanks for your opinion about the Lotus menu. Please share your second menu choice at The Chef's Table. My husband David has to be careful with sugar so I'm happy that the sugar free ice cream & cookies are delish! Sincerely, thank you Clay for your time and experience, it is such helpful info. May you have a wonderful and safe upcoming voyage.    

 All my Best,

Cheri

 

I don’t think you can get the lobster anytime. On our recent cruises it has been replaced with Lobster Thermador which some like more but for my husband (Lobster isn’t really my thing-give me a Chesapeake bay blue crab any day) is overkill and he says overwhelms the flavor of a good lobster. When his Mom sailed with us, she was disappointed when we didn’t see the whole split lobster on the menu. We mentioned it to the Restaurant Manager. He came up to us later and said Chef had found one for her, what night would we like it. So the next evening, she was very pleased!  I will say we were seated at the very back of the restaurant and no one around us.  So I do think they weren’t prepared to serve anymore. 
 

We also enjoyed the British menu in the Chef’s Table. I keep hoping for the Sweet and Salty but so far haven’t been lucky to have it while aboard. We haven’t had a bad menu there, just ones we like better than others. 

[Geosez]

Clay:  “In the before times..”. 
Perfect.  Love it!

[Dukefan]

3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

We also enjoyed the British menu in the Chef’s Table. I keep hoping for the Sweet and Salty but so far haven’t been lucky to have it while aboard. We haven’t had a bad menu there, just ones we like better than others. 

 

We have had the Sweet and Salty and loved it.  Every course was delightful.   We have currently experienced nine different Chef's Table menus and would do any one of them again. The eight others we have had besides the Sweet and Salty were Xinag, Asian Panorama, Mexico, La Route Des Indes, Erling's Scandinavan Bistro, Lotus , Venice Carnival, and A Gastronomic Journey Through Time.  All were great fun! 

 

I look forward to seeing if there are any new ones on this cruise.  Since the Chef's Table changes every three days, we are hopeful that we can try it three times on this cruise but, of course, will not know for sure until we get on board and see what reservations we can book.   On our past cruises we have been able to try almost all of the menus available by booking first thing when we get on board.  With the social distancing set up on this cruise that may not be possible.

[Mehroswitha]

We've had several different Chef's Table menus and thoroughly enjoyed each of them--but our favorite by far was the Scandinavian one! We've made one reservation for this trip--don't know whether to hope for The Favorite or a chance to try something new to us! Happy either way.

[PasadenaDave]

53 minutes ago, Geosez said:

Clay:  “In the before times..”. 
Perfect.  Love it!

I think the before times comment comes from either the Mad Max films or Blade Runner, possibly both.  Also perhaps Terminator

[Jchivers]

1 hour ago, PasadenaDave said:

I think the before times comment comes from either the Mad Max films or Blade Runner, possibly both.  Also perhaps Terminator

I think it's Mad Max, although I've never seen the film.  I heard someone on NPR this weekend use the phrase "The Before Times" so it's in wide circulation (and perfect!)

[Cienfuegos]

Tea and cookies or cakes in the Winter Garden is a nice break in the late afternoon

 

With a piano player or harpist playing softly.

[C-sea]

16 minutes ago, Cienfuegos said:

Tea and cookies or cakes in the Winter Garden is a nice break in the late afternoon

 

With a piano player or harpist playing softly.

We love live music and will always search for venues that have it!

[Mich3554]

DH is thoroughly addicted to the chocolate chocolate chip cookies in World Cafe.  

[Clay Clayton]

4 hours ago, Cienfuegos said:

Tea and cookies or cakes in the Winter Garden is a nice break in the late afternoon

 

With a piano player or harpist playing softly.

Cookies? What about sandwiches and scones???

 

[eylarson]

10 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

I don’t think you can get the lobster anytime. On our recent cruises it has been replaced with Lobster Thermador which some like more but for my husband (Lobster isn’t really my thing-give me a Chesapeake bay blue crab any day) is overkill and he says overwhelms the flavor of a good lobster. When his Mom sailed with us, she was disappointed when we didn’t see the whole split lobster on the menu. We mentioned it to the Restaurant Manager. He came up to us later and said Chef had found one for her, what night would we like it. So the next evening, she was very pleased!  I will say we were seated at the very back of the restaurant and no one around us.  So I do think they weren’t prepared to serve anymore. 
 

We also enjoyed the British menu in the Chef’s Table. I keep hoping for the Sweet and Salty but so far haven’t been lucky to have it while aboard. We haven’t had a bad menu there, just ones we like better than others. 

On World Cruise 2019 after departing Robinson Crusoe Island we had lobster for two days running. 

 

[luv2cruzuk]

The burgers at the Pool Grill are fantastic… the Ultimate Eggs Burger… omg! Soooooo good. 
 

You sit at the table, order and they will bring it to you. 
 

Save room for afternoon tea though!

 

David

[lackcreativity]

Most of our favorites have already been mentioned (Gelatto, sushi, Sweet & Salty Chef's Table, Mexican Chef's Table, Pool Grill burger), but I can add a few. When sailing to Le Havre, there was a bean cassoulet with pork in the World Cafe that was fabulous. One day there was a Mexican themed buffet lunch set up in the Wintergarden(?) that was great fun and great food. The bread basket in Manfredi's could be a meal in itself for me.

 

Did someone mention Mamsen waffles?

 

How about the Chocolate Buffet?

 

Unfortunately, some of these food items/events are surprises, not regularly scheduled. Rest assured, even if what you are hoping to find doesn't appear, something fabulous will take it's place.

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, eylarson said:

On World Cruise 2019 after departing Robinson Crusoe Island we had lobster for two days running. 

 

Those look like spiny (florida) lobsters…no claws.  The lobster experts in my family say they aren’t as good. For me, they are fine….but I’ll take Blue Crabs instead. 

[rbslos18]

I’m getting hungry! What fish aside from Salmon is served.

[Twitchly]

I recall a scrumptious seafood salad sandwich at the little place near the pool … 

 

But I dream about those cardamom waffles with Norwegian brown cheese at Mamsen’s. And I don’t usually even like waffles much. 
.

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Twitchly

[Clay Clayton]

3 hours ago, rbslos18 said:

I’m getting hungry! What fish aside from Salmon is served.

Always several types of seafood in the Restaurant. Manfredi’s has a fish if the day.The tuna I mentioned at the grill. And I think World Cafe and Mamsens have herrings and such for breakfast🤮

[PasadenaDave]

5 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Those look like spiny (florida) lobsters…no claws.  The lobster experts in my family say they aren’t as good. For me, they are fine….but I’ll take Blue Crabs instead. 

Having grown up in Maine, other than Lobster Bisque, I don’t eat lobster south of Cape Cod or more than 25 miles west of I-95.

[LindaS272]

2 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

Having grown up in Maine, other than Lobster Bisque, I don’t eat lobster south of Cape Cod or more than 25 miles west of I-95.

Give me Dungeness crab! (They have had it on occasion.)

[duquephart]

On 6/21/2021 at 10:03 PM, C-sea said:

Clay,                                                                                                                                                                               Thank you so much for your thoughtful & detailed answers to my inquiries. I love lamb chops but for breakfast, that will be a first for me, and I'm sure delicious! The two different venues to create a salad/tuna lunch plate is a gem! Fresh seafood alfresco pre dinner, YES!   I Love all your dinner choices, I enjoy preparing and eating Chilean Bass at home, it will be great to see how the Viking Chefs prepare this dish. I do wonder if I can order the lobster at The Restaurant any evening if we are not there on the night it's on the menu, as we have reservations for 4 nights in the specialty restaurants. Thanks for your opinion about the Lotus menu. Please share your second menu choice at The Chef's Table. My husband David has to be careful with sugar so I'm happy that the sugar free ice cream & cookies are delish! Sincerely, thank you Clay for your time and experience, it is such helpful info. May you have a wonderful and safe upcoming voyage.    

 All my Best,

Cheri

 

 

Fresh?

[Jazmyn49]

We split one of the huge Viking Burgers at the Pool Grill.  Just tell them to put it on 2 plates.  We must save room for ice cream, especially if Pinky is serving.  She's a gem.

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, Jazmyn49 said:

We split one of the huge Viking Burgers at the Pool Grill.  Just tell them to put it on 2 plates.  We must save room for ice cream, especially if Pinky is serving.  She's a gem.

Good idea, that leaves plenty of room for onion rings and/or a hot dog!