Is Q Texas Smokehouse THAT bad?

[delaware32]

We thought the food was pretty good. Huge portions. We actually ended sharing because of portion size.

[ysolde]

Between Los Lobos and Q, I would take Los Lobos.  It's a higher-end Mexican restaurant, with good-quality food and an interesting menu.  It will appeal to those who are interested in exploring Mexican food a bit further and to those who just like Mexican food in general. 

 

However, I also agree that you may want to check out Le Bistro.  My DH is not a fan of French food, and always found menu items that appealed to him there.  We both preferred the way the filet mignon at Le Bistro was prepared to the one at Cagney's.  However, that is simply a matter of taste -- it's the same cut of beef, so . . . 

[hallux]

A lot of people say that the best filet mignon on the ship is at Le Bistro.  I love French Onion soup, and it's really good there.

[Hutcha]

Was on the Bliss last month, and was told the BBQ is precooked and vacuumed packed before the cruise.

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

I only eat BBQ one or twice a year on land as it is, not something I would seek out on vacation.   But that's just me.  But I do love banana pudding so maybe I'll stop in to try it sometime.  We did do drinks and music one night at the bar.  I was so excited about the smoke peach margarita (?) but it was just meh, probably because it was out of the soda gun than made fresh by a bartender on the Bliss.

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, Just Jo said:

 

We've only tried Q once on Encore and it was disappointing (the meat was very dry and sides were bland).  We did like the atmosphere and music though, for something different.

 

Have you ever tried Le Bistro?  DH doesn't like anything French (eye roll) and yet we agree we have always had excellent food and probably the best service of all the specialty restaurants at Le Bistro on several different ships.  You can get "non-French" food there also.  Try it - you might like it!

Hmm...now You have me thinking. I've never eaten at Le Bistro or Ocean Blue, simply because I'm not a seafood or French food person, but maybe we SHOULD try one of them! We love a good steak (hence Cagneys) so perhaps we will switch out of Q as it really is not getting good reviews. Lol

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

5 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Hmm...now You have me thinking. I've never eaten at Le Bistro or Ocean Blue, simply because I'm not a seafood or French food person, but maybe we SHOULD try one of them! We love a good steak (hence Cagneys) so perhaps we will switch out of Q as it really is not getting good reviews. Lol

My husband loves the steak at Le Bistro!   We tend to do Cagneys, Le Bistro and Ocean Blue - I'm the seafood lover, my husband is the meat guy..

[ceilidh1]

14 minutes ago, RunBikeCruiseDC said:

My husband loves the steak at Le Bistro!   We tend to do Cagneys, Le Bistro and Ocean Blue - I'm the seafood lover, my husband is the meat guy..

I just checked the menu for Le Bistro (in my booking page) and it doesn't show any steak? Only beef I see is tenderloin? Is this an old menu?

[hallux]

36 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

I just checked the menu for Le Bistro (in my booking page) and it doesn't show any steak? Only beef I see is tenderloin? Is this an old menu?

Many people refer to 'beef tenderloin' as 'steak'.  Is it correct?  Maybe not, but it's one of those generalizations popular in the US.

[meglet]

I will very much miss the chocolate fondue for 2 which I ate all by myself at LeBistro.

[UKstages]

i've read this thread carefully and have determined that the food is great and that it sucks, that the portions are small, but also huge, that the music is fantastic, but also loud and that Q simply isn't worth the dining credit.

 

i agree with that last bit... don't waste a dining credit! and if choosing between los lobos or Q, los lobos wins hands down in my book, all day long (well, the hours they are open, anyway). i tried Q on the bliss in 2019 and found the food bland and doled out in very small portions, especially if you're an american or you've ever had real texas BBQ. (do they still serve the sides in thimble-sized ramekins?) as others have pointed out, this ain't "real" BBQ.

 

then again, when you consider you're on a floating hotel in the middle of nowhere, it ain't bad. i wouldn't compare cagney's to ruth's chris, just as i wouldn't compare Q to a BBQ joint with an award-winning pitmaster. that being said, where else are you going to get BBQ, except maybe some ribs at the buffet? (and that ain't BBQ, either.)

 

i hate the music at Q... loud and persistent and annoying. it overwhelms everything about the place. you can't talk or enjoy the food, assuming the food were enjoyable.

 

i do find it interesting that a Q-style concession is rumored for the food court on the prima. that is a good concept... you want some BBQ, go there... no muss, no fuss, no bother... pay eight or ten bucks for a pulled pork sandwich and be on your way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KeithJenner]

6 minutes ago, UKstages said:

i've read this thread carefully and have determined that the food is great and that it sucks, that the portions are small, but also huge, that the music is fantastic, but also loud

That just about sums cruise critic up. 🙂

[fstuff1]

21 hours ago, kona_wahine said:

I haven’t read one good thing about Q. We are new to NCL, traveling to Alaska in May and made reservations but thinking to cancel them.  Does anyone like Q? Do they have anything edible? 

 

i liked it.

i'm sapphire so i get a free dinner to Moderno or La Cuchina. on ships without Moderno, they substitute either Q/Los Lobos (Bliss) or Food Republic (Joy).

 

Now would i use my dining plan on Q? no because there are  restaurants I like better.

 

But there is nothing wrong with Q.

I got an appetizer and their sampler platter (1/4lb of each: bbq chicken, sausage, ribs, beef brisket )

I could not finish the sampler platter and i didnt have room for dessert

[The Traveling Man]

6 hours ago, Just Jo said:

 

We've only tried Q once on Encore and it was disappointing (the meat was very dry and sides were bland).  We did like the atmosphere and music though, for something different.

 

Have you ever tried Le Bistro?  DH doesn't like anything French (eye roll) and yet we agree we have always had excellent food and probably the best service of all the specialty restaurants at Le Bistro on several different ships.  You can get "non-French" food there also.  Try it - you might like it!

The steak in Le Bistro is every bit as good, or maybe better, than Cagney's.

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Hmm...now You have me thinking. I've never eaten at Le Bistro or Ocean Blue, simply because I'm not a seafood or French food person, but maybe we SHOULD try one of them! We love a good steak (hence Cagneys) so perhaps we will switch out of Q as it really is not getting good reviews. Lol

We were on the Epic last October in the Mediterranean.  We had dinner one night in La Cucina.  Absolutely the best steak I've ever had !

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, RunBikeCruiseDC said:

My husband loves the steak at Le Bistro!   We tend to do Cagneys, Le Bistro and Ocean Blue - I'm the seafood lover, my husband is the meat guy..

The next time he insists on Cagney's, you may want to try their grilled seafood platter.  Other than ships that have Ocean Blue, I think it's some of the best seafood to be found on an NCL ship.

[The Traveling Man]

4 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

I just checked the menu for Le Bistro (in my booking page) and it doesn't show any steak? Only beef I see is tenderloin? Is this an old menu?

It's been a while since we last ate at Le Bistro, so the menu may have changed since we last were there.  I've always thought that the best steak in Le Bistro, and some of the best at sea, was the five-pepper steak, Boeuf au Cinque Poivre.

[drumming cruisers]

18 hours ago, FlGoodShips said:

I would use last dining credit in Q.

American Diner, no. We really loike it. Go later in evening when music starts. So much fun.

Los Lobos is great!

[davencl]

I had the best steak ever at Ocean Blue on Encore in Aug.   🙂

[CILCIANRQTS]

5 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

I just checked the menu for Le Bistro (in my booking page) and it doesn't show any steak? Only beef I see is tenderloin? Is this an old menu?

Filet mignon is made with the beef tenderloin cut - one and the same. 

[WAHMto5]

5 hours ago, meglet said:

I will very much miss the chocolate fondue for 2 which I ate all by myself at LeBistro.

That was my favorite as well!!

[Sailing12Away]

We enjoyed our meal, but plan on going there to split the sampler and some sides and pay out of pocket next trip. For a dining credit it's not as good a value as the other places, but the food isn't bad.

 

It doesn't hold a leg to John Brown's burnt ends (where are my fellow NY'ers at?), but when we cruise we don't expect nor want the same type of food we have back home.

[LonghornLady]

We are Texans and very savvy about barbecue. We’ve eaten at Q on 3 different ships. All were great! Split a meal and pay out of pocket. 

[dobiemom]

We ate at Q on the Bliss last Nov. It was great! 😋 Looking forward to eating there again this Nov. 

I ate at Los Lobos on the Dawn in 2017. Meh. But may need to give it another try. 

[Uff da]

It's not that it's "that bad," it's just not "that good."  I did not care for it but you may love it. Food is tricky. Not everyone has the same taste.

Some things were okay, but some things were awful as far as I was concerned. Would I use another free at sea dining credit on it? No. It is the one restaurant with reviews all over the place. It's hard to say what your experience will be. I feel it lacks consistency (not surprising because bbq is hard to do consistently) and it hurts the reviews. I will not be surprised to see Q be replaced by something else at some point.