Specialty Restaurants, Pick Top 2!

[Jennsails]

We just booked the Getaway for a 7 day this summer and 2 specialty restaurants are included in the cruise package. Which 2 are the best and which nights menus are typically the weakest menus in the MDR? Trying to reserve our specialty nights wisely. Thank you! 

[The Traveling Man]

Just now, Jennsails said:

We just booked the Getaway for a 7 day this summer and 2 specialty restaurants are included in the cruise package. Which 2 are the best and which nights menus are typically the weakest menus in the MDR? Trying to reserve our specialty nights wisely. Thank you! 

You'll get a lot of different opinions on this.  To each his own.  It all depends on your own particular tastes.  Having said that, Le Bistro held the number one spot on my list for many years.  With recent changes to the menu offerings, it still ranks very high, but perhaps no longer at the top.  Cagney's usually ranks high for most folks, but I have found it to be crowded and the service is somewhat subpar compared to other specialty venues.  Since it now is the only place on board to get perfectly grilled lamb chops, though, it has moved into my top two.  Ocean Blue definitely ranks in the top two for me.  La Cucina also ranks very high.  In fact, the best steak I've ever had at sea was not in Cagney's but in La Cucina.  Teppanyaki puts on a great show, and the food is very good, but the act gets a bit tired after a couple of visits there.  If you want to experience a night of gluttony, have dinner in Moderno.  It has a great salad bar with many items that you won't find elsewhere on board.  Its main attraction, though, is all-you-can-eat meat cut from the skewer at your table.  Beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and more!  My main objection to it is that I'm sensitive to garlic and they smother all the meats with a heavy garlic rub before grilling.  Don't forget to stop by O'Sheehan's for lunch or dinner.  It's one of the complimentary restaurants, so you don't need to use one of your dinner coupons.  It features comfort food like fish & chips, Reuben sandwiches, and burgers.  It's a nice change of pace from the MDR.

[Jennsails]

6 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

You'll get a lot of different opinions on this.  To each his own.  It all depends on your own particular tastes.  Having said that, Le Bistro held the number one spot on my list for many years.  With recent changes to the menu offerings, it still ranks very high, but perhaps no longer at the top.  Cagney's usually ranks high for most folks, but I have found it to be crowded and the service is somewhat subpar compared to other specialty venues.  Since it now is the only place on board to get perfectly grilled lamb chops, though, it has moved into my top two.  Ocean Blue definitely ranks in the top two for me.  La Cucina also ranks very high.  In fact, the best steak I've ever had at sea was not in Cagney's but in La Cucina.  Teppanyaki puts on a great show, and the food is very good, but the act gets a bit tired after a couple of visits there.  If you want to experience a night of gluttony, have dinner in Moderno.  It has a great salad bar with many items that you won't find elsewhere on board.  Its main attraction, though, is all-you-can-eat meat cut from the skewer at your table.  Beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and more!  My main objection to it is that I'm sensitive to garlic and they smother all the meats with a heavy garlic rub before grilling.  Don't forget to stop by O'Sheehan's for lunch or dinner.  It's one of the complimentary restaurants, so you don't need to use one of your dinner coupons.  It features comfort food like fish & chips, Reuben sandwiches, and burgers.  It's a nice change of pace from the MDR.

@thetravelingman thank you so much for the info, it sounds like you are the go-to for dining questions on NCL so I'll ask a couple more lol!

Do the sushi restaurant and raw bar have cover charges in addition to the ala carte pricing? We would not use these as our specialty options but would like to try them out in addition to the included two meals. Based on your thoughts, I am thinking that Ocean Blue and Le Bistro would be the top choices as our specialty meals. We don't eat meat, only seafood. Do they offer seating on The Waterfront? 

[brigand13]

I haven't actually sailed NCL yet, so can't offer first hand knowledge of the specialty restaurants.   However, I'm a research-fiend and have tried to do my homework for our cruise this fall (somewhat challenging as we're sailing on the Prima which is still very much an unknown quantity given all the changes they've announced with regard to food).   

If you google the restaurant names you can find full menus for all of them online as well as copies of the MDR menus.   Just be warned not to look when you're hungry because it'll definitely make it worse!!  😉  

 

[The Traveling Man]

2 minutes ago, Jennsails said:

@thetravelingman thank you so much for the info, it sounds like you are the go-to for dining questions on NCL so I'll ask a couple more lol!

Do the sushi restaurant and raw bar have cover charges in addition to the ala carte pricing? We would not use these as our specialty options but would like to try them out in addition to the included two meals. Based on your thoughts, I am thinking that Ocean Blue and Le Bistro would be the top choices as our specialty meals. We don't eat meat, only seafood. Do they offer seating on The Waterfront? 

Ocean Blue, La Cucina, Moderno, and Cagney's offer Waterfront seating on Deck 8.  Le Bistro is on Deck 6, so no Waterfront for them.  They do offer "patio" seating, however.  About a half-dozen tables are located outside the restaurant in the atrium/main corridor directly across from Headliners Comedy Club.  When the Howl at the Moon piano players take over the club you can enjoy dinner with music by sitting out there.  It's also much less noisy there than sitting inside the restaurant, although there is a lot of foot traffic passing by your table.  The acoustics inside Le Bistro on the Getaway are not the best. 

 

If it's seafood you're craving, but someone traveling with you prefers steak, keep in mind that Cagney's offers a grilled seafood platter.  It's some of the best seafood on board, almost up to par with Ocean Blue.  As I recall, Wasabi is strictly a la carte pricing.  I think they had a cover charge at one time, but I don't think they do now.  I'm not sure about that, however, as I haven't dined there in the last several cruises. 

[Jennsails]

27 minutes ago, brigand13 said:

I haven't actually sailed NCL yet, so can't offer first hand knowledge of the specialty restaurants.   However, I'm a research-fiend and have tried to do my homework for our cruise this fall (somewhat challenging as we're sailing on the Prima which is still very much an unknown quantity given all the changes they've announced with regard to food).   

If you google the restaurant names you can find full menus for all of them online as well as copies of the MDR menus.   Just be warned not to look when you're hungry because it'll definitely make it worse!!  😉  

 

Those menus were the first thing that I looked at online and yes, I was starving after! 

 

[Beer Belly]

Can't beat Tappanyaki for the meal and the show. We also enjoyed Cagneys, unfortunately got food poisoning from Ocean Blue Fishermans Platter on the Getaway on the 4/3 sailing

[Jennsails]

@beerbelly oh no! That’s something I would order for sure. I hope it wasn’t too severe, that’s no fun on vacation.

[trivimp]

My personal faves are Le Bistro & Teppanyaki.  But food is so personal, it's hard to make that call for someone else.  All of them are pretty good.  Also, if you happen to get something you don't really care for, the servers will fall all over themselves getting you something else if you tell them you didn't like it.  You can't really go wrong in any event.  

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Jennsails said:

We just booked the Getaway for a 7 day this summer and 2 specialty restaurants are included in the cruise package. Which 2 are the best and which nights menus are typically the weakest menus in the MDR? Trying to reserve our specialty nights wisely. Thank you! 

Currently, the MDR menus are selected from a set of 14 menus and there is no "better" night to eat there. At the end of the year, there may be changes to the way that NCL does MDR menus, but that remains to be seen. 

 

So, "best" is subjective. We would choose Ocean Blue and Le Bistro (both more of fine dining) for food and service. 

 

Many will say Cagney's Steakhouse. We think that the quality of both food and service in Cagney's has gone down hill pre- and post-pandemic across the fleet (we sail multiple times a year). So, it has move towards the bottom of our list. 

 

Teppanyaki is always a good show and we would recommend it if your want entertainment. 

 

===

 

On a separate topic, also consider going to see JuNk. It is a dinner show for an additional fee. 

[The Shrike]

Our top three are Le Bistro, La Cucina, and Cagney's.  We've not yet been on a ship that had Ocean Blue so can't offer an opinion on it.  I really enjoy Moderno's (and as mentioned above the salad bar alone is almost worth it) but my wife and cruise buddies all have the same opinion, "it's just too much!" So we rarely eat there.

[davencl]

Ocean Blue for us.  Surprised on last cruise we really liked Los Lobos.  Cagney's good also.

[trivimp]

19 minutes ago, davencl said:

Ocean Blue for us.  Surprised on last cruise we really liked Los Lobos.  Cagney's good also.

Los Lobos surprised us on our last cruise as well.  It has jumped to a very high spot on our list 😍 The tableside guacamole is a must-try !!

[CaptainBazz]

Cagney's #1 and Le Bistro #2. After that, Ocean Blue and La Cucina.

[Named-Tawny]

Le Bistro is easily #1 for me - we make a point of going every trip.

Teppanyaki is fun as an experience - I really enjoyed it.  The food isn't amazing, but it's a bit of a show as well.  Definitely worth doing if you haven't done it before (and only worth doing a second time if you really loved it).

Cagney's was alright.  If I didn't live in a city with great steakhouses, I'd probably be more excited by it.  Still worth checking out though.

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

On the Getaway - Ocean Blue and Le Bistro (I'm a seafood person).  Cagney's is also good.  Moderna has been hit or miss.  Tropicana Room (or Manhattan Room on other ships) is our favorite included MDR.  We like O'Sheehans/The Local for snacks AND this ship still shows Shanghai Noodle Bar!  

[YVRteacher]

They have a set of 21 rotating meals, not 14.

[YVRteacher]

The cauliflower steak in Ocean Blue is amazing as is the vanilla raspberry cheesecake in a jar.  

[Jennsails]

13 minutes ago, RunBikeCruiseDC said:

On the Getaway - Ocean Blue and Le Bistro (I'm a seafood person).  Cagney's is also good.  Moderna has been hit or miss.  Tropicana Room (or Manhattan Room on other ships) is our favorite included MDR.  We like O'Sheehans/The Local for snacks AND this ship still shows Shanghai Noodle Bar!  

Yes, I believe the Noodle Bar is still there. Is it good? Does Ocean Blue allow you to sample a few different appetizers or is there a charge to order extra? Thank you! 

[Jennsails]

@YVRteachercauliflower steak? Tell me more! 

[The Traveling Man]

1 minute ago, YVRteacher said:

They have a set of 21 rotating meals, not 14.

That's interesting news.  It's been almost three years since we have taken a Behind the Scenes tour and had an opportunity to see all the menus displayed on the wall of the main galley.  On the half-dozen or more times that we have been there, however, I recall seeing just 14 menus.  It could well have changed with the new menus adopted with the return to cruising last year.

[YVRteacher]

@Jennsails It’s the best meal I’ve ever had on NCL!  I’m a vegetarian and this was recommend to me by two new cruise critic friends a couple weeks ago on the Bliss.  It’s a slice of cauliflower marinated in mild, fragrant middle eastern spices.  The presentation is beautiful!  I shared mine with my dining companions and they liked it better than their seafood.  I’m still dreaming about it!  Apparently they typically serve 3 per cruise (I guess most vegetarians don’t opt for the seafood restaurant.)

Edited April 18, 2022 by YVRteacher

[The Traveling Man]

4 minutes ago, Jennsails said:

Yes, I believe the Noodle Bar is still there. Is it good? Does Ocean Blue allow you to sample a few different appetizers or is there a charge to order extra? Thank you! 

It depends on whether you are using a Free at Sea dining credit or a Latitudes dining coupon.  The Latitudes coupon specifies one app, one main, and one dessert.  The waiters usually allow multiple apps when using the FaS.

[YVRteacher]

1 minute ago, The Traveling Man said:

That's interesting news.  It's been almost three years since we have taken a Behind the Scenes tour and had an opportunity to see all the menus displayed on the wall of the main galley.  On the half-dozen or more times that we have been there, however, I recall seeing just 14 menus.  It could well have changed with the new menus adopted with the return to cruising last year.

Yes, this is a post-Covid change implemented by corporate.  In the past head chefs on NCL ships used to have more autonomy.  Now corporate has developed a set of 21 menus for both lunch and dinner and the head chef must choose from those.  No more freedom to customize, although the menus don’t need to be in a set order.

[The Traveling Man]

6 hours ago, trivimp said:

Los Lobos surprised us on our last cruise as well.  It has jumped to a very high spot on our list 😍 The tableside guacamole is a must-try !!

I agree.  Los Lobos ranks near the top of my list.  The OP is traveling on the Getaway, however, and there isn't a Los Lobos on that ship.