How is Q Texas smokehouse and food republic?

[bmlovell]

 Sailing on joy for first time this month ,have never tried either restaurant as they were not on the ships I last sailed . We had moderno and I think Q is the replacement for that on the joy . Is the food good or should this be one to skip ?would you consider food republic a true speciality dining choice ,or like a quick eats spot ?for those who have tried thanks for the information.

[edspec]

I haven't tried Q Texas Smokehouse but I can say I love Food Republic and always eat there if it's an option.  I usually pay a la cart as the prices are reasonable and the dining credit gives you four items which is way too much...I won't make that mistake again.  

[PTC DAWG]

14 minutes ago, edspec said:

I haven't tried Q Texas Smokehouse but I can say I love Food Republic and always eat there if it's an option.  I usually pay a la cart as the prices are reasonable and the dining credit gives you four items which is way too much...I won't make that mistake again.  

This^^^^

[detroitlions]

I had the Q on the Bliss and the food was good but its a lot of food. I think this is going to end up being free. Food Republic I have gone several times its we enjoyed everything we tried but it was like appetizers or lunch. The one special restaurant I did not care for at all was the Mexican the food was not good at all. 

[Peachypooh]

We ate at Q on the Encore. The food was very good but the portions were enormous!

 

[PATRLR]

Q isn't bad and I'd suggest trying it with one huge caveat:   If you are a BBQ aficionado and you know and love good BBQ,  Q is NOT good BBQ.  I love good BBQ, I seek it out in cities I am spending time in, I know good BBQ.

 

Otherwise, many people enjoy it and you probably will too.  I ate my whole meal and I might even go again if I have extra meals to use up.

[cruiseny4life]

On this live that @mking8288did, he posted some photos of Q. I followed up with a question about the food, and he responded.

 

Here's the topic:

The posts I'm referring to are #'s 74, 75, 82, and 101.

 

Post 91 is @fstuff1's thoughts on Q the week before.

 

When I'm on the Joy in March I think we'll be hitting Q up as one of our four specialty meals.

 

[hallux]

I'll agree that the food is good in Q, the portion of loaded potatoes as an appetizer was large.  Value-wise - almost not worth spending a dining credit on Q, the prices are not outrageous.  The theming in the venue (on the Bliss anyway) was awesome!

[The Traveling Man]

The problem with the food at Q is that the techniques available to cook on board a ship are limited and do not lend themselves well to the proper preparation of barbeque.  Barbeque should be slow-cooked, smoked actually, at under 200 degrees for at least 10 hours.  At Q they cook it at about 400 degrees for a couple of hours.  The flavor and texture just aren't the same.  The food comes out tasty enough, but it just isn't true barbeque.  Unless you've never eaten barbeque before and want to get some idea of how it tastes, I recommend skipping dinner at Q.  Full disclosure:  I grew up in Texas and have eaten barbeque several thousand times at more than 100 different restaurants.  My personal preference, dare I say it, is for the ribs at Central Barbeque in Memphis, followed closely by the brisket at several different spots in the Central Texas Hill Country.  FWIW, NCL seems to recognize their shortcomings.  On Prima, NCL's latest ship, Q has been downgraded from an extra-cost specialty restaurant to just one of several booths in the Food Hall.  They no longer are emphasizing it or charging extra.  You may want to wait until you cruise on the Prima, or even wait until the Viva is launched, and then try Q without the surcharge.

Edited October 6, 2022 by The Traveling Man

[davencl]

I found the BBQ food at Q to be tough and dry.  Didn't much care for it.  Wouldn't eat there again.  This was on the Encore Aug. of 2021.  As noted it's not really possible to prepare real BBQ on the ship.  

[cruiseny4life]

2 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

The problem with the food at Q is that the techniques available to cook on board a ship are limited and do not lend themselves well to the proper preparation of barbeque.  Barbeque should be slow-cooked, smoked actually, at under 200 degrees for at least 10 hours.  At Q they cook it at about 400 degrees for a couple of hours.  The flavor and texture just aren't the same.

This is my hesitation with trying Q. Based on reports I think I will try it, but I'm going into not expecting anything better than a basic BBQ restaurant like Famous Dave's (I think we'll all agree it's just above mediocre). I like ribs and pulled pork. With enough decent sauce, which hopefully is the case on NCL, you can make any bbq edible. 

 

I've got to imagine it'll be far better than the crappy meal I had at Cagney's and the ho hum Teppanyaki. I certainly wouldn't spend any extra money on it - that's why my Free at Sea will be used. 

 

I'm hoping they at least infuse some sort of natural smoke flavoring into the meat.

[debenson0723]

I agree with the posts above. I enjoyed Q on Bliss and Encore but paid out of pocket for just a few items. Much better being a food hall item for free and a la carte. With Food Republic...I eat there twice during most cruises and pay out of pocket.  Just got off the Prima and used a dining credit for 4 items and split them with someone else...that's the way to go (we did this twice). It was never open for lunch on the Prima but typically is on sea days.

[weltek]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

Q isn't bad and I'd suggest trying it with one huge caveat:   If you are a BBQ aficionado and you know and love good BBQ,  Q is NOT good BBQ.  I love good BBQ, I seek it out in cities I am spending time in, I know good BBQ.

 

Otherwise, many people enjoy it and you probably will too.  I ate my whole meal and I might even go again if I have extra meals to use up.

This is the attitude we are going in with. I'm a former KCBS judge and I don't eat brisket outside of Texas..period, so yeah, am a little picky about what I consider good bbq. But "average" chicken, sausage ribs and pulled pork are still alright with me just as a different option for dinner while on the cruise. We are only doing it because we have 4 nights of specialty dining and don't like to eat at the same places during our trip. Figure we might as well try Q and just do it on a day when we can come hungry.  I agree with another poster that said to "expect Famous Dave's" level of bbq...which yeah, is just above mediocre. I like that they have live music!

Food Republic is in my top three fleetwide specialty restaurants. We do it for lunch both sea days. It's casual and delicious. So if you do it for dinner, just expect a more casual atmosphere than many of the other specialties. Good after a shore excursion day where you have a sunburn and don't want to endure a long fancy dinner. 🙂

Edited October 6, 2022 by weltek

[thatjoeguy]

I remember Q being fine the one time we went. I wouldn't seek it out again (I'd do most of the other specialties before it) but wouldn't be angry if the group decided to go.

 

Food Republic is amazing. We spend several meals there when we're on ships that have it.

[The Traveling Man]

7 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

I agree with the posts above. I enjoyed Q on Bliss and Encore but paid out of pocket for just a few items. Much better being a food hall item for free and a la carte. With Food Republic...I eat there twice during most cruises and pay out of pocket.  Just got off the Prima and used a dining credit for 4 items and split them with someone else...that's the way to go (we did this twice). It was never open for lunch on the Prima but typically is on sea days.

On those rare occasions when Food Republic is open at lunch, we almost always stop in there and pay a la carte.  We also try to have a light dinner there at least once per cruise, again usually paying out-of-pocket.  Sometimes we'll have some sushi or other light fare as an appetizer, then head for the Local or MDR for a main course and dessert.

[The Traveling Man]

13 minutes ago, davencl said:

I found the BBQ food at Q to be tough and dry.  Didn't much care for it.  Wouldn't eat there again.  This was on the Encore Aug. of 2021.  As noted it's not really possible to prepare real BBQ on the ship.  

Also somewhat under done, especially near the bone on the ribs.  That's the result of trying to cook it too fast at high heat instead of low and slow.

[IrieBajan54]

5 hours ago, bmlovell said:

 Sailing on joy for first time this month ,have never tried either restaurant as they were not on the ships I last sailed . We had moderno and I think Q is the replacement for that on the joy . Is the food good or should this be one to skip ?would you consider food republic a true speciality dining choice ,or like a quick eats spot ?for those who have tried thanks for the information.

I was on the Joy a few weeks ago and shared a solo Latitude Q dinner with another cruiser. He ordered BBQ but I got grilled salmon. A few days earlier, I had ribs in the main dining room so didn't feel like eating meat. The grilled salmon was very good. However, the jalapeno cornbread didn't even have a hint of heat/pepperiness.

 

The other specialty restaurant I ate at was Ocean Blue. The halibut was very bland. No seasoning at all.

[bmlovell]

4 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

On this live that @mking8288did, he posted some photos of Q. I followed up with a question about the food, and he responded.

 

Here's the topic:

The posts I'm referring to are #'s 74, 75, 82, and 101.

 

Post 91 is @fstuff1's thoughts on Q the week before.

 

When I'm on the Joy in March I think we'll be hitting Q up as one of our four specialty meals.

 

Thank you for the extra info I’ll. Be checking it out !we have 3 specialty nites and I wanted to use them wisely 😄

[bmlovell]

2 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

The problem with the food at Q is that the techniques available to cook on board a ship are limited and do not lend themselves well to the proper preparation of barbeque.  Barbeque should be slow-cooked, smoked actually, at under 200 degrees for at least 10 hours.  At Q they cook it at about 400 degrees for a couple of hours.  The flavor and texture just aren't the same.  The food comes out tasty enough, but it just isn't true barbeque.  Unless you've never eaten barbeque before and want to get some idea of how it tastes, I recommend skipping dinner at Q.  Full disclosure:  I grew up in Texas and have eaten barbeque several thousand times at more than 100 different restaurants.  My personal preference, dare I say it, is for the ribs at Central Barbeque in Memphis, followed closely by the brisket at several different spots in the Central Texas Hill Country.  FWIW, NCL seems to recognize their shortcomings.  On Prima, NCL's latest ship, Q has been downgraded from an extra-cost specialty restaurant to just one of several booths in the Food Hall.  They no longer are emphasizing it or charging extra.  You may want to wait until you cruise on the Prima, or even wait until the Viva is launched, and then try Q without the surcharge.

Thanks that’s a good point , if they were super popular they would have kept full size restaurant I would think .

[bmlovell]

2 hours ago, weltek said:

This is the attitude we are going in with. I'm a former KCBS judge and I don't eat brisket outside of Texas..period, so yeah, am a little picky about what I consider good bbq. But "average" chicken, sausage ribs and pulled pork are still alright with me just as a different option for dinner while on the cruise. We are only doing it because we have 4 nights of specialty dining and don't like to eat at the same places during our trip. Figure we might as well try Q and just do it on a day when we can come hungry.  I agree with another poster that said to "expect Famous Dave's" level of bbq...which yeah, is just above mediocre. I like that they have live music!

Food Republic is in my top three fleetwide specialty restaurants. We do it for lunch both sea days. It's casual and delicious. So if you do it for dinner, just expect a more casual atmosphere than many of the other specialties. Good after a shore excursion day where you have a sunburn and don't want to endure a long fancy dinner. 🙂

Yes I think I’m skipping Q except for a few desserts my DH loves ,and will do food republic a la. Artie for lunch. Thx 

[skeeter195]

We usually  eat lunch at food republic twice on sea days using one food credit for 4 items each time.  

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I've got to imagine it'll be far better than the crappy meal I had at Cagney's and the ho hum Teppanyaki. I certainly wouldn't spend any extra money on it - that's why my Free at Sea will be used.

Sorry to hear about your disappointments in Cagney's and Teppanyaki.  I've also had some bad luck with Cagney's, so for the last several years I usually have ordered the grilled fisherman's platter when dining there.  It may seem odd to order fish at a steak house, but the fish was very good and the portions were quite large.  Lately, though, I've been ordering the rack of lamb and have been very pleased with the meal.  I used to get lamb at Le Bistro, but they dropped the lamb chops in favor of lamb shank and it just hasn't been as good since then.  In my view Teppanyaki has always been more about the show, the entertainment, than the food.  That said, however, you can't beat the freshness factor with the elapsed time from grill to table being faster by a mile in Teppanyaki than it is anywhere else on board.  The calamari is much better there than any other NCL restaurant, the shrimp and scallops are superb, and the steak, depending on how talented you chef is, can be some of the best on board.  Sorry to hear you found it to be "ho hum."

[davencl]

41 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Sorry to hear about your disappointments in Cagney's and Teppanyaki.  I've also had some bad luck with Cagney's, so for the last several years I usually have ordered the grilled fisherman's platter when dining there.  It may seem odd to order fish at a steak house, but the fish was very good and the portions were quite large.  Lately, though, I've been ordering the rack of lamb and have been very pleased with the meal.  I used to get lamb at Le Bistro, but they dropped the lamb chops in favor of lamb shank and it just hasn't been as good since then.  In my view Teppanyaki has always been more about the show, the entertainment, than the food.  That said, however, you can't beat the freshness factor with the elapsed time from grill to table being faster by a mile in Teppanyaki than it is anywhere else on board.  The calamari is much better there than any other NCL restaurant, the shrimp and scallops are superb, and the steak, depending on how talented you chef is, can be some of the best on board.  Sorry to hear you found it to be "ho hum."

Interesting as the best steak I've ever had was at Ocean Blue...

[The Traveling Man]

24 minutes ago, davencl said:

Interesting as the best steak I've ever had was at Ocean Blue...

The best steak I've ever had on NCL, and one of the best I've ever had anywhere, was in La Cucina on the Epic this past May.  The second best, at least on NCL, was in Le Bistro a few years ago.  I've never been favorably impressed with the steaks in Cagney's, so I usually order fish or lamb when we dine there.

[BirdTravels]

7 hours ago, bmlovell said:

 Sailing on joy for first time this month ,have never tried either restaurant as they were not on the ships I last sailed . We had moderno and I think Q is the replacement for that on the joy . Is the food good or should this be one to skip ?would you consider food republic a true speciality dining choice ,or like a quick eats spot ?for those who have tried thanks for the information.

Personally, we don't care for Q. Without an open flame, it is hard to "smoke" the BBQ. Food republic is great! We use one Specialty Dining Credit for a sea day lunch, which is more than enough for 2. We use our second SDP credit for a second sea day lunch.