Are any of the specialty restaurants worth the price?

[Sabre407]

Cucina and Jiji seems like a good deal. There aren’t any places on land that I’m aware of where you can get three courses for $18. 
 

 $48 for a steakhouse and then a la carte for the smokehouse, seafood place and sushi…those are a harder sell. Are any of them worth paying for? 
 

I love all food, if that helps. I probably wouldn’t be going on a cruise if I didn’t. 
 

edit: Also, room service. I love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Would I love it for $5?

 

edit edit: Those big cookies you can order in advance for your room to be delivered on the first day…are they superior to buffet cookies? I am a major cookie snob and heard a rumor that Carnival has terrible cookies. 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Sabre407

[jsglow]

We absolutely love Cucina.

[RenoNanaOz]

6 minutes ago, Sabre407 said:

Cucina and Jiji seems like a good deal. There aren’t any places on land that I’m aware of where you can get three courses for $18. 
 

 $48 for a steakhouse and then a la carte for the smokehouse, seafood place and sushi…those are a harder sell. Are any of them worth paying for? 
 

I love all food, if that helps. I probably wouldn’t be going on a cruise if I didn’t. 
 

edit: Also, room service. I love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Would I love it for $5?

 

edit edit: Those big cookies you can order in advance for your room to be delivered on the first day…are they superior to buffet cookies? I am a major cookie snob and heard a rumor that Carnival has terrible cookies. 

Jiji and the Steakhouse are definitely worth it. Haven't been to Cucina, loved the Sushi on The Vista. Will experience Bonsai Teppanyaki for the first time in January on The Horizon.

[ColeThornton]

Only you can determine if it's worth it for you.  Some here will tell you yes, some will tell you no.

 

Have some fun and try them and find out.

[Sabre407]

24 minutes ago, jsglow said:

We absolutely love Cucina.

Thanks! For the price, we’ll probably be doing this and Jiji.

 

The others don’t seem to have a great price point so we’re a bit iffy.

[Sabre407]

23 minutes ago, RenoNanaOz said:

Jiji and the Steakhouse are definitely worth it. Haven't been to Cucina, loved the Sushi on The Vista. Will experience Bonsai Teppanyaki for the first time in January on The Horizon.

We’re going on Horizon in December and I didn’t even know about the teppanyaki. The amount of food choices is insane!

[jsglow]

22 minutes ago, Sabre407 said:

Thanks! For the price, we’ll probably be doing this and Jiji.

 

The others don’t seem to have a great price point so we’re a bit iffy.

Get the pork chop.  Trust me.

[crewsweeper]

Cucina, Smokehouse and Chibang (poor knock of Jijis and mediocre Mexican) are still free on the Mardi Gras.  Are other ships charging?

Bonsai Sushi is fantastic.  Not a fan of the BeniHana clone called Teriyaki, but other rave about it.  So if being entertained by a cook while you're eating definitiely a place to get a reservation.  Books up quickly.   

While some grumble about the SteakHouse going to $48 and more, you'll not get a cheaper or as good of a meal at any good local steakhouse on land.

[LatinaInTexas]

Last cruise on Panorama we ate almost every night at specialty restaurants. JiJis is very, very good, went there twice. We sat facing the kitchen watching and the second time we went chef recognized us and sent over a big bowl of soup.

Went to Bonsai even though we don't eat sushi and there were enough non seafood items on the menu to make a delicious meal.

Cucina I had the pork chop, delicious. Smokehouse was pretty bad, almost inedible food.

Have tried the steakhouse twice, wasnt overly impressed. Rib eye was great but not a fan of the rest of the menu.

It was worth it to me because I was a bit tired of the same old MDR menu.

[havanadaydreaming]

i really like the sushi, i highly recommend getting it the day of or after embarkation.   dont wait until end of week.  

 

we have never dined at the steakhouse on Carnival.  we should have last month when we had $500 obc for 4 nt cruise.  

 

we like the Cucina but usually hit it for complimentary sea day lunch.  same with Jiji.  

 

 

[Woody14]

2 hours ago, Sabre407 said:

Cucina and Jiji seems like a good deal. There aren’t any places on land that I’m aware of where you can get three courses for $18. 

While I agree that on land you can't get 3 courses for $18 you are already paying some as part of the cruise fare so it is an additional $18 so really to compare you need to be talking 25-30

[Elaine5715]

Yes

[EngIceDave]

1 hour ago, ColeThornton said:

Only you can determine if it's worth it for you.  Some here will tell you yes, some will tell you no.

 

Have some fun and try them and find out.

 

This is correct and here's my semi-food snobbery....

 

(Generalizations, will vary from ship to ship)

 

The steakhouses, for the money charged, is a fair rate...cheap, actually. Cuts are decent, made to order and the sides are good....$100 per head in any decent steak place on land. Not going to get away with all of that (dessert included) at a Longhorn or Roadhouse....which is a good close in quality. The steakhouse service has always been outstanding. It's their top crew.

 

We were not impressed with the Teppanyaki. The "show tricks" are simple (it is a moving ship, so I understand), portions are small and with a few folks stuffed around the grill top table, it can feel crowded. Ehhh...

 

We LOVED the sit down Bonsai Sushi. Good menu, good selection and it was all smoking good. Wife's not a sushi person and will only eat NOBU (I made a snob, sorry)....but she liked this alot! Pricing was fair.

 

The Italian is good...not great and if you were true native Italian, you'd likely eat it and be happy, but it ain't Mama's. It's not small batch, you can tell. But it's good...not great, but 

Pricing compared to land based is fair

[Sabre407]

Thanks, guys! Will make reservations for Cucina and Jiji, skip the steakhouse and teppanyaki and possibly save sushi for a night where the MDR menu doesn’t look great (and having looked at the menus, so far it looks like many nights).

[Saint Greg]

JiJi is awesome.

[Spaniel Lover]

I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned the Pig & Anchor yet.  For my money, it's the best value in premium dining on the ship.  The prices at the Pig & Anchor (I'm talking about food prices at the restaurant at dinner time) are very low, and those smoked meats are fantastic.  The brisket...  the ribs...  ooh, I can't wait 'til I can eat there again!  Also, be sure to try the Trash Can Nachos.  That Guy Fieri really knows how to cook!

I was just watching a video from the British YouTubers, Ben & David...  who do a lot of cruises on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, in addition to British lines like P&O.  They did their first Carnival cruise (on Mardi Gras) and when they got to the Pig & Anchor they were just RAVING about how great the food was.  I thought "finally, someone who appreciates the Pig & Anchor as much as I do!"  On a 7 night Carnival cruise, it's not unusual for me to have dinner at the Pig & Anchor three times during the week.

I can have a nice steak dinner at several different restaurants in my hometown for less than the cost of a meal at Carnival's steakhouse, and in a much more comfortable, casual atmosphere.  The whole presentation at Carnival's steakhouse is a little stuffy for me.  But the Pig & Anchor...  now THAT'S my place when I'm onboard a Carnival ship!

[mz-s]

Well it’s certainly a case that Carnival’s extra-fee restaurants aren’t the bargain they used to be.

 

I don’t think the room service menu is worth it. To me the prices are punitive, they don’t want you to order.

 

Steakhouse is right on the edge. Next price hike and I won’t go anymore. Even now I personally don’t think its worth it even as bad as Carnival’s MDR beef selections are (outside of the very good beef tenderloin).

 

The other places are case by case. Bonsai sushi, yes, Jijis yes, the others no (personally). Each to their own.

[vwrestler171]

I think the Teppanyaki is worth it, because it costs more where I'm from.  Jijis is worth it as well IMO.  Not impressed with the smokehouse and not a fan of Italian so those aren't worth it IMO.

[RenoNanaOz]

22 minutes ago, Spaniel Lover said:

I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned the Pig & Anchor yet.  For my money, it's the best value in premium dining on the ship.  The prices at the Pig & Anchor (I'm talking about food prices at the restaurant at dinner time) are very low, and those smoked meats are fantastic.  The brisket...  the ribs...  ooh, I can't wait 'til I can eat there again!  Also, be sure to try the Trash Can Nachos.  That Guy Fieri really knows how to cook!

I was just watching a video from the British YouTubers, Ben & David...  who do a lot of cruises on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, in addition to British lines like P&O.  They did their first Carnival cruise (on Mardi Gras) and when they got to the Pig & Anchor they were just RAVING about how great the food was.  I thought "finally, someone who appreciates the Pig & Anchor as much as I do!"  On a 7 night Carnival cruise, it's not unusual for me to have dinner at the Pig & Anchor three times during the week.

I can have a nice steak dinner at several different restaurants in my hometown for less than the cost of a meal at Carnival's steakhouse, and in a much more comfortable, casual atmosphere.  The whole presentation at Carnival's steakhouse is a little stuffy for me.  But the Pig & Anchor...  now THAT'S my place when I'm onboard a Carnival ship!

LOVE the Trash Can Nachos!

[Spaniel Lover]

18 minutes ago, vwrestler171 said:

Not impressed with the smokehouse...

 

I'm just curious...
Were you not impressed with it based on a sea day lunch you had there?  Or did you dine there for dinner?

I'm not all that impressed with the sea day lunch buffet they offer outside the Pig & Anchor...  but the sit-down dinners inside the restaurant, I LOVE those.   The dinner at the Pig & Anchor is completely different than what they serve at lunch time.  I worry that people might be un-impressed with the lunch, and then never try the dinner version.

Do try the Trash Can Nachos sometime, if you never have.  They are unlike other nachos you've probably had.
 

 

[mslhb]

Love Jiji!

[mmtska]

5 hours ago, Sabre407 said:

Cucina and Jiji seems like a good deal. There aren’t any places on land that I’m aware of where you can get three courses for $18. 
 

 $48 for a steakhouse and then a la carte for the smokehouse, seafood place and sushi…those are a harder sell. Are any of them worth paying for? 
 

I love all food, if that helps. I probably wouldn’t be going on a cruise if I didn’t. 
 

edit: Also, room service. I love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Would I love it for $5?

 

edit edit: Those big cookies you can order in advance for your room to be delivered on the first day…are they superior to buffet cookies? I am a major cookie snob and heard a rumor that Carnival has terrible cookies. 

I feel like teppanyaki is about the same price on land, so I wouldn't do that if you have one around you. The one around us has steak, shrimp and chicken plus veggies, noodles, fried rice, soup and salad for less than the price of on the ship, and it's REALLY good. I really enjoyed the Steakhouse. IDK what ship you're talking about, but if it's Rudi's Seagrill on Mardi Gras? meh. I wasn't super impressed, although I did see a lot of good experiences so YMMV. 

 

As for PB&J....i wouldn't love that for $5 off the ship. Isn't there pb, jelly and bread on lido? I would go for that unless you're really craving it and don't want to leave your room.

[bikerjohn1]

I will be eating at the Steak House and the Cucina in about 10 days!!

[SDPadreFan]

In my opinion, no. We've done the steakhouse on both Carnival ships and RCCL. We've always been quite content with the offerings in the MDR (even recently), so why spend the extra money. Neither of our experiences in the steakhouse's had us drooling to repeat the extra expense. Rather spend our money on experiences that will last a life time (like another cruise!).

[skrufy]

The steakhouse food is delicious, but for us they have out too high a price. We have never had any of the other restaurant fares. So on our Jubilee cruise will will be feasting on the lower priced restaurants.