Speciality Restaurants review
With so much food onboard which already comes included in the cruise fare it is good to know what to expect if you are considering paying for additional dining and food plates.
By branding their restaurants, Royal Caribbean keep these consistent across the fleet to provide guests with what they want and are accustomed to.
First let’s talk about the quick serve locations:
Fish & Ships
For the most part this location is a novelty, aiming at the American guests who rarely get British style chips. It is good to order ‘chips’ and actually get thick style potato fries rather than flat potato crisps. [I have accidentally ordered chips in the US a few times and been deeply saddened when cold crunchy morsels appear rather than warming fries].
Arran visited the stall a few times, he said it wasn’t quite as good as the real stuff back home but it was a welcome change from hotdogs (though he is a lover of the hotdog!). I think if you were on a colder itinerary then this place would become more appealing.
They have a few things that are complimentary and then other a la carte options.
Johnny Rockets
We haven’t eaten at Johnny Rockets ourselves as yet, but our cruise friends swear by it – comfort food at its best. They say that quality doesn’t vary by ship so you know you’re getting what you are paying for!
If you have purchased the 3 night dining package for example though, you would be better paying Johnny Rockets out of pocket, as other restaurants will give you more for your money.
Other snack options
There are also snack plates for order at the British Pubs and Playmakers Sports Bar across the fleet, in the range of $3-$12. We haven’t felt the need to spend money on any of these on trips so far, with all the other food on offer. But some have looked very tasty (Pretzel Bites from Brass&Bock, I’m looking at you) so I would definitely consider it.
Then we have family style restaurants:
Mason Jar
We looked forward to eating at this Southern-themed restaurant but it disappointed us (on our first visit – see below for an update!). The UK doesn’t have many restaurants focused on southern BBQ but it is a cuisine that we really enjoy.
For the money we did get a good serving size. We got 4 small plates between the 3 of us for starters because we could not choose between them, as they sounded unusual and appealing. When the dishes arrived, three of them (the fried green tomatoes, blueberry johnnycakes and crab beignets) were very dry, while the fourth, the lobster n’ crawfish gumbo, was scalding hot. We had barely touched them by the time the waiter came to clear the plates. That was a shame as the dishes themselves had potential.
For the mains, the chicken pie looked almost identical to the one they had served in the MDR a few nights earlier. My fried chicken and sweet potato fries were great but I could have got them at any restaurant at home. Plus the side of mac & cheese felt more like kids-canned style, rather than the elevated cuisine that I expected from a Royal Caribbean speciality restaurant.
Our favourite part of the meal was the themed cocktails and that is not the best sign since they are not included in the food cover. On some of the ships there is a lounge area of Mason Jar, so you could simply order a cocktail at the bar without dining in!
Perhaps our experience was just a matter of timing – it was the last night of the sailing, and the staff seemed worn out.
Update:
On a recent sailing with friends, we returned to Mason Jar and were pleasantly surprised. Not only were the themed cocktails still good but the food was also high quality and we really enjoyed it. The starters were not as dry and the mains had lots of flavour.
Given this experience, we would actually recommend Mason Jar but we may need to try for a 3rd time to see if the quality stays true to this visit.
Jamie’s Italian/ Giovannis
I grouped these together because they both offer Italian cuisine and are found throughout the fleet. All the classic Italian offerings are on the menu.
We have not dined there ourselves but they do get good reviews. We have many great Italian restaurants at home in the UK, so not felt the need to up-pay for the food.
They recently changed the fixed-price menu so guests now choose between a pasta and an entrée as opposed to having both. We’re fine with that since it means less food waste, but some people may feel they’re not getting the same value for money with one fewer dish.
Wonderland
Wonderland operates in the space between family style dining and luxury dining. While this might seem ideal, it means that it fails to meet either criteria completely. Children might be put off by the slightly unusual assortment of food. Whilst we as adults felt that the food didn’t have enough spice, acidity or definitive flavour. While we really enjoyed the immersive experience, we were somewhat disappointed by the food itself.
The concept is based upon the Alice in Wonderland tale so lots of thematic elements through the evening including 4 themed cocktails exclusive to Wonderland. Some of the ships have a bar area separated from the dining area so you could get a cocktail; which we are more likely to do rather than dine again.
When you’re first seated, you receive a water goblet, a paintbrush, and an easel, and you wet the sheet to reveal the menu. The menu is split into five sections – Sun, Ice, Fire, Earth and Sea. As there were 4 of us when we ate there, we were able to get many appetisers to share, but this is dependent on the server’s choice. We had ‘Baby Vegetables in the Garden’, ‘Reconstructed Caprese’, ‘Crispy Crab Cones’, ‘Citrus Seas Shh’, ‘Liquid Mushroom Risotto’ and the ‘Mad Hatter’s Potted Shrimp’.
For main I had ‘Branzino in Crispy Bread’ whilst Arran had ‘Snap, Crackle and Pork’ and for dessert the ‘Forbidden Apple’.
We decided that it was probably a one and done for us – nice to experience with friends but not a culinary delight that we would pay for just for the food.
And then the upscale dining:
Chops Grille
Chops Grille is Royal Caribbean’s signature restaurant which they have across the fleet and try to persuade guests to eat at more than most. We presume that they are able to make the most markup on the food.
We have had really good experiences in Chops and also very poor experiences. You are not necessarily going to know ahead of time but aiming for a less busy night might be better, for example not going on formal night so that you get the best service.
This steakhouse offers other entrees aswell as the signature steaks so you don’t have to only want to eat red meat, however that is probably where the best value for money comes from.
The appetizers are of similar quality and variety as the main dining room. The sides are of sharer size so they recommend at around 1 per person, which is obviously better if you are eating as a larger group so that you can sample more variety. We have tried the Truffle fries, gold mash, gruyere tater tots, broccoli and asparagus. The waiters serve the steak sauces tableside, so you simply request the one you want after your steak is served.
A kids’ menu is available, though we have never checked to see what is offered. You could bring children for a special occasion, but the restaurant mainly attracts adult diners.
Izumi
Izumi is the Japanese-themed restaurant found across the fleet, some locations feature only a sushi bar, while others offer a full teppanyaki grill. So far, we haven’t been disappointed with any of our meals at Izumi.
Due to our allergies we have opted to avoid the teppanyaki experience for now and only ate at Izumi Sushi. We have always dined there on the set menu (on a dining plan) rather than the a la carte menu. The set menu option allows you to get miso soup, 1 small plate and 2 large plates (akin to starter and main) and a dessert. This is a lot of food and we are always happily full after a meal at Izumi.
I think we have tried all variations of sushi on offer now. The ingredients are high quality and plates are always presented beautifully. We would highly recommend adding the sake pairing to your meal for that added sense of engagement – particularly if you’re on the drinks package!
Hooked Seafood
We have read on other blogs and reviews that people would not rate Hooked highly. We have loved each time we have gone to Hooked for the service, food and ambience. Maybe that is because in the UK we are not spoiled by cheap seafood options or that some cultures require much stronger taste profiles for their palate.
There are many seafood options available including the signature baked oysters and lobster tails which are scrumptious, but there is steak available if someone in your party is feeling less adventurous.
Hooked also offers a lunch menu on select sailings which comes in at a lower price point so you could try that as a starting point.
150 Central Park
It is a classy restaurant with contemporary decor of French Bistro and New York Brasserie with a menu to match. Children are allowed to eat here but the menu is definitely aimed at the adults – lobster, venison, veal, lamb and many other items that we have enjoyed.
I didn’t feel like I was on a ship at all once we were immersed in the restaurant. But if you are wanting a more laid back vacation atmosphere then this might not be the place for you.
It is high class dining and of a quality you would expect when paying an upcharge for Royal Caribbean. We have gone for a date night as a couple and also gone as a friends group and the quality and level of service has remained the same.
Verdict
We really enjoy the speciality dining onboard the Royal caribbean ships but we don’t think it is necessary to enjoy your cruise. For us if we were only paying for one speciality dining meal, we would probably choose Izumi or Hooked. Although we definitely do feel sad that 150 Central Park is only onboard the Oasis class ships and they removed it from Central Park neighbourhood with the design of the new Icon class ships.
