Getaway/Breakaway MUST HAVE specialty restaurants and why?

I am traveling with 2 really good friends and our kids. Two of us have the UDP and 1 opted out because she feels the MDR is sufficient for her. So, now she's decided that she wants to join us for dinner a few nights and is asking me which restaurants are the best ones. Well, she fails to remember that NONE of us have sailed on NCL before. So, I really have no clue which specialty resturants are the ones to rave over. Honestly, they all sound really good to me. :D But, I'm certain some stand out above the others and those are the ones I want to hear about. So, I'm going to let CC steer me in the right direction (as always)!!!

Please tell me which are your TOP 3 specialty restaurants (in order) and why? What did you have there that is NOT to be missed?

Thank you in advance for your replies.

Moderno, Ocean Blue, Le Bistro

Moderno....because we are carnivores and I love trying the different meats. The salad bar is really good and the grilled pineapple is dreamy

Teppanyaki....or as we call it Choppy choppy. Its a yummy and fun the kids always have a good time. Love the simply prepared seafood. Scallops (or marshmallows as they call them) and shrimp are my fave.

Cagneys a great streak house period.

We have not done Le Bistro yet but doing it on our next cruise since so many people have raved about it.

Lobster is always a big deal to my son since he can eat his weight in it we make him stop at 3 tails. So we knew we where going to do the seafood buffett. We also knew we wanted to do the Illusionarium so when they included the Illusionarium on the first night in the UDP we/I jumped on it. It made the UDP cost effective for us. I also enjoy the smaller dinning venues.

We dined at Le Bristo on the Epic. It was SO good. The atmosphere, service and food were great. The Creme Brulee' was so yummy.

I see alot of people talk about the Lobster Roll at Ocean Blue. Can you get that item at the Raw Bar or do you have to pay the cover at Ocean Blue to get that one item? We have so many great seafood restaurants here in Florida that paying the $37 cover (we have the UDP) seems to be a waste IMHO. Must have for us will be LeBistro. We want to see if it measures up to Murano on Celebrity Reflection.

i traveled with my two young ones

the teppanyaki would be our "must" as the 2 yr old absolutely loves it and will acutally sit down properly without me entertaining him.

cagney's is okay. I've found them to be a hit or miss. There are cruises where the steak is very good and there are times where it's okay. They also tend to overcook what you ask so a rare typically comes out med rare and med rare might get to medium/medium well (I've been three times on two diff cruises) But I'm being a beef snob as i feel like i've been spoiled by the steakhouses here in NY.

I actually am quite fond of le bistro. (also three times on 2 diff cruises). We sent the kids off with teh parents and it was a nice quiet /relaxing very enjoyable dinner. It's actually one of the restaurant i felt best paired with wine.

and as a heavy carnivore, moderno was just awesome. just prepare not to do anything for the rest of the day. I got the meat sweats and pretty much marinated on the sun deck the rest of the day. (sounds appetizing doesn't it ;-)) the salad bar of moderno is surprisingly good.

I see alot of people talk about the Lobster Roll at Ocean Blue. Can you get that item at the Raw Bar or do you have to pay the cover at Ocean Blue to get that one item? We have so many great seafood restaurants here in Florida that paying the $37 cover (we have the UDP) seems to be a waste IMHO. Must have for us will be LeBistro. We want to see if it measures up to Murano on Celebrity Reflection.

Ocean Blue on the Waterfront (to-go) has no cover charge

So far...In the lead, it's LeBistro! Then Moderno at 2nd. I haven't reached a decision on the 3rd. It's between Teppanyaki and Cagneys. Keep them coming CC. :D

Thanks everyone!!! :)

Definitely do Le Bistro, it was fantastic. My parents went to Ocean Blue and they were roundly disappointed. They thought the food was decent but certainly not worth the additional upcharge.

They have actually tried them all on various ships and they said that if you had to pick just one, it would be Le Bistro. ChiMimi, are you from Chicago? If so, the specialty restaurants onboard aren't as good as what you can get back home. Moderno was described to me as a poor man's Fogo de Chao. Churrascarias are known for their endless meat of course but also for their incredible salad bars, and the salad bar at Moderno wasn't that great. Cagney's is just like any steakhouse. And the teppanyaki, although entertaining, is just like Benihana.

I guess though if you are on a cruise and want to enjoy, you can't go wrong.

It's not part of the UDP, but I would highly recommend you try the Wasabi Sushi Bar. The sushi was really inexpensive (cheaper than what you'd pay on land!), large portions, and it was fergalicious so delicious.

My three would be Le Bistro, Teppanyaki, and Cagney's!! All three are amazing!!

All of them because NCL has a good selection and we don't like trough eating.

Definitely do Le Bistro, it was fantastic. My parents went to Ocean Blue and they were roundly disappointed. They thought the food was decent but certainly not worth the additional upcharge.

 

They have actually tried them all on various ships and they said that if you had to pick just one, it would be Le Bistro. ChiMimi, are you from Chicago? If so, the specialty restaurants onboard aren't as good as what you can get back home. Moderno was described to me as a poor man's Fogo de Chao. Churrascarias are known for their endless meat of course but also for their incredible salad bars, and the salad bar at Moderno wasn't that great. Cagney's is just like any steakhouse. And the teppanyaki, although entertaining, is just like Benihana.

 

I guess though if you are on a cruise and want to enjoy, you can't go wrong.

 

It's not part of the UDP, but I would highly recommend you try the Wasabi Sushi Bar. The sushi was really inexpensive (cheaper than what you'd pay on land!), large portions, and it was fergalicious so delicious.

Yes, I am in ChiTown but, haven't tried FdC yet. My kids love Benihana so, this place is a definite for us on family night. So, Cagney's will make the list at #3. I LOVE Steak! I'm definitely sure we'll be hitting the sushi bar at some point for lunch. My BFFs LOVE sushi!

Thanks for the great tips Blackwing!!!

My three would be Le Bistro, Teppanyaki, and Cagney's!! All three are amazing!!

Awesome choices!!! All are on my list. THANKS!!! :D

I see alot of people talk about the Lobster Roll at Ocean Blue. Can you get that item at the Raw Bar or do you have to pay the cover at Ocean Blue to get that one item? We have so many great seafood restaurants here in Florida that paying the $37 cover (we have the UDP) seems to be a waste IMHO. Must have for us will be LeBistro. We want to see if it measures up to Murano on Celebrity Reflection.

Ocean Blue and Ocean Blue on the Waterfront are separate venues. Ocean Blue on the Waterfront is open for lunch and pricing is a la carte. $9.75 for a lobster roll.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I know many rave about Moderno, but, I was kinda meh. It just didn't do it for me or my DH. Teppanyaki we always do twice each cruise and we like Cagney's and Le Bistro equally well. Le Bistro is definitely more romantic and quiet while Cagney's is more family friendly. I haven't personally tried Ocean Blue but have not read great reviews so we skip that one.

Ocean Blue and Ocean Blue on the Waterfront are separate venues. Ocean Blue on the Waterfront is open for lunch and pricing is a la carte. $9.75 for a lobster roll.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thanks for the info..

I am traveling with 2 really good friends and our kids. Two of us have the UDP and 1 opted out because she feels the MDR is sufficient for her. So, now she's decided that she wants to join us for dinner a few nights and is asking me which restaurants are the best ones. Well, she fails to remember that NONE of us have sailed on NCL before. So, I really have no clue which specialty resturants are the ones to rave over. Honestly, they all sound really good to me. :D But, I'm certain some stand out above the others and those are the ones I want to hear about. So, I'm going to let CC steer me in the right direction (as always)!!!

 

Please tell me which are your TOP 3 specialty restaurants (in order) and why? What did you have there that is NOT to be missed?

 

Thank you in advance for your replies.

In all honesty, with the new menus on both Breakaway and Getaway, and the improved quality, you do not need any of the speciality restaurants. Prior to the new menus, I would have said Cagney's and Moderno.

So far...In the lead, it's LeBistro! Then Moderno at 2nd. I haven't reached a decision on the 3rd. It's between Teppanyaki and Cagneys. Keep them coming CC. :D

 

Thanks everyone!!! :)

The only specialty restaurant I've eaten at on Breakaway is Moderno and it was GREAT. Then again, I do really like meat. Restrain yourself on the buffet because I thought the other stuff was better... and the dessert was really good.

I had a Teppanyaki lunch on Epic and I thought it was OK. If you like dinner and a juggling show, or have kids who would be amused by onion volcanos or other tricks, then go for it. For pure food value, I liked a typical MDR dinner better.

I've eaten at Cagney's on the Gem and Jewel and I liked that. I rarely do "steakhouse" not preceded by "outback" so it was a nice experience. Very quiet and lavish, also with good desserts.

I've eaten sushi on Gem and thought it was fairly ordinary. There are two excellent sushi places in my own home town so my bar is probably set really high. They did let us come back later for dessert without having to pay a second charge.

All of them because NCL has a good selection and we don't like trough eating.

Not sure if you've ever been to the buffet at dinner time, but it's typically calm and quiet without lines. They will make crepes to order with a variety of toppings, and the line isn't typically very long. It's a great idea if you want something quick before a show, or just a snack to tide you over until your late dinner. Often they are serving some of the same dishes as are on the menu in the MDR.

I highly recommend Wasabi, the sushi restaurant near Ocean Blue. I went there for lunch on Breakaway one day and loved it. It's a la carte, but the individual roll prices are quite reasonable, less than my normal sushi place here at home, so I felt more than fine paying for it. Definitely worth a try if you like sushi!

I thought the Japanese cuisine was fairly mediocre. It's a tad better than RCI's Mizumi (which is inedible), but the quality is still about the same as convenience store sushi in the US. I grew up in a place where fresh fish was relatively cheap and plentiful, there were hundreds of thousands of ethnic Japanese and an almost equal number of sushi bars, and made frequent trips to Japan so I probably have a higher standard for sushi than most here. Still, if you have a craving for sushi, it'll suffice (barely). The prices are reasonable for what they offer.

Must have for us will be LeBistro. We want to see if it measures up to Murano on Celebrity Reflection.

It's good but it's not THAT good, of course it's half the price too right? LeBistro is $20 and on X it's $45 I think? So while I love LeBistro-mushroom soup and escargot esp. So don't be disappointed ....

I second those that say Cagneys is "meh". It always hit or miss, but the steak in LeBistro is always great. While I am not a huge fan of the various Italian restaurants on Norwegian now (ah for the old il adiagio menu on Sun) I do love their Osso Bucco so I would suggest considering adding it to you list

Recently sailed on the Getaway and really enjoyed Ocean Blue - Lobster Risotto and Dover Sole were fantastic and we though well worth the cover charge.

Teppanyaki is a great experience and Cagney's is very good for steak.

We have not been overly impressed with Moderno in the past because the food isn't "to-order". I would recommend the Illusionarium on the Getaway, but not for the food. :)

My favorites are:

#1- LeBistro: French Onion Soup/3 mushroom soup, Lamb chops with mint jelly (they melt in your mouth), creme brulee/Chocolate fondue with mixed fresh fruit (chocolate is mixed with peanut butter--so good)

#2: Cagneys: Shrimp cocktails (2 or 3), great steaks, lumb crab, rasberry creme brulee

We have not been overly impressed with Moderno in the past because the food isn't "to-order"

At Moderno you can ask for a specific doneness. I request medium-rare cuts and they've always been willing to accommodate.