Specialty restaurant recommendations for the equinox

can any recent cruisers on the equinox recommend a specialty restaurant? We have some obc to burn. Thanks!

We were on last year (just off the Eclipse) We found our experience on Equinox to be ... Murano .. Best, worth the price of admission. Tuscan Grill .. so so, didn't think the meal was anything special. We did not try silk harvest last year, we had the prior year and found it to be OK, but nothing we wanted to try again We went to Murano twice last year and 4 times on our 14 night cruise in March. Service and food were outstanding.

Was on equinox last december and had 2 wonderful meals at Muranos.... The Lobster Bisque is amazing!

I would just say check out the menu for Sushi on 5. It is not just raw fish! The pricing is a la carte and we shared several dishes...the chicken dumplings and the shrimp tempura roll. The ramen bowls are also great. I think lots of people just see the word “sushi” and don’t look any further.

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We were on Equinox in October. Went to Murano twice and loved it. Tuscan Grill was okay, but Murano was special.

I would just say check out the menu for Sushi on 5. It is not just raw fish! The pricing is a la carte and we shared several dishes...the chicken dumplings and the shrimp tempura roll. The ramen bowls are also great. I think lots of people just see the word “sushi” and don’t look any further.

 

 

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I agree. We have had two great meals (Solstice and Equinox) at Sushi on 5 and it wasn't all raw fish!

A note about Sushi on 5. Toward the end of our 10-night cruise last October, they were offering AYCE for $20 per person. Lobster Bisque, Kobe beef sliders (wife doesn't like sushi!) and more are all awesome.

Just to clarify, Sushi is NOT raw fish! That would be Sashimi, but some sushi items do have raw fish on/in them. Either way, the waiters will be happy to let you know.

Sushi on 5 is not very busy, so deals can often be had. Nothing to lose by asking.

We liked Murano. The lobster cooked tableside is delightful and can be ordered with the filet to make an amazing surf-n-turf. Tuscan Grill also has some great dishes, but be sure to leave room for the tiramisu!!

Three strong recommendations for special meals

1. Murano

2. Murano

3. Murano.

Can't beat the food or service in any other specialty. That's the only one worth the price!

We were on Equinox at the endof March. Silk Harvest was really great. We were a party 6 and we all enjoyed the food. Many different Asian flavours. Some of our party returned later in the week. Would definitely recommend eating there. Also got great discounts on the price.

Everyone's taste is different. Contrary to most, we really do not like Murano. Most of the dishes people rave about are not to our taste (although the chocolate soufflé is to die for!). Our preference is Tuscan Grille by far. We also like Silk Harvest, but don't think it is as 'special' as the other two. On other ships we really like Qsine as well, but that is not on Equinox.

We just returned yesterday from the Equinox and really enjoyed Silk Harvest as a break from Blu. Unfortunately, we went near the end of the trip otherwise we would have gone a second or third time.

Whichever restaurant you try, my opinion is not to book before the trip because you can get good discounts during the cruise.

Thank you!

Everyone's taste is different. Contrary to most, we really do not like Murano. Most of the dishes people rave about are not to our taste (although the chocolate soufflé is to die for!). Our preference is Tuscan Grille by far. We also like Silk Harvest, but don't think it is as 'special' as the other two. On other ships we really like Qsine as well, but that is not on Equinox.

We tried Tuscan just once and then cancelled the rest of our reservations there for the cruise. The food was okay, but nothing more. What made the experience really bad was the sommelier. He refused to listen to what I was asking for and brought something else, instead. Then he spent several visits to the table trying to sell us a wine pairing dinner. I finally had to tell him we had no interest and he turned to my wife, ignoring me, and asked her if she was interested. I did talk with the Michael's concierge and then received a call from the maitre d, who apologized for the sommelier.

Murano was very good. So good we went there on the nights we had reserved for Tuscan. But, that's just one experience, and probably not a good evaluation of Tuscan overall. :)

We really like the service, atmosphere and food in Murano. Murano does not have a view however. Tuscany has a fabulous view of the wake of the ship. I love the window seating there, but feel the overall dining experience is better in Murano.

Sushi on 5 is fine for those who enjoy that particular cuisine. I truly wish they had something for companions of diners who do not enjoy that cuisine. We would have eaten there more often if I could have found something appetizing for myself. The service is good. The restaurant is seldom crowded. One caveat...it can be really noisy when activities are going on in the Atrium.

We really like the service, atmosphere and food in Murano. Murano does not have a view however. Tuscany has a fabulous view of the wake of the ship. I love the window seating there, but feel the overall dining experience is better in Murano.

 

Sushi on 5 is fine for those who enjoy that particular cuisine. I truly wish they had something for companions of diners who do not enjoy that cuisine. We would have eaten there more often if I could have found something appetizing for myself. The service is good. The restaurant is seldom crowded. One caveat...it can be really noisy when activities are going on in the Atrium.

In my earlier post, I recommended Murano. Agreed, there's no view but the room is nice. Even with the wonderful view in Tuscan and a hefty discount from either a dining package or a negotiated one on board, we don't feel the food in Tuscan is worth the hefty upcharge. We find it no better than a slightly upscale chain restaurant and don't feel that it is either genuine Italian, or a true steakhouse. We no longer dine there. In fact, since they've removed Murano from the M-class, we skip specialty dining when sailing on those ships. Thankfully Equinox and its sister ships in S-class haven't made the same error.

On our 3/31 cruise, the host at Sushi on 5 offered us the ayce deal for $30.00 for any day of the cruise. Ask for a deal. It cannot hurt.

:)

We just returned yesterday from the Equinox and really enjoyed Silk Harvest as a break from Blu. Unfortunately, we went near the end of the trip otherwise we would have gone a second or third time.

 

Whichever restaurant you try, my opinion is not to book before the trip because you can get good discounts during the cruise.

We just sailed the Equinox 2 weeks ago and dined in Silk Harvest three times. Very tasty food (try the whole fried sea bass) and a friendly wait staff.

We like Tuscan and love Murano. A shame that Murano is being taken off some ships. Spend your OBC - it'll be worth it!

If you want to try at Lunch time, go to Murano and Qsine, I post the menus from my past Eclipse cruise https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2617248 and https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2619496

They are open at sea days

can any recent cruisers on the equinox recommend a specialty restaurant? We have some obc to burn. Thanks!

When you decide which restaurant you would like to try...be flexible on day and time and ask for an offer...a deal. We haven't paid the full price at a Celebrity specialty restaurant in years. There is an almost automatic discount offered (20-25%) on dining on the very first night, although I'd suggest eating in your normal dining room the first night because the menu is usually very good. After that, when you run across someone selling specialty dining, just ask them what they can offer.

Some bargaining suggestions (obviously use your own words..mine are just suggestions):

1) smile and be cheerful when you ask for a deal.

2) If the celebrity sales person suggests a price or discount....make a counter offer..."that sounds good, but I'm really only willing to pay".

3) If they ask what you're willing to pay, suggest BOGO, buy one, get one free...50%. You'd be surprised how often that works.

4) If you don't strike a deal, you will probably find that same person in the same place the next day....smile and say...."my offer's still open" You'd be surprised how many times they remember you and say...OK, or give you a better offer than the day before.

5) If they say HQ only allows us to discount to $x, just smile and say "that's more than I'm willing to pay".

6) Be flexible on time and/or day....you are getting a deal. That doesn't mean that you can't ask for a prime dinner time, but you may have to dine a little earlier or later than you'd normally select.

No pressure. They will try to keep the prices high at the beginning of the cruise...but I generally try this discussion the second or third day of the cruise. Of course, you may never strike a deal...that happens.....or you may have to pay their asking price....but that's up to you.

Good luck.

posted earlier with our vote for Murano as #1.

We to also support Sushi on 5 .. we love this place. Sadly, the place is never very busy, but the food is wonderful. We do not eat raw fish, but they have so many delicious things on their menu, including sushi rolls, that do not have raw fish. We have always been given a discount when dining there, and on the Solstice we received $30 per person all you can eat too. On the Eclipse, we always received 20% off our bill. The Manager and wait staff were excellent, and when seeing them around the ship always stopped to say hello. Perhaps a previous posters suggestion that they need to add a few "meat and potato" dishes for those who don't care for their menu would help to bring in more business.

Tuscan .. Agree with a previous poster .. their Italian food is not great and their steaks don't really shine either. We have tried several of their pasta dishes and found the pasta to be way over cooked and gummy. I upgraded my steak (paying an additional price) and even that steak wasn't very good. Their dining room and view is beautiful.

We will be on the Silhouette next year and Reflection in 2020 .. happy to see they have a couple of other dining options that we will be able to try, as we will not return to the Tuscan Grill.

can any recent cruisers on the equinox recommend a specialty restaurant? We have some obc to burn. Thanks!

Murano is by far the best restaurant on the ship. We ate in there twice last week on our cruise. It’s really fine dining and would cost you a couple hundred on land

Rita

I would just say check out the menu for Sushi on 5. It is not just raw fish! The pricing is a la carte and we shared several dishes...the chicken dumplings and the shrimp tempura roll. The ramen bowls are also great. I think lots of people just see the word “sushi” and don’t look any further.

 

 

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Couldn’t agree more, I’m not a raw fish eater but do always go when onboard and find plenty to eat and always leave full & satisfied [emoji39][emoji1303]

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If you want to try at Lunch time, go to Murano and Qsine, I post the menus from my past Eclipse cruise https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2617248 and https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2619496

 

They are open at sea days

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We just got off the Equinox on May 4, too, as did some others on this thread. We ate in 2 specialty restaurants, Silk Harvest and Murano. To us, the Silk Harvest meal was more memorable and fun than the Murano meal, although both were excellent in their own ways. Plus, Silk Harvest is a better value at $35 than Murano at $50.

We went with a group of 6 to both restaurants. My only caveat is that at Silk Harvest especially, they basically encouraged us to over-order, by saying they would bring one of every appetizer, and then bringing additional stuff we did not order. We hated to see the waste of food, so if I were to return (to Silk Harvest or any other specialty restaurant on our next cruise) I would be careful to specify that we will start out with a reasonable amount of food and order more later if we need it.

Tom & Judy