Pinnacle Grill or Tamarind???

[potsie57]

Hi everyone, New cruiser to Holland America, I have reservations for the Pinnacle Grill but after reading these boards for the past couple of months I am wondering if I made the right choice. Should I have booked the Tamarind instead?? Which one is better or gets better reviews?? Thanks..

[Krazy Kruizers]

Tough choice.

We love both and have had great meals at both restaurants.

But since the Tamarind is only on the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Eurodam while the Pinnacle Grill is on all the ships -- we definitely choose to do the Tamarind more on those ships.

[soldham]

I would choosethe Tamarind in a second. My personal opinion is that that Pinnacle (from a purely food perspective) is not that much better than the MDR. Presentation and service are quite another thing though......

 

And the staff in the Tamarind are just so darn great....

[sail7seas]

When on Eurodam or Nieuw Amsterdam, we never miss having dinner at least once in Tamarind and it never disappoints. We had two in the last two weeks and both were outstanding.

 

We also enjoyed many a dinner in Pinnacle on the various ships.

In all honesty, try as they will, it is not consistent Pinnacle to Pinnacle, even Chef to Chef on the same ship for Pinnacle. One time can be truly outstanding and another less so. Even still, we always go at least once a week when aboard.

 

[canadianbear]

I recently had the enjoyment of my first Tamarind experience while on the Eurodam (and I went reluctantly) and it was absolutely fabulous. It is also the first time I tried the Pinnacle for dinner and both my husband and I preferred the Tamarind. We found the service and food quality better in the Tamarind.

 

Any chance of you trying both so you can decide?

[Willsot]

We usually dine in the Pinnacle for one dinner and when we are lucky enough to be on a ship with the Tamarind have lunch and dinner there. Have not sailed on the N. Amsterdam, but the Tamarind on the Eurodam is wonderful.

[pam vessels]

I agree the Pinnacle can be wonderful or just so-so. We always go at least once. If it is great we go back a few more times. If it is so-so forget it.

[powderhorn]

Tamarind gets my vote.:)

[terrydtx]

I would choosethe Tamarind in a second. My personal opinion is that that Pinnacle (from a purely food perspective) is not that much better than the MDR. Presentation and service are quite another thing though......

 

And the staff in the Tamarind are just so darn great....

 

This is pretty much our experience from the NA last week. The PG was no better than the MDR in food quality and the Tamarind was a dinning delight and the best Asian Rim cuisine I have had since Hawaii. The $15 up charge is a steal for the quality and service provided. IMO cancel the PG reservations and make as many in the Tamarind as you can.:D

[KirkNC]

When on Eurodam or Nieuw Amsterdam, we never miss having dinner at least once in Tamarind and it never disappoints. We had two in the last two weeks and both were outstanding.

 

We also enjoyed many a dinner in Pinnacle on the various ships.

In all honesty, try as they will, it is not consistent Pinnacle to Pinnacle, even Chef to Chef on the same ship for Pinnacle. One time can be truly outstanding and another less so. Even still, we always go at least once a week when aboard.

 

 

Ditto for our PG experience, some have been great, others not so. I have yet to read a negative review on the Tamarind and will have our first crack at it in February.

 

Kirk

[mamaofami]

I vote for Tamarind. it's really a great experience. I would go for lunch and dinner as the menu is different and I think lunch is still free.

[Himself]

I vote for Tamarind. it's really a great experience. I would go for lunch and dinner as the menu is different and I think lunch is still free.

 

I'll cast a vote for the TAMARIND. By the way, I usually eat in the MDR or the Lido

[innlady1]

Haven't sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam nor the Eudordam...but guess we'll have to give it a try so we can experience the Tamarind.

Wonder when either will start doing 10 day itineraries in the Caribbean?

[Silverwing]

Another vote for Tamarind! We have eaten both lunch and dinner there several times on three different trips on the Eurodam - food and service have both fantastic on every occasion. We love having a drink in the Silk Den next door too.

 

I agree with other cruisers about how the Pinnacle experience varies. In fact it's so unreliable that we vowed on our last visit we wouldn't go again. On that occasion I ordered a medium steak and it arrived very rare. When I pointed this out it was taken away and the same steak came back overdone and burnt - not impressive for a premium restaurant! Also the service was so slow that we gave up and left before having dessert. We have decided that it's no good looking forward to a special meal if you can't be sure what you're going to get.

 

However, credit where it's due, we do really enjoy having breakfast in the Pinnacle (perk for suite guests) and have always had excellent service and food there at that time of day.

[Typhoon1]

If Pan Asian cuisine interests you, Tamarind is fine. I am not a fan and much prefer the PG.

 

My DH is a fan of Pan Asian, and prefers Tamarind.

[kazu]

As to the Tamarind being Pan Asian - don't worry - I'm not a fan either and they can lower the spice or whatever. Dh was enchanted.

 

Presentation at the Tamarind is fabulous and frankly, it was a wonderful meal. If you are going on NA = our experience at that restaurant was great - both for lunch and dinner - enough that we re-booked;)

 

PG for us has always been wonderful and we enjoy it very much. We have pretty well lucked out I guess - but if I could do both I would - if I had to make a choice - I would probably do the Tamarind because the food is different, etc. Beautiful decor, set up and presentation. enjoy your cruise:)

[artnak]

I love the Tamarind.

DH and I have been on the Eurodam twice and once on the Nieuw Amsterdam and enjoyed the Tamarind very much on each cruise.

We've given up on the PG (we've been 4 times on different ships) and it's always been a disappointment and we much preferred our meals in the MDR.

[lovetocruise2020]

Tamarind!!

Don't forget to try the Penne Ala Vodka in Canaletto, I always ask them to add chicken and garlic. Its heaven. I also love the side of meatballs that you can request.

 

Too many bad experience with PG. Not one with Tamarind.

 

Also be sure to book a free tamarind lunch at 12 or so on the day it sails into San Juan if you are doing Caribbean. Amazing. Best view ever.

[Leeroy-Jenkins]

Which one is better or gets better reviews?? Thanks..

 

Varies.

[edmusic]

Do both. We had a fantastic meal in the PG on the NA in March and later in the week were blown away with the Tamarind. We're glad we did both and would do it again without hesitation. If you decide to only do one, then do Tamarind for the unique experience of the setting and the foods.

[Dulciana8]

Like you, I did my homework ahead of time on Cruise Critic and found differing reviews regarding dinner in the PG. My husband and I opted for dinner at Tamarind, and were delighted.

 

Incidentally, we had lunch at PG, and were very glad that we had chosen Tamarind for dinner, as we were somewhat underwhelmed with the selections, service, and ambiance.

 

But, I don't think you can go wrong with either choice! :)

[Karennella]

Tamarind. We would not go back to PG.

[barante]

On a recent 28-day cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam, we ate in Tamarind three times and once in the Pinnacle.

Frankly, the lunch in the Pinnacle was not worth the $10 pp. charge. It was nicely prepared, though, and we still wonder what their mountain-like super-duper burger might have been like. So we have no regrets; now we have tried that.

The Tamarind is a great experience for dinner and certainly worth the extra charge. Just think of wasabi sorbet. But if you just want to experience the ambiance, get a reservation to the free sum din lunch that is served each day. (The lunch menu does not change from one day to another). They also served a free Asian tea at 10 a.m. each morning but we did not go.

The free Lido annex, the Italian dinner restaurant Canaletto is always worth a try. I found the food kind of heavy but if that is what I have to do to get their amazing tiramisu desert trio, then so be it.

[terrydtx]

Our NA cruise last week was the first time we had a dinnerl in the PG. We decided to use the PG for a special occasion to celebrate my BIL's 65th birthday. In our 2 prior HAL cruises the MDR was so outstanding we didn't see any reason to not have dinner in the MDR. After seeing menus posted for the PG on the NA earlier this year we were expecting to see Rack of Lamb and a more gourmet menu than what we saw this time. The Tamarind dinner choice this cruise was a result of the poor food quality in the MDR and it was the perfect way to end our cruise on Saturday night. Too bad all HAL ships do not have the Tamarind as it is a venue that makes HAL better than other lines. Our next HAL cruise will include more nights in the Tamarind and none in the PG.

 

If you do not like Pacific Rim or Asian food they have choices on the menu for almost everyone and they will cut down the spice. One of our party had the Tenderloin steak with Tempura vegetables and he said it was so much better than the same cut of steak in the PG. The presentation was fantastic too. After dinner we enjoyed drinks in the empty Silk Den too. I had sea scallops and jumbo shrimp in a ginger Thai sauce that was also fantastic. They also offer fresh sushi menu that was great as an appetizer.

[cruz chic]

Another vote for the Tamarind. I love it!