Norwegian Cruise Line food: The ultimate cruise guide to restaurants and dining on board – The Points Guy

American Diner

Included; lunch and dinner

This 1950s-inspired diner featured on all six ships in NCL’s Breakaway and Breakaway Plus classes offers quintessential midcentury comfort foods — from cheeseburgers and meatloaf to chicken pot pie and spaghetti and meatballs. Desserts include bread pudding and carrot walnut cake. The food is now all free (Norwegian made this change in early 2024), but if you want to wash it down with a milkshake, you’ll need to pay up.

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Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Escape, Getaway and Joy

Atrium Cafe

A la carte; coffee and snacks

Atrium Cafe is a coffee and cocktail bar that serves hot and cold beverages along with a selection of cookies, pastries and other snacks. Alternatively, some NCL ships feature Starbucks cafes.

Available on: Norwegian Escape, Jewel, Spirit, Star and Sun

Cadillac Diner

Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner

You’ll have to head to Hawaii to enjoy the barbecue pulled pork sliders, pretzel bites, Reuben sandwiches and more served up retro-style in the Cadillac Diner. This venue, with its funky black-and-white checkered floor and vinyl booths wedged between two sections of a vintage red sedan, is found exclusively on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America. It’s open 24 hours a day, and everything is complimentary except for the milkshakes.

Available on: Pride of America

Cagney’s Steakhouse

A la carte; dinner

Asian restaurant

Included; dinner, plus lunch on select days

If you’re craving shrimp dumplings or a bowl of stir-fried noodles with beef, a number of older Norwegian Cruise Line ships feature a complimentary Chinese restaurant where you can get your fix. Names vary by ship — you’ll find Bamboo on Dawn, Shanghai’s on Epic, Orchid Garden on Gem, Jasmine Garden on Jade, Chin Chin on Jewel, Lotus Garden on Pearl, Silk on Spirit, Ginza on Star and East Meets West on Pride of America — but the menus are similar.

Available on: Norwegian Dawn, Epic, Gem, Jade, Jewel, Pearl, Pride of America, Spirit and Star

Coco’s

A la carte; snacks and treats

A cross between an ice cream parlor and a candy shop, Coco’s features an array of treats — chocolates from around the world, milkshakes, crepes and more — to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss and Encore. A smaller version also is on Norwegian Prima within the Indulge Food Hall.

Dolce Gelato

A la carte; snacks and treats

When it’s midafternoon and the sun in the Caribbean or Mediterranean is blazing, you can head to this takeaway counter on Deck 8 for a cup or cone of irresistibly creamy gelato.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Encore, Escape, Breakaway and Getaway

Food Republic

A la carte; dinner and lunch on sea days

Garden Cafe

Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner

Sometimes, the buffet is the answer. It’s perfect when you get on board the first day and need to grab a quick bite before you explore the ship or when you arrive back after a daylong shore excursion and want to refuel right away without having to change clothes. Garden Cafe offers plenty of options, including carved meats and grilled fish with assorted side dishes, a salad bar, soups, pasta, burgers and fries, and desserts. Most items are precooked and kept warm under heat lamps, so it’s not the freshest option, but it’s usually packed at breakfast and lunch with guests who like the all-you-can-eat portions.

Available: Fleetwide (except Norwegian Prima, Viva and Pride of America)

Hasuki

Cover charge; dinner

This is a slightly more elevated version of NCL’s Teppanyaki restaurant. You’ll be seated with other guests around a grill, and as you dine on edamame, miso soup and seaweed salad, the chef will prepare your entree (a choice of chicken, beef, seafood or teriyaki-glazed tofu or one of four combinations) with great flair. These fresh-from-the-grill proteins are served with garlic fried rice and grilled vegetables, and the dessert that follows is either a green tea cake or fruit sashimi.

Available on: Norwegian Prima, Viva and Aqua

Hudson’s

Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner

Indulge Food Hall

Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner

This new casual dining concept, also introduced on Norwegian Prima, quickly became a popular alternative to the Surfside Cafe buffet (see below) for both lunch and dinner; at breakfast, it serves a similar but more limited menu as Surfside. The appeal of Indulge Food Hall is the variety — there are more than four dozen menu items from seven vendors: Tapas, The Garden, Nudls, The Latin Quarter, Q Texas Smokehouse, Seaside Rotisserie and Tamara — served in small-plate portions. You can enjoy chicken korma, pad thai, pulled pork, crispy fried okra, a mushroom tostada and bacon-wrapped medjool dates, all ordered from your table via a tablet. The soon-to-debut Norwegian Aqua’s Indulge Food Hall also will have a plant-based food station called Planterie.

Available on: Norwegian Prima, Viva and Aqua

La Cucina

A la carte; dinner

Le Bistro

A la carte; dinner

Los Lobos

A la carte; dinner

Vibrant decor and sophisticated Mexican cuisine that goes beyond the usual Tex-Mex fare make Los Lobos an appealing option if you’re sailing on one of the six ships that feature it. The guacamole, made fresh tableside, is a must. Other menu options include Mexican-style shrimp ceviche, grilled mahi-mahi tacos, nopales (cactus) salad, chicken mole enchiladas and cochinita pibil (slow-braised pork). Top it all off with a slice of tres leches cake with coconut cream.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Dawn, Prima, Sun, Viva and Aqua

Main dining room

Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner

Norwegian Cruise Line ships feature at least two main dining rooms, and sometimes even three. Names vary by ship — although the six Breakaway Class and Breakaway Plus Class ships all feature the Manhattan Room, plus Savor and Taste. Menus change daily throughout the cruise and feature a selection of American and international dishes.

Available: Fleetwide

Moderno Churrascaria

Cover charge; dinner

Carnivores can devour their fill of a variety of meats the traditional Brazilian way as gauchos carve and serve cuts of beef, lamb, pork, sausage and chicken right at the table. Those who prefer to limit their meat intake can fill up instead at the salad bar, which features 43 items. White rice, black beans, sauteed mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, fried yucca and Brazilian cheese bread are also served as side dishes.

Available on: Norwegian Breakaway, Dawn, Epic, Escape, Getaway, Jade, Jewel, Pearl, Star, Sun and Gem

Nama Sushi & Sashimi

A la carte; dinner

Another new restaurant to debut on Norwegian Prima, Nama Sushi & Sashimi doesn’t veer too far from its name, serving six different sushi rolls (from yellowtail to rock shrimp), three sashimi options and a variety of appetizers, most of which feature raw fish. Even the dessert — pineapple carpaccio — is uncooked.

Available on: Norwegian Prima, Viva and Aqua

Ocean Blue

A la carte; dinner

Ocean Blue is an elegant seafood restaurant featured on NCL’s six Breakaway Class and Breakaway Plus Class ships. (It’s known as Bayamo by Ocean Blue on Norwegian Escape.) Guests can savor appetizers such as crabcakes, pan-seared scallops and an ahi tuna and avocado tower, followed by steamed or grilled lobster, seafood linguini or simply grilled fish (salmon, tuna, cod or sea bass) served with a choice of sauces. All Ocean Blue restaurants are located on Deck 8 and feature indoor and outdoor seating on The Waterfront.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Escape, Getaway and Joy

Onda by Scarpetta

A la carte; dinner

Modern Italian cuisine is the centerpiece of Onda by Scarpetta, another of NCL’s elevated specialty dining options and the sister restaurant to land-based Scarpetta. Introduced in 2019 on Norwegian Encore and more recently rolled out on the line’s newest ships (plus at least one older vessel), Onda by Scarpetta indulges with antipasti starters such as burrata, short ribs and braised octopus, a half dozen pasta options (including pappardelle Bolognese and Scarpetta’s famous spaghetti with tomato and basil) and finally gets around to secondis such as veal Milanese and grilled branzino. The main question will be: Do you have room for dessert?

Available on: Norwegian Encore, Prima, Spirit, Viva and Aqua

O’Sheehan’s Bar & Grill

Included; 24-hour dining

This lively and social pub-style eatery overlooks the buzzing three-deck Atrium on Breakaway Class ships and is also featured on seven older NCL ships. It’s open 24 hours a day and serves comfort classics such as burgers, fish and chips, chicken wings, beef chili, and loaded nachos.

Available on: Norwegian Breakaway, Dawn, Epic, Escape, Gem, Getaway, Jade, Jewel, Pearl and Star

Palomar

A la carte; dinner

One of NCL’s newest dining venues, Palomar celebrates the Mediterranean with a menu featuring lots of Greek influences. Seafood dishes outnumber meat options and include tuna crudo, grilled prawns, Mediterranean sea bass with chickpeas and saffron puree, and sea scallops with prosciutto, le puy lentils, clams and pistachio pesto. Desserts include Greek yogurt sorbet with orange custard pie.

Available on: Norwegian Prima, Viva and Aqua

Pincho Tapas Bar

A la carte; dinner

This unique Spanish-style tapas bar is found on only one ship in the Breakaway Class and fits in with the ship’s overall Miami/Latin-influenced theme. Head to Pinchos if you’re looking to enjoy small-plate dishes such as blue crab salad and bacon-wrapped dates, as well as chorizo, calamari, shrimp, scallops and more served a la plancha. Wash it all down with a Spanish red, a glass of sangria or a signature Matador cocktail.

Available on: Norwegian Escape

Pool Grill

Included; casual lunch

Three Norwegian ships feature a pool grill (all with different names) that’s open for lunch and late-afternoon snacks. The venue serves casual fare such as burgers, hot dogs and french fries.

Available on: Norwegian Dawn, Gem and Pride of America

Q Texas Smokehouse

A la carte; dinner

This barbecue eatery debuted on Norwegian Bliss in 2018, and its menu features smoked meats (pit classics like brisket, pulled pork and beef short ribs), as well as calorific sides (loaded fries, crispy fried okra, onion rings, and macaroni and cheese). You can also enjoy live country music and even sweat off the excess calories by dancing (before ordering pecan pie or peach cobbler for dessert). A more limited menu is available for free as part of Indulge Food Hall on Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Aqua — but you’ll need to dance elsewhere.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Encore and Joy

Savor (and Taste)

Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner

These two restaurants on all six Breakaway Class and Breakaway Plus Class ships are essentially smaller-scale main dining rooms. They are located across from each other on Deck 6 and feature lunch and dinner menus that change daily.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Escape, Getaway and Joy

Sports Bar

Included; casual pub fare

While most NCL ships, with the exception of Pride of America, have a pub-style complimentary eatery — either O’Sheehan’s Bar & Grill or The Local Bar & Grill — one older outlier has Sports Bar. Like the other eateries, this venue is free and features comfort classics such as Reuben sandwiches, chicken wings, and fish and chips.

Available on: Norwegian Sun

Starbucks

A la carte; coffee, breakfast and snacks

NCL wasn’t the first cruise line to feature the well-known coffee chain (that would be Royal Caribbean), but it now has the most Starbucks cafes on board its ships. Guests can purchase frappuccinos, lattes, cold brews and many of the other coffee, tea, and breakfast and pastry items that are available on land.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Epic, Gem, Getaway, Joy, Prima, Sky, Viva and Aqua. All other Norwegian ships serve Starbucks coffee though they don’t have stand-alone cafes.

Surfside Cafe & Grill

Included; breakfast, lunch and dinner

With the debut of Norwegian Prima, NCL evolved its buffet-style restaurant (known as Garden Cafe on most ships) to Surfside Cafe & Grill. The Deck 17 space is notably smaller, though, due to the fact that Prima Class ships also feature Indulge Food Hall and The Local Bar & Grill as complimentary casual dining options. The reduced size does result in some overcrowding, especially at breakfast, with overflow guests directed to find seats in the adjacent Food Republic space.

Available on: Norwegian Prima, Viva and Aqua

Sukhothai

Extra fee; dinner

Teppanyaki

Cover charge; dinner

The Bake Shop

A la carte; snacks and treats

A sugar rush is practically guaranteed at The Bake Shop, a Deck 8 confectionery selling assorted bonbons (with fillings from passion fruit to praline), cupcakes (more than a dozen options, including red velvet, chocolate-pistachio and lemon meringue) and French macarons in a dozen flavors.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Escape and Getaway

The Great Outdoors

Included; lunch

This outdoor casual buffet on seven Norwegian Cruise Line ships has a come-as-you-are dress code and serves burgers, hot dogs, fries and other items for guests who want to enjoy some ocean scenery with their lunch.

Available on: Norwegian Epic, Gem, Jade, Jewel, Pearl, Sky and Sun

The Haven Restaurant

Included for guests booked in The Haven; breakfast, lunch and dinner

If you book a suite in The Haven, the exclusive ship-within-a-ship enclave found on every new NCL ship since it was introduced on Norwegian Epic in 2010, you’ll enjoy access to The Haven Restaurant. Open only to Haven guests, it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menus here do not change, but there are generally enough options (a dozen appetizers and 10 entrees at dinner, for example) that you can dine here multiple times without repeating a dish or running out of interesting dishes to try.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, Encore, Epic, Escape, Getaway, Joy, Prima, Viva and Aqua

The Local Bar & Grill

Included; 24-hour dining

The Local Bar & Grill is a favored hangout for sports telecasts and trivia contests, as well as a go-to for guests anytime hunger strikes. Like its comfort food sibling O’Sheehans’s Bar & Grill, its 24-hour menu features breakfast, all-day and late-night items that include omelets, cheeseburgers, chicken wings, fish and chips, and loaded nachos.

Available on: Norwegian Bliss, Encore, Joy, Prima, Sky, Spirit, Viva and Aqua

The Raw Bar

A la carte; dinner

Located adjacent to Ocean Blue, this casual option with counter seating serves oysters, clams, shellfish and crudos (salmon tartare, black sea bass ceviche and more), as well as wines by the glass and a selection of desserts.

Available on: Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway

Topsiders Bar & Grill

Included; casual pool grill with varying hours

Five older NCL ships feature Topsiders Bar & Grill, a poolside venue serving burgers, hot dogs, french fries and other takeaway items.

Available on: Norwegian Gem, Jewel, Pearl, Sky and Star

Wasabi (or Sushi)

A la carte; dinner

This contemporary sushi bar — called either Wasabi or Sushi, depending on the ship — is the spot for cocktails, sake and Japanese specialties that include sesame seaweed salad, sushi and specialty rolls, nigiri, sashimi, and yakitori. On Prima Class ships, you’ll find Nama Sushi & Sashimi with a different menu.

Available on: Norwegian Breakaway, Dawn, Epic, Gem, Getaway, Jade, Jewel, Pearl, Spirit, Star and Sun

FAQ about NCL dining

Is Norwegian Cruise Line’s food free?

You can dine for free during your cruise at any of the complimentary dining venues on board NCL ships. There are typically four to six included dining venues per ship, several of which serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Is there a main dining room?

Yes, all NCL ships feature a main dining room — some have as many as three — and Freestyle Dining means you can choose when to dine (within the specified breakfast, lunch and dinner hours).

Do I need to make reservations?

You do not need to make reservations for the main dining rooms or casual venues like O’Sheehan’s or the buffet. However, you can make reservations for the main dining rooms if you’d prefer to eat at a specific time and wish to avoid long wait times during the most popular dinner hours.

Sit-down specialty restaurants always require a reservation. The sooner you can make one, the better. You can book specialty dining online via the cruise line’s website or app or by calling Norwegian reservations. You can also reserve when you get on board, but you risk that the more popular eateries will already be fully booked, especially during the peak summer and holiday periods. Walk-ins are permitted if space is available, but you’ll likely need to show up early or late to snag a table.

Does Norwegian offer room service?

Yes, NCL offers 24-hour room service, but you will be charged a convenience fee of up to $9.95 per delivery, with the exception of morning coffee, continental breakfast and orders placed by guests staying in The Haven. A 20% gratuity and beverage service charge will also be added for noncomplimentary beverages and special occasion items delivered to your room.

How much does specialty dining cost?

It varies by restaurant. At venues with a la carte pricing, such as Cagney’s, Ocean Blue, Onda by Scarpetta and Le Bistro, it’s easy to rack up a bill of $80 per person, not including beverages. NCL’s sushi restaurants are also a la carte, as is Food Republic. Two people with an average appetite can dine at both for around $50 to $60 per person, not including beverages. Other venues, such as Teppanyaki and Moderno Churrascaria, feature a set cover charge of $59 per person.

Does NCL offer specialty dining packages?

Yes, and if you like a variety of cuisines and plan to dine at two or more extra-charge restaurants, purchasing a specialty dining package makes sense.

These range in price from $99 per person for a two-meal package to $469 per person for a 14-meal package. The price per meal gets lower the more meals you purchase — from $49.50 per dinner on a two-meal package to $33.50 per dinner for 14 meals. Even the four-meal package at $169 per person is a good deal at $42.25 per dinner, given the a la carte pricing greatly exceeds that (for three courses) at most specialty restaurants and eateries with cover charges are priced at $59 per person.