If you’re new to cruising or new to Norwegian Cruise Lines, you may not know much about their speciality restaurants or even what a speciality restaurant is. When I boarded my first cruise I had no idea what a speciality restaurant or if I might accidentally run up a huge bill by dining in one of them without knowing. 

What is a speciality restaurant?

In addition to Norwegian’s complimentary dining options, it also has a number of speciality restaurants that come with a fee. They are speciality restaurants because unlike in the main dining rooms, they serve food from specific regions. As you would expect, the food and service in these restaurants is generally better than in the complimentary restaurants and people sometimes get dressed up to eat in them. 

How much do they cost?

Each restaurant has a set cost that ranges from $40 to $70 and this includes at least three courses. There is an option to get a certain number of dining vouchers as part of a package. The cost and how many you get varies depending on which country you’re booking from, what kind of cabin you have, the length of your cruise and any special offers. In the UK, if you get the more at sea package, which includes internet and drinks, you will get speciality dining too. 

If you are a platinum latitudes member of higher, you will get two vouchers for free dinners. You get to take one other person and the only stipulation is that you have to use the vouchers at different restaurants.

Is it worth the cost?

For me personally, I wouldn’t pay the set fee but I do always get the more at sea primarily for the speciality dining. For some autistic people, speciality dining can offer an accessible alternative to the complimentary options because some of the restaurants are quieter than the main dining room.

The Restaurants:

Different ships have different restaurants. I think every ship has a Cagneys and Le Bistro but other restaurants do vary and if you want to know which restaurants are on each ship, the best thing to do is check out NCL’s website. 


Teppanyaki – Japanese

Teppanyaki is as much about the experience as the food. You sit at a communal table and the chef cooks the food in front of you while singing, juggling and turning your food into puppets. For some autistic people, this may sound like an absolute nightmare and I avoided this restaurant for years. I’m sensitive to noise and the thought of interacting with the chef while dining was not my idea of a good evening. However, when I finally tried it, I LOVED it. It was possibly the most fun I’ve had on a cruise. The food was delicious but this was secondary to the experience. 

If you’re concerned about allergies or vegetarian food being cooked alongside meat and fish, they are very mindful of this. First they cook the food of people with an allergy, then they cook the vegetarian options before cooking the meat and the fish. 

Cagneys – Steak House

Cagneys seems to be a favourite of many NCL cruisers and I’m no exception. I love a good steak and while the quality can vary from ship to ship (or even night to night), for the most part you will get a decent steak, cooked how you like it. They do have vegetarian options but there are usually better restaurants on board for vegetarians. 

Due to its popularity, Cagney’s does tend to get booked up quickly so if you really want to dine there, make sure you book as soon as reservations open. Or do what I do and befriend someone who was organised enough to get an early reservation!

Le Bistro – French

Although they recently removed my favourite starter, Le Bistro is still one of my favourite restaurants. Le Bistro is one of the restaurants that has a dress code and it does have a more fancy feel to it than many other restaurants. 

Moderno Churrascaria – Brazilian Steakhouse

I’ve never been to a Brazilian steakhouse other than on NCL so I have no idea how this measures up to other Brazilian steakhouses but I love this restaurant. Basically, you have a buffet to start and then for your main there are a selection of side dishes and the wait staff bring you lots of different types of meat. They bring it to the table and if you want some of that particular meet they carve it for you at the table. You have a card that you turn to the green side if you want more and the red side if you need a break.

For some autistic people, this may not be the best option because there is a lot of interaction with the wait staff. There are times when I turn my card to red because I need a break from all the social interaction rather than because I need a break from the food. This is not a good option for vegetarians. 

Onda By Scarpetta – Italian

The food in Onda is fine but it doesn’t taste authentically Italian. I’m sure none of the restaurants taste authentic but as I’m Italian this is the one that I notice. I only dined there once and I would go back if I was with people who wanted to eat there, but I wouldn’t choose it myself. 

Los Lobos – Mexican

There are lots of things I enjoy about Los Lobos; the atmosphere is usually great and I enjoy that they make the guacamole at the table and you can add a level of spice you are comfortable with. However, I was disappointed by the food. It was just quite bland.

Palomar – seafood

I’ve only dined at Palomar once and rather than ordering seafood, I ordered a steak. And it was the best steak I’ve ever had. It was perfectly cooked and it just melted in my mouth. I don’t think I’ll ever have another steak this good again! 

Restaurants I have yet to try:

Q Texas Smokehouse

Ocean Blue

Bayamo by Ocean Blue

Food republic 

La Cucina

Wasabi

Sushi

Nama

Hasuki

The raw bar

Pincho Tapas bar

Sukhothai