If you're a cruising aficionado, be sure to hunt among the photos on the wall for the images of Lefebvre and Hagen experimenting with recipes during the restaurant's creation. Viking chairman Torstein Hagen and Lefebvre are friends. Here's a bit of trivia: Manfredi's was named after Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, who once owned one of Viking's rivals, Silversea Cruises, and now owns the recently relaunched luxury line Crystal. Appetizers range from hand-cut beef tartare to - our favorite - a chilled asparagus and polenta dish that's served with a perfectly poached egg, Parmigiano Reggiano and truffle dressing. It serves up authentic and hearty Tuscan and Northern Italian specialties such as bistecca fiorentina and osso buco alla Milanese. As you might expect, many of my favorites are on higher-end ships, but several of the top restaurants can be found on the bigger, more affordable cruise ships.įound on every Viking ocean and expedition ship, Manfredi's is our hands-down pick for the best Italian restaurant at sea. Below are my picks for the very best cruise ship restaurants at sea. Others are bargains.īut the bottom line is there are a lot of wonderful restaurants on cruise ships.

Just like at resorts on land, there's incredible diversity out there. Over the years, as part of testing and reviewing nearly 200 vessels operated by 41 different lines, I've eaten at pretty much every cruise ship restaurant.

Some mainstream lines, such as Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises, even have called in chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants to help them design entire culinary programs. Norwegian Cruise Line brags that its biggest vessel, Norwegian Encore, has more than 20 different food venues - everything from a casual barbecue restaurant (with live country music) to a high-end Italian spot from the creators of New York City's Scarpetta. You'll now find stand-alone restaurants on high-end cruise ships created and overseen by some of the world's most famous chefs, including Nobu Matsuhisa, Alain Ducasse and Jacques Pepin.įor more cruise guides, news and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter.īut even on the largest mass-market cruise ships, the food is getting ever more elaborate and diverse. Quality dining has always been a big part of the cruising experience, and cruise ship restaurant offerings only have improved over the years. There's a storyline out there that cruises are little more than gorge fests, prioritizing quantity over quality.Īfter writing about cruising for nearly 30 years, I can tell you this is far from the truth. When it comes to onboard restaurants and dining, cruise ships often get a bad rap.

Carnival sunrise specialty restaurants