How is the food on Virgin Voyages?

Onboard Virgin Voyages are more than 20 distinctive and delicious specialty eateries bringing fresh ingredients and made to order. One of the biggest differences between a Virgin Voyage and a more traditional cruise is that there are no buffets and all of the specialty restaurants are included in the cost of the cruise - no additional costs!

Having cruised 3 times with Virgin Voyages now, I think I’ve tried every option available on board and boy were they good!! I'm not going to ruin the experience by listing everything on every menu - that's for you to discover onboard, but here is my run down of the restaurants and some pics of my delicious plates!

The Wake - Steak and Seafood

Brunch 8am - 1pm / Dinner 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

The perfect mix of sophistication, nostalgia and cool - entering The Wake is an event in and of itself. And once you’ve made your way down the grand staircase, you’ll enter a world that harks back to the old steakhouse, three-martini-lunch days of Madison Avenue.

This restaurant serves the most incredible fillet mignon and the bread, oh lord the bread is to die for! Additionally, The Wake is right at the back of the ship (also known as the wake) and so you get fantastic views as the ship moves through the water.

The Wake also serves breakfast and I’d recommend trying this at least once during your voyage. I was lucky enough to have steak twice in one day thanks to their steak and eggs brunch! Delicious!

If you like to get dressed up and dine in exquisite surroundings, then The Wake is definitely for you! Such a treat.

Pink Agave - Elevated Mexican

Dinner 6.30pm - 10.30pm

Inspired by the capital city’s red hot street food scene and with an interior designed by Tom Dixon, you’ll be treated to an immersive odyssey of Mexican cuisine. Personal, intimate and educational, our master of ceremonies will guide you through a highly curated dining and drinking experience.

This restaurant is beautifully designed, luxurious and elegant, with beautiful views from the windows of the sea passing by. The food is sumptuous with the traditional Mexican flavours throughout but mixed with elements of fine dining. The cocktails are also something special here.

Thoroughly enjoyed my food here, definitely one of my favourite restaurants! The entrance is also the perfect selfie spot too! Definitely eat here on your voyage. Personally, I’ll be eating here multiple times when I sail again!

Gunbae - Lively Korean BBQ

Dinner 5.30 - 10pm

If you’re into hands-on-meat-grilling and soju drinking this Korean BBQ is the perfect spot to do all that with maximum social engagement! Cook your own meat while partaking in drinking games with the others on your table. So much fun and so tasty too!

Highlights for me were the K-Pop Disco Water cocktail which includes popping candy and the tabletop grill was a lot of fun too!

The staff encourage you to engage with the games, and you can hear all through the restaurant other patrons chanting … “Gunbae, Gunbae, Gunbae”. If you’re not in a group, it’s not a problem, you will be seated with other passengers. This is a shared experience and one that allows you to meet other fabulous people on board.

Gunbae is so much fun; an experience like no other and definitely something you should do at least once while onboard.

Razzle Dazzle - Signature Restaurant

Breakfast 7 - 9.30am / Lunch 11.30am - 2pm / Dinner 6 - 9.30pm.

Boasting a bold interior, this happening spot offers creative surprises on some classic, comfort go-to’s. With a menu that’s being coined “naughty or nice” you can choose from one side that skews toward plant-based vegetarian dishes, or the indulgent side - meats, sweets and gluttonous treats.

Honestly I didn't think I would like this restaurant but I really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. There is a secret menu where you can get lots of additional tasty food and they serve breakfast and if you ask, they will do a standard English Breakfast - with English bacon too! Still to try the Coconut Milk Fairy Toast though - it sounds like a good idea until you realise how much sugar it must have so I keep chickening out … next time though! Next time!

The Test Kitchen - Experimental Onboard Eatery

Dinner 6 - 10pm

Inspired by Escoffler’s Ma Cuisine, the laboratory-like eatery is part cooking school and part eatery. It’s educational, experimental and social - and delicious in ways you’ve never tasted before.

Dining at The Test Kitchen is definitely a must when onboard. There is a set tasting menu served over a number of courses. The food is beautifully presented and tastes amazing, but if I'm honest, these tiny portions are not for me! This restaurant is definitely more about the experience than anything else.

One of the great things, is the time they take to explain each course. They also take the time to explain why they paired certain drinks with the courses and you can purchase a drink pairing of either wine, cocktails or beer allowing you to enjoy the full experience (drinks are always payable on board so these will be charged for).

Remember, because all the food is included in the cruise price, there is no harm in going to Test Kitchen, even if you're not that adventurous and if you don't enjoy the food (unlikely) or you're still hungry, you can just go somewhere else afterwards.

Extra Virgin - Elevated Italian

Dinner 6 - 10pm

Deeply rooted in Italian culinary traditions, this trattoria serves regionally-inspired food punctuated by fresh, handmade pasta.

I always enjoy the food in Extra Virgin, and having also visited Virgin Voyages on ship visits as well as holidaying, I seem to always get drawn into Extra Virgin! I love the look and feel of this restaurant and the food choices are incredible.

The highlight for me though is the tableside affogato trolley. Lots of ice cream choices and toppings! Delightful! Affogato is literally ice cream ‘drowned’ in espresso coffee. Nom.

The Dock & The Dock House - Casual Mediterranean and Outdoor Mezze

Daily

The Dock House is a rustic beach club-inspired space. Mediterranean-inspired small plates, dips and mezzes are on offer along with an array of fresh meat and seafood skewers flame grilled to order. Chilled acoustic music will often accompany your meal adding to the Med vibe.

The Dock features the same Mediterranean-inspired menu while also providing the ultimate in alfresco lounging to the rear of the ship.

The Dock really is one of my most favourite spots to relax, enjoy great food and more often than not, enjoy acoustic live music. The food is beautiful and I love the quirky way of ordering more from both the menu and the cart - Raise the red flag for service!

The Pizza Place - Fresh, Made to Order pizza

Lunch 11.30am - 6.30pm / Dinner 9pm - 1.30am

The perfect lunch-time destination or late-night, post drinks, hunger buster go-to. A classic menu is available or you can design your own. There is a small indoor eating space and an expansive alfresco dining area. You can also opt to have your pizzas to go.

I thoroughly enjoyed the pizza here at lunch time and post-drinks in the evening. The Pizza Place was also very handy after eating at The Test Kitchen!

Sun Club Café - Hawaiian Poke Bowls

Daily 12pm - 5pm

This alfresco café is inspired by one of the most iconic dishes of the Hawaiian islands, marinated tuna, chicken and salmon over greens or rice bowls. Fresh, tasty and healthy, they’re high in lean protein and healthy fats.

I enjoyed a poke bowl sat on deck 16 overlooking the pool. Such a lovely spot where I was able to people watch while enjoying one of these gorgeous bowls. Pure bliss and so tasty!

The Social Club Diner - Classic Carnival Eats

Daily

The food and drink make the experience here where they’ve put together a modern take on fairground classics. The Social Club is just that … social! Games such as air hockey, shuffle board and foosball along with board games, a video game arcade and nightly karaoke too!

The food here includes wings and hot dogs along with freak milkshakes and floats - spiked with a little booze for an adult-friendly upgrade!

We didn’t actually eat a great deal here, although I did have my fair share of sweets from the counter and those amazing floats and milkshakes! This really should have been my favourite space onboard as playing games is literally our hobby at home, but I found the constant clanking of the air hockey really painful after a while and so spent a minimal amount of time here. Such a shame! Definitely check it out though - such fun was being had by everyone else!

The Galley - Food Hall [Definitely NOT a buffet]

24 Hours

Modelled after popular food halls where you can taste a variety of options, The Galley, is the go-to place for a quick bite, meal or pick-me-up throughout the day.

Featuring a selection of shops and food truck style carts, each spot has a unique concept with signature dishes that change to suit the time of day. Here’s a quick list of what’s available:

Well Bread - a dedicated bakery.

The Sweet Side - pastry shop serving breakfast pastries in the morning and desserts in the afternoon.

Hot off the Press - panini shop serving a variety of breakfast and lunch paninis and sandwiches.

The Burger Grill - serving pancakes and french toast at breakfast, and delicious all-day burgers.

Let’s Taco About It - a taco shack serving breakfast burritos and tacos for lunch.

Bento Baby - a sushi bar with bento boxes (fruit for breakfast and Sushi for tea).

Noodle Around - a noodle bar serving ramen and miso soups.

The Daily Mix - a soup and salad stand serving soups, salads, cereal, bagels, and more.

Diner & Dash - a 24-hour American diner serving all day omelettes and breakfast options. An all-day English breakfast is also on offer and this is also a great option if you want a casual dinner.

There is definitely no buffet here, take a seat, peruse the menu and then order from a member of staff who are always pottering about. Order from a variety of different places and get them delivered to your table!

You can get your basic bevvies on tap in the Galley - coffee, tea, Coke, Fanta, water and so on as well as a host of snacks at any time of the day - midnight munchies? No problem!! Perfect!

And finally …

Lick Me Till Ice Cream - Retro Ice Cream Shop

Daily 11.30am - 10pm

A retro ice cream parlour (also included in the price) serving a variety of homemade ice creams, in a variety of flavoured cones. Located opposite Pizza Place, it was always our treat after pizza!

So there you have it … everywhere you can eat on board Virgin Voyages lady ships! The food is included in your cruise price so there is nothing to pay onboard for any food whatsoever! They really are a foodies dream and every single meal I’ve eaten on board has been utterly delicious and always served with a smile.

Oh, and I'll cover Ship Eats in another blog ... what is Shop Eats you may ask? Well, it's basically room service but not as you know it!

Do you fancy giving Virgin Voyages a try? You can have a little look at the itineraries and dates available here.

Get in touch with me for more information and to book!

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