5 of the Coolest Cruise Ship Restaurants

As cruise lines compete to offer the best experiences at sea, it’s not surprising that the crown for coolest cruise ship restaurants is hotly contested!

Whether you’re a fan of Asian flavours, or like your food served up with a bit of added theatre, here are just five of the coolest cruise ship restaurants we’ve ever encountered.

Wonderland – Wonder of the Seas, and others (Royal Caribbean)

What is real and what is imagined blur into one at Wonderland, which features on six Royal Caribbean ships, including the latest addition to the fleet, Wonder of the Seas.

An Alice in Wonderland inspired experience takes diners on an eccentric adventure through ‘themes’ rather than courses, with an intriguing menu divided into elements of sun, ice, fire, water, earth and finally dessert dreams. The excitement starts from the moment you receive your menu – it appears blank at first, but a quick dab of water using a paintbrush shows what treats lay ahead.

Highlights include crispy crab cones, tempura caviar and Cuban pork shank. As well as the world’s biggest cruise ship, you can also enjoy Wonderland on Anthem of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas.

Red Ginger – Marina, Riviera and Sirena (Oceania Cruises)

Asian cuisine that’s served in the classiest of surroundings is what you’ll get at Oceania Cruises’ Red Ginger, which is fast gaining a reputation as one of the best restaurants at sea. It’s been designed with the help of feng shui, so expect a perfectly laid out dining room with plenty of splashes of red and gold, considered to be lucky colours in Chinese culture.

As for the food, well that’s just as impressive. Stand-out dishes include lobster pad thai and seven spices crusted lamb rack, miso-glazed sea bass and bay scallops. Red Ginger is one for the real food connoisseurs!

Raw 5 – Edge, Apex and Beyond (Celebrity Cruises)

Raw 5 is a pretty incredible restaurant in its own right, providing the freshest of sushi and other Japanese specialities. However, it’s the addition of the Magic Carpet that gives this restaurant its novelty factor – an open-air extension where you’ll receive the most unique of dining experiences.

The Magic Carpet will make its way up the side of the ship and, after reaching its highest level, will give you unrivalled views out over the sea. This isn’t to say the food isn’t remarkable – take it from us, it really is – but the views really make this one of the coolest cruise ship restaurants out there.

Green & Co, featuring Mizuhana – Arvia (P&O Cruises)

OK, we’ve cheated a bit with this one given that Arvia isn’t due to launch until December 2022. With just a few months to go until she launches, one of the coolest cruise ship restaurants we have our eye on is Green & Co, featuring Mizuhana.

Fish and plant-based dishes will feature on its menu, which are served in a chic and contemporary restaurant. It’s the first time an eatery like this has featured on a P&O Cruises ship – and we can’t wait to try it!

The Sun Cruise Resort – Jeongdongjin, South Korea

This may be our pick of the coolest cruise ship restaurants in the world, but we never actually said that they had to be on the seas!

The Sun Cruise Resort is indeed a cruise ship, a 30,000 ton cruise ship in fact, marooned on a cliff overlooking the ocean. While it may look as though it has run aground, the hotel was in fact built directly onto the cliff, and was designed especially to make the most of the incredible sunrise across the Sea of Japan; perhaps not the best choice for those who prefer a lay-in, The Sun Cruise Hotel even sounds a chime to alert guests 20 minutes before sunrise.

Qualifying for our ‘coolest cruise ship restaurants in the world’ title, the Sun Cruise Resort features not one, but six restaurants, all with uninterrupted ocean views and of course, karaoke.

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