Food Republic Review

We sailed the Norwegian Escape a while ago because A) we are cruise lovers who found a great off season deal and B) it was the newest ship on the market at the time and we wanted to experience all the bells and whistles for ourselves.  This cruise was a girls cruise (my best buddy and my two daughters sailed with me) and fortunately we are all foodies!  We had Food Republic high on our list of places we wanted to eat during our cruise on the Escape.  Food Republic was all over the NCL website and promotional videos we’d seen.  It was also featured in a lot of Youtube videos by other cruisers.  This was clearly the place to eat if you were headed onto the Escape and we wanted to see for ourselves.  Well, the restaurant totally lived up to the hype.

Most people associate the Escape with modern cruising, a chic Miami vibe and trendy dining.  The decor of the Food Republic restaurant on the ship is all clean lines, simple chic styling and wonderful views.  There are low and high top tables for diners as well as seating up at the bar where you can watch the chefs at work.

 

It is obvious that expert care went into creating the menu at Food Republic.  Their menu remains one of the most diverse menus that I have ever encountered!  The fusions of culinary styles, the execution of each dish and the presentation were all top notch.  The servings are appetizer or tapas sized so it was easy to sample several dishes and try new things.

I wasn’t completely prepared for the ease of the unique ordering system at Food Republic.  After being greeted and seated by the friendly hostess the wait staff comes by, takes your drink orders and offers a brief overview of the ordering system.  All orders are placed by the diners on easy to navigate tablets that sit on the table.  The tablets offered vivid pictures and detailed descriptions of each dish.

We took our time, placed our initial order on the tablet and then our food appeared on our table after a short while via the wait staff.  We could order additional food at any time and take our leisure in enjoying the meal.  It was really nice not having to wave down a waiter to order another serving of our favorite dish!

Aside from the awesome dining experience and ambience, the food was superb.  Each and every dish we had was fantastic.  Some dishes we liked more than others and ordered more than one serving but we didn’t sample any dish that we wasn’t enjoyed by someone at the table.

We were pleased overall with the included dinner options on the Norwegian Escape (the main dining rooms, Savor, Taste and Manattan Room).  It is important to note that the Food Republic restaurant is not an included in the cruise fare and it is run as a regular restaurant on the ship; each item you order has it’s own price and at the end of the evening the total bill is charged to your ship card.  Nonetheless, I highly recommend saving up for this special treat if you’re ever on the Norwegian Escape or Bliss (Breakaway Plus class ships).

I’m sure they families reading this are wondering, Is Food Republic kid friendly??  If your kids love trying new things and have broad palates then yes!  If your kids prefer to stick with old favorites like mac and cheese and spaghetti then, no…  There is no kids menu at Food Republic but there is a wide variety of options for everyone to try.  If your kids aren’t slightly adventurous eaters, send them to the Splash Academy Kids Club for dinner and have a grown ups only meal at Food Republic.

If you have any questions about the Norwegian Escape, cruising as a family or need help planning your next cruise vacation please send me a message (click on Contact Me up at the top of this page).  I really enjoy helping others navigate the details of vacation planning and I would love to chat with you!

Have any of you sailed on the Escape?  For the fellow cruisers out there, what was your favorite dining experience on a cruise ship?