Note: This page/post may contain affiliate links. We may earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you), if you make a purchase using our link. See our disclosure for more information.
Welcome to our Quantum Of The Seas Dining Review. I want to start this post off with the fact that this is the first cruise for Pauline and I on Royal Caribbean. We have cruised on P&O, Norwegian and mostly with Princess. Now we have the new Brisbane International cruise terminal that gives us easy access to many more ships, we plan to spread our cruising around. This cruise on Quantum Of The Seas was our first on not only this awesome ship but on Royal Caribbean.
The question we get asked and we see online is what is the food like? Is it any good? After 13 nights on Quantum Of The Seas, we have no hesitation in saying YES, the food is very good .
I’m going to provide the ultimate Quantum Of The Seas dining review covering most of the free or included dining options. And several of the paid or speciality restaurants. With that out of the way, LETS GO!
Main Dining Room or MDR Straight up we will address the frequent question, Does Quantum of the Seas have a main dining room? It sure does. In fact, there are 4 main dining rooms or MDR’s on Quantum Of The Seas. On deck 3 there is Chic & Grande which are mainly for set time dining with either a 6.15 pm or 8.30 pm option. On deck 4 you’ll find American Icon & Silk. We had any time dining so we were in either of these 2.
Overall we were very happy with the quality of food and the variety available. There were at least 6 options for entrée and around 10 to 12 for mains. There are a handful of “staples” on the menu that don’t change, and there were always at least 1 or 2 vegetarian options. The dessert menu also provided a good range to choose from starting with the traditional cheese platter through to moist chocolate cakes smothered in warm chocolate sauce.
A beautifully laid table in Main Dining Room on Quantum Of The Seas As soon as you are seated, your waiters will provide you with a selection of fresh bread rolls, a glass of iced water and menus. A small but noticeable difference was the butter for the rolls. On Princess, we have found the butter to be in curls straight out of the fridge and very hard to spread. On Quantum of the seas, it was the opposite. Prepacked LurPac butter at room temperature which was soft, almost runny. Not better or worse just different.
Overall we were happy with the service from the wait staff. We found them attentive but not intrusive. Meals were delivered timely and we found them to range in temperature from quite warm to bordering on hot. We had heard a lot of complaints about the temperature of the food in the MDR but that wasn’t our experience.
The big question that comes up on Facebook, Cruise Critic and every other Social Media platform is about the temperature of the food.
“Is it hot or cold”
In our experience, it was rarely hot but we also never had want we would call a cold meal. It was very similar to most pubs in Australia we have dined at. Some meals or portions of meals are ready sooner than others and sit under a heat lamp and can be served only “warm”. Overall we were happy with the Main Dining Room
When we chose steaks, they were cooked to our request and were really good! The quality of the meat in general was surprisingly good. As everyone watching knows, good meat is very expensive at the moment and to get this quality of steaks onboard really surprised us. We loved all the meat we ordered. Every piece was melt in your mouth soft and fresh and tasted really good.
Occasionally the veggies were either a bit under or overcooked but not to the point of being yuk.
Seafood such as the prawn (shrimp) cocktail and lobster tails had obviously been thawed from frozen but were all still presented beautifully and tasted wonderful.
We enjoyed the food and service so much in the MDR we also had several lunches and I had breakfast almost every morning. Even on holidays, I am still a very early riser while Pauline enjoys her sleep ins and has more of a brunch than a breakfast.
A lot has been said recently regarding the Quantum Of The Seas main dining room menu. Some say it lacks variety and options and we agree 50%. It isn’t a huge selection, but everytime we dined there, we found something that got our taste buds tingling with anticipation. No complaints from us.
The breakfast and lunch menus were equally impressive and came with the same level of service and attention provided at night. For breakfast most days I started with a fruit platter before enjoying poached or scrambled eggs on toast with hash browns, mushrooms and tomato. And of course, breakfast on a cruise ship is not complete without a pastry so I ended on either an apple or berry Danish most days.
Windjammer Buffet
For a quick and easy meal or snack the Windjammer was brilliant! The Windjammer is located at the aft or rear of the ship on deck 14 and it is huge! It’s so big in fact that a lot of people stayed in the front section just inside the main entrances. We were always able to find a seat further in or in the outside area on the warmer days and nights.
The food options were similar to what we have experienced before. Every meal had some sort of roast meat with the usual roast vegetables. A large salad bar with pre-made salads of many types or fresh ingredients to make your own just how you like it.
It took us a few days to find it but there is a hamburger and hot dog section along with hot chips if you are just looking for some comfort food. The hamburgers were really good.
The dessert bar and bakery section were both huge with loads of options. The dessert bar had sugar-free and no added sugar options and we often saw a small number of gluten-free options.
The Windjammer Buffet 20 minutes before 1000 hungry people arrive for breakfast Two different soups each night to choose from along with loads of croutons and fresh bread make for a great starter.
There was always a pasta station with a couple of different types of pasta to choose from. I am a 100% pasta pig! I love my pasta and ate a lot of it on board but I have to say that pasta is one of the foods in every buffet that does suffer from being cooked and then sat under heat lamps. It gets a bit gluggy and sticky and is certainly not Al Dente. Obviously, I’m not complaining, as I said earlier, I ate plenty of it but if you aren’t quite as addicted to pasta as I am you may not be impressed.
Each night there was a theme. All the usual options are still available but one of the stations will be set up with say Indian or Mexican or Spanish. We enjoyed these themes and used them to try foods we normally wouldn’t. As someone who likes curry and chilli and hot foods, what I did notice was that to my taste buds a lot f the food, especially things I expected to have some heat in, just didn’t. In fact, the food was almost bland to me. Pauline on the other thought it had the perfect amount of spice or heat and loved it.
I think this captures the struggle the chefs have when trying to feed around 4500 guests each day. Do you cater for the percentage who like spice and heat or the ones who hate it or the ones in between? I guess you have to play the odds and go for the middle of the road.
Make sure you stay until the end as I’m going to share a tip we learned from a very experienced cruiser years ago about making your buffet experience just that bit better. Believe me, this changed our enjoyment of the buffet and took it to a whole new level.
Sorrento’s Pizza
What can I say about a free pizza other than yum yum.
I really enjoyed the Pizza from Sorrentos on deck 4. I never had it as a meal but often an afternoon snack or late night supper. What I really liked was the fact there was always fresh pizza and you could grab how many pieces you wanted. On many occasions, I grabbed 2 pieces for a snack. If you did want a full pizza they would cook it fresh for you and we saw many people with pizza boxes, especially later in the night.
The pizza is a thin base New York style pizza with tomato sauce and cooked in a pizza oven in front of you. They constantly make Margherita and Pepperoni pizzas, a third type that changes daily. I saw Hawaiian, Vegetarian, Supreme and others.
Fresh hot pizza at Sorrento’s
Sorrentos is open from around 11.30 am to 2 am on both sea and port days. There is plenty of seating both inside and nearby and we never had an issue getting a seat.
Cafe Promenade
Cafe Promenade serves 2 functions in my mind.
Firstly, for those early risers desperate for a caffeine hit you can grab a Lavazza filtered coffee or a tea here 24/7. To be honest, in my opinion, this coffee is pretty ordinary but it’s coffee and I drank it every day until the espresso coffee started at 6 am.
Secondly, they have a great variety of snacks and cakes 24/7. During the day they often have little sliders and sandwiches we enjoyed for a light lunch or afternoon tea. There was rarely more than a 60 second wait to be served and the food was very fresh and tasty. Pauline and I highly recommend grabbing a bite at Cafe Promenade.
One thing we found very interesting was that the food is free in Cafe Promenade but if you walk straight across the atrium to La Patisserie, VERY similar food and cakes all have a nominal fee. One day we graded a couple of chocolate eclairs and they were $1 each. At Cafe Promenade, the beautiful cheesecake was free. I don’t understand the logic but I’ll take free over paid all day every day.
Solarium Bistro
We read before boarding day that the Solarium Bistro was the place to head on embarkation day for a quieter, quicker meal and it was very good advice. I don’t remember exactly but when we got there just after 1 pm there was only 1 or 2 other couple there on embarkation day. Very different from the frantic, semi-panicked, confused and lost people in the Windjammer.
Located at the front of the ship on deck 14, the Solarium is a quiet little paradise at any time and the bistro gives another great dining option. It is basically just a much smaller version of the Windjammer buffet where no kids are allowed with a lot of the same food as in the Windjammer. but across the 13 days, it was often very easy to get a beautiful table at a window watching the seas roll by while having a less frantic lunch than in the Windjammer.
Seaplex Dog House
Who doesn’t love a hot dog? The Seaplex Dog House located in the Sea Plex on deck 15 was a great spot for a quick lunch or snack. This unique venue is set up like a trendy food truck, which adds an extra touch of excitement to your dining experience on board. It was open between 11:30 am – 7 pm on sea days, and between 2 – 7 pm when in port.
We were delighted to find that the hot dogs and buns were incredibly fresh and bursting with flavour. You’ll have the option to choose from a variety of four different hot dogs, each with its own distinct taste and flair. They had a choice of 4 different hot dogs when we were onboard
Chicken and apple which was my favorite Traditional bratwurst All beef German style pork Of course, they have the options of fried onions and sauerkraut plus help yourself mustard, tomato sauce and a pickle relish Trust me; the pickle relish is an absolute game-changer!
The dog house gets a big thumbs up from us
Coastal Kitchen (Suite Guests & Pinnacle Members Only)
Sadly, as we were not staying in a suite, we didn’t have access to the complimentary restaurant for suite guests and Pinnacle members. Coastal Kitchen is located on deck 14 in front of the Windjammer buffet.
Chatting with some of our new friends onboard who were Pinnacle members they raved about Coastal Kitchen. Apparently, there is an extensive dinner menu that rotates on a seven day basis meaning that the menu on days 1 & 8 will be the same, days 2 & 9 the same and etc for longer cruises.
Room Service
Well………… what can we say about room service? We only tried to order once and that was on the last night of our cruise. When we rang to place our order we were told it was a minimum of a 90 to 120 minutes wait. We didn’t go ahead with our order and went to the American Icon main dining room.
The menu provided a good choice and we were looking forward to it and judging by the amount of trays in the hallways later in the evening, I think a lot of people did make use of the room service option during the cruise. Sadly however it looks like we left it too late.
Summary Of The Free Options onboard
That wraps up the free options on board. We spent 13 nights on Quantum of The Seas and struggled to fully explore all the free options.
Overall we were really impressed with the incredible variety and options on board. From semi-formal dining in the main dining room to hot dogs in the seaplex and a multitude of options in between, Pauline and I are confident you will find something to make your taste buds smile.
On to the paid options!
Wonderland
We had heard so much about Wonderland and opinions were so varied ranging from OMG, the best dining experience ever to inedible, horrible food. From watching other YouTube videos, one thing we were sure of was it was going to be different and it certainly was!
The experience starts the moment you check in and get shown to your seat for the night. Your waiter is in costume wearing a crushed velvet jacket with long tails and the decor is incredible! Every aspect of Wonderland is designed to take you into the Alice in Wonderland experience.
The waiter hands you the menu. A gold picture frame with the menu and it is completely blank. What am I supposed to do with this? The answer is you have to “paint” it with the provided brush and water and Voila! The menu magically appears and is based on 5 different themes.
You get to choose dishes based on five natural elements – Earth, Sea, Fire, Ice and Sun.
Well, you sort of get to choose. Our waiter and I believe it is the same across the Royal Caribbean fleet suggest we let them choose the entrees which we agree to. We did choose our own main course and the desert is fixed.
Our dinner starts with crispy crab cones and tomato water. We both enjoyed the crab cones even though the avocado mouse really overpowered any taste of the crab. The tomato water was very different. A clear liquid that tastes like tomato served in a test tube. Our waiter went to great lengths explaining that the tomato water is from the second pressing of the tomatoes. In fact, everything that was served came with a storey about what, where, and how it was made. This was a nice touch but did seem very canned and repeated.
I liked the tomato juice but it was a big miss from Pauline, who strangely likes tomatoes but didn’t enjoy this.
Next up was eggs in a bird’s nest of deep-fried vermicelli noodles served under smoke. The eggs were nice and the noodles a little different but also OK. The eggs had absorbed more of the smoke taste than I expected but it wasn’t overpowering. We both gave this course a pass.
The next course was a potted shrimp (prawn for us Aussies) wrapped in the same deep-fried vermicelli noodles with a chilli dipping foam. We both enjoyed the shrimp/prawn and I found the chilli foam to be well balanced with enough heat but still not overpowering the taste of the shrimp.
Next up was baby vegetables in soil. However, much to our disappointment, it ended up being a dish that fell short of our expectations. The presentation was nothing short of stunning, but unfortunately, the taste did not live up to it. The vegetables were sour tasting, almost pickled and the dirt tasted like, well dirt. It was beautifully presented but just wasn’t to our liking.
It’s worth noting that taste is subjective, and while we may not have enjoyed the dish, it could be someone else’s favourite. However, for us, it was a big “no.” Despite our disappointment with the dish, we couldn’t fault the restaurant for their efforts in presenting something unique and different.
The much anticipated liquid lobster was up next and it was remarkable, absolutely stunning. We both loved it. The serving size was just too small. We could have eaten a full bowl of this. The flavours were complex and complemented each other. The small piece of lobster with the bone broth and a sprinkle of caviar worked to absolute perfection. One of the best things I have ever tasted.
One more to go before the mains and it is the chilled spicy tuna in a small lime. Another dish that knocked it out of the park. A multitude of flavours that blended together incredibly well. The cold of the granita, the tartness of the lime and the fresh tuna just worked and left us wanting more. Another winner from both of us.
And now the main course. I chose the chicken and the egg and Pauline went for the snap crackle and pork. Both were spectacular! Cooked to perfection, moist and full of flavour. What sets this apart from so many other meals is the quality, presentation and taste of the side dishes and the sauces. The food combinations sound a little odd but they just work so well together. We both thought our main courses were some of the best food we have eaten anywhere.
Wonderland Dessert The grand finale is Desert and there are 4 to choose from and they will bring them all if you want but we were already past feeling full so just opted for one being the flagship choice Earth. A decadent chocolate sphere set on a bed of rice crispies with fresh berries. Warm caramel sauce is then drizzled over the chocolate earth. As it melts the next surprise is revealed, salted caramel ice cream on a peanut butter roulette on a chocolate sponge cake. Pure decadence on so many levels! It was divine and the perfect way to end this foodie adventure.
Thanking about it later, yes, there were some dishes we didn’t enjoy but that is not unexpected when you consider the menu and how the chefs are pushing the boundaries with food combinations and styles of presentation. But the hits were many and they were so good, so exceptional that we give Wonderland a HUGE thumbs up and our personal recommendation.
There were several of the speciality restaurants we just didn’t have time to get to including Chops Grill, Jamies Italian & Izumi. I did manage to grab some photos and videos one early morning. We are in the process of booking another cruise on Quantum when she’s back in Australia next summer and we will tick these off then. Until then here are menus and a look into each of them.
Noodle Shop Of all the dining venues on the Quantum, this was a complete train wreck! The noodle shop is located in a small corner on deck 14 next to the main pool. It is a specialty restaurant meaning everything comes at a cost and believe us we wouldn’t go back if it was free. Flavourless and bland is about the best we can say bout the food. Chicken satay skewers that were overcooked, dry and tough with a satay sauce the consistency of water with a taste to match.
We say save your money and your time and eat somewhere else. Very disappointing.
La Patisserie Located opposite Sorrento’s Pizza and Cafe Promenade La Patisserie is the place to go for your coffee and small snacks including a range of chocolate eclairs that were absolutely worth the $1 each.
From when they open at 6 am to late morning this venue is absolutely flat out with espresso coffee and the hundreds of variants now available. We have our coffee lactose free and really enjoyed the coffee, sipping through 2 or 3 lattes a day. If you are a coffee drinker, the coffee cards are well worth it. We went through 3 in 13 days and had to pay for 2 or 3 each.
The food selection is small but very good. We enjoyed more than one cake or chocolate eclair for afternoon tea. Almost no seating inside but plenty were available in front or in other nearby areas in the Grand Esplanade.
A highly rated and highly rated venue for the morning wake me up coffees. A big thumbs up.
Chef’s Table And we’ve left the best till last, the Chef’s Table! No Quantum Of The Seas dining review would be complete without the Cefs Table. We had read and watched so many rave reviews that we had high expectations of both the experience and the food quality and we were not disappointed!
The Chefs Table is located inside Chops Grill in a private room. From the minute you step inside you are treated to 5-star service and food. OMG! It was incredible.
The room oozes class with dark panelling and low lighting illuminating the immaculately laid table with a range of glasses, cutlery and plates.
All 12 of our group arrived on time and we quickly started chatting and getting to know each other. Pauline and I were Chef table virgins as were 3 other couples leaving 4 experienced cruisers who assured us in the strongest way possible that we would not be disappointed!
Our waiter Jayverson introduced himself and gave a thorough but short explanation of how the night would run and with that we were into the fixed 5 course meal.
First up was a delicate Scallop Carpacci that was presented impeccably and tasted incredible. Our only concern was the bar was being set really high and we just hoped they could maintain it.
With each course, the head chef Sameer came out and gave an overview of the meal including what was in it and the methods used to prepare it. Each course came with a matched wine that was also accompanied by an explanation of what it was, where it came from and what we could expect from it.
Next up was a smoked tomato soup that was simply perfection. It was accompanied by garlic focaccia croutons and a sprinkle of parmesan. The depth of flavour in this soup was incredible and I certainly wanted more.
Course 3 and my favourite seafood was on its way. A Maine lobster salad served with palm hearts, pineapple, cilantro and vanilla dressing. The lobster was cooked perfectly and while I was initially sceptical of the dressings, it all worked incredibly well. Another stunning serving and between the food and the wine, I could already feel my stomach filling up and we had the biggest courses still to come.
Roasted Branzino came out for the 4th course and was my least favorite serving but in no way was it bad. It just wasn’t up to the standard of the earlier servings. Branzino is a common term in Europe but here in Australia, we refer to it by the name sea bass. Being lucky enough to live in Australia, an island surrounded by water we are very spoiled when it comes to seafood and a sea bass is only middle of the road eating here.
As I said it definitely wasn’t bad and the presentation with grilled zucchini and peppers and lemon confit was good with the Branzino cooked beautifully into juicy white flaking meat.
Next up was the mouth-watering and 5-star grilled fillet mignon. I don’t know where to start. All 12 of us had our meat cooked to absolute perfection, exactly how we ordered which ranged from rare to medium to well. The truffle potato puree, asparagus and bordelaise sauce complimented each other and the meat beautifully and it was simply an incredible meal. In my opinion, this dish alone was worth the $99 USD each we had paid – it really was that good!
I had a slight tinge of disappointment when I realised the desert was the same as we enjoyed in Wonderland 9 days earlier – The World. We were not disappointed with the presentation or flavours once the World was served along with the hot caramel sauce causing the same reaction as it did in Wonderland.
By now everyone had a ridiculously full stomach and just needed a few minutes for it all to settle. After 6 courses and 6 glasses of wine, we probably didn’t need a cocktail to finish the night while our waiter Jayverson did some magic with a deck of cards but we had it anyway.
After a little while Chef Sameer comes back to thank us and wishes us well for the remainder of the cruise. It was only then that I checked my watch to see that it had been 3 hours since we sat down. Between the ambience, our dining partners, the food and the service, time had flown by.
In our opinion, the Chef’s Table is an absolute “must-do”. Pauline and I are absolutely sure you won’t be disappointed.
That’s It. Our Ultimate Quantum Of The Seas Dining Review. We hope you’ve enjoyed it and it’s helped plan your next dining adventure on the Beautiful Quantum Of The Seas As promised at the beginning, here’s our tip for eating at the Windjammer buffet that we think will make your meals much more enjoyable.
We used to walk in to s ship buffet, grab a plate and start strolling around looking at the food, deciding what we wanted and grabbing it as we went. Then we would start looking around for a table and by the time we sat down, everything was cold.
NOW, we find a table first and grab a couple of drinks along with a book or copy of the daily program to “reserve” the table. We then walk around the buffet deciding what we want before getting a plate and collecting the food.
This way we get our food quickly and head straight to our table. By changing how we worked through the buffet process, when we start eating eating our food is still at least warm and tastes much better.
It’s only a small thing but we hope it helps you enjoy your buffet experience that little bit more.
If you would like to see more footage of our Quantum Of The Seas dining review, check out our YouTube video below
Until next time, bye and keep cruising.
If you’re longing for your next adventure or maybe just a weekend away check out Booking.com’s latest deals by clicking here.
Why we believe that cruising is the absolute best value holiday there is. Click Here to find out why!
If you like it, why not share it