Crystal Cruises Food and Dining Guide
(I sailed with Crystal for free part of a press trip, however, all opinions are my own)
Here is my full guide to food and dining onboard Crystal Cruises.
As one of the world’s leading ultra luxury cruise lines, dining onboard Crystal Cruises is an absolute delight.
With food offered on an all inclusive basis, there is a total of eight restaurants for guests to choose from (if I include the gelato bar!) Both of Crystal’s ships, Serenity and Symphony have identical food offerings, with the same eateries on each ship. The only venue that costs an additional fee is the vintage room, which offers dinner with guided wine pairings.
When it comes to the two speciality restaurants, Umi Uma and Osteria d'Ovidio, guests are given a quota depending on the length of their voyage. Trips of up to 11 nights give guests one reservation at each specialty restaurant. This increases to two reservations on voyages between 12 and 22 nights, and three at each restaurant on voyages of 23 nights or more. Additional reservations can be offered for an extra fee.
The dining hours vary for each restaurant, and are published daily in the Reflections newsletter which is delivered to guests each evening.
Crystal Cruises Food and Dining Guide
Waterside Restaurant
This dining venue serves a wide range of delicious meals each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and as the main restaurant onboard, is somewhere you will likely spend a lot of time during your cruise. We ate here on our first evening and were seated right next to a window with a stunning view of the ocean, which was a great way to start the trip.
My partner and I mostly visited this restaurant for dinner and enjoyed all of our meals in here. I can be a bit of a picky eater but there was always plenty of choice, and the kitchen staff were happy to make any changes as required. I actually submitted my dietary requirements prior to boarding, so perhaps that’s why I was so well catered for.
The menu here is structured in two halves: Modern Cuisine and Crystal Classics, and there’s also plenty of choice for vegetarian and vegan guests.
Reservations are not required at the Waterside Restaurant - just turn up to be seated by their friendly waiting staff. We were shown to a private table for two immediately after arriving, no queueing required.
Marketplace
Crystal Cruises’ answer to the traditional cruise ship buffet, the Marketplace is a fantastic relaxed option for breakfast and lunch. The staff here are very attentive, with table service offered for drinks and live cooking stations available throughout.
Crucially, the food here was always fresh, with lots of choice and nothing that looked like it had been sat about for hours.
I visited this venue most days for breakfast, although we did sometimes stop by to enjoy lunch here too. While popular, it never felt too busy, and it’s always nice to have a decent casual dining option.
Trident Grill
Ideal for a poolside snack, the Trident Grill opens daily for a late-risers breakfast, followed by lunch and closing before dinner.
Here you can choose from the usual poolside fare, including burgers, hotdogs, fries and salads. Breakfast is usually available from 10 - 11, with the daytime menu available from 11:30 - 6pm.
This is a great option if you’ve had a late night out and missed the breakfast buffet which typically closes at 10!
The Bistro
My favourite spot for a mid-afternoon snack, the Bistro is inspired by the bars and cafes of Paris. Here you can enjoy freshly made coffees and buffet style food that changes throughout the day.
Scoops Gelato
If you still haven’t had enough to eat, then make sure you stop by Scoops Gelato. I was so full from all of the other food I enjoyed that I didn’t eat much ice cream, but my partner visited frequently and he loved the gelato in here.
The flavours rotate every day, and you can have as much ice cream as you want, all included in your cruise fare!
In Suite Dining (available 24 hours a day)
The perfect option after a long day of exploring, in suite dining is available on Crystal Cruises 24 hours a day, with no limit on how many times you can order. Yep, and it’s included in the price of the cruise fare.
Your order will typically be delivered by your personal butler, unless it’s outside of their working hours, in which case another will take their place. We ordered room service a few times, including once for breakfast which our butler kindly served for us out on our veranda.
In the evening we had our food laid out for us on the table in our suite, and it was all delivered fresh and piping hot. We even had canapés delivered each afternoon!
Beefbar
I nearly listed this one as a speciality restaurant, but decided not to as guests can eat here as many times as they fancy during their cruise. Reservations are required for dinner, but lunchtime diners can just turn up to be seated within their opening hours.
This fantastic dining option was created by Riccardo Giraudi, who has restaurants around the world - although this is the only place that you can find Beefbar at sea. I found the menu to be creative and varied, even having some great vegetarian options.
I particularly loved the mushroom bao buns that they served on their lunch menu, and enjoyed the veggie bolognaise one evening for dinner.
Speciality Restaurants
Osteria d’Ovidio
The ship’s dedicated Italian fine dining restaurant, I ate here on the last day of my cruise.
Although the food was excellent, our crossing back to Athens was quite rough, so I wasn’t able to finish my meal despite it all being delicious.
The menu here is split into three sections: Italian classics, signature dishes from the Alajmo family’s restaurant, and traditional Venetian dishes. There’s plenty of options to choose from, and our waiter was indispensable in helping us decide what to order.
Umi Uma
Last but not least, this was my favourite restaurant onboard Crystal Cruises. Umi Uma was created by legendary Master Chef Nobuyuki (Nobu) Matsuhisa, and offers a varied menu featuring Japanese-Peruvian cuisine.
As a vegetarian I enjoyed the miso aubergine, vegetable tempura, cucumber sushi rolls and a chocolate souffle cake amongst other things as part of my multi course meal.
Dinner is served by reservation only, but the sushi bar is available on a walk in basis.
I had an amazing time cruising with Crystal and the fantastic food is all part of the experience. If you’re still trying to decide whether to book your next cruise with them, then make sure you read the rest of my articles below.
Read More About Crystal Cruises
Crystal Symphony Ship Tour and Review