Viking Ocean Cruises offer a variety of dining spots serving a variety of delicious cuisine. There’s undoubtedly something for everyone. Take your pick of refined or casual menus as well as inside or al fresco dining. All food is included in the cruise cost — no upcharges for dining at a specialty restaurant. Also, soda, house wine, and beer are complimentary at lunch and dinner (and the servers gladly provide refills throughout the meal). Guests can always purchase the Silver Spirits beverage package, which includes premium wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails — at meals and anytime throughout the cruise. My husband and I have enjoyed the variety of cuisine and dining settings (casual or refined, inside or outside) — and all included in the trip cost — to be a great benefit of cruising with Viking.
One factor that makes dining aboard a Viking Ocean Cruise ship so appealing is the attentive service accompanying restaurant meals. Friendly and open to conversation, the servers can make menu suggestions based on your interests. My husband and I were so impressed with a server in the restaurant one night that we requested one of her tables at subsequent dinners.
Viking accommodates guests with food allergies (fish, shellfish, nuts, and soy) and special dietary needs (such as diabetic, gluten-free, low-carb, low-fat, and vegetarian). To notify Viking of special dietary requests before your cruise, go to the My Viking Journey online portal, select Onboard Experience > Preferences > Dietary Restrictions. Once onboard, you can always discuss special dietary needs in person.
Two restaurants (Chef’s Table and Manfredi’s) require reservations and fill up quickly. Claim your spot on the My Viking Journey online portal before your trip (when your reservation window — based on your stateroom level — opens) or when you board the ship. The rest of the dining options are available without reservations. For instance, at The Restaurant, you will be seated in the order you check in with the host/hostess.
Viking Ocean Cruise Restaurants
Chef’s Table
Chef’s Table is a specialty restaurant featuring a rotating theme-based menu that lasts for three days at a time. Featured menus have focused on Asian, British, California, Chinese, and Mexican cuisine. Expect a five-course meal with paired wines. This restaurant requires reservations. (Deck 1)
The Living Room
The Living Room lounge has a bar that also offers morning go-to’s like muffins and pastries, and sandwiches in the afternoon and evening. (Deck 1)
Mamsen’s
Mamsen’s is a small café with Norwegian-inspired treats tucked into the Explorers’ Lounge and is open periodically throughout the day. Popular items are heart-shaped waffles, open-faced sandwiches, soups, and pastries. Choose what you’d like and find a table in the Explorers’ Lounge. This dining spot’s name honors “Mamsen” Ragnhild Hagen, Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen’s beloved mother, known for preparing excellent Norwegian cuisine. (Deck 7)
Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant
Manfredi’s is a specialty dining space that requires reservations. Expect a selection of Italian-inspired appetizers, soups, pasta and risotto, main courses (lamb, fish, seafood, and steak), sides, and dessert. A popular item is Bistecca di Manfredi, a Florentine-style steak. (Deck 1)
Pool Grill & Bar
Near the main pool are the Pool Grill and Pool Bar. The Pool Grill features salads, sides, and grilled fare, including hamburgers, hot dogs, and fish. (Deck 7)
The Restaurant
The Restaurant is the main dining spot with various offerings featuring creatively prepared familiar and international dishes. On one left side of the menu are classic dishes that are always available, like Caesar Salad, salmon, chicken, and steak. On the right side of the menu are evening specials, including destination-focused dishes. Some dinner choices on a recent cruise included Spicy Mussel Stew, Crispy Soft-shell Crab, Chilean Sea Bass, Lobster Thermidor, Slow-roasted Prime Rib, Thai Red Curry Chicken, Osso Buco, Pot Roast, and Filet au Roquefort, along with vegetarian highlights, like Vegetable and Mushroom Brown Rice Paella. (Deck 2)
Room Service
Room service is complimentary and available 24 hours a day for all guests. To order room service breakfast, complete the breakfast menu placed in your room while you’re at dinner; hang it outside your door before bed, and your breakfast will be delivered in the morning. Order room service at other times of the day when you feel like dining in your stateroom or on the balcony — or feel the need for a late-night snack.
Wintergarden
Relax for afternoon tea with your choice of teas and coffees to accompany tea sandwiches, scones, and sweets. Listen to musicians perform classical tunes during this late-afternoon experience. (Deck 7)
World Café
For casual dining throughout the day, head to the World Café, which provides a wide variety of breakfast foods (including made-to-order omelets) as well as sandwiches, salads, entrees, sides, bread, pizza, and gelato for lunch and dinner. All the food is buffet-style, and you choose your seating: inside at tables or outside while enjoying the views. Servers will come to your table to provide drinks (complimentary soda, wine, and beer at lunch and dinner). The World Café is very casual, so jeans and shorts are perfectly acceptable. (Deck 7)
Tips for Dining & Restaurant Dress Codes
- If you feel like sampling more than one dish or want less food, ask for half-portions of salads or entrees.
- Make trip planning easier by making dinner reservations, sharing your allergies and dietary restrictions, and signing up for the optional Silver Spirits beverage package online (MyVikingJourney.com) before your cruise. See below for more information on this.
- When dining at Chef’s Table, Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant, or The Restaurant, adhere to Viking’s suggested casual elegance dress code. For women, this translates to a dress, skirt, or slacks with a sweater or blouse; for men, it’s pants and a collared shirt. No need for a sports jacket or tie — unless you want to wear that. Just remember, no jeans in these three dining venues.
- Casual attire (e.g., jeans, shorts) is perfectly acceptable at the Pool Grill and the World Café.
Making Reservations for Specialty Restaurants
To make reservations at the specialty restaurants, Chef’s Table and Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant, before your cruise, head to MyVikingJourney.com and make your selections. On MyVikingJourney.com, select Onboard Experience > Dining and Beverage. You can also cancel and change dining reservations online.
Online dining reservations become available according to stateroom level and on the following schedule:
- Owner’s Suite—100 days from the sail date
- Explorer Suites—90 days from the sail date
- Penthouse Junior Suites—80 days from the sail date
- Penthouse Veranda Staterooms—70 days from the sail date
- Deluxe Veranda Staterooms—60 days from the sail date
- Veranda Staterooms—No priority reservations
You may also book reservations once onboard but know that the specialty restaurants are popular, so you may need to be flexible when booking.
Restaurant Overview
Below is a quick overview of the dining options aboard a Viking Ocean cruise ship. Verify current times of dining services in the Viking Daily once you are onboard. For example, The Restaurant may offer lunch on some days at sea.
| Restaurant Name, Location, Hours | Dining Focus |
|---|---|
| CHEF’S TABLE (Deck 1) 6:00-9:00 pm | Rotating specialty menus (for 3 days at a time) with wine pairings. A specialty restaurant; reservations are required. |
| MAMSEN’S (Deck 7) 6:30-11:00 am | 11:30 am-2:30 pm | 4:00-5:00 pm | 10:00pm-Midnight | A Norwegian-inspired café in the Explorers’ Lounge. Enjoy the heart-shaped waffles, open-faced sandwiches, soups, and desserts. |
| MANFREDI’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT (Deck 1) 6:00-9:00 pm | Italian fare, including lamb, fish, steak, and seafood. A specialty restaurant; reservations are required. |
| POOL GRILL (Deck 7, by the main pool) 11:30 am-2:30 pm | 2:30-5:00 pm | Salads, burgers, grilled foods for lunch; snacks at other times. |
| THE RESTAURANT (Deck 2) 8:00-9:30 am | 6:00-9:00 pm | The main restaurant with a destination-focused menu that changes daily, plus classics (e.g., Caesar Salad, chicken, steak, salmon, cheesecake) that are always on the menu. |
| ROOM SERVICE 24 hours a day | A variety of options depending on the time of day. |
| WINTERGARDEN (Deck 7) 4:00-5:00 pm | Tea sandwiches, scones, and various teas and coffees; live music during afternoon tea service. |
| WORLD CAFE (Deck 7) 6:00-9:00 am | 11:30 am-2:30 pm | 6:00-9:00 pm | A wide variety of options (salads, grilled foods, pizza, gelato, and more) at the buffet throughout the day. Expect some unique dinner choices throughout the cruise, like lobster night. Eat inside — or outside on the Aquavit Terrace. |
| NOTE: On some cruises, the Kitchen Table offers hands-on cooking lessons. |
Bars
Wherever you are on the ship, you’re never far from a bar, and they have generous hours of operation — some opening in mid-morning. Bars are located on Aquavit Terrace (Deck 7), Explorers’ Lounge (Deck 7), the Pool Bar (Deck 7), The Living Room (Deck 1), and Torshavn, a lounge/nightclub (Deck 2).
You can charge the drinks to your onboard account or sign up for the Silver Spirits Beverage Package, which includes unlimited premium wine, beer, and cocktails. The Silver Spirits package costs $25 per day of the cruise. If two people share a stateroom, both must purchase the package for $50 per day (for double occupancy). If interested in the Silver Spirits Beverage Package, you can sign up before the cruise on MyVikingJourney.com by selecting Onboard Experience > Dining and Beverage > Silver Spirits Beverage Package. Also, you can sign up for the beverage package once aboard the ship.
Guests are allowed to bring wine (and other alcohol) onto the ship. For example, if you purchase wine while on an excursion, you can bring it back, and a Viking bartender will open the bottle for you with no corkage fees. And as mentioned, complimentary house wine and beer are served during lunch and dinner.
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Two Delicious Sweets (with Recipes) Served Aboard
Viking Cruises offer delicious food and tempting treats. Here are recipes for two such desserts. Lebkuchen, the gingerbread-type cookie with hazelnuts, is rich in flavor. The Coconut Macaroons are a light sweet treat to serve alone or accompanying other goodies.
Lebkuchen
Equipment
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 2 mixing bowls large and medium sized
- 2 baking sheets
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup candied citron, diced (optional)
- 1/3 cup hazelnuts chopped
Icing
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water or milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Garnish
- sliced almonds, candied citron or ginger, or melted chocolate
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring honey and molasses to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in brown sugar, egg, lemon juice and zest. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and all spices, and stir in molasses mix, citron, and hazelnuts. Cover. Chill overnight.Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured, hard surface, roll out a small amount of chilled dough to 1/4-inch thick. If the dough is sticky, use more flour. Cut dough with desired cookie cutters; transfer to prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes.Meanwhile, make icing by heating sugar and liquids in a small saucepan (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in confectioners' sugar. If icing crystallizes, reheat and add water or milk. Transfer cookies to rack, and while still hot, brush with icing and decorate with almonds, candied citron or ginger; or, let cool completely and drizzle with melted chocolate. Store in a sealed container.
Notes
Coconut Macaroons
Equipment
- 1 electric mixer
- 2 baking trays
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff. Then, combine with other ingredients. Place small macaroons on a baking tray lined with parchment paper using a tablespoon. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Notes
Final Thoughts
Viking has done a fine job offering an appealing variety of dining locations and menus aboard their ocean cruise ships. My husband and I always ordered breakfast from room service to enjoy a leisurely breakfast while getting ready in the morning. We sometimes enjoyed breakfast on our balcony to savor a scenic view. For lunch, we usually headed to World Café and appreciated the variety of cheeses, salads, entrees, pizza, and desserts (including gelato). We sometimes opted for lunch at Mamsen’s and liked eating in the relaxed setting of the Explorers’ Lounge. We tried all the restaurants for dinner, and our favorite was The Restaurant because of the changing menu each evening. Overall, we were very satisfied with the dining options aboard Viking on our ocean cruise.
Comments
Feel free to share your suggestions and thoughts about dining aboard a Viking Ocean Cruise ship. Your ideas could help other cruisers. Thanks! 🙂
