How is the food on Norwegian Bliss?

The restaurants and food on a cruise ship can make or break your cruise vacation. It’s one of the main things we research when choosing cruise ships. Therefore, I thought it would be helpful to share some thoughts and photos from our last Norwegian Bliss cruise. 

We did a Mexican Riviera cruise that departs and returns from Los Angeles. This Mexico cruise includes stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. 

I went on this cruise with my son, who was 10 years old at the time. It’s a long story as to why it was just the two of us, but the short version is that we needed to redeem a cruise travel credit that was about to expire. We chose the Pacific side of Mexico because it’s easy to get to Los Angeles from our home in Vancouver. 

Overall, we enjoyed the Norwegian Bliss restaurants and food. We like the Norwegian Bliss menu choices on this 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise.

Read this post that shares travel tips for Norwegian Bliss Cruise Ship.

Reader’s note – we feel it’s important to inform you we did NOT receive ANY compensation or perks for this cruise. We did NOT partner with NCL. All thoughts and opinions are based on firsthand experience. 

Restaurants on Norwegian Bliss cruise ship

Below is a list of the included restaurants and specialty restaurants on the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship.

Included restaurants on Norwegian Bliss:

• Garden Cafe (Buffet) 
• Savor
• Taste
• The Local Bar & Grill 
• The Manhattan Room 
• Observation Lounge 
• The Haven Restaurant (only for those staying in a Haven Suite) 
• American Diner (this is now part of the included restaurants. It was a specialty restaurant when we cruised in Nov 2023) 

Specialty Dining on Norwegian Bliss (extra fee restaurants)

• Q Texas Smokehouse 
• Le Bistro 
• Cagney’s Steakhouse 
• Food Republic 
• Ocean Blue 
• Los Lobos 
• Teppanyaki 
• Dolce Gelato 
• La Cucina 
• Coco’s Crepes and Chocolates

NOTE – We did not dine at any of the specialty restaurants.

I did not have specialty restaurants included with my cruise fare. Given that I was traveling with my son, I did not see value in purchasing the extra fees for these restaurants.

Therefore, all of our meals onboard this cruise ship were at the included restaurants (with the exception of crepes at Coco’s).

I heard positive reviews for the specialty restaurants. However, I cannot provide firsthand experience for the Norwegian Bliss specially restaurants.

My favorite Norwegian Bliss restaurant 

We really enjoyed our meals at Taste restaurant. The service was very good and I like that the space is smaller than The Manhattan Room.

We were often given a table next to a window (see above photo).

However, it’s important to note that dishes from Taste, Savor, and The Manhattan Room are the same. These restaurants use the same kitchen. Therefore, regardless of what restaurant you dine at, you will get the same menu from the kitchen.

I spoke with a few people who prefer the larger dining room at The Manhattan restaurant. While others (like me), prefer the smaller dining room like Taste or Savor.

It’s a good idea to try each restaurant to see which one you prefer.

Does the menu change on Norwegian Bliss Cruise Ship?

Yes, the menu changes each day on the Norwegian Bliss.

Every day, the Norwegian Bliss menu offers “Today’s Featured Entrees”. These items change each day, throughout the cruise.

The menu also has a consistent “Classic Entrees” option. These items stay the same. If you don’t want something on the daily Featured Entrees, you can choose one of these Classic Entrees instead. 

Does the Norwegian Bliss have a buffet?

Yes, the Norwegian Bliss has a great buffet called the Garden Cafe.

We had breakfast each morning from this buffet. Our routine was to grab our food and eat it on the outside deck. My son went for bacon and waffles every day, while I enjoyed the eggs benedict and the make-your-own omelettes.

The eggs and omelettes station is my favourite breakfast option on Norwegian Bliss.

Breakfast buffet on Norwegian Bliss cruise ship.

You can also grab cereal boxes, milk and fresh fruit if you’re in a hurry or not interested in sitting down to eat breakfast.

Does the Norwegian Bliss have a kids menu?

Yes. The Norwegian Bliss does have a kid’s menu.

However, it stays the same for the entire cruise. And it’s the same menu at each restaurant. The kids menu includes hamburger, pizza, chicken fingers, hot dog, soup, mac and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

My son was not a fan of the kids’ menu. He found the food to be dry. He tried the chicken fingers and didn’t finish it (which is highly unusual for him).

After that experience, he chose to order from the adult menu. He enjoyed the food on the adult menu more than the kids menu. 

Classic Entrees menu on Norwegian Bliss

The Classic Entrees menu stays the same throughout the cruise. Below is a photo of the Norwegian Bliss menu while on the Mexican Riviera cruise.

I’m assuming these items will change in the future. However, this gives you an idea of the food on Norwegian Bliss cruise ship.

Photos of the food on Norwegian Bliss 

Rather than me try to explain each dish in detail, I took photos of the meals I ordered. Yes, I’m THAT person. 

Most of these photos were captured in low light with my phone camera. Therefore, some of the images are a little blurry.

As much as I’d like to have high-quality photos for the content on this travel blog, I prefer to limit the amount of food photos when dining. It feels a little awkward taking several different photos of each dish, every night. 

Let’s start with photos of the appetizers. 

Appetizers menu on the Norwegian Bliss

Dining room menu entrees on Norwegian Bliss

Below are photos of the main entrees from the restaurants on the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship. 

I enjoyed the food onboard the Bliss cruise. Every night I tried something different, which is one of the things I enjoy most about cruising. 

Norwegian Bliss restaurant menu

When researching cruise ship restaurants, it’s nice to be able to see the menu. Therefore, I made an effort to take photos of the cruise ship menus so that I can share them with you on this blog post. 

Keep in mind, menus often change. Use these Norwegian Bliss restaurant menus as a guideline. It’s possible that these menus will be the same if/when you take a cruise on the Bliss, but it’s also possible that these menus will be different. 

Entree menus on the Norwegian Bliss

Dessert Menu on the Norwegian Bliss 

Of course, we can’t forget about the desserts!

This is why diets go out the window when on cruise ships. 

Desserts menus on the Norwegian Bliss

Similar to the dining menus mentioned above, the dessert menus on Norwegian Bliss cruise ship may be different if/when you sail. The below photos of the dessert menus will give you an idea of what is served on the cruise.

Coco’s Crepes and Chocolates

Coco Crepes, Waffles & Coffee is apparently a popular franchise restaurant. I had not heard of it before seeing this restaurant/cafe on the cruise ship. 

Items on this menu are not part of the all-inclusive cruise package. You will pay extra for these items.

Above is the Crepe menu at Cocos on Norwegian Bliss cruise ship.

My son loves icing sugar crepes, so we had to give it a try. He gives it two thumbs up.

Dolce Gelato

Another specialty treat shop on Norwegian Bliss is Dolce Gelato. It’s also an additional expense to order items off this menu. 

The District Brew House

For the craft beer enthusiasts, the Norwegian Bliss has you covered with the District Brew House. The beer selection available during our cruise is pictured below. 

The District Brew House has a lot of craft beer on tap from around the world.

Starbucks on Cruise Ship

And, for those who want/need their daily Bucks fix… yes, the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship has a Starbucks onboard.

Prices are similar to most US Starbucks. Items are an additional charge, not a part of the all-inclusive cruise package.

Cagney’s Steakhouse

A popular specialty cruise dining restaurant onboard Norwegian Bliss is Cagney’s Steakhouse. As mentioned above, we did not dine at this steakhouse.

However, I did take a photos of the restaurant and menu for the purpose of sharing in this blog post. 

Is the Norwegian Bliss Cruise Ship Allergy Friendly?

Yes. I was traveling with our 10 year old and he’s allergic to dairy and eggs.

At first, I found it difficult to find items on the menu for him. Our server noticed me struggling and shared that guests can order special meals the day before. This is a really great option for travelers with allergies. 

Travel trip for passengers with an allergy. Ask your server or host for tomorrow’s menu. Then pre-order your meals for the next day. The kitchen will make special meals catering to your diet. Some of the dairy and egg free options are highlighted below.

Did we like the Norwegian Bliss restaurants and food?

Yes, we did like the restaurants and food on the Norwegian Bliss cruise. The buffets are good and offer guests variety and convenience. And, like most buffets, the food is sometimes not as fresh as the a la carte menu in the restaurants.

I was happy with the variety of restaurants on the cruise. 

Want more Norwegian Bliss tips? Watch these short videos – part 1, part 2 and part 3.

Read more blog posts about cruising:

• Everything you need to know about an Alaska cruise on Celebrity Eclipse
• Thinking about a European River Cruise? Here’s what you need to know
• Taking a Caribbean Cruise? Here’s what you need to know
• Here’s what we did on our Portugal River Cruise with Viking
• Travel tips for the Bliss cruise ship

Do you have questions about Norwegian Bliss restaurants or food? 

Leave us a comment below and we’ll do our best to answer.