Best Bite Of Food At Windjammer?

[Aron_Ross]

Hello All,

17 days until my first sailing with Royal and I'm pretty excited!  So far, I've cruised with Princess and Carnival and felt it was time for something different.  Starting out small on Freedom of the Seas then going big with Harmony in November for my birthday. 

I was wondering if anyone has sailed on those two ships recently and if so, what was the best bite of food you had at the Windjammer?  If not those ships, let me open the question up to..

Best bite of food you had recently on any Royal ship at the Windjammer?    

[smokeybandit]

I find the ethnic chicken dishes to be the best lunch items I've had there.

[Pooch]

We were on Harmony last month. Hubby & son LOVED the beef stew.  Had it scooped over mashed potatoes every time they found it.  For me, WJ makes the most perfectly roasted chicken I’ve ever had.  Such a simple dish yet so often done badly.   Hungry or not, I always had room for a couple of pieces!

[Ampurp85]

The mashed potatoes on both Harmony and Freedom were the highlight. Everything else in the WJ was a meh. El Loco Fresh was the best bite on Freedom for me. On Harmony of the free offerings, I would go to Park Cafe

[parkyy2k]

I love the curries!

[BeachGal]

No matter how stuffed I am, I always have to peruse the desserts.  One little bit of heaven was a cup of lemon meringue with a raspberry sauce running through it. Oh my gosh!! Tart lemon and sweet raspberry... I'm drooling right now just thinking about it!!!

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

Only ate breakfast at the WJ on Freedom earlier this month.  Loved the avocado toast and freshly made eggs.  Also fresh fruit…lots of it.  Pineapple was the juiciest and sweetest!

[silenttuba]

Just got off Anthem. Last night we had dinner in the Windjammer for Indian night. The butter chicken was probably my favorite thing in the WJ all week!

[FionaMG]

I had a slice of an absolutely amazing dulce de leche chocolate gateau on Harmony back in September. It must have been popular because by the time SIL got to the dessert display to grab a piece for herself there was none left!  Oh my goodness, it was so wonderful, so chocolaty and gooey and just sheer heaven on a plate. 

[michaelp1446]

The Butter chicken and curry dishes on Freedom.

The chocolate bread pudding on Harmony.

[JennaRCB]

I agree, the Indian food is so good in the Windjammer! I also really like the omelettes at breakfast and when they have a stir-fry noodle/rice station for dinner.

[Aron_Ross]

Wow some interesting responses.  Thank you all for sharing. Once my sailing is complete, I will give you my thoughts on my best bite. 9 days to go before I board Freedom of the Seas!

[Cindyb]

I have always loved the bread pudding an absolute cruise favorite. They also make the best mashed potatoes 

[ChessE4]

On the first day, I've tried the paella for lunch, which is a special treat for me.  Mostly the food is OK, but as others have said, I favor the desserts.   

For breakfast, find an omelette station, which on some ships has moved from the Windjammer.  Recent travelers can update you on that.

[Pooch]

I found that they “hide” the good stations.  We were directed to one entrance to WJ and the good stuff was all the way around several corners to where the second, don’t use this one, entrance was.  3 days into our cruise I found the bar, the fresh squeezed juice station, the panini station, the fresh cooked egg station.  Make sure you stroll all the way around before making your selections!!

[Sweety]

On 4/16/2022 at 3:54 PM, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Only ate breakfast at the WJ on Freedom earlier this month.  Loved the avocado toast and freshly made eggs.  Also fresh fruit…lots of it.  Pineapple was the juiciest and sweetest!

The avocado toast were the best. I ate two everyday with my bacon sandwich.

[Pattycruise]

If done right I love the biscuit and gravy at breakfast and corn beef hash.  I give it one try, if it’s not to my liking I pass for the rest of the cruise.

[CruiseGus]

On 4/26/2022 at 4:03 PM, Pattycruise said:

If done right I love the biscuit and gravy at breakfast and corn beef hash.  I give it one try, if it’s not to my liking I pass for the rest of the cruise.

Almost never any good, finding someone on a cruise ship that know how the gravy should be on "Biscuits N Gravy" is like finding some one in France that knows that scrambled eggs shouldn't run like water.

[smokeybandit]

9 hours ago, CruiseGus said:

Almost never any good, finding someone on a cruise ship that know how the gravy should be on "Biscuits N Gravy" is like finding some one in France that knows that scrambled eggs shouldn't run like water.

I was in Dublin a few years back for an American football game and pre-game this one french restaurant set up a station outside to make cheesesteaks. Problem is they had no idea how to assemble a cheesesteak.  It was kind of funny.

[LovetoCruise87]

On 4/16/2022 at 3:48 PM, BeachGal said:

No matter how stuffed I am, I always have to peruse the desserts.  One little bit of heaven was a cup of lemon meringue with a raspberry sauce running through it. Oh my gosh!! Tart lemon and sweet raspberry... I'm drooling right now just thinking about it!!!

That lemon meringue is soooo good!

[Mrs. RoyalMoyal]

Morning Muesli with extra over-whipped cream on top.  

[Rock]

I agree with others on a few things. Not a huge fan of Indian food, but did enjoy the night they served it. I also loved the bread pudding, mashed potatoes and an all time favorite they served one night was mushroom soup.

[jbmakingmemories]

On 4/27/2022 at 10:23 PM, CruiseGus said:

Almost never any good, finding someone on a cruise ship that know how the gravy should be on "Biscuits N Gravy" is like finding some one in France that knows that scrambled eggs shouldn't run like water.

I've only been on the Odyssey (will be on SOS in 5 days!!), but the gravy for the biscuits and gravy was sweet and absolutely threw me off. Was this just an anomaly on Odyssey or is this a fleetwide gravy issue? 

[luiiismdo]

can anyone who's been on symphony confirm if they have an omelette station at the windjammer?

thanks in advance

[Mike n Ky]

Luiismdo...they did last September

[Al Miller]

On Anthem a few weeks ago, and the regular old bolognaise sauce was amazing to me. The penne pasta sitting next to it was not the best as it is sitting out and getting cold and dry, but that sauce was awesome. Also, I had one of the best pork chops I've ever had. I think they had just reloaded the station, so it was probably very fresh. So, if they look like they haven't been sitting very long, I recommend the pork chops too.

[WAYNO]

My tastes are simple, therefore I appreciate just about everything in the Windjammer.

 

However, I think my favorite foods there are breakfast items.  Simple scrambled eggs and peppers, bacon, link sausage, a potato patty, all smothered in sausage gravy. 

 

Probably not healthy, so I've gotta curb myself at least a little bit.  Then watermelon and other melons for dessert.

[Aron_Ross]

Well, I just got back from my first sailing with Royal on Freedom of the Seas. I may start another thread about my first impressions. As for my best bite in the Windjammer…the Butter Chicken!!

Some other really good bites.. the waffles which were made fresh minutes before, and the Lamb Shanks on the last night. Overall, the Windjammer was definitely better than what I had on my last cruise at the Lido Market place on Carnival Panorama.  

And a big shout out to Richard from Jamaica who I think was a culinary supervisor.  He saw me take a lamb shank and recommended I apply gravy, which he said was made with the shank juices. I’ve never experienced that on a cruise ship and demonstrates the care and pride that goes into their food.