Vegetarian Options?

[Carpe Diem]

Being vegetarian, I almost never eat in specialty restaurants on cruise ships.  Yes, I can get pasta with marinara sauce or eggplant parmigiana at Jamie's and I can get tofu at Izumi, but I can also get those same things in the MDR or Windjammer.  My travel agent has given us a voucher for a free specialty restaurant for my upcoming cruise.  My travel partner wants to go to Chops.  I see a lot of side dishes and desserts I can eat, but no vegetarian main courses.  Does anyone know if a vegetarian option might be available at Chops?

[OCSC Mike]

16 minutes ago, Carpe Diem said:

Does anyone know if a vegetarian option might be available at Chops?

I bet they would be able to come up with something (Royal is very accommodating to food restrictions in my experience) but I can't tell you exactly what it would be or if you'd want/like it. FWIW, some of my favorite things at Chops are non-entrees (love the pretzel bread, several sides, and two desserts) and if you're willing to go there to appease your travel partner, not only might you be happy with those (and whatever entree Chops comes up with) but you could always schedule it to leave time for WJ after (or have a pre-dinner snack). Some of us like to check out WJ after dinner no matter what, lol.

Hope that helps a little. Hopefully someone will have an actual vegetarian experience to share.

[Bean79]

On 5/14/2026 at 7:00 PM, OCSC Mike said:

FWIW, some of my favorite things at Chops are non-entrees (love the pretzel bread, several sides, and two desserts)

I love this idea. This is what I personally would do. I would ask if they had any vegetarian options but don't go out of their way if they didn't, and I would just enjoy the sides and bread.

Also see this thread if it doesn't get merged. 

 

Edited May 19 by Bean79
Added link to other thread

[Leo French]

Vegetarian options have improved a lot on cruises over the years. Many cruise lines now offer dedicated vegetarian menus, fresh salads, pasta, grilled vegetables, and even vegan desserts. I’ve also noticed that dinner cruises in places like Dubai Marina are adding more vegetarian buffet choices for international travelers, which makes the experience better for everyone.

[Carpe Diem]

Love all of the suggestions!  Thanks! I will go to Chops on embarkation day to make a reservation and to ask if it would be possible to special order a vegetarian entree.  Maybe the chef in Chops can prepare a tofu steak?  The sides and desserts at Chops sound amazing and I will definitely order them.  But, just like non-vegetarians, I need protein too.  Just because I am vegetarian doesn't mean that I only eat pasta, salad and vegetables.  Protein like tofu, lentils, soy, beans, etc are a must.  I always enjoy all of the vegetarian options in the Windjammer and MDR, but I don't just want a plate of side dishes for dinner.  I wish there were more composed vegetarian entrees that contain vegetarian protein in the Windjammer, MDR and specialty restaurants.  Sometimes the Indian food in the Windjammer and MDR has vegetarian protein, but, unfortunately, I am not a fan of Indian food/flavors.  With the growing number of vegetarians on board, I hope to see more composed vegetarian entrees available.  I guess that's a good suggestion for the post cruise survey.

[Carpe Diem]

On 5/14/2026 at 4:00 PM, OCSC Mike said:

I bet they would be able to come up with something (Royal is very accommodating to food restrictions in my experience) but I can't tell you exactly what it would be or if you'd want/like it. FWIW, some of my favorite things at Chops are non-entrees (love the pretzel bread, several sides, and two desserts) and if you're willing to go there to appease your travel partner, not only might you be happy with those (and whatever entree Chops comes up with) but you could always schedule it to leave time for WJ after (or have a pre-dinner snack). Some of us like to check out WJ after dinner no matter what, lol.

Hope that helps a little. Hopefully someone will have an actual vegetarian experience to share.

Chops was very accommodating. They made me a DELICIOUS grilled tofu dinner. Paired with salad, bread, multiple sides and dessert all washed down with an espresso martini, it was an excellent meal! 

[OCSC Mike]

8 hours ago, Carpe Diem said:

Chops was very accommodating. They made me a DELICIOUS grilled tofu dinner. Paired with salad, bread, multiple sides and dessert all washed down with an espresso martini, it was an excellent meal! 

So happy to hear! I know you wouldn't have blamed me and I was almost certain they'd do something but I'm always worried when I give advice based on a strong educated guess and experience rather than facts.

We're having our anniversary dinner tomorrow night at Chops on Utopia.

[WAAAYTOOO]

11 hours ago, Carpe Diem said:

Chops was very accommodating. They made me a DELICIOUS grilled tofu dinner. Paired with salad, bread, multiple sides and dessert all washed down with an espresso martini, it was an excellent meal! 

WOW !  That looks wonderful (except for those peppers on top which I could easily Deep-6).  I LOVE grilled tofu.

[Carpe Diem]

4 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

So happy to hear! I know you wouldn't have blamed me and I was almost certain they'd do something but I'm always worried when I give advice based on a strong educated guess and experience rather than facts.

We're having our anniversary dinner tomorrow night at Chops on Utopia.

Happy Anniversary