About La Cucina
La Cucina is an Italian ristorante concept on NCL that’s sure to delight your senses and satisfy your cravings for all things Italian (and carbs). The restaurant is one of the premium dining options on NCL and can be enjoyed a la carte or by using a premium dining package. Note: If you do use the dining package/credit you can choose an appetizer, pasta, and a main course all desserts are included as well.
It’s good to know that it’s not just heavy Italian food on the menu, but there are a number of shrimp and seafood options that are a bit lighter and just as good!
Quick Tips
- The menu at La Cucina includes a variety of items such as pasta, risotto, pizzas, and main courses like veal and salmon.
- Guests can use dining packages for value but should be aware of the generous portion sizes.
- Sharing dishes is recommended due to the large portion sizes available.
- Availability of certain dishes may vary based on regions visited during the cruise.
- La Cucina restaurant is one of the more popular on NCL, so it often fills up for premium dining times. Reserve as soon as you can.
- If you’re a real pizza connoisseur, skip the pizza at La Cucina. It’s ok, but not worth the price or using your dining credit for.
The La Cucina Menu on NCL
The sizes of each starter, pasta dish, and main course are relatively large. If you’re not terribly hungry and want to try the amazing food, get a table and have just one of the pasta dishes! It’ll fill you up and you won’t have to use a dining package credit (though you can if you want)
SHARE if you can! No one will go hungry and you can have a taste of everything when sharing. Given the portion sizes, there will be plenty to go around.
Receive Our Monthly CruiseLetter
Including cruise reviews, travel tips, and cruise deals
Not Just Pasta!
La Cucina also features plenty of lighter fare such as the Shrimp Diavolo (SPICY) and Grilled Salmon.
What we loved about La Cucina
- The atmosphere on all of the ships feels quite upscale
- The food was almost always some of the best we had on the ship
- The variety is great. This is especially good for a group of people with varied cravings.
What we DIDN’T Love about La Cucina
- The Pizza wasn’t amazing.
- When something says “Spicy” it can sometimes be so spicy that the flavor of the meal is disguised by the fire sensation in your mouth!
A few Things to Note
Reserve a table
La Cucina restaurant books full regularly, be sure to reserve on the first night of your cruise!
Availability of some food ingredients
When you take a look at the La Cucina menu, it’s important to know that there may be availability issues in some regions. For example, on a recent Mediterranean itinerary, the Osso Bucco wasn’t available from the suppliers in the region.
Onda by Scarpetta
The newer Italian concept found on Norwegian is now called Onda by Scarpetta. We’ve tried the restaurant on the NCL Encore, and found it to be equal if not superior in some ways to La Cucina.
