Everything I Ate on a Cunard Cruise (Pub, Dining Rooms and More)

If you are taking a cruise with Cunard, you may be wondering what the food will be like. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and afternoon tea are all included at no extra cost on a Cunard cruise.

I’ve just disembarked a cruise on the Queen Mary 2 and in this post we will look at everything I ate in the main dining room, buffet, pub and on-room service. Menus are also provided.

Cunard are generally regarded as having a high quality of food. They cater well to passengers with intolerances and dietary preferences.

Pub Lunch – The Golden Lion

Menu:

• Beer Battered Atlantic Cod (Chips, Minted Mushy Peas and Tartare Sauce)
• Chicken Tikka Masala (Sarfron and Cardamom Basmati Rice, Onion Bhaji and Nann Bread)
• 6oz 28 Day Aged Prime Angus Beef Burger With Crispy Pulled Brisket (Smoked Applewood, Stilton Slaw, Beer Ketchup, Dill Pickle and Fries)
• The Golden Lion Ploughman’s (York Gammon Ham, Mature Cheddar Cheese, Duck Mousse with Madeira, Pickled Onions, Vegetable Crudities, Branston Pickle and Artisan Bread)
• Cauliflower, Leek and Truffle Pie

On embarkation day we headed to the pub for lunch. The pub is an informal venue where guests are able to eat at any time that food is being served.

The menu is small but all of the food was very good.

I had a cauliflower pie and my brother had fish and chips. The food came quickly, was nice and hot. The portions were of a good size and I’d recommend a pub meal to anybody cruising with Cunard.

They also bought us crisps and nuts when we were having a drink in the pub which was much appreciated! Make sure you request these if you are feeling peckish.

Main Dining Room – Britannia Restaurant

When cruising with Cunard you will be able to select early or late seating, we selected early and were given a table for 4 at 6 pm each night.

There are no fixed dining times for breakfast or lunch. Guests are able to eat in the main dining room whenever it is open for breakfast or lunch.

Dinner #1

Starter #1	Roasted Heirloom Carrots (Ginger and Lime)
Starter #2	Risotto of Wild Mushroom
Main	Marinated Baby Vegetables (Tempura Spring Onions, Streamed Price and Herb Oil)
Dessert	Vanilla Cheesecake (Strawberry and Vanilla Salsa)

I had roasted vegetables, baby vegetables, and vanilla cheesecake. To follow the meal we were given little shortbread biscuits and tea which was nice.

The food was all very good and we never had any problems. I will say I felt as though the portions were a little small, but we had just come from afternoon tea so we definitely weren’t leaving hungry!

The great thing about a cruise is that you can order as many things from the menu as you’d like for no extra charge.

Dinner #2

Starter	Sweet Onion and Gruyere Cheese Tart (Piperade of Vegetables)
Main	Miso Grilled Aubergines (Sticky Rice and Pickled Cucumber Kimchi)
Dessert	Chocolate Brownie (Orange Curd Clotted Cream)

For our second dinner in the main dining room I had a cheese tart which was one of my favourite things that I had onboard. It was quite a bit larger than most other starters.

I did find that often the menu wouldn’t mention all of the ingredients in a dish, there was no mention of mushrooms on the menu but the tart came with plenty. This wasn’t an issue for me, but something to be aware of.

The chocolate brownie was very rich but I enjoyed it. I love anything chocolate-related!

Dinner #3

Starter	Salad of Watermelon (Feta Cheese and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds)
Main #1	Black Pepper Tofu (Thai Sticky Rice and Roasted Sweet Peppers)
Main #2	Fillet of Beef Wellington (Roast Potatoes, Asparagus and Glazed Vegetables with Sauce Perigourdine)
Dessert	Strawberry and White Chocolate Heart (White Chocolate and Rose Mousse with Strawberries and Violet)

I chose the tofu dish and it was my favourite main course of the cruise.

It was Calentine’s day when these photos were taken which I suspect is why the dessert was in a heart shape. It tasted great.

My family members who had the beef wellington said that it was tasty and I have to admit I did eat a couple of the roast potatoes from my brother’s plate (he doesn’t like potatoes!).

Buffet – Valentine’s Day!

During our cruise on Valentine’s day, there were LOTS of sweet treats available. In addition to this I also had breakfast in the buffet but never ate here for dinner or lunch.

There were lots of options available in the buffet and food was served here from early in the morning until late at night.

Technically the buffet did close briefly between meals but we never found a time when the buffet was closed completely.

There were lots of other options in addition to the sweet treats like hot meals, breads and fruit.

The buffet was a fair size and the waiters were very knowledgeable about the ingredients in each dish.

Cunard do also offers a sit-down option in the buffet in the evening.

The buffet is one of the few areas onboard where the formal dress codes don’t apply so this was an alternative for guests wanting a served meal but in a relaxed setting.

To learn more about Cunard’s dress codes, check out this review of my cruise on the QM2:

Room Service – Free of Charge!

I have to admit I was disappointed with the room service options for vegetarians.

When I took my first Cunard cruise in 2016 the room service was one of the highlights of the trip for me but on this cruise, there was only one vegetarian main which was mac and cheese.

I’d already had mac and cheese for lunch, as that was the only vegetarian option in the Carinthia Lounge. It was great, but I didn’t want it twice in one day!

I ended up with a cheese sandwich, which was okay, but nothing amazing. I suspect the cheese was slices of burger cheese as there was a burger on the menu.

Cunard do offer vegetarian burgers in the buffet, but not on room service.

Room service is also available for breakfast, we ordered it when we were in port and it was brilliant.

The food arrived exactly when we had requested it. To order room service for breakfast you simply fill out a little form and leave it outside your cabin.

My Final Thoughts

I was very impressed with the quality of food on our Cunard cruise. Every meal we ate in the main dining room and the buffet was hot and full of flavour. The pub lunch we had was particularly good as were all of the valentines day treats.

I’d like to see more options for Vegetarians and Vegans onboard but I’m sure that this will come in time.