For a small ship cruise line, Windstar Cruises offers a number of dining options. The best part is that all dining is included in the cruise fare. Among the new additions to the lineup as part of the Star Plus Initiative is Cuadro 44. This Spanish tapas restaurant was developed in partnership with Michelin-starred chef Anthony Sasso. On our recent Star Breeze Tahiti Cruise, we scored a reservation at this exclusive restaurant. Did it live up to our expectations? Get all the delicious details in our Windstar Cruises Cuadro 44 review.
Windstar Cruises Cuadro 44 Review
Located midship on Deck 6, this tapas restaurant is a small, intimate venue on the portside of the ship. The restaurant has seating for less than 40 guests. With large communal tables and a unique layout, this design invokes a friendly atmosphere for mingling with other cruisers while dining on a variety of small plates.
Unfortunately, with the current health and safety protocols, the venue itself was not open.
So, you are probably wondering how we were able to sample the food for this restaurant review.
Given the ship was sailing at about 33% capacity, Windstar Cruises offered the Cuadro 44 menu on select nights at the al fresco restaurant, Candles, on Deck 7.
During our check-in process on embarkation day, we settled on a reservation for night 2 of the cruise at 7 pm.
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An Alternative Location
This al fresco space normally doubles as two restaurants. During the day, it is the casual, buffet-style restaurant, Veranda. At night, the venue becomes the signature steakhouse, Candles.
During our trip, the venue was now serving as three restaurants!
Arriving to the restaurant right at 7 PM, it didn’t take long for the host to escort us to a table for two right along the rail. By now, the Tahitian sun was setting, providing a perfect backdrop to this meal.
Our waiter came over to review the menu, which includes small plates, entrees, sides, and desserts. With a menu meant for sharing, the only draw back to eating here was that there was just two of us. It would have been great to sample more of the items.
Sharing Some Plates at Cuadro 44
After the waiter reviewed the menu, the bar server, Noel, was quick to take our drink order.
Reviewing our options, we both went with a glass of sangria. We figured it was very appropriate for the restaurant. I have to admit, the wife’s apple and raspberry sangria was the clear winner.
With drinks in hand, we settled in for our feast, starting with 4 of the small plates. Honestly, I could have ordered all of them.
The standouts included the potato tortilla, which was essentially a hearty quiche. We both also enjoyed the paella croquetas, which were essentially a version of Spanish arancini. These fried small bites were light and delicious topped with just a dab of spicy aioli for the perfect accompaniment.
We also enjoyed the grilled chorizo which offered a solid rendition of this Spanish sausage. Honestly, the recommended Jamon Iberico was our least favorite of the four dishes.
Unsure how big these starters were going to be, we held off on ordering entrees right way. However, about half way through this first course, we informed our waiter that we would indeed order some larger plates.
Of course, the wife did the only meal with chicken on the menu, which was a pasta dish. Actually, she wasn’t much of a fan of this dish.
Luckily, the restaurant redeemed itself with my entrée, the pork belly. This dish was juicy and bursting with vibrant flavors. Just to make sure there was enough depth to this dish, the pork belly was topped with crispy bacon and drizzled with a light citrus pork jus. It simply melted in my mouth.
This three-course meal wouldn’t be complete without an order of churros. This sweet and salty version of the famous dessert was crunchy and served with a warm chocolate sauce adding just the right amount of sugary goodness.
Even with the somewhat uneven spacing of dishes, our entire dining experience still took only about 75 minutes. So, we had plenty of time after dinner to checkout the first “show” of the cruise.
Recap of Our Windstar Cruises Cuadro 44 Review
This was our first visit to Windstar Cruises Cuadro 44, but we are eager to return to try more of this menu. This is especially true since we didn’t get the full ambiance of the actual venue.
The smaller, more intimate space on Deck 6 provides a more authentic Spanish dining experience. Plus, tapas are even better when shared with friends.
Given that Cuadro 44 has no cover charge, like all alternative restaurants on Windstar Cruises, there is literally no reason not to try this venue during your cruise!
We will certainly return to Cuadro 44 when sailing on another Windstar ship, maybe with some friends this time to test out even more of the menu.
Comments
Do you agree with our Windstar Cruises Cuadro 44 restaurant review? What are your favorite restaurants on Windstar Cruises? Drop us an anchor below to share your culinary experiences with this small ship cruise line.
We ate at C44 restaurant and our group of 10 were shocked and disappointed with the quality of the food. We had lamb chops which were tough, chewy and many of us just left the remaining chops on our plates. On this Alaska cruise we were served Atlantic salmon instead of fresh caught Pacific salmon and there was no halibut on the menu. The Windstar Breeze was a disappointment after retrofitting. I would be surprised if this restaurant is still being offered.
my group of 5 just completed a new england cruise on the pride and this restaurant was our favorite. the lamb was melt in your mouth when we had it. the octopus was tremendous. Everything was fantastic. And i had a cheese plate for desert with sheep/goat cheeses with fig and honeycomb that i loved. several people said the creme brule was the best they ever had. Same for the churros. And the service was outstanding. Next cruise it will be our first stop instead of our last! With 5 of us, we were able to sample a lot!