Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas offers a few specialty dining restaurants. These up-charge venues offer cruisers more upscale menu items in an intimate setting. During the ship’s last dry dock, the signature steakhouse, Chops Grille, was added. So, on our Adventure of the Seas Bahamas cruise this summer, we made a reservation for this popular restaurant. How did it compare to our dining experiences on other Royal Caribbean cruise ships? Well, we share all of the delicious details in our Chops Grille Adventure of the Seas review.
Chops Grille on Adventure of the Seas Review
For our cruise on Adventure of the Seas, we booked Chops Grille for the first formal night. This venue is one of the most popular places to dine on Royal Caribbean. Thus, we made sure to secure a reservation pre-cruise using the online cruise planner.
Unfortunately, those who purchase the Royal Caribbean unlimited dining package have to wait to make reservations until onboard the ship.
This version of Chops Grille is located on deck 4, forward, across from the Schooner Bar. This area used to be part of the Jester’s night club on the ship. Given the location, the restaurant is much smaller than its counterparts on other ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet.
Unfortunately, Chops Grille on Adventure of the Seas does lack ocean views as well.
Inside this newly added specialty restaurant, we really liked the theming and décor. With deep red tones and striking metallic accents, it felt distinct from other renditions of the restaurant. There are several smaller sections in the restaurant for a more intimate feel.
Arriving right on time for our reservation, we were told there was going to be a slight delay in getting a table. We could tell that the restaurant was quite busy tonight.
With the Schooner Bar equally busy, we were stuck standing near the bar and restaurant for about 10 minutes until our table was ready.
Dining at Chops Grille on Adventure of the Seas
Seated at a table for two in a small section near the hostess stand, we felt squeezed in a bit next to a few larger parties.
Our waiter came by rather quickly to introduce himself and go over the menu. Throughout the night, the service turned out to be a bit slow though.
This was our fourth time eating at a Chops Grill on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. So, we had fair expectations of what to expect in terms of service and food quality.
First, we started off by ordering cocktails. While we waited, the waiter delivered some of the restaurant’s signature bread.
There was a lag between getting our drinks and placing our order, but we finally ordered all three courses.
For starters, the Princess went with her standard, a wedge salad. I decided to get two starters, the shrimp cocktail and tuna tartare. The stand out was the tuna for sure. With pieces of ripe avocado and a slight soy sauce this appetizer was a great way to start my meal. The shrimp cocktail was good as well, with shrimp larger than those you get in the main dining room.
As Heidi does not eat red meat or seafood, she went with the only chicken dish on the menu. She did feel the chicken was better prepared than usual.
Of course, I couldn’t resist ordering the filet mignon. Cooked to my request, the medium steak was lightly seasoned with a juicy, tender center. It was certainly one of the better steaks I have had on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Unfortunately, we could not say the same for the side dishes. Going with the truffled french fries, sautéed mushrooms, and mac & cheese, these accompaniments fell short of our expectations. They arrived room temperature and lacked much of any flavor.
With enough variety and multiple courses, we still felt very satisfied with the dinner overall.
There was quite a large gap between the delivery of our starters and entrees, but the timing between the entrees and dessert was more reasonable.
For desserts, we went with two classics from the restaurant. The wife ordered the red velvet cake, and I did the chocolate molten cake. During this round’s battle of the desserts, the Princess won out!
Related Post: Adventure of the Seas Restaurant Guide
Recap of Adventure of the Seas Chops Grille Review
For steak lovers, Chops Grille on any Royal Caribbean cruise ship is a must. This classic American steakhouse boasts a variety of different cuts of beef, with equally impressive starters. For this trip, the restaurant did not disappoint in delivering a perfectly seared cut of beef.
With an intimate atmosphere, Chops Grille is ideal for a date night or special celebration while cruising on Adventure of the Seas. For us, it was a fantastic way to celebrate our first cruise back on a Royal Caribbean ship in over a year!
We chalked up the slower than average service to it being the first cruise back. After all, we were dining at the restaurant on the second night it was open after a 15 month pause.
During our visit to the restaurant, there was not an empty table in the venue, especially with some social distancing changes.
For our cruise, Chops Grille had an up-charge of $49.99 per person, and the restaurant was open every night of the cruise from 5:30 pm to 9/9:30 pm.
With more Royal Caribbean cruises on the horizon, we anticipate dining at this restaurant on other cruise ships in the fleet in the near feature. We will make sure to report back on how those experiences compare.
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Adventure of the Seas Chops Grille Review
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