Gastronomy at a Virgin Voyages cruise

If you enjoy good food, going on a cruise usually comes down to two scenarios: you either settle for the buffet and the main dining room, or you pay extra for specialty restaurants.

On this cruise, that’s not the case. Before we dive into the details, remember that we can help you book your cruise — comparing options, advising you, and offering the best perks.

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No buffet. No main dining room.

On Virgin, these common cruise concepts simply don’t exist. Instead, every night you dine at a specialty restaurant, all of them included. And for the rest of the day, you’ll find different themed food spots, also included in the price of your cruise.

Specialty dining

Each evening, you can choose a different restaurant from 6 options, all of them offering vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices:

The Wake - Steak & Seafood

The classic restaurant you’d usually find on many other ships, typically focused on premium cuts of meat, seafood and fish. Here, it’s included.

It’s the most formal restaurant onboard, with ocean views and a direct view of the ship’s wake.

Among the starters, standout dishes include the clam chowder or the bone marrow. One of the favorite cuts here is the New York Strip, served, like all main courses, with several small sides (such as truffle potatoes or asparagus).

Brunch option (recommended to book on sea days).

Extra Virgin - Italian Cuisine

This restaurant is modern, but with traditional Italian flavors. I would highlight the fresh pasta, although here it’s just one option among many: starters like artichokes, meatballs or fried calamari, and main courses such as meat or fish. Don’t miss the charcuterie and cheese board.

It’s one of the most popular restaurants, so it fills up quickly for reservations. On each ship, the menu is slightly different.

The Test Kitchen - Tasting Menu

With a laboratory-inspired design and a menu that changes depending on the day, this restaurant offers a fixed multi-course experience. Each dish features a key ingredient, and it stands out for its technique and creative presentation.

There is an option for wine or cocktail pairings (with or without alcohol) for an additional cost.

Gunbae - Korean BBQ

A full experience beyond just the food. This is the only restaurant where you’ll share a table with other guests (or with your group if you’re several). Everything happens around a grill, with games, sharing plates and barbecue (meat, vegetables and seafood).

One of the most fun and themed options onboard.

Pink Agave - Mexican Cuisine

This restaurant reimagines Mexican cuisine. It breaks away from the traditional concept with a very modern atmosphere and a menu made up of multiple small dishes designed for sharing.

You’ll find dishes like guacamole or tacos, but with a creative twist and spectacular presentation. On some nights, it turns into a club with a DJ

Razzle Dazzle - A Unique Experience on Each Ship

It started as a vegetarian restaurant with a secret non-vegetarian menu, but it has evolved into something different on each ship.

There is a brunch option, with creative and photogenic dishes.

At night, each ship has its own concept:

• Lucky Lotus (Scarlet Lady): dumplings, noodles and other Chinese dishes.

• Ariya (Valiant Lady): Indian cuisine (launching May 2026).

• Rojo (Brilliant Lady): Spanish cuisine.

• Razzle Dazzle (Resilient Lady): creative American cuisine.

The Galley: Virgin's Marketplace

The closest thing to a buffet concept is The Galley, an open area located on deck 15 with several themed food stations. The difference? The food is freshly made to order, and you can choose table service.

Among the stations, you’ll find:

• Diner & Dash: American breakfast. Open 24/7.

• The Burger Bar: burgers and fries.

• Well Bread: breads, focaccias and pastries.

• The Daily Mix: salads, soups and bowls.

• Let’s Taco Bout It: avocado, fish and al pastor tacos.

• Feta Late Than Hungry: Greek corner (on selected days).

• Noodle Around: ramen such as Miso Udon or Tonkotsu Ramen.

• Hot off the Press: sandwiches and toasts, both savory and sweet.

• Bento Baby: takeaway sushi boxes.

• The Sweet Side: desserts such as cakes and fruit.

• Pops & Bubs: popsicles in different flavors (and champagne at an extra cost).

These stations are open for lunch (12pm–3pm) and dinner (5pm–10pm). For breakfast (6:30am–11am), some stations adapt their offering (fruit instead of sushi or bagels at the salad station).

Throughout the rest of the day, some stations close while others remain open. The burger station operates until 2 am, and Diner & Dash is open 24 hours.

Drink stations are also available 24 hours, with water, soft drinks, juices, coffee and milk.

One of the best parts is that some dishes change daily, such as the burger of the day. In addition, all stations offer vegetarian options.

There is also a takeaway section with grab-and-go boxes, including burritos, fruit and more, available at any time as a quick option.

Other food spots

As if that wasn’t enough, you’ll find other included food spots around the ship throughout the day:

• The Dock / The Dock House: Greek bites.

• The Pizza Place: freshly made pizza to order, with takeaway option.

• Lick Me Till… Ice Cream: ice cream shop with daily rotating flavors.

• The Social Club: pretzels, wings, hot dogs and snacks (popcorn and sweets).

• Grounds Club: coffee shop (drinks at extra cost) with pastries and cookies (included).

• Sun Club Café: Hawaii-Asia fusion, poke, baos and snacks.

A ship to savor

As you can see, there are more than 20 included places to eat onboard, in addition to water, soft drinks and beverages such as juices or dispenser coffee.

At each specialty restaurant, you may find a few dishes available at an extra cost, such as oysters at The Wake or wagyu at Gunbae, but it’s absolutely not necessary to spend extra on food. You won’t get bored.

With more than 30 cruises to date, I can confidently say that Virgin stands out by far when it comes to included dining. It’s a real pleasure to come back onboard knowing you’ll eat incredibly well without adding a single dollar to your cruise bill.