Epicurious: Lido Deck Dining

On Deck Delights

When cravings call, head for the Lido Deck for these al fresco favorites.

By Janice Wald Henderson

Fancy restaurants can float my boat, but when I munch a grilled hot dog on a toasted bun poolside? Hello, heaven. Lido Deck eats are my unabashed favorites, especially on lazy summer days. Here’s where to find the yummiest al fresco treats on cruise ships right now.

Good Dog
Holland America Line’s Dive-In at the Terrace Grill features Nathan’s Famous all-beef hotdogs seasoned with celery salt on poppy-seed buns. Want to do The Dog Paddle out of the water? Grab a frank topped with sauerkraut, crispy bacon bits, and German mustard. Or, dive into a Dive-in Dog, blanketed in yellow mustard and relish, piled with crispy frizzled onions. The Dunkin’ Dog, with melty cheese sauce, pickled jalapenos, and chopped red onion, is messy gooey fun.

Perfect Patties
At Oceania Cruises’ Wave Grill, The Kobe Burger — which stars five ounces of wagyu beef — is unrivaled. The rich meat melts in your mouth, and it has a swank sauce of house-made veal demi-glace, port, Madeira, black truffles, foie gras, and butter. A towering house-baked sesame-seed bun, with fresh baby cress for crunch, completes perfection. Enjoy with hand-cut truffle fries for the ultimate haute indulgence.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises deserves a shout-out as well for flipping the biggest variety of healthful burgers at the Pool Grill; choose between turkey, salmon, tuna, portobello and feta cheese, ground vegetable, and tofu green onion.
And if it’s dive eats that gets you grinning, rejoice in Guy’s Burger Joint, now aboard many Carnival Cruise Line’s ships. (The line collaborates with pumped-up Food Network personality Guy Fieri.) The meat is 80/20 ground chuck and is served on buttered grilled rolls. Straight Up, with “super melty” cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and “donkey sauce” (“jacked up” secret mayo sauce), is a sure bet. Or just pig out. Literally. Go hog-wild with Pig Patty, which is Straight Up topped with a “burger” made solely of crispy bacon.

Popular Pies
On Silversea Cruises, even the upper crust flips for the bottom crust — of pizza, that is. The Italian cruise line uses only…


Photo: Silversea Cruises

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