Icon of the Seas Restaurants: Dining Venue Guide

The long-awaited Icon of the Seas made a big splash when it was announced, and for many, many reasons. It surpassed an array of milestones in the cruising industry.

However, when it comes to foodie travelers and their reactions, they focused in on one key detail: The ship offers more than 20 dining options, including several brand-new restaurants appearing on a Royal Caribbean ship for the very first time.

Now, Royal Caribbean International was certainly never shabby in the dining department (especially not when compared to other cruise lines), so when the brand said it was going bigger and better than ever before, cruisers got excited.

If you’re among those travelers watering at the mouth for a taste of all that Icon of the Seas offers — or even if you’re not, and you just are planning an Icon of the Seas cruise and want to know what you can expect to eat during your trip — we have you covered.

Here’s everything you need to know about the many Icon of the Seas restaurants.

Icon of the Seas Complimentary Restaurants

There’s no need to spend a lavish amount of money in order to secure an enjoyable dining experience aboard Icon of the Seas. Thanks to the ship’s many complimentary restaurants, new venues and menu upgrades, you can dine in high style without spending an extra penny. 

In total, Icon of the Seas has 15 complimentary restaurants, including some venues for handy quick bites. That means, technically, you could go on a five-day cruise and eat three meals per day, and still not eat at the same restaurant twice — and, yes, all without spending any extra from your travel budget. Now, that’s a great deal that we can get behind.

AquaDome Market

Brand-new to Royal Caribbean, AquaDome Market is the Royal Caribbean’s first food hall. As such, the new spot combines a range of counter-order eateries into one location, for easy casual dining, no matter what you’re in the mood for. If you and your traveling companions just can’t agree on where to eat, this is where you go.

The food hall features five different stalls with walkup windows, serving five distinct types of street food: crepes, Asian fare, macaroni and cheese, Mediterranean dishes, and sandwiches and salads. Each counter offers limited options, though. The Creme de la Crepe counter only offers three savory crepes and three sweet crepes.

At the Asian counter, you build a bowl, essentially, topping rice or noodles with your choice of protein and veggies; the concept is the same at the Feta Mediterranean counter, but with fresh pitas. The macaroni and cheese counter offers five mac n’ cheese bowls, and the sandwich and salad spot offers just four sandwiches and three side salads.

• Cost: Free
• Location: The AquaDome

Basecamp

Young families will love this option. Basecamp has a very family-friendly vibe to it, with the colorful chairs and tables and nautical theme. The menu is pretty kid-friendly as well.

Think options like hot dogs and pretzels. There are a few menu items that come with extra fees, like chicken nuggets and burgers, so keep that in mind before you head over. There is a bar in the restaurant, too. 

• Cost: Free
• Location: Chill and Thrill Island 

Coastal Kitchen

The Coastal Kitchen restaurant is located within Royal Caribbean’s Suite Neighborhood, so while it is free, it’s only open to those with access to the Suite Neighborhood, aka cruisers staying in suites. Costal Kitchen serves a Mediterranean-inspired menu near the suite sun deck.

• Cost: Free (with Exceptions)
• Location: The Suite Neighborhood 

The Crown Lounge

The Crown Lounge is primarily considered a bar, but it does also serve light bites. It’s only open to Royal Caribbean Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club members as part of the cruise lines’s Crown and Anchor Society Loyalty program, but for those cruisers, the lounge’s snacks and drinks are free.

• Cost: Free (with Exceptions)
• Location: Royal Promenade

Cantina Fresca and El Loco Fresh

These quick-bite eateries offer standard Mexican-American eats, such as made-to-order tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. You’ll find both venues right next to each other, and they are a good option for guests taking a break from all the open deck thrills.

• Cost: Free
• Location: Chill and Thrill Island, Deck 15

The Grove

Like Coastal Kitchen, The Grove is another restaurant that’s complimentary — but only open to suite guests. The Grove is more casual than Coastal Kitchen, and offers al fresco dining, but it still features a Mediterranean menu.

• Cost: Free (with Exceptions)
• Location: The Suite Neighborhood

Main Dining Room

The main dining room is your place to go for the quintessential cruise ship dining experience. Think three-course menus, every single night, and an upscale feel that comes free of charge. (In fact, you’ll find that some specific nights in the main dining room are “formal” nights, wherein guests might dress up a little more than they otherwise would.)

Each night in the main dining room is different, but you’ll always get your choice of an appetizer, main course and dessert. Often, the menu options are varied enough that there’s someone for everyone to love on the menu, with premium American cuisine taking center stage.

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Sometimes, however, the menus are themed around a different cuisine; for example, there’s French night, Italian night, etc. Still, even with the themes, there’s enough variety for most picky eaters (you can just about always find a steak and a Caesar salad on the menu).

• Cost: Free
• Location: Deck 4

Park Cafe

The casual Park Café is your only complimentary option in the Central Park neighborhood, but it’s by no means a lackluster one. Sit down for casual bites like sandwiches and salads.

• Cost: Free
• Location: Central Park

Pearl Cafe

This sleek and modern restaurant situated on the Royal Promenade is primarily complimentary, though you can upgrade and purchase a few items (like specialty coffees) that do come with a small fee.

This café isn’t necessarily the place you might go to sit and linger awhile. Instead, it offers light bites and snacks that are packaged for you to take on the go as you explore the ship. Think sandwiches and ready-made salads. 

• Cost: Free
• Location: Royal Promenade

Sorrento’s

A long-time Royal Caribbean favorite, Sorrento’s offers pizza at all hours of the day, making it popular with the kiddos, as well as those looking for something to soak up all those cruise ship libations at a late hour.

• Cost: Free
• Location: Royal Promenade

Sprinkles

What goes better with a day by the pool than an ice cream cone? Not much. That’s why this ice cream spot is situated right next to all of Icon of the Seas’ cool water features.

• Cost: Free
• Location: Chill Island and Thrill Island

Surfside Bites

Befitting the Surfside neighborhood on the ship, Surfside Bites is bright and friendly, with an order window where you can request a limited number of menu items that are what you’d get at any water park or theme park. Think fries, cheeseburgers, pizzas, popcorn chicken and chicken fingers.

• Cost: Free
• Location: Surfside

Surfside Eatery

For, well, ever, Royal Caribbean cruisers had one buffet option: Windjammer Marketplace. That can mean, for cruisers who absolutely love the cruise ship buffet experience, the restaurant could get a little crowded and, wherever you were on the ship, you’d have to haul yourself to one central spot for all your meals.

No more is this the case! With Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has introduced a second buffet. Surfside Eatery provides a secondary buffet outpost in the lively Surfside neighborhood of the ship.

• Cost: Free
• Location: Deck 7 Aft Starboard, Surfside

Vitality Café

As the name suggests, Vitality Café is your place for healthful options. Expect granola and fruit, alongside a few upgraded menu items available for a small fee, like smoothies and fresh juices. 

• Cost: Free
• Location: The AquaDome

Windjammer Buffet

If you’ve ever cruised with Royal Caribbean before, you know Windjammer Marketplace. This is the line’s classic cruise ship buffet. Don’t expect anything fancy, but do expect to pile your plate high with a range of scrumptious options, three times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Cost: Free
• Location: Chill and Thrill Island

Icon of the Seas Specialty Restaurants

While yes, there are quite a few complimentary restaurants that you can dine at, on Icon of the Seas, without dipping into your wallet, if you’re looking for something special — say a date night experience at sea, or a celebratory meal — or just want to splurge a bit, you have even more options.

Icon of the Seas’ specialty restaurants range from the opulent and over-the-top (see the new Empire Supper Club), to standard and expected (see Chops Grille). They range from high-end to casual, and cover a range of cuisines. From caviar to cheeseburgers, wagyu beef to pretzel bites, you can find it. Here’s what you can expect.

Celebration Table

Celebration Table isn’t really a restaurant per se. Instead, it’s a unique dining space in the AquaDome that offers a high-end environment, great food and a private experience, for groups and special occasions. Expect VIP treatment in this 12-seat space. (This takes the place of the ship’s older Chef’s Table.)

• Cost: $999 per group of up to 12
• Location: The AquaDome

Chops Grille

Chops Grille is the signature Royal Caribbean steakhouse and it fits that dining category perfectly. The interior is reminiscent of a big-city steakhouse with all the dark wood and leather seating you’d expect. The menu focuses on decadent beef options and sides, such as filets, ribeyes, New York strips, rack of lamb and Maine lobster, plus creamed spinach, jumbo asparagus and truffled French fries.

Do note that this menu is not a la carte and, instead, you pay a per-person fee that comes with one appetizer (per person), one soup or salad, one entrée and shareable sides. A kids menu is also available.

• Cost: $55.99 per person (for dinner; the per-person fee is slightly lower for lunch)
• Location: Central Park

Desserted

This ice cream parlor, with a twist, specifically focuses on milkshakes. Mix and match toppings and ingredients to craft your perfect treat at this new milkshake bar (and, yes, booze is on tap for the adults).

Location: Chill and Thrill Islands
 

Empire Supper Club

One of the most highly anticipated new restaurants to debut on Icon of the Seas, the Empire Supper Club is gorgeous from head to toe.

The decadent 1920s-inspired eatery boasts a beautiful dining room with lots of jewel tones, a sparkling chandelier overhead and velvet seating, with a live music stage at one far end of the room for the swanky three-piece band. You’ll definitely pay for all this decadence, though. The adults-only Supper Club serves a luxurious prix fixe eight-course experience only.

• Cost: $200
• Location: Central Park

Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar

This restaurant has become a staple on Royal Caribbean ships, as the brand’s requisite Italian eatery. Don’t expect anything super-fancy here, in terms of ambiance, but you can expect Italian classics. Think carbonara, gnocchi, pasta Bolognese, risotto, osso buco and more.

• Cost: $49.99 per person (for dinner; the per-person fee is slightly lower for lunch)
• Location: Royal Promenade 

Hooked Seafood

With beautiful ocean views courtesy of the long wall of windows to one side of this restaurant, Hooked Seafood is your place to both eat from the ocean and watch it.

The seafood menus include a range of starters such as soft-shell crab, shrimp cocktail, ceviche and chowder, while the entrees are your typical lobster roll, mussels, salmon and fried fish platters. Pretty much all your basic seafood favorites can be found here. 

• Cost: $54.99 per person (for dinner; the per-person fee is slightly lower for lunch)
• Location: The AquaDome

Izumi Hibachi &Sushi

A long-standing institution on Royal Caribbean ships, Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, offers the classic hibachi experience. If you’re not up for hibachi, you can also, as the name suggests, dine on fresh sushi. If you’re going with the hibachi meal, you’ll pay a flat fee based on whether or not you want one meat or two meats in your meal.

• Cost: Starting at $30 per person
• Location: Central Park, Deck 8 Midship Portside

Izumi in the Park

A brand-new Royal Caribbean offering among the Icon of the Seas restaurants, Izumi in the Park is an order window where you can request sushi and Taiyaki ice cream in bubble cones to go. The menu is simple, sweet and to the point. You can order various sushi options, which come in two rolls to an order, alongside your choice of an edamame or seaweed salad.

A few hot options are also available. The bubble cones come in tempting flavors like rainbow mochi and matcha, with vanilla ice cream topped by matcha dust, a strawberry swirl, and rainbow mochi.

• Cost: Under $10
• Location: Central Park

Pier 7

While Pier 7 isn’t a complimentary restaurant, it does offer complimentary dining for children. Adults can find pretty reasonable prices, too. This is your place to go for all-day brunch, including classics, but also a few seaside-inspired bites, such as surf and turf tacos and mango lime shrimp tostadas.

• Cost: Under $20
• Location: Surfside

Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade

Playmakers has long been Royal Caribbean’s sports bar option, and the same is the case when it comes to the Icon of the Seas restaurants. Expect all your staple sports bar fare here: burgers, wings, fries, nachos, etc.

• Cost: Under $30
• Location: Surfside

Starbucks

It might not look like your neighborhood Starbucks, but it certainly tastes like it. Get all your favorite Starbucks classic caffeinated beverages at this outpost from the famous brand.

You can even order the holiday and seasonal favorites that you’d expect at any Starbucks location. In addition to drinks, the outpost also offers Starbucks’ food and even merchandise. It really is like someone took your neighborhood Starbucks and plopped it right in the middle of a cruise ship.  

• Cost: Under $10
• Location: Royal Promenade, Deck 5/6 Midship

How Many Restaurants Does Icon of the Seas Have?

In total, Icon of the Seas boasts a whopping 26 free and specialty restaurants, not including any of the bars and lounges that might offer light bites in addition to their beer, wine and cocktails (like the Trellis Bar). There truly is something for everyone on this ship, no matter if you’re a foodie or just want some delicious fuel for your cruising adventures.

Final Thoughts

It’s clear: For foodies who want a spectacular cruising experience, Icon of the Seas delivers with its 20-plus restaurants and plethora of new venues. If you’re willing to spend just a bit more on your cruise, you can try them all, but even if you don’t pay to dine at a single specialty restaurant, you’ll still likely find that you have more than enough complimentary restaurants to fill an entire cruise’s worth of meals.

Read Also: Icon of the Seas Cabins and Suites Guide

Didn’t manage to score a spot on this largest cruise ship in the world when it set sail from Miami to the western Caribbean in January 2024? If you consider yourself a fan of cruising, as well as a foodie traveler, there’s no excuse not to make tracks for this ship as soon as you possibly can.

While, yes, Icon of the Seas is so much more than just dining, with its entertainment venues and spectacular suites and staterooms, the range and quality of this ship’s dining program cannot be overlooked.