Restaurant Review - Extra Virgin: Virgin Voyages
Where is it?
This restaurant is on each of the Virgin Voyages ships at sea currently tucked away on the port (right) side of deck 6. It is not quite midship but you must go through High Street (the shops - which are midship) to get to it. Make sure you go port and not starboard or you will end up at the Test Kitchen.
Menu
Type of Restaurant
This is a classic Italian trattoria. You can expect fresh pastas and regionally inspired cuisine all made with exquisite ingredients. This is another restaurant that is not a quick bite. Expect dinner to last a minimum of 2-3 hours.
What’s It Gonna Cost Me?
It is included in the cost of your cruise fare. Virgin Voyages does not have any specialty restaurant. What you do have to pay for is any alcoholic beverages that you can order from the bar.
Who Eats Here…
The type of person that eats at Extra Virgin is literally anyone. It is perfect for a “date night” vibe while on the cruise ship. It is perfect for the foodie that wants to experience classic and classic with a twist Italian cuisine. The menu is perfect for everyone providing both vegan and meaty dishes. I would say this is NOT the restaurant for those trying to stay carb free. The focaccia is to die for and you will want to eat all of it.
What’s the Vibe?
The ambiance in this restaurant is quite chic and sexy. This is why I said that it is perfect for a “date night”. It is warm and inviting. The lighting is bright but not too bright. The seating is perfect for a group of friends or an intimate dinner for two.
The servers are quick and wear modern uniforms. We have had excellent service every time we ate here.
How’s the food?
We absolutely fell in love with this restaurant when we ate here. Every single thing we ate from appetizers to the desserts was phenomenal. The portions are BIG; think a gourmet Italian grandma is in the back fixing the plates. You can really tell that the crew wants to make your dining experience the best that it can be. From quick and attentive service to beautifully presented plates to delicious and creative cocktails, Extra Virgin is a win.
How’s the Service?
The service in this restaurant is immaculate. They pay really close attention to your dining experience to make sure that you are enjoying it. The servers are great at recommendations and because all the food is included, they love to bring you tastings of items to ensure that you like the dish.
They also are crazy thorough when it comes to allergies. You will NOT have any cross contamination or ingest an allergen on their watch.
The Experience…
When we ate at Extra Virgin, it was on our second sailing on the Scarlet Lady. During our first cruise, we missed out on eating here because we opted to try all the other restaurants. Boy, was that a decision we regretted we made.
Upon getting seated, we ordered cocktails and was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of the charcuterie board. If this was any indication of how good the rest of the meal was going to be, we were not ready.
For some reason, we always sleep on the Italian restaurants. We always seem to think, oh it’s Italian. We can always eat Italian anytime. We need to stop this and start making Italian a priority. This restaurant is proof of that.
Every single dish improved upon the last one. We ended up walking out COMPLETELY stuffed.
To see our experience at Extra Virgin, watch the video below.