Celebrity Tuscan Grill Restaurant Review

The Celebrity Tuscan Grille was a highlight of our recent vacation aboard the Celebrity Summit, where we had a wonderful time overall and had the opportunity to dine at one of the ship’s specialty restaurants. This is a review based on our own personal experience, and for your convenience, I have included images and menus (at the end of the post) for your perusal. I have provided links to the reviews of our time spent on the Celebrity Summit below for those of you who are interested in learning more about our trip.

Let me tell you a little bit about the Tuscan Grille if you have never been on a cruise before, or if you have cruised with other cruise lines but have not yet sailed with Celebrity Cruises. The Tuscan Grille is one of the Specialty Restaurants that Celebrity Cruises offers, which means that it is not included in the price of your cruise fare. However, you can make a reservation to dine at this restaurant for an extra fee. It has the ambiance of an upmarket restaurant, yet at the same time, it’s really friendly and welcoming.

If the cuisine and dining on Celebrity are already of such a high quality, you might be wondering whether or not it is still worthwhile to visit Tuscan Grille. I investigated this topic on my own, and the answer is a resounding and unequivocal yes!!! The meals that were served in the dining room were quite delicious, but the gastronomic experience that I had at the Celebrity Tuscan Grille was one that I will never forget, and I strongly suggest it. A look at our dinner and evening aboard the Celebrity Summit is provided below for your perusal.

A Look at the Dining Experience at the Celebrity Tuscan Grille

We (the grownups) were a few steps behind when our sons placed their order, so we were able to enjoy this little antipasto tray provided on a rustic wood cutting board. This was due to the fact that we were looking through our menus at the time. However, I believe that this is an excellent approach to begin our supper, therefore I will share my recommendation with you.

There is a tale that goes along with this, and if you have been to the Summit before, I have a feeling you can picture what happened. My husband, myself, and our buddy all stopped at Crush Martini Bar for a speedy martini before driving to the Tuscan Grille. We had previously informed our teenage sons that we would catch up with them in just a few minutes before making the trip. After that, we brought our outstanding martinis (Oh, how I long for those! ), which were waiting for us at the table along with this gorgeous antipasto board. It was the ideal accompaniment to the beverages and chat we were having before dinner while we perused the menu for a few minutes.

The Atmosphere and Decoration of the Celebrity Tuscan Grille

We were accommodated in a booth that was both roomy and pleasant. As can be seen, the atmosphere is sophisticated without being stuffy in any way. You may anticipate a sophisticated yet laid-back environment in which you will enjoy a delectable dinner, which may be presented to you in a family-style setting. There were some more private sections of the restaurant, with seating for just two or four people.

The Service at the Celebrity Tuscan Grille

Our wait staff was incredibly responsive to our needs. When I go out to eat at a restaurant, one of the things that I value the most is when the wait staff takes the time to explain how the food is cooked and why certain items on the menu are his personal recommendations. Having someone walk me through a dinner is one of my favourite parts of going on vacation.

We were greeted as cordially as if we were old friends the moment we came in, but we were treated as if we were privileged guests the moment we sat down. Isn’t that the secret ingredient that makes the difference?

The Beginning Courses at the Celebrity Tuscan Grille

Because we were having problems making a decision, our waiter suggested that we select several appetisers for the table to share rather than ordering one for each of us individually. You are more than welcome to place an order for yourself, but I found it much more enjoyable to sample a few of the available options. I’m one of those people that could get by on snacks and wine for the rest of their lives ;-).

Which ones stood out among the rest? The calamari was wonderful, and it was soft despite having been cooked to perfection. The crab cakes had such an amazing flavour, and we couldn’t get enough of them either. However, the “house meatballs” were a pleasant surprise, and I strongly recommend that you have them. Expect a hearty serving of two meatballs that are so soft they practically melt in your mouth, accompanied by a handmade tomato sauce that is authentically Italian. Despite the fact that I do not typically consume a lot of meat, I really enjoyed this dish.

Salads and Soups are Served at the Celebrity Tuscan Grille.

Even though we meant to preserve room for our main course, the selection of soups and salads was rather delicious, and we just had to try some of them, we couldn’t help ourselves.

I decided to go with the Goat Cheese and Arugula Salad, which turned out to be an excellent choice. Alongside the arugula, the goat cheese was made in the form of little balls that were lightly breaded and then served. On top of the goat cheese balls were pine nuts and a sprinkle of balsamic vinaigrette. Pecorino cheese put the finishing touch on the Caesar salad that my husband selected for his meal. He stated it was very nice. The final dish that was ordered was the Creamy Burrato, which was a delicious combination of pesto and marinated tomatoes and was served with bread for dipping. Micheal is a friend of our son Ethan.

The main courses of Celebrity Tuscan Grille are homemade pastas and grilled meats.

As you can plainly see, the courses that came before this one were terrifically delicious. When I go out to eat at a restaurant, spaghetti isn’t typically something I go for. On the other hand, numerous other passengers on our flight who had been to the Tuscan Grille shared with us that the pasta there is just outstanding. Our server was really friendly and helpful, and he suggested that each of us order a meat or fish meal, and that he would bring his recommended pasta dishes to us in half quantities so that we could taste them and see which ones we liked best.

Four of us decided to share the 9-ounce broiled fillet mignon, and it turned out to be juicy and full of flavour. One of our group members went for the grilled Branzino (fish) and felt it was delicious. We tried the mashed potatoes and the eggplant parmesan for the sides. Both were delicious. I’m not sure what it is about eggplant parmesan, but this was easily the greatest version I’ve ever tasted. If you find that you like it, give it a shot as a side dish and pass it around.

The homemade pastas were definitely the meals that stole the show. His suggestions were spot on in every way! Strozzapreti Carbonara is a type of pasta that was served to us. It is prepared with pancetta and peas and is topped with a parmesan cream sauce. We also ordered the Shortrib Pappardelle Ragu, which I am extremely grateful to him for recommending because, had he not done so, I probably would not have noticed it on the menu at all. He assured us that it would be successful, and sure enough, it ended up being one of our absolute favourites! Finally, the Lobster Rigatoni Alfredo lived up to its reputation as a mouthwatering dish.

Desserts and coffee are served at the Celebrity Tuscan Grille.

In all honesty, I am not even certain how it is possible for us to have eaten dessert, but we did. I would advise you not to dine here at the beginning of the trip because you will end up coming there twice. Absolutely, the quality is that high! On the other hand, if you truly don’t want to miss it, you should book your reservations as soon as possible, or even before your voyage, if that’s at all possible.

The sweets that we sampled included the Tiramisu (which did not fail to live up to expectations), the Limoncello cheesecake, the Pistachio Marble Creme Brulee, the Zabaglione Strawberry Shortcake, and the Spumoni doughnuts with Vanilla Gelato, which were my absolute favourite.

My son could not stop raving about the desserts and even suggested that Celebrity open a speciality restaurant dedicated solely to desserts, stating that he would gladly pay full price to eat there any night of the cruise. The photo doesn’t do credit to the flavour of his favourite dish, which was the strawberry shortcake; he said the picture didn’t do it justice. If you are a fan of shortcake, you really must try this recipe because it is quite outstanding and somewhat delicious.

An important point regarding the coffee: if you have the Classic Beverage Package, you are entitled to complimentary specialty coffees at all of the resort’s restaurants, including Cafe Al Bacio, the main dining room, and the specialty restaurants. While I prefer a Cafe Americano, my hubby is more of a cappuccino kind of guy. The coffees we had were the ideal choice to go with our deserts.

The Celebrity Tuscan Grille’s Extraordinary Efforts

You may know how I adore the celebrity little touches that have been added. However, our fantastic waitress offered us some homemade limoncello to sample and took the time to walk us through the production process, explaining each step along the way. It was tasty, and the attention to detail that he showed was really appreciated.

The Menus of the Celebrity Tuscan Grille

I sincerely hope that you found both my review of Celebrity Tuscan Grille and its helpfulness entertaining. I have included the menus for you to review below for your convenience.

Have you had the opportunity to dine at the Celebrity Tuscan Grille? Do you frequently eat at restaurants that specialise in a certain type of cuisine? I would be really interested to read your responses in the comments section below (after the menus).

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Happy Cruising