Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Epic

Venue Overview (7.00)

La Cucina not only has the same name, but the same menu as the Italian restaurant on the last Norwegian ship we visited, the Norwegian Dawn. We suppose that makes things economically efficient for the line, but it’s a bit of a let down if you like jumping from ship to ship on your vacations. La Cucina is located underneath the Garden Cafe and has a beautiful view on the ocean. The menu is all Italian, with different pastas, pizza, risotto, and different meat dishes.

With its fake brick walls and book shelves, fake tree and fake vines, La Cucina feels a little like a parody of a Tuscan restaurant rather than an homage, but it’s comfortable and the food is decent.

Lunch / Dinner

Beef carpaccio, as a starter, is done well, and the pork saltimbocca with gnocchi was good too, but the sauce was a little bland. The gnocchi was delicious.

Dessert

Tiramisu is a standard Italian dessert and La Cucina does it justice. The idea to make a pana cotta trio, with amaretto, vanilla, and lime sounds good, but alas, lime turned out to be a stretch for pana cotta, in our opinion.

Wine List

In addition to Italian cocktails such as Bellinis and Italian liquors such as Campari, La Cucina also has wine suggestions on the menu and sells these by the glass or in carafes of 1/2 or full liters.