While on Viking’s Rhine Getaway river cruise, you would probably dine in the ship’s main restaurant pretty often. Sometimes all three meals in a given day. Most resources online seem to consider shipboard dining an afterthought, only offering a vague description of options or at best a handful of pictures. But your dining experiences can have a major impact on the quality of your trip. From food quality to service, ambiance, and authenticity, every aspect counts. My hope is that in this review you can get a clearer picture of what dinner on a Viking river cruise is like!

Dining on the Viking Einar

The Viking Einar, accommodating around 190 passengers, offers a more intimate experience compared to larger ocean liners. This certainly applies to the dining options as well, where the main restaurant is much smaller than your typical cruise’s. With an air of fine dining, the dining space is upscale but still remains approachable.

• To see more general information about the Viking Rhine Getaway look at the previous article here!

The service we had in the restaurant was truly excellent. No request was rebuffed, our dishes always came out timely, and we always felt like we were a priority to our servers. Our servers, Roy and Job, along with wine steward Velja, ensured every request was met promptly and consistently made us feel like a priority. I wanted to give each of them a shoutout here since their exceptional service, even during the busy dinner rush, significantly enhanced our dining experience.

The Food

As I explained in the first part of this series, the Viking Einar features three dinner menus: a classics menu that remains constant, a rotating menu with mostly contemporary European dishes, and a regional specialties menu inspired by the ports of call. Lunch includes both classics and rotating options, while breakfast offers a buffet and a menu of upscale brunch type options. For those preferring to dine outside the restaurant, there’s also a buffet on the terrace and a café option at the coffee stations.

For the dinner we were in Kinderdijk, these were the menu options:

Generally, the food was quite good, though it didn’t always meet the high expectations set by other reviews. When I was reading blogs to prepare for my trip, every blogger and travel writer seemed to rant and rave about onboard dining. I personally thought that there were some real successes, but also some dishes that just missed the mark for me.

My Favorite Meal

My favorite meal on the Viking Einar was definitely the Taste of Germany. The dinner was a feast for the senses, with costumed waiters, festive Bavarian decorations, and refreshing ice-cold Kölsch beer complementing the hearty meal. The meal began with Austrian and German cheeses, deli meats, and soft pretzels. For the entrée, there was both a buffet option and a tasting platter, including Schweinsaxe, German sausages, German potato salad, and rotkraut. Ultimately, I thought it was a delightful dinner, despite some of the desserts falling flat. One quick warning, however, the mustard served with the Taste of Germany dinner has really strong horseradish in it. It was enjoyable, but also not too far off from Wasabi.

In a close second place, the item they give for a birthday is a tremendous mango custard dessert. The dessert was balanced, not too sweet, and wonderfully light and airy. It made a great end to the meal, especially since it was a bonus that came after the regular dessert course.

Some Unsuccessful Dishes

No review is complete without talking about the downsides of the establishment in question. After all, I want to make sure you have as balanced of a picture as you can get for each restaurant. To be frank, not every dish on the Viking Einar was a winner. The Tafelspitz, sort of a German roast beef with horseradish sauce and minced vegetables, was somewhat dry and uninspired. Additionally, the Ahi tuna steak with the Mediterranean olive tapenade was kind of a strange mix of flavors that didn’t work well for me. The Fromagerie course’s fig mustard also had quite a strong horseradish flavor that overpowered the cheese selections.

Final Verdict

Overall, the Viking Einar provided a great dining experience with excellent service, a pleasant ambiance, and generally good food. While some dishes missed the mark, it’s rare for any restaurant to perfect every item on the menu. Take these minor shortcomings with a grain of salt.