Usually used as one of the main sit-down dinner restaurants on the Royal Caribbean ship, Harmony of…read morethe Seas, the Grande Main Dining Room on Aft Deck 4, served as the location for a welcome 'Key' lunch for my brother and me at the beginning of our second week traveling together. The meal was definitely elevated from what you can get from the complementary dining areas, and we enjoyed it. The RC Key program is a VIP package that future cruisers can purchase to get elevated experiences like expedited check-in, exclusive welcome lunch, high-speed internet, and dedicated seating for shows. Since it's an optional add-on that is not included as part of the casino comps that my brother gets, I've never experienced any of it. However, because we were doing back to back cruises on the same ship ('consecutive cruisers'), the welcome lunch was included for the 100 or so cc passengers. Since it was a unique opportunity, we decided to take advantage, waiting in line at the Grande Dining room until they opened at 11:30. The staff tries to sit you eight to a table, tied with the people waiting in line with you. In our case, it was with two other pleasant couples. The focused menu is similar to fixed prie, one choice from an appetizer, entree, and dessert. The food was good. Wild mushroom soup scented with truffle oil - maybe I'm used to simple mushroom soup, but the taste of this didn't really suit me. Took one spoonful and passed. Colossal Shrimp Cocktail - 4 very large chilled tail-on shrimp, haphazardly on a plate. There is a reason why this dish is served usually in a glass. The cocktail sauce was weak, not nearly enough horseradish for my taste. Dry Aged Steakburger - something you can't get at any of the complementary restaurants, served on a brioche bun with Guyere and bacon. Confirmed that I prefer a simpler burger, vs one using dry aged meat (it's usually just too dense). Angus Filet Mignon - Really great, maybe the best steak I've had on a cruise ship. Served medium as requested, the smaller piece of meat was served very thick, and tasted great with the provided steak sauce. It also came with bearnaise sauce, tasty asparagus, and decent french fries (would have really loved a baked potato with it). Two sides ordered were the Yukon Mashed potatoes (more whipped than mashed, almost runny) and mac n cheese (OK). Dessert choice was a NY style cheesecake, which was OK. You can get a lot better desserts from the buffet line. Super happy that we got to experience this lunch, and being able to record it.

Saw this place on TV and thought that I'd give it a try. Pretty cool place from a historical…read more point of view. Loved the chocolate malt. Ordered the BLT. Nothing spectacular. It's dinner food. For the Historic value... I did buy a coffee mug which I love! Atmosphere 5/5 Service 4/5 Food 3/5 Drinks 5/5 4.25

We've come to the Star Drug Store several times now. On this visit (much like the other visits),…read morewe were warmly greeted at the door and were advised to sit wherever we wanted to. We came for breakfast and left very full and satisfied! The food was so yummy and perfect to start our day. The other thing I like about the Star Drug Store is the history and all the decor to look at and buy. (See pics). Can't wait to go back again.

With a name that doesn't really explain the cuisine, Mini Bites is the complementary Mexican buffet…read moreserving lunch on the Harmony of the Seas cruise boat. It is located next to the Sports Court area, in the Pool & Sports Zone neighborhood, on Deck 15 Aft. It is similar to El Loco Fresh, the pool-side Tex-Mex buffet found on older RC boats like the Navigator of the Seas. This is intentional: when it first opened, Mini Bites served finger foods like sliders, mini pizzas, meatballs, and hot dogs. But it has gradually evolved into a Loco Fresh clone. Very possible that it will be formally rebranded after the next dry dock for this ship (next year). In the same area, exists the really good soft serve ice cream dispenser, always manned by a crew member (sounds like self-serve is just too messy). There is outdoor seating. While eating, we got to have a great view of the Margaritaville ship while in port in Cozumel on Day 3 on the first week, and then made myself a plate of nachos exactly the way I love it (chips on bottom, little bit of black bean, then a bit of nacho sauce, then ton of lettuce, bit of red onion and chopped tomato, a lot of shredded cheese, and sour cream, guacamole, and a ton of very tomatoey jarred salsa, then a choice of meat on top...which in this case for me were the carnitas). They also have decent quesadilla (cheese or chicken) towards the end...no burritos or tacos, though. At the far end is the drink station, with plenty of portable water dispensers. The nachos tasted great, especially since I could modify the proportions exactly the way I've learned to like it. There was quite a line to go through the buffet, so going back to pick some missing pieces is not encouraged. And because all the buffet line dishes can not be seen in one view, many first timers (including me) thought the only meat ingredient was the beef chili, not knowing there was carne asada, chicken, and carnitas towards the end. The set-up at Loco Fresh (with the main ingredients in the main line, and all the condiments in a different bar) was better. But I loved how well chopped all the onions, lettuce, and tomato was. Perfect for nachos or as toppings for tacos.

THIS PLACE WAS AMAZING. I'm not going to lie, the outside of this place does not look appealing…read more(all concrete building), but the inside is perfect. It's so cozy and has a great vibe to it. I loved how you could tell they have a lot of regulars, as the bar staff welcomed many people by name. Not to mention, the food we got was a 10/10. We ordered the air fried crispy chicken sandwich with tater tots, and a chicken Caesar salad. The sandwich is actually one of the best sandwiches I've ever had, and I'm not a sandwich person. I will be coming back here as soon as possible!

Great place to get some good drinks, relax, and unwind, it's that kind of vibe. The lights are low…read moreand the music is nice. They also have an outdoor patio where you can sit when the weather permits. They're known for their cocktails which are $6 between 5 & 8. The wine pairs nicely with the shareable charcuterie board, definitely worth it. And of you drink beer they have that too. They sell soups and salads, sandwiches, and breakfast that they serve from 9-3. We ordered the breakfast bowl and breakfast plate. They were both pretty good. The touch of microgreens on top of my bowl was a pleasant surprise. I love microgreens and they were fresh. The server was very helpful and recommended the iced coconut vanilla latte that I loved so much I ordered another one to go.

This place was cute. They helped me select the perfect dish and it was amazing…read more The food was fresh, flavorful and not oily. We ordered at the counter inside. Or you can pick the QR Code at the table. I enjoyed the entire experience.

Gonzalo's is a true hidden gem in a city full of tourist traps. I have visited on previous trips…read moreand have had exceptional meals on each visit. My most recent visit was for lunch with family and this may have been my best visit yet. We split a Margherita Pizza and a Fungi Pizza and I also ordered the Limone Pasta. The pizzas were phenomenal! The crusts were airy and soft with just a hint of crispness. The Margherita was topped with gooey mozzarella, fresh flavorful tomato and aromatic basil. The Fungi was topped with rich creamy gruyere, sweet caramelized onions and juicy rich earthy mushrooms. I dream about these pizzas now. The pasta dish was just as exceptional! Perfectly al dente noodles were mixed with flavorful smoked salmon, juicy peas and a super heavenly creamy lemon dill sauce. Overall, Gonzalo's is the best place to eat in Galveston and a must visit.

One of the main dining rooms of the Harmony of the Seas, the American Icon (located on Deck 3 Aft)…read moreserved as the dining room for breakfast and lunch table service meals, as well as My Dining time guests. My brother and I had the opportunity to dine here multiple times, on two separate back to back week long cruises from Galveston. It started out really well, but the same dishes prepared the second week were not nearly as good. 'My Dining' is RC's answer to NCL's anytime dining, where instead of having a set time each night with the same waitstaff and fellow guests, one can reserve a different time each night. This dining room is what is used for this, and is also the same place for breakfast and/or lunch (which doesn't require a reservation). Once you approach the dining room, there are two queues during dinner: one for those with reservations and for those without. As one would expect, the reserved line goes a lot faster, but people in the other line were being seated within 20 minutes. The menu is the same across all the dining rooms. Week 1: Day 2 (L): mozzarella sticks (stretchy which I love), potato soup (very good), pulled pork and baked cod (both of which were excellent). Day 3 (D): escargot (good, missed having this since really only place to get it easily), carne asada (big pieces of flap steak), butter chicken (what you would expect from a buffet, which wasn't too bad) Day 5 (D): Lobster night, giving each person one 6oz cold water lobster tail. It was perfectly cooked and presented cracked with a little bit of drawn butter. For lobster lovers, this is a must. Also got a small piece of the lemon baked cod: just outstanding, they really found a good supplier for this cruise...the 'flakes' were the biggest I've seen for cod. And the dessert was baked alaska, which is one of my favorite desserts. Day 7 (L): Another great meal. Manhattan clam chowder (plenty of little clams), sweet corn cakes (really liked it), and a large piece of meat lasagna. Week 2 Day 3 (D) - very crowded and it took a bit of time to be seated. Got the filet of sole (as good as the cod was, the sole was bad in the other direction), parmesan arancini, beef carpaccio. Day 6 (D) - Lobster night, and the lobster tail was just as good as the week before. But the escargot and french onion soup were not good and the baked alaska was not well executed either. I also got a NY strip to try to make it into a surf-n-turf, but was strongly rebuffed with a huff by our server ("the plates will come out and served to you separately")...the only time during our cruise where I felt like I had asked a bad question/request.

Considered the fine dining restaurant on the Harmony of the Seas, 150 Central Park (so named…read morebecause the restaurant is exactly 150 feet from the entrance of the Central Park neighborhood on Oasis class of Royal Caribbean ships) serves a fixed price dinner of locally sourced dishes. My brother and I had the opportunity to dine in on our 4th day of the 2nd week-long cruise, coming from Galveston. Like most food on the boat, the various sampled dishes were anywhere from OK to really great. We were able to book a reservation for the same day, as long as we ate early (5:15). We were seated right away at a window table, tap water was offered, and a simple wine list was given. I chose two glasses of a Vermentino, which went well with the meal. We also started with a Parker House bread, which was very good. Royal Caribbean does bread well. We sampled different small plates and the two best things of the meal was in this group. The braised short rib was outstanding: a very good quality beef braised long and slow to produce the perfect bite, tender but not mushy. Another huge hit was the crispy pork belly: they kept it as one piece, letting you cut it at the table. The pork was great quality, and the skin was very crispy with just enough underneath fat to make you know it was pork belly (plus it made the meat underneath really moist). The portions were large as an 'appetizer'. I would absolutely get this again if offered. The honey glazed scallops weren't as successful, though the sea scallops were decent size and well cooked. For main plates, we got Lobster Thermidor, Roasted tenderloin, and Lamb Wellington. The Thermidor used a smaller lobster tail: a lot of effort to make it, but the complementary lobster tail one gets on Lobster night is better. The roasted tenderloin suffered from the same problem with all steaks on a cruise boat: one can't produce the type of high heat necessary to get a restaurant quality steak dish for safety reasons (it's the same reason why one can't get a decent steak knife either). It confirmed my previous suspicion that it's not worth the extra cost to go to a steakhouse on a cruise ship. And I thought the lamb wellington was a miss: the pastry crust was gummy, the lamb gamey. Dessert was fried cheesecake (not very elegant, like something one would eat on a stick at a county fair, but describes it accurately). It was good, with the whipped cream and nutella going well. Service was good throughout the meal, friendly but elegant. Really glad we had the opportunity to try this restaurant.

We called to make a reservation for brunch on Sunday at The Fancy. After two calls that were never…read moreanswered, we finally had to call the front desk who said they would let the restaurant staff know to call us back but nobody did. We decided to try walking in despite never getting a hold of them and were told that it was fully booked for a private event. It would've been helpful if someone had at least communicated that to us before taking the long drive there. Such a shame since it's really such a nice hotel.

Best service Best food & drinks…read moreBest ambiance Best vibes Best pool Best private beach New favorite hotel in Galveston