Want to know where to eat on a P&O Cruises holiday? Our P&O Cruises restaurants guide brings together everything you need to know about dining onboard, from the main restaurants and speciality dining venues to menus, prices, dress codes and what to expect.
P&O Cruises offers a choice of included restaurants alongside speciality restaurants and casual dining venues, with the exact selection varying by ship. Whether you’re looking for the best restaurant on P&O Cruises, want to see a menu before you sail, or are deciding whether a speciality restaurant is worth the extra cost, you’ll find our guides, reviews and menus here.
We’ve covered P&O Cruises restaurants, menus and dining across the fleet, including detailed information on individual venues and our first-hand experiences onboard.
Use the links below to find the restaurant or dining information you’re looking for.
P&O Cruises offers a wide choice of places to eat and drink, from included main restaurants and casual venues to speciality restaurants and dining experiences available for an additional charge. The exact choice varies by ship, so check the dining options for your particular cruise.
Your cruise fare includes a range of dining options, although the restaurants and venues available vary between ships.
P&O Cruises also offers a range of speciality restaurants and dining experiences. These vary by ship and generally carry an additional charge.
A wide range of dining is included in your P&O Cruises holiday, from main restaurants and buffets to casual venues and speciality-style dining options on selected ships. The choice varies considerably across the fleet, so what’s included on Arvia may be different from what’s available on Arcadia or Ventura.
Some included venues can have supplements on selected dishes, so we’ve highlighted these where relevant.
P&O Cruises offers Freedom Dining on all its ships, giving you the flexibility to dine when you choose within the restaurant’s opening hours. You can request a table when you arrive or, where available, join a virtual queue through “My Holiday”.
Club Dining, available on selected ships, is the more traditional cruise dining option. You choose a preferred dining time and table size when you book and then dine at the same time with the same people each evening.
Freedom Dining is therefore better suited to passengers who like flexibility, while Club Dining can appeal if you enjoy having a regular table, dining time and restaurant team throughout your cruise.
Cruise Lowdown Tip: If you’ve booked a shore excursion or tend to eat at different times each evening, Freedom Dining gives you considerably more flexibility. Club Dining can be lovely if you enjoy the social side of traditional cruise dining.
P&O Cruises offers two different ways to dine in its main restaurants.
Freedom Dining gives you flexibility over when you eat, within the restaurant’s opening hours. Club Dining provides a more traditional cruise dining experience, with an allocated dining time and table.
The restaurants offering each option vary by ship:
Arcadia
Upper Meridian Restaurant — Club Dining
Lower Meridian Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Arvia
Zenith — Freedom Dining
Meridian — Freedom Dining
Aurora
Alexandria Restaurant — Club Dining
Medina Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Azura
Meridian Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Peninsular Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Oriental Restaurant — Club Dining
Britannia
Meridian Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Peninsular Restaurant — Club Dining
Oriental Restaurant — Club Dining
Iona
Aqua Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Opal Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Pearl Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Coral Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Ventura
Bay Tree Restaurant — Club Dining
Saffron Restaurant — Freedom Dining
Cinnamon Restaurant — Freedom Dining
* Oriental — Club Dining, additional charge (Azura and Britannia)
A refined Club Dining restaurant offering classic British dishes and global flavours. Oriental also features a Marco Pierre White-designed Celebration Night dinner.
P&O Cruises’ buffet restaurants provide relaxed, informal dining with a choice of hot and cold dishes and international flavours, making them an easy option for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The buffet restaurant varies by ship:
Horizon Buffet — Arvia, Aurora, Britannia and Iona
Belvedere Restaurant — Arcadia
Verona and Venezia Buffets — Azura
Waterside Restaurant — Ventura
Buffet dining is included in your cruise fare. P&O also uses its buffet restaurants for casual afternoon tea and children’s tea on relevant ships.
Menus and opening times can vary, so check the information for your particular ship and sailing.
Several P&O Cruises ships have additional casual venues where you can eat without paying a speciality-restaurant cover charge. These are particularly prominent on the newer Excel-class ships. Each ship features an included ooolside grill.
Arvia
The Quays - a multi-venue dining piazza with live cooking stations and international food.
6th Street Diner - an American-style diner.
Taste 360 - casual global dining with panoramic views.
Horizon Buffet
Iona
The Quays - a multi-venue dining piazza with a range of international cuisines.
The Olive Grove - Mediterranean-inspired dining.
Taste 360
Horizon Buffet
The Quays is an informal, multi-venue dining area on Arvia and Iona, bringing several international food concepts together in one vibrant space. The different live cooking stations offer a choice of cuisines, ranging from Asian dishes to classic British favourites such as fish and chips.
Included in your cruise fare. Dress code: Day/Evening Casual.
Available on: Arvia, Iona
View The Quays sample menu →
The 6th Street Diner is an informal American-style diner on Arvia, offering classic comfort food in a relaxed setting. It provides an alternative to the ship’s main restaurants and is included in the cruise fare.
Available on: Arvia
Taste 360 is a casual dining venue offering a selection of international flavours in a relaxed setting, with the added benefit of panoramic sea views. It is available on Arvia and Iona and is included in the cruise fare.
Available on: Arvia and Iona
Poolside Pizzeria & Grill offers relaxed, casual food close to the pool, making it an easy option when you don’t want to dress up or leave the pool deck. The offering includes pizza and grilled favourites.
Available on: Azura, Britannia and Ventura
Neptune Grill provides casual poolside dining on Arcadia, offering a convenient choice for lighter meals and informal food during the day.
Available on: Arcadia
Lido Grill is a casual poolside dining option on Aurora, providing relaxed food close to the pool.
Available on: Aurora
The Olive Grove is a Mediterranean-inspired dining venue available on Arvia and Iona, offering relaxed dining with dishes inspired by the flavours of the Mediterranean.
P&O lists The Olive Grove among its included dining options, although supplements apply to selected dishes. Check the menu for your particular ship and sailing before ordering.
Available on: Arvia and Iona
View The Olive Grove sample menu →
P&O Cruises also offers restaurants and dining experiences for an additional charge. These vary by ship and may involve a cover charge, individually priced dishes or supplements on selected items. The current speciality restaurant line-up includes venues ranging from fine dining and Indian cuisine to steak, seafood and casual speciality dining. Here are the additional cost restaurants across the fleet:
Epicurean
Sindhu
The Beach House
The Glass House
The Keel & Cow
Green & Co feat. Mizuhana
Ocean Grill
Ripples
Market Café
The Limelight Club
The Cookery Club
Follow the links to read in-depth guides to individual restaurants.
Sindhu offers modern Indian cuisine created by celebrity chef Atul Kochhar. The restaurant combines Indian flavours with contemporary presentation in an elegant setting.
Cruise Lowdown: See our P&O Sindhu guide and menu for a closer look at the restaurant and what is on the menu.
The Beach House offers a more relaxed speciality dining experience, with an informal atmosphere and a menu designed for casual dining.
The venue is available on selected P&O Cruises ships, so check your ship’s current dining options before sailing.
Keel & Cow is a speciality restaurant combining steakhouse favourites with seafood and other contemporary dishes. The restaurant has a more relaxed feel than some of P&O Cruises’ formal speciality venues.
Cruise Lowdown: See our P&O Keel & Cow guide and menu for menus, dishes and our take on the restaurant.
The Glass House combines food and wine in a relaxed setting, with a menu designed to pair with a selection of wines and other drinks. It is available on selected P&O Cruises ships.
Green & Co feat. Mizuhana brings together plant-based dining and Japanese-inspired cuisine. The venue offers a choice of dishes designed to appeal to both vegetarian and plant-based diners as well as guests looking for something different from the traditional cruise restaurant.
Ocean Grill is a speciality restaurant focusing on seafood and other premium dishes. It offers a more intimate dining experience and is available on selected P&O Cruises ships.
The Limelight Club combines dining and live entertainment in one evening experience. Rather than simply being a restaurant, it offers a dinner-and-show format featuring live performances.
Availability and the performers featured can vary between cruises.
The Cookery Club is different from P&O Cruises’ restaurants, offering guests the chance to take part in hands-on cookery classes. It is a good option if you’d rather learn something new than simply sit down for a meal.
Classes, dishes and availability vary by ship and sailing.
The best choice depends on what you’re looking for. Epicurean is a good option for an elevated dining experience, while Sindhu is the choice for modern Indian cuisine. Keel & Cow suits steak and seafood fans, while The Limelight Club combines dinner with entertainment. If you’d prefer something interactive, The Cookery Club offers a hands-on alternative to traditional speciality dining.
Not every restaurant or dining experience is available on every P&O Cruises ship, and menus, prices and opening arrangements can change. Check the individual restaurant information for your ship and sailing before making a booking.
P&O Cruises offers family-friendly dining options for parents travelling with babies and young children. Buffets and casual venues can be particularly convenient when you need flexibility around naps, feeding and bedtime.
P&O Cruises has a range of dining options for younger passengers, with children’s menus and dedicated children’s dining available on family-friendly ships.
Children’s Tea provides an earlier, family-friendly dining option, allowing younger passengers to eat before the evening’s main entertainment. It is available on selected ships and is included in the cruise fare.
Children’s menus are available in the main restaurants, with familiar favourites designed for younger diners. Parents can also use the wider range of included casual and buffet dining options when travelling with children.
Venues such as The Quays, 6th Street Diner, Taste 360 and the buffet restaurants can be particularly useful for families because they offer a more relaxed environment and greater choice.
Cruise Lowdown Tip: If you’re travelling with children, don’t assume the main restaurant is your only option. The buffet and casual venues can make breakfast, lunch and early evening meals much easier, particularly when everyone wants something different.
Cruising with a baby brings a few extra considerations at mealtimes. P&O Cruises has a range of buffet and casual dining options that can make eating around naps and bedtime easier, while highchairs are available in restaurants. Check P&O Cruises’ current guidance before sailing if you need baby food or have specific feeding requirements.
Highchairs
Highchairs are available in P&O Cruises’ restaurants, although availability can vary by venue. If you need one, it’s worth mentioning it when you arrive at the restaurant.
Baby Food
Parents travelling with babies should check P&O Cruises’ current guidance before sailing about bringing baby food and feeding equipment on board. The availability of specific baby-food products can vary, so don’t assume that a particular brand or product will be available on the ship.
Flexible Dining
For families with babies, Freedom Dining, buffets and casual venues can be particularly useful because they offer greater flexibility than a fixed Club Dining time.
Cruise Lowdown Tip: If you’re cruising with a baby, the buffet and casual dining venues can make life considerably easier. You can eat when it suits your baby’s routine rather than trying to fit every meal around a fixed dining time.
P&O Cruises caters for a range of dietary requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other special dietary needs. However, requirements should be communicated to P&O Cruises before sailing, rather than relying on a restaurant to accommodate an allergy at short notice.
Guests with food allergies or specific dietary requirements should speak to the restaurant team or Guest Services on board so that suitable options can be discussed. Menus and the ability to accommodate particular requirements can vary between restaurants and ships.
Vegetarian and plant-based choices are available across the fleet, with particularly relevant options at venues such as Green & Co feat. Mizuhana on Arvia, which has a strong plant-based focus.
If you have a serious food allergy, tell P&O Cruises when booking and again speak to the relevant dining team on board. Cross-contamination can be a concern, so don’t assume that a dish is safe simply because it doesn’t appear to contain the allergen.
Cruise Lowdown Tip: If you have a significant allergy, take the time to discuss your requirements with the restaurant team when you board. It is much easier to establish what can safely be provided before your first meal.
Afternoon tea is part of the P&O Cruises dining experience, with traditional afternoon tea available on board alongside more informal options at selected venues. The exact arrangements vary by ship.
For something more indulgent, speciality afternoon teas are also available at selected venues, including Epicurean on several ships and Ocean Grill on Arcadia. These speciality experiences carry an additional charge.
Afternoon tea can be a good option if you fancy something lighter between lunch and dinner, or simply want to enjoy one of the more traditional treats of a cruise holiday.
Cruise Lowdown Tip: Check the daily Horizon or ship’s newspaper for the day’s afternoon tea arrangements, as times and locations can vary.
P&O Cruises offers room service, allowing you to order food and drinks to enjoy in the comfort of your cabin. It’s particularly handy for breakfast, a late-night snack or when you simply don’t want to leave your cabin.
Charges depend on what you order and the service being used, so check the current room-service menu and prices on your sailing. Breakfast options and availability can differ from other room-service orders, and suite guests may have additional dining options available.
Room service is also useful for families, passengers who prefer a quiet meal in their cabin, or anyone arriving back from a long day ashore who doesn’t fancy heading straight to a restaurant.
Cruise Lowdown Tip: If you’re planning to order breakfast in your cabin, check the ordering arrangements and cut-off time early in your cruise so you know how the service works before you need it.
Dining choices vary across the P&O Cruises fleet. Here's a quick guide to the main dining options on each ship, with links to our detailed guides where available.
Arvia has one of the widest dining selections in the fleet, with Freedom Dining restaurants alongside The Quays, 6th Street Diner and Taste 360. Speciality options include Epicurean, Sindhu, The Beach House, The Glass House, Green & Co feat. Mizuhana and The Keel & Cow.
Iona has four Freedom Dining restaurants — Aqua, Coral, Opal and Pearl — together with Horizon Buffet, The Quays, The Olive Grove and Taste 360. Speciality dining includes Epicurean, Sindhu, The Beach House, The Glass House, The Keel & Cow, Ripples and The Limelight Club.
Britannia combines Freedom and Club Dining, with Meridian offering Freedom Dining and Peninsular and Oriental offering Club Dining. Horizon Buffet and Poolside Pizzeria & Grill provide casual choices, alongside a range of speciality restaurants and dining experiences.
Dining information on this page
Azura has Meridian and Peninsular for Freedom Dining and Oriental for Club Dining. Verona and Venezia provide buffet dining, while speciality options include Epicurean, Sindhu, The Beach House and The Glass House.
Dining information on this page
Ventura offers Bay Tree for Club Dining and Saffron and Cinnamon for Freedom Dining. Waterside Buffet and Poolside Pizzeria & Grill provide casual choices, with speciality restaurants including Epicurean, Sindhu, The Beach House and The Glass House.
Dining information on this page
Aurora has Alexandria for Club Dining and Medina for Freedom Dining, alongside Horizon Buffet and Lido Grill. Speciality dining includes Sindhu, The Beach House and The Glass House.
Dining information on this page
Arcadia offers Upper Meridian for Club Dining and Lower Meridian for Freedom Dining. Belvedere provides buffet dining, while Ocean Grill and Sindhu offer additional-cost speciality dining.
Dining information on this page
P&O Cruises includes a wide range of dining in the cruise fare, including the main Freedom and Club Dining restaurants, buffet restaurants and selected casual dining venues. The exact choice varies by ship. Some venues that are included may also have supplements for selected dishes or experiences.
P&O Cruises has a selection of speciality restaurants and dining experiences that carry an additional charge. These include venues such as Epicurean, Sindhu, The Beach House, The Glass House and The Keel & Cow, although availability varies by ship. Some other dining experiences, such as The Limelight Club and The Cookery Club, also carry an additional charge.
Freedom Dining gives you greater flexibility over when you eat, within the restaurant’s opening hours. Club Dining provides a more traditional cruise dining experience, with an allocated dining time and table. The restaurants offering each option vary by ship.
Yes, but your choices depend on the type of dining and your ship. With Freedom Dining, you have flexibility over when you dine. Club Dining involves an allocated restaurant, dining time and table. You can also choose between the included casual and buffet venues and, where available, book speciality restaurants for an additional charge.
Yes. Every P&O Cruises ship has a buffet restaurant, although the name varies. These include Horizon Buffet on Arvia, Aurora, Britannia and Iona; Belvedere on Arcadia; Verona and Venezia on Azura; and Waterside on Ventura.
Yes. The Quays is included in the cruise fare on Arvia and Iona. It is a multi-venue dining piazza offering several food concepts and live cooking stations.
The Olive Grove is an included dining venue on Arvia and Iona, although P&O Cruises currently notes that supplements apply to selected dishes. Check the menu and current information for your sailing before dining.
Epicurean is available on selected P&O Cruises ships, including Arvia, Iona, Britannia, Azura and Ventura. It is a speciality restaurant and an additional charge applies.
Sindhu is available on Arcadia, Arvia, Aurora, Azura, Britannia, Iona and Ventura. It offers modern Indian cuisine associated with chef Atul Kochhar and is an additional-cost speciality restaurant.
Yes. Children can eat in the main restaurants and buffet venues, with children’s menus available on family-friendly ships. Some ships also offer Children’s Tea. Casual venues such as The Quays and 6th Street Diner can be particularly convenient for families.
Families travelling with babies can use the ship’s buffet and casual dining venues as well as the main restaurants. Highchairs are available, and parents should check P&O Cruises’ current guidance before sailing if they require baby food or have specific feeding requirements.
P&O Cruises caters for a range of dietary requirements, but passengers with food allergies or significant dietary needs should notify P&O Cruises before sailing and speak to the dining team once on board. Requirements should be discussed with the restaurant team rather than assuming that a particular dish is allergen-free.
Traditional afternoon tea is available on P&O Cruises, with arrangements varying by ship. Additional-cost speciality afternoon teas are also offered at selected venues, including Epicurean on several ships and Ocean Grill on Arcadia.
P&O Cruises offers room service, but charges can apply depending on what you order. The available menu and pricing can vary, so check the current room-service information on your sailing. Breakfast arrangements can differ from other room-service orders.
Some restaurants have a Day/E vening Casual dress code, while other venues and evenings may require Black Tie. The dress code can vary by restaurant, time of day and sailing, so check the daily information and the requirements for your particular venue.
Some speciality restaurants and dining experiences can be booked in advance, while others can be booked once on board. Included restaurants generally operate differently depending on whether they offer Freedom or Club Dining. Availability and booking arrangements vary by ship.
Yes. P&O Cruises publishes sample menus for many dining venues, and menus can also change between ships and sailings. Cruise Lowdown’s P&O Cruises restaurant hub includes links to our restaurant guides and menu pages, where you can see the latest menus we’ve collected.