NCL’s The Local Restaurant: Our Honest Review with Menu
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Cruising on Norwegian and looking for a late-night snack, wings, or a burger? Check out NCL’s The Local…we’ve eaten there several times, and the restaurant is open 24/7.
On our recent cruise to the Caribbean on Norwegian Joy, we ate at The Local twice, having eaten there several times before. The casual twenty-four-hour eatery is designed with a classic American pub-style concept, with cocktail service from the bar just steps away.
Be aware, there’s nothing fancy here, except maybe the wine. The food is simple pub food, prepared quickly and served with no fanfare. Don’t expect white tablecloths, high cuisine, and attentive waitstaff; that’s not what The Local is about. But if you want a quick bite – especially when the other restaurants are closed – and you aren’t terribly picky, it will work fine for you.
The Details
- Specialty: Pub-style cuisine
- Hours: The restaurant is open 24/7; the bar closes at about 1:00 a.m.
- Dress Code: Casual
- Cover Charge: Complimentary except for Starbucks coffee drinks
The Setup
The decor is contemporary, with a long banquette along one wall, a series of tables for two at the entrance, and booths and more tables at the rear.
Across from the hostess stand is a curved counter with seating that overlooks the deck below, allowing you a balcony view of the activities or musical acts going on below. There is also a bar with seating where you can enjoy watching a game, and tables for four that extend around the curve if you’d prefer to eat there or if the other seating is full.
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The Local Menu
Being open twenty-four hours a day means you need more than one menu, so The Local has three: a menu for all day, one for breakfast, and another for late night.
The menu is varied, offering pub-style food like fish sandwiches, burgers, wings, and Reubens. If you’d like something a little different, they also offer fettuccine carbonara and Cuban roast pork. Want something lighter? Salads, soup, and chili are available.Â
The Local also offers cocktails, beer, and wines, so you’re sure to find something to wet your whistle while there. The bar, however, closes late in the evening, so don’t expect to have a beer with your burger at 3:00 a.m.
What We Ate
For us, the food quality at NCL’s The Local has been hit or miss, and we’ve eaten there several times.
The first time I had their Chicken Salad Sandwich, I raved about it; the second and third times, not so much, it was simply okay. I’ve had their cheeseburger with melted cheese and hot fries, just as you’d expect, and I’ve also had the burger with a slice of cold cheese thrown on top and lukewarm fries.
One thing I can no longer recommend is the wings. A few months ago, the wings at The Local were fantastic, deep fried to golden deliciousness. Now the kitchen bakes them, which doesn’t cook them hot or long enough to render the fat. Not good, unless you can get them to cook them “extra well done” for you.
We’ve not had breakfast at The Local, so I can’t speak to that. But I did have their carrot cake on our recent cruise, and it was so delicious, I wanted to order another piece.
The Service
The service at The Local can be hit or miss as well, I’d imagine because they might be short-staffed. We’ve had to search for a waiter on more than one occasion to place another order or get a refill for a drink.
Our Gift For You
Download your free copy of our Norwegian Joy Restaurants Guide. Enjoy!
Joy Restaurant Guide
Would you like a restaurant handout you could print out and take with you on the Joy? Our exclusive handout gives you the location, dress code, and hours of all the restaurants on the ship. Of course, the hours are subject to change.
Final Thoughts About NCL’s The Local
To sum it up, The Local serves a niche need onboard ship…to give you a place to eat late in the evening or very early in the morning when the other restaurants or buffet are closed. Back in the good old days on cruise ships, we used to have the midnight buffet. Now we have The Local, and I’m happy we have that option.
We’ve put together a quick guide to all the restaurants on Norwegian Joy, so be sure to check it out.
Happy cruising!
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