P&O Arvia Dining Review: Best & Worst Restaurants (and the Secret One You Won’t Find Online)
If you’ve ever wondered whether P&O Cruises Arvia speciality restaurants are worth the splurge, or whether you’re better off sticking to the main dining room or buffet, I have (valiantly) completed this very important research for you… and my waistband is still in recovery.
If you’ve ever tried to eat a civilised meal with a baby who is more clingy than a Koala and a toddler whose core food group is “bread roll”, you’ll understand why cruise dining matters – it’s one of the only consistent moments of joy and (hopefully) ease.
Over our July 2025 Arvia sailing, I set myself a slightly ridiculous challenge: try almost every speciality restaurant on board so you don’t have to - and report back on the food, the vibe, how it worked with kids, and how confidently each venue handled our family’s allergies (nuts for me, nuts/dairy/eggs for my toddler), and whether it’s actually worth your holiday budget. Oh, and I found a secret dining experience you won’t see on the P&O website.
Spoiler: some venues were brilliant, some baffling, and one meant I had to go to the buffet with the youths at 10pm.
🍴 How This Works
I’ve split this review into sections for each restaurant we tried, starting with the included venues and ending with the priciest experience we booked. For each, you’ll get:
- 💡 What it’s like and where to find it
- 🧭 What we ordered and how it worked with kids
- ✨ How they handled allergies and our score out of 5
If you’re here for the quick answer, scroll to The Leaderboard at the end for our top picks, and where I’d avoid next time.
🥗 Dining on P&O Cruises Arvia (A Very Quick Guide)
Before we get into the speciality venues, it’s worth knowing what’s already included in your fare.
On Arvia, that is predominantly the Main Dining Rooms (Meridian and Zenith), which serve a different menu every day for dinner, as well as breakfast and lunch. On the higher decks, you’ll also find the Horizon Buffet, which is open almost all day and night. You’ll also find The Beach House (Caribbean-inspired, small supplement in the evenings), poolside grills, and a few grab-and-go spots for pizza and burgers.
Speciality venues (as reviewed here) are venues which aren’t part of the MDR or buffet system, which sit alongside all of that included dining but offer something different, usually for an extra charge. You can mix and match depending on your mood, budget, and how much energy you have left after chasing toddlers round the splash zone.
📋 Contents
- 🍝 The Olive Grove
- 🥞 Sixth Street Diner
- 👨🍳 Chef’s Table
- 🥩 Keel & Cow
- 🌱 Green & Co (featuring Mizuhana)
- 🍛 Sindhu
- 🍷 Epicurean
- 🥂 The Cellar Door
🍝 The Olive Grove (Included) on P&O Arvia
First of all, Arvia’s Olive Grove is not Iona’s (Arvia’s sister ship) Olive Grove, and it’s worth managing expectations up front. On Iona it’s a lovely, varied Mediterranean concept; on Arvia it’s effectively an alternate dining room with a handful of extra “Mediterranean” dishes, tucked along what I came to call Restaurant Row. If you wander along Deck 6, it’s basically dining room after dining room, and the Olive Grove slots in as one of them.
We ate here once, and that was plenty. The kids were restless and service was patchy. The “Mediterranean” options included a nice mezze platter, but the pasta was forgettable and the lighting was oddly gloomy for a family dinner. Allergy-wise, we got safe mains sorted, but desserts were a flat “no”.
Verdict & Ratings
🥞 Sixth Street Diner (Included) on P&O Arvia
Decor-wise, this is a fun, bold, American-style diner that looks like it should be brilliant for families. Reality: long queues, slow service, and food that really didn’t justify waiting for. We tried it for breakfast – a mistake. Pancakes tasted identical to the buffet ones, only with added waiting. The toddler had fun with the booths, but that was about it. On paper, this should have been a family highlight; in practice, I wouldn’t bother again.
Allergy experience was mixed – they had oat milk but it took an age to appear, and options beyond that were limited. Service was flat, and I felt bad for the team because they were clearly overwhelmed.
Verdict & Ratings
👨🍳 Chef’s Table (Included) on P&O Arvia
Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? It isn’t. On paper, Chef’s Table sounds intimate; in reality, it’s an organised scrum in the buffet space used by The Beach House on other evenings. Our sitting had 500+ guests. It was formal night, everyone was dressed up, and we all ate in a very loud room together – which is neither enjoyable nor fancy.
From a food and experience perspective, think: corporate awards dinner. My beef wellington was lovely, but noticeably different from my husband’s, likely due to allergy tweaks. I remain unconvinced that it was any different from what the MDR was serving that same night.
Service was sweet but clearly overwhelmed, drinks took forever, and orders went awry more than once. If you want “special”, the MDR would actually have felt calmer.
Verdict & Ratings
🥩 Keel & Cow (À la carte) on P&O Arvia
Keel & Cow is pitched as a gastropub: steaks, serious burgers, comfort dishes. In practice, its location – perched at the top of the atrium – makes dinner feel like you’ve booked the best table at a shopping mall food court. It’s hot, echoey, and the lights dip without warning when the atrium shows start. With small kids, that sensory combo is… a lot.
Food-wise, our steak was fine rather than fantastic, which stings at this price point. We had better sirloins in the MDR. That said, allergy handling was brilliant even when I forgot to pre-order – calm, clear, zero fuss. Dessert options for me: none. But our server was wonderful and so kind with the children.
Verdict & Ratings
🌱 Green & Co (featuring Mizuhana) (£10pp set menu) on P&O Arvia
This one’s unique to Arvia – and easily my favourite. It’s light, colourful, airy, with sea-view tables that feel properly grown-up and thoughtfully spaced. My only concern was that it felt a little empty at times, which made me nervous for its future popularity. Hopefully it’s deliberate capacity management – because this is worth visiting.
The food is creative, beautiful, and full of flavour; the chakalaka wellington and coconut cake were standouts, and the sushi was fresh and bright. Portions can be small, so order wisely. Our first visit had an allergy mishap when my pre-order was forgotten (we sat for nearly an hour while they scrambled). Second visit: flawless. That’s how good it was – we went twice.
Verdict & Ratings
🍛 Sindhu (£21pp set menu) on P&O Arvia
Sindhu is a P&O favourite for us, and this visit mostly delivered on our warm, celebratory expectations. It’s absolutely lovely inside. If you’re planning to eat here, I’d recommend arriving a little early and having a drink at the bar – the Cosmopolitans and the East India Punch were both hits.
The lamb starter was particularly good, and all the mains were a hit. Portions are generous – maybe too big! The only issue was allergy handling: I was told I couldn’t eat several things (including the bread and poppadoms) because they’re bought in. A shame, as I’ve safely had them before.
The silver lining: service was excellent. The team made a real fuss of the kids and struck that perfect warm/professional balance.
Verdict & Ratings
🍷 Epicurean (£35pp set menu) on P&O Arvia
Epicurean is the “dress up, be fancy” option. The décor leans soulless, but the location (high deck, tucked away near the suites) makes it feel like an occasion. Service was brilliant – one server even remembered my eldest from a previous cruise.
The food was refined and tasty, though not quite fireworks-spectacular. Côte de boeuf used to be hand-carved at the table; now it’s two steaks. Still delicious, but the theatre is gone. Desserts soared – the white chocolate crème brûlée was a highlight. Allergy handling was superb: I even got the same bread as everyone else. Trust me, that’s cruise-mum magic.
Verdict & Ratings
🍾 The Cellar Door at The Glass House (£60pp) on P&O Arvia
The secret one. Cellar Door is a four-course, wine-paired dinner hosted in a small room off The Glass House. You won’t find it online – you need to ask at the bar or be invited by staff. It felt intimate (just five tables), hosted by a sommelier who guided us through each pairing.
At £60pp, it’s pricey if you’ve already bought the drinks package (you still pay full price). The food was thoughtful, but my pork main was overcooked, and allergy handling was unimaginative – no crackers with the cheese course, and no substitute offered. Still, pacing and atmosphere were lovely, and it did feel like a treat.
Verdict & Ratings
🏆 The Leaderboard
🥉 Third place – Sindhu
Flavour-packed, welcoming, and a proper evening out. If allergy handling returned to its former flexibility, it’d be a five-star contender.
🥈 Second place – Epicurean
Formal without frostiness, exceptional service, and a dessert I’m still dreaming about. Pricey, but feels like a treat.
🥇 First place – Green & Co featuring Mizuhana
Beautiful plates, brilliant cocktails, and the only venue we loved enough to revisit.
🚫 One to avoid (for breakfast) – Sixth Street Diner
All style, not much substance. If you’re queuing half an hour for the same pancakes the buffet is handing out… maybe skip.
🍴 My Tips for Planning Your Own P&O Arvia Dining
And if all else fails? The buffet will always take you back. Anytime.
🔗 Planning your own Arvia food tour?
📺 My full Arvia family review (rules, facilities, dining & our Little Cruiser Score) is here: here
🛳 The ship-wide review – the good, the bad, and the crowded – is here: here
▶ Prefer to watch? The YouTube dining deep-dive, with menus and plates, is here: here
📸 Come say hi on Instagram @lisschatsship for real-time tips, snaps, and the occasional “why are the pram wheels always locked” rant. And if you’ve eaten your way around Arvia too, tell me your winners and “never agains” – purely for research… and a little nosy gossip.
📲 Follow for More
You can find more cruise reviews, tips for travelling with little ones, and new videos every other Friday right here:
- 📸 Instagram: @lisschatsship
- ▶️ YouTube: LissChatsShip on YouTube
- 📝 Blog: www.lisschatsship.com
- ✉️ Email: lisschatsship@gmail.com
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