Tip: Reservations aren’t required, but to get the best seating and times, we recommend making a reservation. You can make one online after booking your cruise.
Ji Ji Asian Kitchen carries a $12 per person charge for adults, $5 for children 11 and under. At lunch, the restaurant will offer complimentary custom-made noodle dishes where guests can select their choice of noodles, vegetables, spices and meats.
Located aft on Lido Deck, Ji Ji Asian Kitchen will offer mouth-watering creations inspired by regional cuisines from China, Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam. Items are listed with a corresponding number indicating the region where the cuisine originates.
Entrees are just as varied with seven different choices, including slow-braised Wagyu beef short rib with watermelon radish, burdock root, wasabi pearl and crisp potatoes, as well as stewed pork served in a clay pot with wok-fried scallions, sesame, fresh spinach, pea shoots, and snap peas, and Singapore chili shrimp, inspired by local street vendors and featuring a sweet and spicy chili sauce. Rounding out the menu are various sides, noodles and rice dishes, along with Asian-themed desserts like rose crème brulee with ginger cream. Kirin and Kirin Light and full bar service are available, as well.
Ji Ji Asian Kitchen is one of a seemingly endless array of culinary choices on Carnival Sunshine which will also include Guy’s Burger Joint developed in tandem with Food Network personality Guy Fieri, BlueIguana Cantina, Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse, Cucina del Capitano family-style Italian restaurant, and the 24-hour Pizzeria del Capitano, complementing the expansive Lido Marketplace poolside eatery and two main dining rooms.Welcome to Mommy Musings™ – I’m Stefanie Fauquet and my passions are food & family travel! I regularly share easy recipes and travel tips to inspire families to create a life they love…one that’s full of delicious food and incredible adventures!
The menu includes seven different appetizers, including Nanjing-style duck, whose origin dates back 1,400 years, along with slow-braised pork belly and soups such as Tamarind & Shrimp and Chicken & Cilantro Root. Even favorites like spring rolls get an interesting twist with lemon marmalade, curry leaves, pink grapefruit and cilantro pearls.
Modern dining spot with a full-service menu featuring a mix of exotic and familiar Asian dishes. Open for dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sit down waither service. Reservations and walk-ins accepted. For lunch becomes Mongolian Wok from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. featuring self-served stir-fry favorites.
JiJi is not a restaurant with an extensive menu, but what it does have, it does exceedingly well. Once seated, diners are presented with a slate-like menu and a special pen with which to make their selections. Servers are happy to help those who might be wary of spicy selections, of which there are several. Each guest selects an appetizer, entrée and side – which is presented family style and perfect for sharing – as well as their individual dessert.
Dessert wise, there are three selections available. We went with the rose crème Brulee and the fried wontons in tapioca pearls and coconut milk. While the former was both classically and perfectly prepared, the fried wontons were a bit tough and chewy (although the liquid in which they floated was so tasty, we found ourselves wanting to pour it into a glass and slurp it down!).
While JiJi offers a limited, complimentary lunch each day, it is the for-fee dinner at which this restaurant truly shows off its unique style. Upon entering the dining area, guests are immediately immersed in the rich culture whose tasty delights they are about to experience. The colors are warm and somehow manage to be both bright and muted at the same time. This is not a loud, boisterous restaurant, but rather one which seems to encourage good conversations over a leisurely meal. And about that meal…
Appetizer-wise, we went with the slow-braised pork belly coated with a caramel chili sauce that was more than big enough for two and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. For our second starter, we selected Najing-style duck – which is first slow-cooked and then flash-fried in a wok – served with mango fritters and a spicy green chili sauce.Cruise Radio provides the latest cruise line news and updates from the cruise industry. Learn about new cruise ship launches, itineraries, policies, and trends shaping the world of cruising.
Of course, no meal in an Asian restaurant would be complete without fortune cookies, but these came with an additional treat: mango and berry flavored fruit rolls that made for a great palate cleanser.Many cruisers will wind up passing on specialty restaurants, using the logic that they can get plenty of great food for free in the various dining venues around the ship. And while that’s true, passengers bypassing JiJi Asian Kitchen – currently available aboard Carnival Vista and Carnival Sunshine – are missing out on not only one of the best meals at sea, but also one of the best values.
Honestly, if you are asking that question at this point, you may not have read our review closely enough. But at only $15 per guest, we’d have to rank JiJi Asian Kitchen as one of the best specialty restaurants we’ve ever encountered. As previously mentioned, the menu is not extensive, with only seven appetizers and six entrees listed. But good luck deciding between them after reading the descriptions of each. During a recent visit, after much hemming and hawing (and a little guidance from our incredibly personable server), we made our selections while munching on the complimentary shrimp chips that are served with a selection of four sauces with varying degrees of spiciness. Entrée-wise, we went somewhat traditional, with a perfectly-prepared Kung Pao chicken and the peppered beef, pairing them with sides of Himalayan basmati fried rice with baby shrimp (a version with chicken was also available) and Hakka style rice noodles. Each was served family style, and it’s safe to say we barely had room for dessert.Service at this restaurant was prompt and very attentive. Our waitress greeted us shortly after being seated to review the menu and take our drink order. We couldn’t pass up the chance to grab a few “umbrella” drinks. Luckily, all of the beverages in the cocktail menu are covered by Carnival Cruise Line’s Cheers package.
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Inside, there is an open kitchen at the front of the restaurant, with a rather basic table layout. Décor in the restaurant is subtle, with warm tones and a few pieces of Asian-inspired artwork. Unlike some themed restaurants, this one did not have an over the top look or feel. Of course, we did not decide to dine here because of the atmosphere.
For a casual specialty restaurant, JiJi Asian Kitchen delivered authentic, exquisitely prepared meals for a very affordable price. With a flat fee of $15 a person, you are able to feast on a variety of delicacies from various regions of the Asian continent.As we mentioned previously, the service was very attentive and friendly during our dining experience. Several staff members, including the chef, made it a point to check-in with us throughout the meal. Plates were cleared promptly, and the meal was well timed, with just the right amount of spacing between our starters and entrees.Have you dined at JiJi Asian Kitchen on a Carnival Cruise Line ship? What are some of your favorite dishes featured at this restaurant? Drop us an anchor below with your restaurant review.
Actually, the Princess’ Kung Pao Chicken was much better. It was coated in just the right amount of mild sauce. While it was not spicy per the wife’s request, it was well prepared and the portion was large enough for us to share. With an order of chicken fried rice and Hakka style noodles, there was certainly plenty of food to go around the table.
I was also a fan of the pot stickers, which were served steamed with a slightly sweet dipping sauce. For the Princess, we also ordered the chicken spring rolls. You can’t go wrong with this deep fried appetizer.Given that the restaurant was rather slow, we were greeted by the chef on two occasions during our dinner. Also, our waitress and hostess made sure to stop by several times throughout the meal to ask about the food and service.
As one of the newest specialty restaurants on Carnival Cruise Line ships, we have our exclusive JiJi Asian Kitchen Restaurant Review from Carnival Panorama.
For our meals, we each ordered an entree and also split one rice and one noodle dish. I decided on the sweet and sour shrimp. This dish was served similarly to what you would find at a typical Chinese restaurant back home. It consisted of a thick fried batter and a tangy sweet sauce. It was good, but perhaps my least favorite option out of all of the other dishes we sampled this evening.For our dinner, we were seated at a table right next to the portside windows. While it was a bit early, we were surprised that there were very few tables occupied with other diners.
Just recently, Carnival Cruise Line made it possible to pre-reserve specialty restaurants online within the cruise booking. Good thing, as we are over-planners. So, we put in a request for a dinner reservation at JiJi Asian Kitchen about 3 months out from our sailing. While it took a few days to receive a response, we did finally get an email confirmation.As we worked steadfast on our meals, we were tempted by dessert. Even though we had limited room left, we ordered the crepes and the wontons. While we don’t usually think of Asian restaurants as featuring solid desserts, they were the perfect end to dinner. About a month later, we put in a request to change the day and time of the reservation given some changes to our shore excursions. An email response confirmed our reservation was switched to this new requested day and time. While the waitress suggested ordering two apps, we opted for three. This was mainly due to my desire to try the duck. Good thing I did, as it was my favorite starter. It was crispy and succulent, without being overly fatty or greasy. The stir fried vegetables were the perfect accompaniment to this hearty app.While Carnival Panorama offers several complimentary dining venues, there are also a variety of up-charge specialty restaurants. Among these is the casual JiJi Asian Kitchen. While the venue does offer a complimentary noodle bar for lunch- which we highly recommend- this spot also features several Asian-inspired classics for dinner at a very reasonable cost. As fans of “take-out” Chinese food, we both knew we wanted to try this restaurant following one of our longer port days during our Carnival Panorama cruise. Did it live up to our expectations? Find out in our Carnival Cruise Line JiJi Asian Kitchen Restaurant Review.This specialty restaurant is open for dinner nightly from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. We would certainly dine here again. While it is more casual than other up-charge restaurants on the ship, this is certainly not “fast food”. We liken this restaurant to P.F. Chang’s on land. JiJi Asian Kitchen was actually home to some of our favorite dishes of the trip. Once onboard the ship, our new day and time was not reflected in our cruise planner. Speaking with a host soon after embarking the ship, we were assured that our new booking was all set. Luckily, when we arrived at the restaurant on Night 4 at 6:30 pm, everything was in order for our table of 2. JiJi Asian Kitchen is located on Deck 11 aft. You might actually miss the venue if you do not go looking for it. The restaurant is across the way from the Italian specialty restaurant, La Cucina del Capitano.
JiJi Asian Kitchen is COMPLIMENTARY FOR LUNCH (Specialty Restaurant for dinner). Choose your noodles, vegetables, protein, and sauce, then your meal will be stir fried while you wait.
Get ready for a gastronomic exploration of pan-Asian flavors at Ji Ji Asian Kitchen on select Carnival ships, where menu items come from China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore. Meals are served family style; the table orders four to five appetizers, entrees and sides and everyone partakes. Among the appetizer choices are slow-braised pork belly, chicken spring rolls, shrimp pot stickers and tamarind shrimp soup. Entree options include Singapore chili, sweet and sour shrimp, peppered beef and, for the spice lovers, a super spicy kung pao chicken. Side dishes comprise a variety of rice and noodle dishes. If you’ve got room when all the mains are done, dessert is included as well — you’ve got a choice of rose creme brulee and fried wontons with lychee fruit. When you first walk into Ji Ji Asian Kitchen, you might not get an Asian vibe right away; look instead for accents such as the cartoon-esque Buddha, Lucky Cat and Chinese letter paintings, along with prayer rolls and bamboo-inspired wooden accents clue you in pretty quickly. Carpets are striped — red, yellow and gold on Carnival Vista and deep pink, tan and gold on Carnival Sunshine. Upholstered seats match the carpet. Waitresses are Asian — many from the easternmost former Soviet republics. It’s a noisy venue, with lots of talking as tablemates swap plates and explore flavors. Be prepared to eat until you’re ready to burst! Most cruise ships offer Asian food lovers just one choice onboard — usually either a Chinese or Japanese place. But the dinner-only Ji Ji Asian Kitchen on Carnival has it all, with menu items from all over the continent.JavaBlue Cafe is available on Celebration, Elation, Glory, Horizon, Jubilee, Luminosa, Mardi Gras, Miracle, Panorama, Radiance, Splendor, Sunrise, Sunshine, and Vista. Prices are à la carte.
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RedFrog Pub & Brewery (this is North America’s first ever brewery at sea and is different from the RedFrog Pub) is only available on the Vista. Prices are à la carte.
Pizzeria del Capitano is available on the Dream, Horizon, Jubilee, Luminosa, Magic, Mardi Gras, Panorama, Radiance, Sunrise, Sunshine, Vista, Spirit, Splendor, and Venezia.Bonsai Sushi is available on Breeze, Celebration, Dream, Horizon, Jubilee, Legend, Mardi Gras, Panorama, Pride, Radiance, Spirit, Sunrise, Sunshine, Venezia, and Vista. Pricing is à la carte.
A steakhouse (called different names depending on the ship, but the menu is the same fleet-side) is available on Breeze, Celebration, Conquest, Dream, Freedom, Glory, Horizon, Jubilee, Legend, Liberty, Luminosa, Magic, Mardi Gras, Miracle, Panorama, Pride, Radiance, Spirit, Splendor, Sunrise, Sunshine, Valor, Venezia, and Vista. Cost is $48. *I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you for items and services purchased through affiliate links on my site. All funds go toward maintaining the blog. Thanks for your support! Thanks for the heads up about the Escargot on the Celebration, James. I’m reaching out to my contact at Carnival to see if I can get some clarification on that – if it’s due to a shortage (which has happened before), a ship specific change, or a fleet-wide change to the menu. I’ll share anything I find!*I participant in several affiliate programs including Amazon’s Associate Program, bluehost’s affiliate program, CruiseDirect’s affiliate program, Viator’s affiliate program, and booking.com’s affiliate program. I earn a small commission on products, travel, or blogging services purchased through links on my site. Thanks for your support!
*The order of the MDR dinner menus may vary some depending on itinerary. I’ve also been told that specific items may no longer be available on certain ships (sometimes this is due to food shortages and sometimes it’s a fleet-wide menu change that is rolling out slowly). I’ll do my very best to update these MDR menus as soon as I receive official confirmation of changes. However, in the meantime, please double check on the HUB app after you board and don’t rely on these to always be 100% up-to-date.
I ALWAYS buy travel insurance (especially during these uncertain times) to cover my cruises, but I NEVER purchase it through Carnival. It costs more and usually covers less than policies you purchase on your own. I go through sites like travelinsurance.com to compare plans and prices and get the best deal for the coverage I want. Spend less on insurance and spend more on excursions, special onboard cruise experiences and…future cruises!Guy’s Pig and Anchor is available on the Breeze, Celebration, Dream, Horizon, Jubilee, Magic, Mardi Gras, Panorama, Radiance, Sunrise, and Vista. Complimentary at lunch.Here are all of the Carnival dining menus updated for 2023. I’ve indicated which ship each dining venue is currently available on as well as current pricing (prices change frequently, so double check on the HUB app or onboard).
Most Carnival ships will have one of two pizza counters usually located on the Lido deck, open 24 hours a day, and different in name only: Pizzeria del Capitano or Pizza Pirate. Dining here is complimentary.
Seafood Shack is available on Conquest, Celebration, Dream, Freedom, Glory, Horizon, Jubilee, Liberty, Magic, Mardi Gras, Panorama, Splendor, Sunrise, Valor, Venezia, and Vista. Prices are à la carte and based on current market prices.
Thanks for the updated menu. Hoping that Escargot is still available on night 3 like the menus show. Recent menus on the Celebration do not have Escargot available at all on any day.
The Carnival Deli is available on the Breeze, Conquest, Dream, Ecstasy, Elation, Freedom, Glory, Horizon, Legend, Liberty, Luminosa, Magic, Miracle, Panorama, Paradise, Pride, Radiance, Spirit, Splendor, Sunrise, Sunshine, Valor, Venezia, and Vista. Complimentary.
JiJi Asian Kitchen is a “Sit Down” restaurant. This means you have waiter who will take your order and bring you your food. It usually takes a bit longer than quick serve / to-go establishments, but has a nicer atmosphere.
Try upscale Asian cuisine at JiJi Asian Kitchen. Similar to PF Chang’s on land, that offer fine-dining takes on Chinese cuisine. Try their peppered beef, Singapore chili shrimp, or slow-braised pork belly.We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page..
To enjoy JiJi Asian Kitchen and all public areas on Carnival’s ships, guests are technically required to be at least 18 years of age or accompanied by a parent or guardian.
A modern dining spot inspired by a society that measures its history in millennia, JiJi Asian Kitchen® serves up enticing dishes in a thoughtfully-designed space that’s ripe for experiencing not only good food, but good fortune… and perhaps a surprise or two. You’ll enjoy your meal among Asian prayer rolls and Mongolian-inspired fabrics that infuse northern-country style into this unique culinary experience. JiJi offers a full-service menu featuring a mix of exotic and familiar dishes designed to challenge and delight your senses. Tip: Reservations aren’t required, but to get the best seating and times, we recommend making a reservation. You can make one online after booking your cruise.Gangwaze is your one-stop destination for shore tours, pre-cruise hotels, transfers, vacation insurance & more. We’ve partnered with industry leaders to bring you the best deals and the most convenience.
