The Canaletto Holland America specialty restaurant offers cruisers exceptional fine-dining Italian cuisine. During our 7-day cruise, we loved Canaletto restaurant so much, that we visited it twice. We recently returned during our 7-day Caribbean cruise aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam and this is their new 2024 menu, photos of everything we ordered, and my full review.
On September 21, 2023, Holland America completely re-vamped the Canaletto Restaurant menu. Here is the new menu as well as photos and reviews of all the new dishes we tried during our last cruise.
- About Canaletto Holland America
- Canaletto Specialty Restaurant Price
- Should You Choose Canaletto or Pinnacle Grill?
- Canaletto Restaurant Menu
- Our Canaletto Holland America Dining Experience
- Bread with Accouterments
- Antipasti Plate
- Burrata & Canaletto Salad
- Veal Meatballs
- Herb & Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Breast
- Seared Mediterranean Sea Bass
- OssoBucco
- Dessert
- The Dining Experience
- Canaletto Restaurant Location
- Discover More Travel Articles
About Canaletto Holland America
Canaletto is Holland America’s signature Italian specialty restaurant and is available on most of their ships. They offer a full menu of Italian classics. Their new menu no longer has daily specials, however, they do have a fresh fish option which changes based on the cruise. During our Caribbean cruise, the fresh fish special was Grouper.
Pasta is made fresh daily at Canaletto Restaurant on Holland America. Their new menu has options such as Osso Bucco, Branzino, and Scampi.
Canaletto Specialty Restaurant Price
Most cruises have a selection of specialty restaurants cruisers can dine at for an additional fee. While the main dining room on Holland America is terrific, I highly recommend splurging on the specialty restaurants. Dinner at Canaletto restaurant is an additional $25 plus an 18% service charge. If you have the “Have It All” package, cruisers can also choose Canaletto as one of their complimentary dining options.
Should You Choose Canaletto or Pinnacle Grill?
During our 7-day cruise, we dined at both Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto Restaurant. We loved Canaletto so much that we decided to enjoy dinner there twice. Based on our own experience, we would choose both and use our complimentary specialty dining credit for Pinnacle Grill and pay extra for Canaletto. Be sure to also read our full Pinnacle Grill Review.
Canaletto Restaurant Menu
The Canaletto Holland America has a brand new 2024 menu and offers a wide variety of options including seafood dishes like Branzino, freshly made pasta, Italian classics like OssoBucco, and land options including parmesan-crusted chicken breast. The additional price of $25 feels like a bargain once you experience the quality of the cuisine.
Below are photos of the Canaletto Holland America New 2024 Menu
Our Canaletto Holland America Dining Experience
We absolutely loved our dining experience at Holland America’s Canaletto Restaurant. We dined there twice and even paid for our in-laws to enjoy a nice dinner there as well. Here are pictures and my review of everything we ate beginning with their small plates.
All the photos below are from Holland America’s new menu on our January 2024 Caribbean cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam ship.
Bread with Accouterments
Every guest first receives a basket of bread with several accouterments when they first arrive. The fresh sliced bread is served with a delicious balsamic reduction with olive oil, green whole olives, olive tapenade, and a roasted red pepper dip.
Antipasti Plate
The antipasti plate is a beautiful assortment of Prosciutto di Parma, Finocchiona salami, truffle salami, Terre Ducali coppa, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Sicilian olives. My fiance loves charcuterie so this is always one of his favorite appetizers to order. This selection was also available on their previous menu.
Burrata & Canaletto Salad
Two new “small plates” from the Canaletto Holland America menu are the Burrata and Canaletto Salad. I am a huge fan of Burrata cheese which is a large ball of Mozzarella cheese that is soft in the center. The Buratta small plate at Canaletto is absolutely delicious and made with plum tomatoes. Each bite begs just begs to be dipped into their pistachio-garlic gremolata which gives a nice bit of crunch to each bite.
Holland America knows its audience and always features fabulous beet dishes. I’m personally a huge fan of beets and the Canaletto Salad is made with fresh roasted beets, candied walnuts, Gorgonzola, and a balsamic reduction. It was the perfect start to the evening.
Veal Meatballs
Next, I ordered the Veal Meatballs for us to share. The meatballs were tasty, moist, and tender. If you are looking for an amazing meatball recipe to try at home, this is my beef meatball recipe which is from my Aunt Annie who grew up in Italy. I have not had many meatballs that are as delicious, moist, and tender as my own.
Pro-Tip: You can enjoy as many small plates as you would like when you dine at Canaletto!
Herb & Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Breast
Otherwise known as Chicken Parmesan, this herb & parmesan-crusted chicken breast was crispy and delicious with colossal chunks of fresh mozzarella melted over the top. It was served with fried zucchini, green beans, and roasted potatoes.
Pro-tip: Ask to change out the roasted potatoes for their homemade pasta instead!
Seared Mediterranean Sea Bass
While I did prefer the previous preparation from the older Canaletto menu, I was happy to find they still had seared Sea Bass, also known as Branzino, on their menu. Branzino is my favorite fish and I especially enjoy the fresh fish options on Holland America.
Many may not know this, but Holland America Cruise Line has a fantastic Global Fresh Fish Program which features the freshest regionally available fish options.
“The ability to source and prepare so many types of fish globally is a testament to our outstanding culinary team. From yellowtail snapper in the Caribbean to barramundi in Australia, the variety of fresh fish we offer is unrivaled in the cruise industry.”
Gus Antorcha, president, Holland America Line
My Branzino was delicious and prepared with a Fava bean purée, fresh ricotta, roasted vegetables, and romesco sauce.
OssoBucco
Last, but certainly not least, was the OssoBucco which came highly recommended by my various Holland America Facebook Groups. They were absolutely correct and this dish was wonderful and did not disappoint. The Ossobucco was fall-of-the-bone tender, served with a creamy mascarpone saffron arborio risotto with asparagus and roasted carrots.
Pro-tip: If you’re on Facebook and sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam you should be sure to join the Holland America Line – Nieuw Amsterdam Official Page group for tons of great tips and information!
Pro-tip: Please note that additional entrees are $10, but can be well worth the extra cost so don’t be afraid to order more!
Dessert
We tried several desserts on the Canaletto Holland America menu including the tiramisu, pistachio ice cream, chocolate hazelnut tart, and orange blossom tart. We both agreed, however, that the clear winner was definitely the Chocolate Hazelnut Tart. It was not as rich and heavy as I thought it would be. It was the perfect balance of flavors and I especially loved the chocolate tart crust.
Luckily, the desserts on the new 2024 Canaletto Holland America menu did not change!
The Dining Experience
Since Canaletto is smaller, they do not take as many dining reservations but it is a much more intimate experience. The Staff are all incredibly attentive. The Pinnacle restaurant seemed overbooked and you could tell the food suffered and the staff felt overwhelmed. Canaletto was the opposite and felt much more relaxed where the staff could be more attentive and the cuisine was perfectly executed. By our second visit, we knew all of the staff by name.
Canaletto Restaurant Location
My final thoughts on Canaletto are its location. We dined on the Westerdam and on the Nieuw Amsterdam ships. On all Holland America ships, the Canaletto restaurant is located in a sectioned-off area of the Lido Deck where the buffet is located. This is a huge disservice to Canaletto and makes the restaurant feel like it may not be as amazing as it actually is. The Canaletto Holland America restaurant deserves its own location on the ship away from the lido deck buffet. That is really my only complaint as the food at this restaurant is wonderful, expertly executed, and very elevated.
Sondra Barker
