As someone who’s sailed on almost every Disney Cruise Line (DCL) ship, I always make it a point to have a meal at Palo, the adults-only Italian restaurant on the Disney Wonder, Dream, Fantasy, and Magic.
However, I was excited to learn that on DCL’s new Triton class of ships — the Wish and Treasure — the restaurant is called Palo Steakhouse.
So, when I recently sailed on DCL’s newest ship, the Disney Treasure, my friends and I made a brunch reservation to check out the new steakhouse at sea. Here’s what it was like.
Palo Steakhouse has a chic “Beauty and the Beast” theme.
Located on deck 12 of the Disney Treasure, Palo is nestled in an adults-only area themed around “Beauty and the Beast.”
Throughout the restaurant, there’s themed artwork and decor, making it feel very elegant and whimsical. The best part? Since it’s adults-only, the entire area is blissfully quiet.
After checking in for our noon brunch reservation, we were shown to our table, which had an amazing ocean view.
The brunch, which costs $50 per person, includes lots of dishes to choose from.
Brunch at Palo Steakhouse costs $50 per person and includes antipasti, egg dishes, waffles and pancakes, soups, pizza, and entrées.
Each guest can also choose one alcoholic drink, like a mimosa or Bloody Mary, as part of their brunch, with additional drinks available for a charge.
There’s no set amount of things you can order during brunch at Palo. In fact, our server encouraged us to try items in every category, and we happily obliged, ordering almost everything except pizza.
We started our meal with a round of non-alcoholic Bellinis.
No one in my party drinks alcohol, so we ordered a round of non-alcoholic cocktails as our complimentary drink.
The Bellinis were pre-made and bottled and full of peachy flavor. Delicious and satisfying, we didn’t miss the alcohol a bit.
We ordered a bottle of sparkling water from Palo’s extensive menu.
Something that always catches my eye at Palo is the extensive menu of still and sparkling waters, available at an extra charge.
We chose a $16 bottle of sparkling water, the most pricey option on the menu, and split it four ways.
With a hint of minerality and tiny, effervescent bubbles of carbonation, the water was refreshing and a nice way to hydrate during our meal.
The bread service alone is worth visiting Palo for.
Our complimentary bread service came with a mix of seasoned flatbreads, crispy crackers, garlicky naan, and more. Some highlights were a focaccia-style bread with onion and blue cheese baked in, and warm, fresh baguettes.
For dipping, our server brought out olive oil and balsamic vinegar and poured them into two separate sections of a dish so they didn’t combine.
We each had a choice of two antipasti options: charcuterie or seafood.
Each person in our group got to choose between two antipasti options: meat and seafood.
Three of us ordered the meat antipasti, a charcuterie board-style appetizer with prosciutto, bresaola, coppa, salami, olives, roasted garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and peppers.
This dish was one of my favorite parts of brunch at Palo. The cured meats tasted fresh and delicious and paired well with salty accouterments like olives and cheese.
One person in our group tried the seafood antipasti: a combination of marinated jumbo shrimp, crab claw, ahi tuna, mussels, and cured salmon. Although I’m not a huge seafood eater, she seemed to enjoy it.
My friend let me try some of her tomato and basil soup.
Although I didn’t order a bowl for myself, my friend let me taste her tomato and basil soup.
Had I not been trying to save room for my entrée, I would’ve gone back for additional bites. The soup was tangy, creamy, and felt like a fancy take on a comforting classic.
I ordered the chicken Parmesan as my entrée.
I’ve had the chicken Parmesan at Palo before, so I knew what to expect from this classic favorite.
The breaded chicken dish was topped with San Marzano tomato sauce and thick, cheesy mozzarella. However, the real star was the risotto underneath.
I loved the buttery, creamy Arborio risotto, which was a lighter twist on the piles of pasta you usually get with chicken Parmesan.
One of my friends ordered the eggplant Parmesan.
One member of my group tried the eggplant Parmesan and loved it. The dish — a lightly-breaded slice of eggplant rolled up with prosciutto, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce — looked decadent.
Since we were at a steakhouse, another friend opted for the sirloin.
Another friend chose the grilled sirloin steak, which came cooked to the perfect medium-rare temperature.
She was pleased with the dish, which was topped with thyme-herb butter and served with a side of green beans and roasted potatoes.
The final member of our group ordered Palo’s roasted red snapper filet.
The final entrée ordered was Palo’s roasted red snapper filet. Although my friend said she enjoyed the fish, the sides served alongside it weren’t her favorite.
The meal came with with asparagus, an eggplant caponata, and a strange orange square, which we weren’t able to identify by taste.
After asking our server what the bar-of-soap-looking side dish was, she explained that it was a saffron fondant-covered potato.
We enjoyed breakfast for dessert.
At our server’s suggestion, we saved our waffles and pancakes course for last. She was absolutely right, as having something sweet to close out the meal felt decadent, even though there weren’t any desserts on the brunch menu.
I ordered apple-cinnamon waffles, while two others ordered the strawberry version. Of course, the waffles were Mickey-shaped, which I really do believe makes them taste even more delicious.
Another person in my party ordered the blueberry pancakes and said they were really good topped with syrup and powdered sugar.
Our meal at Palo Steakhouse was amazing and well worth the price.
Overall, our $220 meal at Palo Steakhouse was well worth it. We got a great adults-only meal in arguably one of the quietest and most beautiful parts of the ship, and also made a special memory together that we’ll never forget.
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