Regal Princess: Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria

Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria is a specialty dining experience onboard select Princess Cruise ships. Recently, there was a refresh to the dinner menu, and we enjoyed tasting a few classics and the newly added dishes while on the Regal Princess. The fresh pasta is what really excited me when looking at the menu, as it is made daily. The cover charge is $35 per person and includes one selection from each course. If guests would like to sample additional items, the cost is $10 per item.

In keeping with the Italian theme, the cocktail and wine list features an all-Italian beverage list that also highlights tidbits about Italian cocktails and wine regions. Reading the menu itself inspires visions of iconic Italian landscapes, or hopping on a Vespa to enjoy a vintage cocktail at a trendy bar.

This Regal Princess specialty dining experience is by reservation only, and well worth the advanced planning. We booked an early dinner to provide us an opportunity to check out some of the onboard nightly entertainment afterwards. We were immediately greeted by name, thanks to the Princess MedallionClass system that notifies restaurant hosts as guests enter the space. Our table was ready for seating and we perused the drink menu to decide what wonderful Italian vino we would choose for the evening.

Upon being seated, a bread basket is delivered and drink order taken. We ordered a bottle of 2012 Il Borro Pian di Nova Toscana Rosso IGT, which has special meaning to us. It’s the same wine we enjoyed when my husband made the move from Texas to Louisiana just before we were married. While there are a number of wines by the glass as part of our drink package, at $49 for the bottle, we felt it was worth the small extra expense. As our wine bottle arrived, so did the house appetizer, Arancini al Tartufo. These delicious Sicilian fried rice balls were filled with mozzarella, scented with black truffle and served with a tomato and herb marina.

Next was the soup and salad course, however we went straight to the Antipasti since the Burrata Caprese caught my eye. For those who choose the soup or salad, they are both vegetarian options.

What I really enjoyed about Sabatini’s was knowing the pasta is made fresh daily. And there are numerous options to choose from on the Primi Piatti (first course). We each opted for a small portion of the Linguine alla Carbonara, which came highly recommended, and it did not disappoint.

Secondi Piatti (second course), also had a number of options to choose from. My husband ordered the Veal Marsala while I went for the Filetto di Branzino alle Erbe Mediterranee. The Veal Marsala was a veal tenderloin with sliced champignon mushrooms in marsala wine, served with sauteed garlic spinach and creamy mashed potatoes. The Branzino dish was perfectly cooked, served on a bed of roman-style artichoke, fingerling potatoes, and sauteed garlic spinach.

The dessert course was the most difficult to choose, and our server gave us a wonderful suggestion — order them all! We opted to share a dessert sampler to close out our lovely dining experience at Sabatini’s. As an after dinner drink, my husband ordered Limoncello, an iconic Italian Mediterranean concoction.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria. specialty dining restaurant on Princess Cruises Regal Princess cruise ship. One of the perks of cruise travel is not having to carry around a purse or wallet, and when dinner is over, there’s no bill to take care of, thanks to TrulyTouchless. We still had a little wine left in the bottle, and opted to finish the rest in the Piazza. For guests wanting to save their wine for the next meal, the waitstaff will recork and store the bottle for retrieval at dinner or lunch the next day.

Below is the newly updated menu for Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria on Princess Cruises Regal Princess.