Carnival Sapore di Cucina Menu: Italian Lunch Experience

Sapore di Cucina is an Italian dining experience offered aboard Carnival in Australia, with a menu built around antipasti, pasta and risotto, seafood, steaks, classic Italian mains and desserts. The menu shown in this guide is especially extensive, progressing from starters through pasta and other first courses before moving into seafood, meat dishes, sides and desserts.

The menu also includes suggested Australian and international wine pairings alongside individual dishes. The onboard material shared with CruisePrism indicates this was being offered as a lunch experience, but dining availability, pricing and operating arrangements can change by ship and sailing. Passengers should check the Carnival app and current daily program for the details applying to their cruise.

For more Carnival dining information, CruisePrism readers can also explore our Carnival Dining Menus, Carnival Drink Lists, and Carnival Onboard Guides for more information about restaurants, schedules and onboard activities.

What Is Sapore di Cucina?

“Sapore di Cucina” translates roughly to the flavor or taste of the kitchen, and the menu is presented as an Italian Kitchen experience.

Rather than focusing only on pasta, the menu covers a broad range of Italian-inspired dishes. Seafood features prominently, alongside steaks, lamb, chicken parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana, risotto, gnocchi and traditional desserts.

The menu is organized into several courses:

Entrees, labeled “Antipasti”
Additional starters, soups, salads, pasta and risotto
Mains, labeled “Secondi”
Sides
Desserts, labeled “Dolce”

Wine recommendations appear underneath many dishes, making wine pairing a noticeable part of the experience.

Sapore di Cucina Antipasti Menu

The meal begins with a substantial selection of antipasti.

Focaccia is served with whipped garlic ricotta and honey.

Other starters include:

Antipasto – prosciutto, salami, bresaola, Gorgonzola and tapenade
Tortino di Salmone e Avocado – salmon tartare, citrus juice, avocado and fresh herbs
Calamari Fritti – gently fried calamari served crisp with charred lime and aioli
Il Capitano’s Signature Arancini – Arborio rice with salsa rossa, finished with ricotta salata and served with marinara sauce

Several starters have suggested wines printed directly on the menu. These include Prosecco, rosé, Pinot Gris and a Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc.

Il Capitano’s Signature Arancini is particularly noteworthy because a version of this dish also appears within Carnival’s broader Italian dining program.

Soups, Salad, Pasta and Risotto

The next portion of the menu continues the first courses with soup, salad and several substantial Italian dishes.

The choices shown are:

Zuppa d’Orzo – barley, vegetables, smoked ham and Parmesan
Mista – mixed green salad, beetroot, heirloom tomatoes, Kalamata olives and Parmesan
Spaghetti alla Carbonara – pancetta, egg, black pepper and Parmesan
Risotto ai Frutti di Mare – Carnaroli rice, seafood, white wine and garlic
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina – baked in tomato sauce with mozzarella, Parmigiano and basil

This section provides considerably more than light appetizers. Both the carbonara and seafood risotto, for example, are substantial selections in their own right.

Suggested wine pairings continue throughout, including Chardonnay with the barley soup and seafood risotto, Prosecco with the mixed salad and Shiraz-Cabernet with the carbonara.

Sapore di Cucina Seafood Mains

Seafood occupies a large part of the Secondi section.

Choices include:

Ravioli di Granchio – crab meat ravioli with charred grape tomato, sage butter and crustacean bisque
Gamberi Gratinati – gratinated colossal prawn with Calabrian chili and preserved lemon
Pescato del Giorno – grilled fresh fish with stewed chickpeas and salmoriglio
Fresh Tasmanian Salmon – roasted salmon with pistachio crust, asparagus and citrus almond pesto
Aragosta alla Griglia – grilled rock lobster with spaghetti, cherry tomato and saffron lobster butter

The presence of both grilled rock lobster and crab ravioli makes this a particularly seafood-heavy Italian menu.

The menu recommends different wines with each selection, including Chardonnay, Semillon, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

Chicken, Lamb and Beef Mains

Passengers who prefer meat have an equally substantial range of choices.

The first mains page includes:

Pollo Parmigiana della Cucina – lightly breaded and gently fried chicken with marinara sauce and baked mozzarella
Agnello alla Milanese – pan-fried lamb cutlet with rucola salad
Filetto al Pepe – 250-gram tender-cut beef tenderloin with peppercorn sauce

The chicken parmigiana is described simply as “The Classic!” and provides one of the more familiar Italian dishes on a menu that otherwise contains several less-common selections.

The meat choices continue on the following page.

Sapore di Cucina Steak Menu

The second half of the mains section includes four substantial beef options.

They are:

Tagliata di Manzo – 450-gram MBS 4+ rib eye cutlet, sliced steak with rocket and Parmesan
Bistecca alla Fiorentina – 500-gram MBS 4+ grain-fed Tuscany-style T-bone steak with salsa verde
Scotch Fillet Steak – 500-gram center-cut, grain-fed steak with Gorgonzola butter and mushroom trifolati
Bistecca alla Griglia – 400-gram MBS 3+ grain-fed strip loin with salsa verde

These are unusually large portions, particularly the 500-gram T-bone and Scotch fillet.

The menu also recommends Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz-Cabernet and Grenache depending on the selected steak.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Not every main revolves around meat or seafood.

Parmigiana alla Siciliana features roasted aubergine with marinara sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan and basil.

It is paired on the menu with Pinot Noir.

Sapore di Cucina Side Dishes

Four sides are shown:

Verdure alla Griglia – grilled seasonal vegetables
Purée di Patate – mashed potato
Patate Arrosto – roasted potato with sea salt and fresh rosemary
Buttered Broccoli & Cauliflower

The sides provide straightforward accompaniments to the larger seafood and steak dishes.

Sapore di Cucina Dessert Menu

The final course is Dolce, with five desserts ranging from traditional Italian favorites to fruit and sorbet.

Dessert choices include:

Sicilian Cannoli
Cucina Tiramisu
Panna Cotta ai Frutti di Bosco
Sorbet Trio
Fresh Fruit

The Sicilian Cannoli features a hand-rolled cocoa shell, citrus ricotta cream and pistachio.

Cucina Tiramisu is identified as the restaurant’s signature dessert and consists of espresso-dipped savoiardi, mascarpone cream and bitter chocolate.

Panna Cotta ai Frutti di Bosco combines vanilla-scented cream with mixed berry coulis.

For something lighter, the Sorbet Trio includes three house-made seasonal sorbets, with passengers instructed to ask their server for the flavor of the day.

Fresh Fruit consists of an assortment of seasonal tropical fruit.

Wine recommendations also accompany the desserts, including sparkling Brut, Semillon and Prosecco rosé.

Wine Pairings at Sapore di Cucina

One of the more distinctive aspects of this menu is how prominently wine pairings are incorporated.

Instead of placing wine exclusively on a separate beverage list, suggested wines appear directly underneath individual dishes.

The recommendations include Australian wines from regions such as:

Barossa Valley
Riverina
Hunter Valley
McLaren Vale
Langhorne Creek
Coonawarra
Limestone Coast
Southeast Australia

There are also international selections, including rosé from France and Prosecco rosé from Veneto, Italy.

The menu does not state that the listed wines are automatically included with each dish. They are presented as pairings, so passengers should check the current dining information for beverage pricing and inclusions.

Is Sapore di Cucina the Same as Cucina del Capitano?

No. Passengers researching Carnival’s Italian restaurants should be careful not to treat Sapore di Cucina and Cucina del Capitano as interchangeable names.

Carnival operates other Italian dining concepts, most notably Cucina del Capitano, which celebrates the cruise line’s Italian maritime heritage and serves Italian and Italian-American dishes.

There is some overlap in culinary inspiration and even individual dishes. For example, Il Capitano’s Signature Arancini appears on the Sapore di Cucina menu shown here, while Carnival also serves a version of Il Capitano’s Signature Arancini at Cucina del Capitano.

However, the menu in this guide is specifically branded Sapore di Cucina Italian Kitchen and should be treated as its own dining experience rather than relabeled as Cucina del Capitano.

Italian Dining on Carnival Australia Ships

Carnival’s Australian fleet has its own mix of restaurants, and the lineup can differ substantially from Carnival ships sailing elsewhere.

Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter joined the Carnival Cruise Line fleet in 2025 following the transition from P&O Cruises Australia. Both retained several dining venues familiar to Australian cruisers while receiving Carnival branding and other changes.

Carnival currently promotes Italian dining aboard those ships through venues such as Angelo’s and Trattoria, alongside a broader selection of Australian and international restaurants.

That makes it particularly important to check the exact ship when researching a restaurant or menu. A Carnival dining menu found on an Australian sailing should not automatically be assumed to apply to every Carnival ship worldwide.

Is Sapore di Cucina Included in the Cruise Fare?

The menu pages themselves do not display a cover charge or individual food prices.

The accompanying onboard information shared with CruisePrism identifies Sapore di Cucina as a lunch-only experience with a charge of $77 per person.

Because that price does not appear on the restaurant menu itself and specialty dining prices can change, passengers should verify the current price through Carnival for their individual cruise before booking.

Food Allergy and Health Information

Sapore di Cucina asks guests with food allergies to inform their server.

The menu also contains a public-health advisory explaining that consuming uncooked or partially cooked poultry, meats, eggs or seafood may present an increased health risk, particularly for more vulnerable guests.

Several dishes are marked with an asterisk corresponding to that advisory.

Passengers with allergies or dietary restrictions should speak directly with the onboard dining team about their individual requirements rather than relying solely on the printed descriptions.

Sapore di Cucina FAQ

What type of restaurant is Sapore di Cucina?

Sapore di Cucina is presented as an Italian Kitchen experience. Its menu includes antipasti, soup, salad, pasta, risotto, seafood, steaks, chicken, lamb, eggplant parmigiana, sides and Italian desserts.

Is Sapore di Cucina a lunch or dinner restaurant?

The onboard information accompanying this menu identifies the experience as lunch only. Operating schedules can change, so passengers should check the Carnival app or daily program on their sailing.

How much is Sapore di Cucina?

The accompanying onboard information shows a price of $77 per person. The restaurant menu itself does not display the cover charge, so the price should be verified for the specific sailing.

Does Sapore di Cucina serve steak?

Yes. The menu includes a 450-gram rib eye cutlet, 500-gram Tuscany-style T-bone, 500-gram Scotch fillet and 400-gram strip loin, as well as a 250-gram beef tenderloin with peppercorn sauce.

Does Sapore di Cucina have lobster?

Yes. Aragosta alla Griglia consists of grilled rock lobster with spaghetti, cherry tomato and saffron lobster butter.

Does Sapore di Cucina have pasta?

Yes. The menu includes Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Gnocchi alla Sorrentina and crab ravioli. Risotto ai Frutti di Mare is also offered.

What desserts are available at Sapore di Cucina?

The dessert menu includes Sicilian Cannoli, Cucina Tiramisu, Panna Cotta ai Frutti di Bosco, Sorbet Trio and Fresh Fruit.

What is the signature dessert?

Cucina Tiramisu is specifically described on the menu as the signature dessert.

Are wine pairings offered?

The menu provides a suggested wine alongside many dishes. The menu does not indicate that those wines are included in the meal price.

Is Sapore di Cucina the same as Cucina del Capitano?

No. Although both are Italian concepts and there is some overlap in the style of dishes, the menu shown here is specifically branded Sapore di Cucina Italian Kitchen.

Are these menu items available on every Carnival ship?

No. Carnival’s restaurant lineup and menus vary by ship and market. Passengers should check the dining options for their particular ship and sailing.

Final Thoughts on the Sapore di Cucina Menu

Sapore di Cucina is a particularly broad Italian dining experience. The menu goes well beyond pasta and pizza, offering everything from arancini, calamari and carbonara to Tasmanian salmon, rock lobster, lamb Milanese and several large premium steaks.

Seafood and beef are especially prominent, while the suggested wine pairings give the meal another distinctive element. Traditional Italian desserts such as cannoli, tiramisu and panna cotta round out the menu.

For passengers planning a Carnival cruise in Australia, this menu provides a useful look at what the Sapore di Cucina experience can include. As with any specialty dining venue, availability, price, schedule and exact dishes can change, so check the Carnival app and current onboard dining information for the details of your specific sailing.