If you enjoy a good steak, Butcher’s Cut is one of the speciality restaurants you’re likely to come across when cruising with MSC Cruises. Designed as an American-style steakhouse, it offers something quite different from the main dining rooms, with a menu centred around aged Angus beef alongside traditional steakhouse starters, sides, sauces and desserts.

Having eaten at Butcher’s Cut on more than one MSC cruise, it’s somewhere I’ve been very happy to return to. The steak has been the highlight for me: beautifully tender and genuinely melt-in-the-mouth good.

So what can you expect from Butcher’s Cut, how does the menu work, how much does it cost and is it worth paying extra for?

What is Butcher’s Cut on MSC Cruises?

Butcher’s Cut is MSC Cruises’ speciality steakhouse concept. MSC describes it as an American-style steakhouse serving aged Angus beef, accompanied by New World wines and cocktails.

The concept is unmistakably steakhouse, with dark woods, comfortable seating, warm lighting and décor inspired by traditional butchers and steakhouses. It feels quite different from MSC’s main dining rooms and has the atmosphere of a restaurant you might choose for a special evening ashore. Butcher’s Cut also serves brunch on selected days, offering another opportunity to enjoy this popular speciality restaurant aboard MSC Cruises.

Beef is naturally at the heart of the menu, but you don’t have to order steak. There are starters, salads, alternative main courses, sides and desserts too. One thing worth knowing is that Butcher’s Cut isn’t necessarily identical on every MSC ship. The location and surroundings can differ, while menus and prices can change according to ship and sailing.

Which MSC ships have Butcher’s Cut?

Butcher’s Cut can be found across a growing number of MSC ships, although it isn’t currently a fleet-wide restaurant. Ships featuring the restaurant include MSC Virtuosa, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Bellissima, MSC Seascape, MSC World Europa and MSC World America, among others.

MSC has also been adding Butcher’s Cut as part of changes to some of its older ships, so it’s worth checking the dining options for your particular ship rather than relying on an old fleet list.

What is Butcher’s Cut like?

Although the restaurant can look different from ship to ship, the American steakhouse identity remains very recognisable.

The darker décor and steakhouse styling make it feel separate from the rest of the ship, which is part of what you’re paying for when you choose speciality dining. It feels like going out for dinner rather than simply choosing a different menu in another dining room.

Occasionally, the experience can come with a surprise too. During dinner at Butcher’s Cut on MSC World Europa, one of the ship’s roaming bands appeared in the restaurant.

These musicians could turn up in all sorts of unexpected places around the ship. You might encounter them playing in a restaurant, inside a lift or even in World Europa’s secret speakeasy. It wasn’t a standard part of the Butcher’s Cut experience, but it certainly made that particular dinner memorable.

What’s on the Butcher’s Cut menu?

The menu is firmly focused on classic steakhouse food, with different cuts of beef taking centre stage. There are plenty of options before you reach the steak.

During my visits, these have included the house chop salad and a baked goat’s cheese tart served with blueberry compote. The house chop salad is a particularly substantial starter, something worth bearing in mind if you’re planning a large steak afterwards.

When it comes to the main course, you can choose your steak before adding sauces and sides to create the meal you want. The steaks themselves can be substantial, so consider how hungry you are before automatically choosing one of the largest cuts.

Sides I’ve enjoyed have included fries, asparagus and mac and cheese. If you’re dining as a couple or with friends, ordering several sides for the table is a good way of trying a selection.

Desserts follow the same indulgent steakhouse theme, with richer options alongside ice cream and sorbet if you want something a little lighter after your steak.

MSC changes its menus over time and options can differ between ships, so dishes you see from somebody else’s cruise may not necessarily be available on yours.

How big are the portions at Butcher’s Cut?

Come hungry. It’s very easy for dinner here to become a substantial meal once you combine a starter with a large steak, sauces, several sides and dessert.

You certainly don’t need to order every possible accompaniment to get the full experience. Sharing sides can work particularly well, especially if you want to try several without ending up with far too much food.

How much does Butcher’s Cut cost?

Butcher’s Cut is a speciality restaurant, so you should expect to pay extra to dine here rather than having it included in your standard MSC cruise fare. How you pay can depend on your booking. You may choose to dine à la carte or visit as part of one of MSC’s speciality dining packages.

If you’re considering a dining package, check exactly what it includes. A package may provide a particular selection from the menu, while certain dishes or premium cuts can require an additional supplement. Prices and packages can change, so rather than relying on an old menu or a price from somebody else’s cruise, check the options available for your own sailing.

Is Butcher’s Cut included in the MSC Yacht Club?

Staying in the MSC Yacht Club gives you access to the Yacht Club’s own restaurant and other exclusive facilities, but that doesn’t automatically make MSC’s speciality restaurants complimentary.

You should therefore expect Butcher’s Cut to be an additional dining experience even if you’re staying in the Yacht Club, unless a dining package, promotion or benefit attached to your particular booking says otherwise. It’s worth knowing this before sailing if you’re considering Yacht Club and assuming your higher cruise fare includes all of the speciality restaurants onboard.

Do you need to book Butcher’s Cut?

If Butcher’s Cut is somewhere you definitely want to eat, booking is a sensible idea. Popular times can fill up, particularly on busy sailings and sea days. If you have a speciality dining package, arranging your restaurant reservations early gives you a better chance of securing the evenings and times you want.

You don’t necessarily need to plan your entire cruise around your restaurant reservations, but it makes sense to book rather than leaving a restaurant you particularly want to try until the last minute.

Is Butcher’s Cut worth it?

If you enjoy steak, Butcher’s Cut is one of the MSC speciality restaurants I would seriously consider adding to your cruise. The quality of the steak is what makes the experience for me. When you’re paying extra for a steakhouse, you want the steak itself to justify the decision, and my experience at Butcher’s Cut has done exactly that.

It also feels sufficiently different from eating in the main dining room to make it an occasion. You have the steakhouse surroundings, the choice of cuts, sauces and sides and a more focused style of dining.

Whether it represents good value for you will depend on the price available on your sailing and whether you’re dining à la carte or using a speciality dining package. If steak isn’t particularly important to you, one of MSC’s other speciality restaurants may appeal more. But if a really good steak is your idea of a treat while you’re on holiday, Butcher’s Cut is well worth considering.

Final thoughts

Butcher’s Cut brings the classic American steakhouse experience to MSC Cruises, with substantial steaks, traditional accompaniments and a restaurant that feels distinctly different from the included dining venues.

Menus, prices and surroundings can vary between ships, so check what is available on your particular sailing rather than assuming every Butcher’s Cut experience will be identical.

Having eaten there on different MSC cruises, however, I’ve been happy to go back. And considering I somehow seem to gravitate towards virtually the same meal each time, I think I’ve found my Butcher’s Cut favourites!