From View to Table

Savor the Local Flavors of the World

From morning breakfast to elegant dinners, Avalon frees your taste buds from the ordinary. Using the freshest local ingredients, our talented chefs prepare mouthwatering recipes from the region through which you're travelling and present them in a variety of inspiring settings. Our FlexDining® approach to onboard dining dispenses with strict seating times and limited restaurant options. Choose the onboard dining venue that suits your mood—from a breezy al fresco lunch at the Sky Grill to an elegant four-course dinner in the glass-walled Panorama Dining Room. For a less formal "sit-down" atmosphere, take a more casual approach to fine dining while mingling over several satisfying selections in our Panorama Bistro. Whichever table setting you choose, you'll savor local flavors and the familiar favorites you may crave—as well as our Avalon Fresh® menu options. On an Avalon cruise, every meal is part of the journey.

Avalon Fresh®.
Bringing Amazing to Your Plate.

Who says healthy cuisine can’t be inspiring? On an Avalon Waterways river cruise, you can take an indulgent vacation without drifting from your healthy habits. You’ll appreciate the choice to eat healthy at every meal with our Avalon Fresh® options—exclusive selections created in collaboration with Austrian chefs Leo and Karl Wrenkh, leaders in the emerging healthy dining movement. With the freshest ingredients from local farms and suppliers, we serve clean, surprising flavors with a dash of innovation. These creative yet wholesome options are available on board at every meal. Whether you’re looking for an energizing juice at breakfast, an artfully crafted salad at lunch, or a high-protein plate at dinner, Avalon Fresh allows you to fuel your ventures—and nutritional values—day or night.

Chefs Karl & Leo Wrenkh

The Brothers Wrenkh were raised in the first (and up until recently, only) high-quality vegetarian restaurant in Austria. With a family motto, “Eating is Life!” they take cooking very seriously. While Leo attended a classic culinary school, Karl’s cooking background has been more casual. Their styles merge using healthy, quality and locally grown ingredients to create foods with international flair.

These Viennese brothers opened the Wrenkh Vienna Culinary School 2.0 in 2009. Classes include everything from Indian cuisine to forest harvest; team cooking to herb hikes.

Karl and Leo share a lifelong love of good food and a strong desire to provide their guests – in the restaurant and at the culinary school – an unforgettable dining experience. For more information, visit www.wiener-kochsalon.com.

The Dining Options You Crave

À la carte, four-course dinners, Continental breakfasts, al fresco lunch at the Sky Bistro, a tasting menu with a view in the Panorama Bistro. No matter where you dine on board, we set the table using fresh, quality ingredients prepared by expert chefs, so you’ll look forward to each meal the same way you look forward to each port.

To Your Health

Maintaining your healthy lifestyle on vacation should be as easy as possible. Easy to exercise in a state-of-the-art, onboard Fitness Center. Easy to borrow a bicycle and explore the river shore or city stores. Easy to grab a Nordic walking stick to boost your hike to a vineyard. Easy to fit in your morning stretch with your Adventure Host on the Sky Deck. And even easier to get the gear and guidance you need to put a canoe in the water for a little paddling on your own. At the end of the day, you should cruise your way—so at the end of the day, have a relaxing soak in the Sky Deck’s rejuvenating whirlpool while planning your next move!

Sample Menus

Sample Dinner menu

Sample Farewell Gala Dinner menu

Sample Dessert menu

Meal Schedule

Early-Riser Coffee, 6 a.m.
Start your day right with coffee, hot water, croissants, cookies, and assorted finger foods.

À la carte Breakfast, 7 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Enjoy a tempting selection of breads, cereals, fruits, cold cuts and cheeses, smoked salmon, pastries, yogurts, and juices. Hot items such as eggs, sausage, and bacon vary daily.*

*Healthy Corner options including low calorie, low fat, high fiber, low cholesterol, and high energy choices

Late-Riser Breakfast, 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Coffee, hot tea, croissants, cookies and assorted finger foods.

À la carte Lunch, 12:30 p.m.
Select from intriguing appetizers, hearty soups, hot dishes, homemade breads, cold cuts and cheeses, salads, and delectable desserts.

Afternoon Tea, 4 p.m.
Take a mid-day break with coffee or tea and cake or cookies served in the lounge or on the top deck.

Dinner, 7:30 p.m.
Dine elegantly at a single-seating, sit-down meal. The chef will delight you with gourmet selections and the perfect, complimentary wines (complimentary beer or soft drinks also available). Menus typically feature an appetizer, soup, entrée, dessert, and coffee or tea.

Note: Meal times may vary depending on cruise schedule.

Incredible Dining Choices

Welcome & farewell cocktails with sparkling wine & canapés
Daily choices of regional recipes, familiar favorites, and Avalon Fresh^SM vegetarian and healthy cuisine including fresh, local ingredients at every meal
Daily a la carte breakfast with full range of classic breakfast items, healthy Avalon Fresh® options and daily specials
Choice of daily early-riser & late-riser continental breakfasts
Daily a la carte lunch including regional specialties, healthy Avalon Fresh® options and classic dishes
Choice of alternative fare at the Sky Grill on the Sky Deck (weather permitting) or light lunch in the Panorama Lounge
Linger over several selections from the Panorama Bistro’s tasting menu for a less formal “sit-down” atmosphere while mingling over several satisfying selections
Daily Afternoon Tea featuring tea, coffee, sweet treats & sandwiches
Daily four-course à la carte dinners in the Panorama Dining Room with choice of appetizers, soups, salads, entrées, desserts or cheese, after-dinner premium coffees or tea, and complimentary wine (including from the region), beer, and soft drinks
Complimentary room service available for Continental breakfast
FlexDining® with flexible seating-times to better accommodate your schedule, and more options for menu items and venues, including our Panorama Dining Room, Panorama Bistro for a less formal tasting menu, Sky Grill for al fresco favorites, complimentary continental breakfast via room service, and made-to-order picnic lunch boxes for independent on-shore excursions

Executive Chef
Krisztián Restás

Executive Chef, Krisztián Restás studied the Culinary Arts in Hungary, where he honed and contributed his epicurean talents in a variety of Hungarian and Italian kitchens. In 2002, he began searching for a new gastronomic challenge — and he found it as a Travelling Executive Chef in the exciting world of European river cruising.

After several years of working for different river cruise lines, Chef Restás joined Avalon Waterways in 2013. In support of Avalon’s culinary team, he worked first as a Travelling Chef and then as a Corporate Chef. Since then, he has been named Avalon Executive Chef, and his quarter of a century of expertise will continue the ongoing process of innovating and elevating the Avalon dining experience.

In addition to setting up galleys and crews, and establishing culinary standards, Restás diligently crafts creative daily menus for every cruise itinerary. He researches and finds each destination’s most representative recipes, and procures the freshest and highest-quality local ingredients. Then, with a support team preparing every dish to perfection, each meal on an Avalon Waterways cruise becomes an enriching and delectable introduction to the region’s culinary authenticity.

Avalon Mixologist
Martin Hudák

Born in Prešov, Slovakia, Martin Hudák began his career behind the bar early in life, and discovered a passion for cocktails, coffee—and for combining the two! He eventually moved to London, where he honed his skills at the Savoy Hotel’s iconic American Bar as senior bartender.

He has repeatedly shaken, stirred, and innovated his way into champion titles at Tales of the Cocktail, World’s 50 Best Bars, World Coffee in Good Spirits, and other international competitions, and has travelled to more than 50 countries, educating thousands of coffee and cocktail aficionados on the future of coffee cocktails.

Hudák is currently based in Sydney, Australia, where he is CEO/Founder of the hospitality industry’s Slovak Bar Show; a Global Coffee Ambassador for Mr. Black Spirits; founder of Spiritual Coffee, the Ginger Mania ginger beer microbrewery, and Sydney’s newly opened Maybe Sammy cocktail bar.

In 2019, Hudák partnered with Avalon Waterways, part of the Globus family of brands, and has crafted an outstanding collection of signature cocktails served exclusively throughout the Avalon fleet.