Ask a Carnival Cruise Line fan about their favorite complimentary dining options across the cruise line’s fleet and you’ll likely hear the same answer over and over again: Guy’s Burger Joint.
Created with the help of Food Network superstar Guy Fieri, Guy’s Burger Joint has become almost synonymous with Carnival Cruise Line, but is this offering from the Mayor of Flavor Town worth the hype?
If you have an upcoming Carnival cruise and have never tried this eatery, here’s everything you need to know and what to expect.
In This Article:
What is Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival Cruise Line?
Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival Cruise Line is a complimentary, casual restaurant found aboard all of the cruise line’s ships, serving a handful of burgers and similarly casual fare.
While today, Guy’s Burger Joint may feel like it’s always been a part of Carnival Cruise Line, the restaurant actually got its start in 2011, when the cruise line announced that it would be adding the restaurant in collaboration with Guy Fieri to Carnival Liberty. Then, the restaurant would likewise be added to other ships, as they received renovations as part of the Fun Ship 2.0 initiative.
When it first debuted, Guy’s Burger Joint was intended to offer a handful of burger options, plus fresh-cut fries and recipes created exclusively for Carnival by Guy Fieri, according to Carnival Cruise Line’s original 2011 announcement.
The idea, though, was not to create just any burger joint. Beyond the burgers themselves, the restaurant would offer special condiments at two self-serve condiment and topping stations, and each station would offer suggested combinations crafted by Fieri.
While this concept has more or less remained the same since the restaurant’s inception, there have been some slight changes in recent years. Still, Guy’s Burger Joint remains a favorite across Carnival Cruise Line, with traveling fans planning entire cruises around being able to go to the restaurant.
The Guy’s Burger Joint Menu
So what’s on the menu?
Similar to what you’ll find at many cruise ship complimentary restaurants, the menu is fairly straightforward and simple, with five burgers and hand-cut fries topped with Guy’s Signature Seasoning. But these are not your average burgers. In fact, they’ve been called some of the best burgers at sea.
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The Plain Jane burger can be ordered with or without “super melty cheese” (or “SMC”). The Plain Jane burger is a simple 80/20 ground chuck patty on a grilled roll. From there, you can take the plain burger to one of the topping and condiment stations and customize it to your liking.
Then, there’s the Straight Up burger, which is topped with super melty cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle, plus donkey sauce, which is Guy Fieri’s “secret sauce.” (The donkey sauce isn’t anything out of this world, though. Fieri has told reporters what it is in the past, saying it’s just a blend of mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.)
The Ringer burger is a Straight Up burger but with a twist. It also includes a rojo ring (aka a crispy onion ring) and Guy’s bourbon and brown sugar-based barbecue sauce.
Then, there’s the Pig Patty burger, which is also a version of the Straight Up burger, but the change here is that the patty isn’t that 80/20 ground chuck that you’ll see on the other burgers. Instead, the patty is made out of crispy bacon.
Lastly, there’s the Chilius Maximus, which is the Straight Up burger, but without the lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle, and with the addition of an onion ring and chili.
So, all in all, this menu is pretty basic, but the further dining experience really helps cement the restaurant as a crowd favorite.
The Guy’s Burger Joint Experience
What all can you expect at this Carnival restaurant, in terms of experience?
The Decor
Long-time fans of Guy Fieri and his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives will automatically feel right at home when they step inside a Guy’s Burger Joint. Words and phrases that come to mind to describe the vibe include “roadside eatery,” “road trip restaurant” and “California cool.”
The walls are covered in surfboards, car bumpers, car grilles, car hoods, license plates, road signs and chrome. The staff wear uniforms reminiscent of mechanic uniforms. Televisions play clips of Guy Fieri.
The Service
You can expect counter service at this restaurant, similar to a fast-food restaurant, but with better, faster service. While you may encounter a line at the restaurant, you usually don’t have to wait too long in line, to get your food (10 minutes tops).
Topping and Condiment Bars
In addition to the service counter and seating area (in many Guy’s Burger Joints, the seating area offers ocean views), the restaurants also feature two topping and condiment bars.
Originally, these bars offered chipotle mayo, barbecue sauce, garlic aioli, ketchup, multiple kinds of hot sauces, garlic and herb seasoning, sea salt, hot chili seasoning, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato, raw onion, pickles, bacon and more.
However, in the past few years, cruisers have reported that Guy’s Burger Joint has really scaled back the number of toppings and condiments offered. For example, you might not be able to find sauteed mushrooms or bacon on the topping bar on your particular cruise.
This hasn’t been the only change in recent years, either; some cruisers have reported that the restaurant’s fries just aren’t what they used to be, citing supply chain issues. Others say the burger patties have declined in quality as well.
Specialty Diets
Following a specialty diet and want to know if you can eat at Guy’s Burger Joint?
For those with gluten sensitivities, they’ll be glad to know that the restaurant does offer a gluten-free bun, and that past cruisers have reported that the restaurant uses a separate fryer to cook its fries, meaning that the fries are gluten-free as well.
You can also get a veggie burger at Guy’s Burger Joint, but you must make a special request. It’s not on the regular menu. If you don’t want to wait for the staff to cook you up a regular onboard (Non-Guiy Fieri) veggie burger, you can let Carnival Cruise Line know ahead of time that you plan on eating at Guy’s Burger Joint during your cruise, and when, and they’ll stock the burger for you.
Special Menu Items
Beyond the typical menu items offered at Guy’s Burger Joint, fleet-wide, you can also sometimes find special menu items on select ships or itineraries. For example, restaurant outposts on Carnival Cruise Line’s Italian-style ships (Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze) offer some Italian-style burgers that feature pizza toppings like pepperoni and mozzarella.
Additionally, occasionally Guy’s Burger Joint will offer limited-time special menu items, like in 2022, when the restaurant offered a Funderstruck Nacho Burger topped with nacho seasoning, beans, tortilla strips, fried jalapenos and pico de gallo.
Opening Hours
While the restaurant’s opening hours may differ according to your particular cruise ship, itinerary and the day, most often, the restaurant is open to serve lunch and early dinner from noon to 6 p.m. However, check the Carnival HUB app for up-to-date information.
Guy’s Burger Joint Breakfast
Guy’s Burger Joint restaurants on some Carnival cruise ships now also serve breakfast. While this isn’t the case across every single ship with the restaurant, many cruisers report that breakfast at Guy’s Burger Joint can consistently be found on the newer Carnival Cruise Line ship, Mardi Gras.
So, what kind of breakfast goodies does Guy Fieri offer?
The menu includes several breakfast sandwich options, and all breakfast options come with home fries. The Plain Joe sandwich features that 80/20 ground chuck beef patty, two fried eggs, super melty cheese, cheddar cheese and maple-infused donkey sauce on a toasted bun.
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The All American is similar, but with the additions of bacon, tomato and a hash brown patty. The Prime Time Turkey sandwich features a turkey breakfast sausage patty, maple gravy, provolone cheese, bacon, a hash brown patty and maple donkey sauce, all on a French toast bun.
Lastly, the Good Morning Morgan is a veggie-friendly breakfast sandwich that features a patty made from a roasted veggie frittata and topped with tomato, hash browns and maple donkey sauce, on a toasted bun.
Which Carnival Ships Have Guy’s Burger Joint?
Guy’s Burger Joint can be found on Carnival Breeze, Carnival Celebration, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Dream, Carnival Elation, Carnival Firenze, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Glory, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Legend, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Magic, Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Pride, Carnival Radiance, Carnival Spirit, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Valor, Carnival Venezia and Carnival Vista.
You can often find Guy’s Burger Joint on the ships’ Lido decks, mid-ship, near the pool, as well as often near the RedFrog Rum bar and the buffet.
This all makes for a very convenient location if you just want a quick, casual bite after a morning spent swimming in the pool, and you don’t want to walk very far and you’d like to get back to swimming as quickly as possible, or if you want to grab lunch and then a drink.
You don’t have to eat your food in the restaurant, either. You can also take it to your sun lounger at the pool, or to the buffet, if others in your party are eating there.
Does Guy’s Burger Joint Deliver?
While Guy’s Burger Joint might not deliver to your cruise cabin or suite, for a limited time, Guy’s Burger Joint did deliver to your doorstep! In 2021, Carnival Cruise Line ran a promotion, offering the restaurant’s Straight Up burger through Uber Eats, Postmates, DoorDash, Grubhub, Bite Squad and Waitr, for a limited tie.
The cruise line said that this offering was in response to the pandemic-related pause in cruising, and how so many Guy’s Burger Joint fans were left craving what had quickly become the most beloved burger at sea.
At the time, Carnival Cruise Line claimed that Guy’s Burger Joint could serve upward of a thousand burgers per day, or 8 million burgers per year across the fleet. As of 2023, that number has increased to more than 10 million burgers per year.
