Are the restaurants in Sharm el-Sheikh worth visiting? Reviews of Japanese and Italian restaurants

The Arabic restaurant at Riviera has an unfamiliar menu, but the dishes were rated very highly even when ordered without much guidance. The baklava with ice cream was a particular highlight.

For repeat (paid) visits to the à la carte restaurants, the menu is accessed via QR code showing per-dish prices. One guest reported dinner for two cost around $50 — reasonable if you choose wisely, and the food was tasty.

At one hotel's Italian à la carte restaurant 'Lemon', the salmon in sauce and medium-rare beef (staff ask about doneness) got positive reviews.

Specialty à la carte restaurants (including Italian and Japanese) can be visited once for free per stay; repeat visits are paid. Access to all 5 restaurants requires a 6+ day package; shorter stays only unlock 3 of them.

The Japanese restaurant has a limited menu and decent but unremarkable food overall. The standout dish is the fried ice cream — it's genuinely impressive and worth ordering.

At the Italian restaurant, expect to wait even with a reservation. Seafood pasta was disappointing, but ravioli and beef dishes were tasty. Minestrone soup was served without the breadsticks listed on the menu.

Soft-serve ice cream from machines at the hotel restaurant (vanilla, chocolate, mix) is mediocre. Local store-bought ice cream is also underwhelming. The best option is a Mövenpick scoop for $4, available on excursions — it's the real deal.