Local. Healthy. Avalon Fresh®
Who says healthy food can’t be inspiring? On an Avalon river cruise, you can take an indulgent vacation without drifting from your healthy habits. Our Avalon Fresh selections are exclusively created in collaboration with Austrian brothers Leo and Karl Wrenkh, leading chefs in the healthy-dining movement. Using the freshest ingredients from local farms and suppliers, our chefs create flavorful dishes with a dash of innovation. These creative yet wholesome options are available at every meal we serve on board. Whether you’re looking for an energizing juice at breakfast, an artfully crafted salad at lunch, or a satisfying plate at dinner, Avalon Fresh steps up to the plate with the perfect ingredients to fuel your day.
The Dining Options You Crave
À la carte, four-course dinners, Continental breakfasts, al fresco lunch at the Sky Grill, 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.
The Libations You'll Love
Linger over signature cocktails and standard concoctions with a twist. Toast your adventures with the original Espresso Martini or Easy Stinger — just two of our craft cocktails designed by Avalon’s award-winning mixologist, Martin Hudák. Raise your glass and lift your spirits with your choice of remarkable refreshments in our Panorama Lounge.
Incredible Dining Choices
- Welcome & farewell cocktails with sparkling wine & canapés
- Daily choices of regional recipes, familiar favorites, and Avalon Fresh 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
- 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
- Avalon 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
Meal Schedule
- Early-Riser Coffee, 6 a.m.
Start your day right with coffee, hot water, croissants, cookies, and assorted finger foods.
- A la carte Breakfast, 7 a.m. – 9 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.
- A 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.
Executive Chef Krisztian Restas
Krisztián Restás
Executive Chef
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 traveling 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 traveling 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 Hudak
Martin Hudák
Mixologist
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 traveled 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.