What's your must-do sitdown restaurant at Universal?

[Angeliki19]

Hi! Planning our first trip and starting to look at dining. We do plan to eat at the Three Broomsticks and the Leaky Cauldron for lunch and dinner, but I would like to have one sit-down meal. I guess I am looking for cool dining experiences that are different from what we can get at home. We have kids 6 and 8, and I am not so much worried about cuisine but more ambiance, theme, etc.

My first thought was Toothsome.. it seems pretty cool as far as theme and the kids would love the milkshakes. It doesn't take reservations though.. would you expect a long wait on a weeknight during a non-busy time of year?

I know Cowfish is supposed to be really good, but not sure if the theme is interesting enough.

Also I am thinking about Mythos... Pete Werner seems to HATE it, but lots seem to love it, so I am confused, ha. Why is it so polarizing? Would this be a better option than going over to CityWalk?

Thanks!!!

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I liked Mythos. Google the restaurant to get an idea of the decor. It is really well themed, and our food was excellent.

We love Cowfish, but it is for the fun food combinations (sushi and a little burger on the same plate!) rather than the decor.

Toothsome opened right after my last trip, but it looks like fun! I would definitely check it out. Universal closes earlier than Disney, so you may have some evening time that you could spend.

Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron are my must-dos! We eat almost every in-park meal at one of these two since we're huge Harry Potter nerds.

 

[Captainkidd76]

Bubba Gump. Mythos is very good too.

 

[bchbetha]

I have no idea who Pete Warner is. Mythos was fine. The setting is better than the food but the food was good. I liked the food at Cowfish better but Mythos was an easy lunch spot. I made reservations ahead of time.

 

[schumigirl]

I have no idea who Pete Warner is. Mythos was fine. The setting is better than the food but the food was good. I liked the food at Cowfish better but Mythos was an easy lunch spot. I made reservations ahead of time.

Pete Werner is the man who owns this site. I don`t know a lot about him to be honest, but assume he must have said at some point he doesn't enjoy Mythos.


Mythos for us is a must do as is Confisco Grill....both in IOA.

Studios we eat more counter service as I don't like Finnegans, and Lombards is a hit and a miss. Louie`s pizza is excellent and Beverly Hills Boulangerie is good too, but both counter service.

Citywalk for us NBC and Cowfish are the best they have to offer right now. We dislike Bubba Gumps intensely and Margaritaville for us has gone downhill over the years....except for burgers, nachos and cocktails at the bar!!! Toothsome we find overrated.

Hard Rock is good but far too loud for us......we`re getting old........

Have a look at the meus in the sticky to see what your family like........and check closing time for the parks.....restaurants tend to fill up quickly around that time.....

 

[klo1335]

We really liked 3 Broomsticks over the Leaky Cauldron. My kids are 10 & 7 and preferred the food at 3B. My kids also really liked the Simpson's Food Court. Although they didn't really ever watch the show, the theme is great and they loved the big pink donut and the Flaming Moe drink (Shirley temple with dry ice in a separate bottom so it smokes). As for reservations, we only reserved The Kitchen for Thanksgiving dinner. It was good but pricey. My kids will be "adult" age for meal prices when we go back next year so we are looking at doing Mythos for dinner since I've heard good things about it. We wanted to do Toothsome but you can't make reservations and I've heard more negative reviews then positive.

The beauty about Universal is the flexibility and your plans don't have to be set in stone months in advanced.

 

[glocon]

We love Mythis!
It’s a must do for us.
But check the menu online ( I love the risotto of the day usually) and see if it is something your family would like. The themeing is nice, and the restaurant is convenient.

 

[rstamm]

Bubba Gumps is our favorite

 

[nighttowll]

3 Broomsticks - food and atmosphere, favorite of all, the feast is a great deal, also like the fish and the Cornish pasties

Mythos - atmosphere over food, enjoy food, but it’s too exotic for the picky eaters in our family, so it’s usually a grownup trip only place for us

Bubba Gump - food and atmosphere, kids favorite must do place, they like the quiz, and the licenses plate signs, and even the picky eaters always find something, and we always have to get shirts in the gift shop, there’s something about the feel of the material they use for most of their clothes that everyone in the family really likes

Cowfish - food and games, they have cornhole set up and an interactive touch screen wall, something to do with fish, not as themed, but fun

Toothsome - desserts and character interaction, don’t care for the regular food very much, tried it a few times, and wasn’t overly impressed

I’ve never needed reservations for any restaurant at Universal, even when we have a large group. I don’t think we’ve ever waited longer than 15 minutes to be seated. Maybe Toothsome because it is so new and popular. It does get waits at crowded times, but we’ve had luck with walk ups when it opens at lunch.

 

[Squirlz]

We like Toothsome. We go when they're not busy but service is always kind of slow anyway.

Didn't Mythos used to close unusually early? We walked by one evening last month and I was surprised to see it was open.

 

[mforce1]

Vivo Italian Kitchen...Gone there three different times and the food has been exceptional every time!

 

[Owlpost23]

Pete Werner is the man who owns this site. I don`t know a lot about him to be honest, but assume he must have said at some point he doesn't enjoy Mythos.


Mythos for us is a must do as is Confisco Grill....both in IOA.

Studios we eat more counter service as I don't like Finnegans, and Lombards is a hit and a miss. Louie`s pizza is excellent and Beverly Hills Boulangerie is good too, but both counter service.

Citywalk for us NBC and Cowfish are the best they have to offer right now. We dislike Bubba Gumps intensely and Margaritaville for us has gone downhill over the years....except for burgers, nachos and cocktails at the bar!!! Toothsome we find overrated.

Hard Rock is good but far too loud for us......we`re getting old........

Have a look at the meus in the sticky to see what your family like........and check closing time for the parks.....restaurants tend to fill up quickly around that time.....

 

[Owlpost23]

Listen to Schumigirl! She and her husband go every year for almost 3 weeks at a time.She knows.

 

[Alicefan]

We really liked 3 Broomsticks over the Leaky Cauldron. My kids are 10 & 7 and preferred the food at 3B. My kids also really liked the Simpson's Food Court. Although they didn't really ever watch the show, the theme is great and they loved the big pink donut and the Flaming Moe drink (Shirley temple with dry ice in a separate bottom so it smokes). As for reservations, we only reserved The Kitchen for Thanksgiving dinner. It was good but pricey. My kids will be "adult" age for meal prices when we go back next year so we are looking at doing Mythos for dinner since I've heard good things about it. We wanted to do Toothsome but you can't make reservations and I've heard more negative reviews then positive.

The beauty about Universal is the flexibility and your plans don't have to be set in stone months in advanced.

I'm with you on 3 Broomsticks over Leaky Cauldron. I've eaten at both several times and 3 broomsticks wins on options AND taste alike. It seems like all of the meals I've had at LC have been on the bad side and I end up wishing I didn't get in such a hurry for lunch. I love Finnegans for price as well as menu. I'm always impressed that they don't seem to follow typical theme park prices and is more in the range of what you would find at a TGI Fridays with nice size portions to boot! We ate at Mythos in December and it was good as well with atmosphere beating out flavor but still worth doing.

 

[Captainkidd76]

Red Oven Pizza is fantastic as well, and priced really well. Margaritaville can be a fun atmosphere, but the food is nothing special. Hard Rock is a must for us because we're fans of the brand and love the atmosphere. My kids love the atmosphere at Bubba's. I love the atmosphere and food. We've never had a bad meal (or service) at Mythos. Toothsome has a great atmosphere. Food was decent, but pricey. Wasn't impressed with NBC Grill at all. Islands Dining Room at Royal Pacific has the best breakfast buffet we've had in Orlando. The Palm at HRH is excellent but very expensive.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

Vivo Italian Kitchen was by far our favourite restaurant. Can't wait to go back. We also enjoyed eating out by the pool at RPR. Really good fish taco's and burgers.

 

[macraven]

I have been to about all the eateries in the parks, hotels and city walk

Read the menus as they do change, and decide if there are places for all in your group to find choices they would eat

Chain restaurants such as Hard Rock Cafe and bubba gump are entertaining
Besides their food, the ambiance is entertaining

 

[bobbie68]

Hi I also enjoy Toothsome and Bubba Gump. I went last summer and we went to Bubba Gump during the week about 6:00 and there was about a 15 minute wait.
When we went to Toothsome same trip we went there twice. We went once during the week for lunch about 12:00 and it was starting to pick up. The other time we went for dinner about 5:00 and we only had about 20 minute wait.
We enjoyed both very much! Glad you are doing the HP restaurants we enjoy them both.
Enjoy!

 

[schumigirl]

I have been to about all the eateries in the parks, hotels and city walk

Read the menus as they do change, and decide if there are places for all in your group to find choices they would eat

Chain restaurants such as Hard Rock Cafe and bubba gump are entertaining
Besides their food, the ambiance is entertaining

That`s the key isn't it........reading the up to date menu`s and seeing what suits you.....opinions vary so much........

I do like the food at the HRC but it`s so loud!!!! Or I`m just too old........I`ll go with the loud.......

 

[schumigirl]

Listen to Schumigirl! She and her husband go every year for almost 3 weeks at a time.She knows.

lol.......that made me smile.......thanks.........