Where to eat at Universal Orlando including menus...UPDATED REGULARLY

I booked a few dining reservations through their site… I think zomato… and was wondering if there’s any penalty if we have to cancel one of them last minute/day before. I know Disney has penalties but didn’t know if Universal also did.
 
No, no penalties. But it is polite to cancel once you know you aren't going. Most of the Universal ones ask you to confirm on the morning of your reservation.
Thank you! I don’t plan on cancelling any at this point but trying to learn so much about Universal and getting my ducks in a row.
 


Has anyone used the full service dining plan at toothsome or big fire recently? I’m getting conflicting information. If i call universal they say it’s still accepted, but it is no longer listed in the document, and when you go to the website, it’s not listed either. However if you filter the search by “dining plan” it still shows up. We have reservations this week at both big fire and toothsome
 
Today, we ate at Bend the Bao and we were the only ones there at lunch time. The other upstairs City Walk places were empty.

For dinner, we went to NBC grill. We had a reservation, but we got there 45 minutes before the proper time. We were there at 5:30. The downstairs was mostly full but we were seated right away. The upstairs area wasn't open.

Other than that, every other food line we saw was long.
 


Today, we ate at Bend the Bao and we were the only ones there at lunch time. The other upstairs City Walk places were empty.

For dinner, we went to NBC grill. We had a reservation, but we got there 45 minutes before the proper time. We were there at 5:30. The downstairs was mostly full but we were seated right away. The upstairs area wasn't open.

Other than that, every other food line we saw was long.

How was the food in the Bao place?
 
How was the food in the Bao place?
It was pretty good. Nothing spectacular.

My wife got 2 of the chicken and I got one chicken and one brisket. The beef was a little dry and I liked the chicken more.

We both agreed we’d go back for the food if we were in the mood for something small. The non-existent wait may have played into that somewhat ;)
 
Today, we ate at Bend the Bao and we were the only ones there at lunch time. The other upstairs City Walk places were empty.

For dinner, we went to NBC grill. We had a reservation, but we got there 45 minutes before the proper time. We were there at 5:30. The downstairs was mostly full but we were seated right away. The upstairs area wasn't open.

Other than that, every other food line we saw was long.

I'm happy to hear that about Bend the Bao, it's on our list of places to try.

We have a reservation for Cowfish and one for Toothsome's, and that's all so far. It just seems so bizarre to have to make dining reservations for Universal and while I'm used to it as Disney, my brain is struggling when it comes to Universal.
 
So for a UO first timer, what are the recommended unique dining experience? Toothsome is the only one I found so far, and Bend the Bao sounds interesting too.
 
So for a UO first timer, what are the recommended unique dining experience? Toothsome is the only one I found so far, and Bend the Bao sounds interesting too.
We were at UO for the first time last week. At least for us, I would say Mythos in IoA was a unique experience due to atmosphere. It was really cool inside; kind of cavernous. Food was good and fresh too with a nice varied selection.
 
I would agree with both Toothsome and Mythos and would also add Cowfish. I haven't seen other places where you could order a Burgushi (Burger Sushi). While it is different, the food is actually very good. And for the atmosphere, if you are an HP fan, I'd recommend trying the restaurants in both HP sections, the Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks .
 
Although not unique, I like having lunch or dinner at Margaritaville’s Porch of Indecision because of the laidback atmosphere. It’s very relaxing, and I don’t have fully covered, outdoor seating restaurants where I live.
 
So for a UO first timer, what are the recommended unique dining experience? Toothsome is the only one I found so far, and Bend the Bao sounds interesting too.

I'd also say Toothsome, Cowfish, and Mythos for unique dining (food + atmosphere). And of course Harry Potter, though the atmosphere is more unique than the food itself.

Confisco Grille isn't really as unique per se, but I do think it's underrated and is a good backup in case you can't get into one of the above options.
 
For Mid-October, which sit-down dining would require a reservation given all the craziness of this year? Maybe Cowfish? After planning WDW portion, UO seems like a breeze....
 
For Mid-October, which sit-down dining would require a reservation given all the craziness of this year? Maybe Cowfish? After planning WDW portion, UO seems like a breeze....

Every Citywalk sit-down restaurant will probably require a reservation for dinner, but not for lunch. The exception would be Toothsome’s which would require a reservation for lunch and dinner. In May, we saw plenty of people turned away without a reservation at several of the restaurants, and I haven’t heard that things have changed since then.

For the parks, I strongly encourage lunch and dinner reservations for the sit-down restaurants. Mythos and Finnegan’s are always in high demand.

As for the resort restaurants, those typically don’t require a reservation for lunch or dinner, except possibly for the fancy restaurants: Palms at HRH, Bice and Mama Della’s at PBH.
 
So as a solo traveler I usually eat at the bar in the restaurants that have one and there is usually plenty of room - is that still the case or is that busy as well
 
So as a solo traveler I usually eat at the bar in the restaurants that have one and there is usually plenty of room - is that still the case or is that busy as well

My cousins ate at the bar end of July in Big Fire with no reservation, they never mentioned a wait to me, and that was in the evening around 7pm.
 

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