Where to eat at Universal Orlando including menus

[schumigirl]

I can only review dessert but it was a mixed bag. The menu didn’t appeal to me too much except for dessert (was so looking forward to Baked Alaska!) so we popped in and had dessert at the bar. The bartenders were fabulous, as an understatement. The Baked Alaska was a disappointment - they are still testing and adjusting the liquor they are using to torch the meringue- but the chocolate skillet cake was delightful. They had several great cocktails on offer and of course the full bar of stand-bys. The decor and theme did not come through for us - felt very typical of an establishment in anywhere USA, but it was nice nonetheless.

The service was so good I want to go back and eat at the bar. We’ll give it another chance for sure! Food all around us looked good.

View attachment 447247

The Baked Alaska was one of the few menu items that tempted us to try Big Fire.....maybe we’ll try a drink at the bar next May.



In general, we just heard too many negative reviews of the food and service to want to go spend an evening there.

 

[cschaaf]

I heard something about a new ordering process at Fast Food Blvd? In person, not app ordering. Anyone know anything about that?

Sounded like they almost reversed the process where you order and pay first, then get your food?

 

[Linkura]

I heard something about a new ordering process at Fast Food Blvd? In person, not app ordering. Anyone know anything about that?

Sounded like they almost reversed the process where you order and pay first, then get your food?

Yeah at least during Stay & Scream, they had people order and pay first, and then wait at the counters for food. Dunno if this is during normal hours too.

 

[disneyjr77]

Yeah at least during Stay & Scream, they had people order and pay first, and then wait at the counters for food. Dunno if this is during normal hours too.

Did you notice if this made the wait better or cut down on the congestion?

 

[Nanceliz319]

Hey guys! Wanted your input on your favorites for current places to eat.
CS--studios
CS--IOA
City walk for lunch or dinner.
Also good QS place for breakfast at either park.
I'm not as familiar with Universal as Disney so wanted suggestions.
Thank you!

 

[Linkura]

Did you notice if this made the wait better or cut down on the congestion?

There was no line both nights I was there and the food came quickly. There was a decent number of people sitting in there, but it was still easy to find a table. It was a Wed and Thurs though, and S&S didn't have that many people. No idea what it is like during the lunch rush.

 

[pepperandchips]

Hey guys! Wanted your input on your favorites for current places to eat.
CS--studios
CS--IOA
City walk for lunch or dinner.
Also good QS place for breakfast at either park.
I'm not as familiar with Universal as Disney so wanted suggestions.
Thank you!

We find breakfast a little challenging in the parks if you don’t want something sweet. There’s breakfast menus offered at very few places - check out this link and look for “breakfast menu” https://touringplans.com/universal-orlando/dining/menus

We tend to split a muffin or specialty treat from one of the sweets shops and then try to save our appetite for lunch.

We usually do a sit-down or leisurely fast-casual lunch at CityWalk. Margaritaville has a huge plate of nachos great for sharing, the giant menu at NBC Sports Grill & Brew has something for everyone (and good service usually), or we’ll enjoy great sandwiches at Bread Box if we’re ready to eat and maybe take a nap. They have great hot sandwiches. We also like the Red Oven Pizza Co which is fast casual but takes a while it seems... they have a nice patio though for people watching and the pies are tasty. (Everything above is at City Walk and serves lunch, not all the table services offer lunch so just make sure to check)

If you’re up for an adventure, I think the pizza is better at Sal’s at Portofino Bay resort which is a quick boat ride from City Walk. Their Italian sandwich is good too.

For dinner we like Cowfish (Burgers and sushi are unique, great drinks, awesome sweet potato fries), Vivo Italian, and if you like margaritas I recommend Antojitos- they have fabulous drinks and great (but expensive) tableside guacamole. It can be loud while there’s live music - ask for a table away from the stage if so.

Lots of great TS choices at not much more than QS prices. QS is lacking in my opinion so we usually leave the parks to eat as it’s so quick to pop out to city walk and you don’t have to do security again.

 

[pepperandchips]

The Baked Alaska was one of the few menu items that tempted us to try Big Fire.....maybe we’ll try a drink at the bar next May.



In general, we just heard too many negative reviews of the food and service to want to go spend an evening there.

I can see you and Tom getting on well with the bartenders here. Great service and some fun drink options. I’ll keep an eye on your reports for when you finally give it a whirl

 

[Linkura]

We find breakfast a little challenging in the parks if you don’t want something sweet. There’s breakfast menus offered at very few places - check out this link and look for “breakfast menu” https://touringplans.com/universal-orlando/dining/menus

We tend to split a muffin or specialty treat from one of the sweets shops and then try to save our appetite for lunch.

We usually do a sit-down or leisurely fast-casual lunch at CityWalk. Margaritaville has a huge plate of nachos great for sharing, the giant menu at NBC Sports Grill & Brew has something for everyone (and good service usually), or we’ll enjoy great sandwiches at Bread Box if we’re ready to eat and maybe take a nap. They have great hot sandwiches. We also like the Red Oven Pizza Co which is fast casual but takes a while it seems... they have a nice patio though for people watching and the pies are tasty. (Everything above is at City Walk and serves lunch, not all the table services offer lunch so just make sure to check)

If you’re up for an adventure, I think the pizza is better at Sal’s at Portofino Bay resort which is a quick boat ride from City Walk. Their Italian sandwich is good too.

For dinner we like Cowfish (Burgers and sushi are unique, great drinks, awesome sweet potato fries), Vivo Italian, and if you like margaritas I recommend Antojitos- they have fabulous drinks and great (but expensive) tableside guacamole. It can be loud while there’s live music - ask for a table away from the stage if so.

Lots of great TS choices at not much more than QS prices. QS is lacking in my opinion so we usually leave the parks to eat as it’s so quick to pop out to city walk and you don’t have to do security again.

Heh, I preferred Red Oven's pizza to Sal's, but they do take a while as you say. Both are good.

Breadbox is the best QS in all of Universal IMO. Quick, reasonable, and delicious.

I also had meals at Vivo and NBC last week and they were nothing special, but it may have been what I got due to my limited diet (potato gnocchi and blackened chicken pesto pasta).

This time I also went to Mel's and Fast Food Blvd in the parks and enjoyed both. At Mel's I got the Beyond Burger and fries and liked it. The Beyond Burger tasted like a standard fast food burger, so not amazing, but good enough (possibly better than the regular burgers at Mel's though I've never had them). I love Mel's fries. I had the chicken tenders there last trip and liked them a lot. At Fast Food Blvd, I got the Fried Chicken. The chicken was decent enough, but I really liked my sides of corn (freshly cooked) and a fruit cup (also fresh, substituted for mashed potatoes). If you want really good chicken, try Jake's at RPR for dinner.

Last trip I ate at Three Broomsticks and got the roasted chicken with corn and potatoes. Again the chicken was ok, but liked the corn and potatoes more.

Last trip I got the orangesicle donut from Voodoo and liked that- just like a frozen orangesicle pop. This trip, I got the vampire donut and didn't like it much at all. The filling tasted like nothing to me.

 

[schumigirl]

I can see you and Tom getting on well with the bartenders here. Great service and some fun drink options. I’ll keep an eye on your reports for when you finally give it a whirl

Yep, we`ll definitely go to the bar on our May trip next year....thanks for the idea...….and hope the Baked Alaska is perfect then!!

 

[Axe]

The crab rangoon at Cowfish in phenominal.



Also, if you stop in at Mythos, this is probably the best cocktail I've had, regardless of location

 

[Linkura]

Forgot to mention that the plain cheesecake at Croissant Moon Bakery in IOA was as delicious as posted.

 

[cschaaf]

Hey guys! Wanted your input on your favorites for current places to eat.
CS--studios
CS--IOA
City walk for lunch or dinner.
Also good QS place for breakfast at either park.
I'm not as familiar with Universal as Disney so wanted suggestions.
Thank you!

Breakfast is the toughest meal at Universal. We like to do Early Entry, and there is almost nothing open at that time. We've tried both HP restaurants and weren't impressed - and they were pretty expensive. I think we're probably going to stick to Voodoo Donuts for something quick.

We don't find ourselves eating in the parks a ton.

Universal Studios QS, we like Fastfood Blvd (Cletus' and Dutchman are my personal favorites) and Louie's is okay. We haven't tried Today Cafe yet, but probably will on our next trip.

IOA QS Doc Sugrus is okay. I don't think we've had any other QS in IOA. We really like a bunch of CityWalk places, so we usually go there for lunch and dinner.

For lunch or dinner, we love Red Oven. We've never felt it was slow. It's not as fast as something like Blaze Pizza, but even when it's been crowded, we didn't feel we waited very long. It's about the most value for your dollar, too. We usually hit this place multiple times per trip.

Bread Box is a pretty good lunch spot, too.

For dinners, if we aren't at Red Oven, Cowfish and Vivo are two favorites.

 

[Suprachica79]

Hey guys! Wanted your input on your favorites for current places to eat.
CS--studios
CS--IOA
City walk for lunch or dinner.
Also good QS place for breakfast at either park.
I'm not as familiar with Universal as Disney so wanted suggestions.
Thank you!

Breakfast is tough as others have said. Cinnabon, Starbucks and voodoo donuts in city walk. If you have the time and want a good full breakfast, you can take the boats to any of the on site hotels and have a buffet breakfast at one of their restaurants. We’ve had the buffet at The Kitchen (HRH) and Trattoria del Porto (PBH) and bother we’re pretty good.

QS USF - Leaky Cauldron is great for the atmosphere and food is very good. I’ve heard monsters cafe has gotten a lot better with the new menu; haven’t had myself so can’t confirm. Today cafe has really good healthy options.

QS IOA - Thunder Falls has very good barbecue plates, good portions. Three Broomsticks in Harry Potter has much the same food but is way more crowded.

Citywalk - love Breadbox for lunch. Their hot sandwiches are awesome. Red Oven pizza is delish but will agree it takes a while. For a nice sit down dinner, you cannot beat Vivo. I have heard mixed reviews from other people, but my wife and I have gone their each of the last 3 trips and literally every item we have ordered has been incredible. Their lasagna is out of this world, and the squid ink pasta is amazing. Antojito’s is excellent for Mexican food, and we also enjoy NBC Sports Grill for the variety and everything seems to be done well there.

 

[patster734]

The crab rangoon at Cowfish in phenominal.

View attachment 449142

Also, if you stop in at Mythos, this is probably the best cocktail I've had, regardless of location

View attachment 449143

Potion of the Gods is one of the reasons why Mythos is a must do every trip.

 

[Nanceliz319]

wow, I didn't really think about city walk places for lunch. the time saved with express pass, we could do that. Sounds like some of the places are just about as fast with service. Thank you guys for your input!!!

 

[Linkura]

Bread Box is great for dinner too, guys... and never had to wait in much of a line.

 

[CJK]

I dream about Bread Box between trips!

 

[Artygal90]

I'm going for a whirlwind weekend trip in two weeks and will be trying to keep the food budget very very small. Anyone have input on the most filling counter service meals/snacks you can get for about $10-$12 at the parks? So far on my list I have the jacket potatoes from the London taxi stand and the tacos from the truck in the Simpsons area. Any other suggestions?

 

[Linkura]

I'm going for a whirlwind weekend trip in two weeks and will be trying to keep the food budget very very small. Anyone have input on the most filling counter service meals/snacks you can get for about $10-$12 at the parks? So far on my list I have the jacket potatoes from the London taxi stand and the tacos from the truck in the Simpsons area. Any other suggestions?

Breadbox at CityWalk. It's not far from the entrance to USF so you can easily go in/out.