Universal Orlando Dining Review

Universal is foodie paradise in many ways - City Walk is especially important for this reason because it has something for everyone! Our time at Universal spanned just three days so I think it's best if I put all of our dining experiences in one post. This will be a mix of resort, City Walk, and park food but I'll present the dining experiences in that order to keep things organized.

We only enjoyed one meal at our resort (Cabana Bay) but it was pretty decent for what I would consider "food court" food. If you haven't experienced Bayliner Diner, it's a multi-counter venue with a different theme to each option. In this case, we chose the burger and sandwich counter because it was the least busy.

Chicken Strips and Fries

Baja Chicken Sandwich and Fries

I'm pretty certain the young lady behind the counter gave me too many chicken strips but she really didn't seem bothered by food service policy at the time. As you can probably tell, these meals are somewhat standard fare for a quick option and it definitely filled us up. The price isn't bad either - about $20 for both meals and two drinks. The best part about Bayliner Diner isn't the food, though; the dining area has several large screens playing clips from old tv shows and movies which totally matches the theme of Cabana Bay and emits a sense of nostalgia. 

Another important point about Cabana Bay - I previously mentioned the amazing pool drinks from Hideaway Bar & Grill in this post and I'm ecstatic to let everyone know that the souvenir cups are now provided with lids so that they can be taken in the pool or lazy river! This was a major game-changer for me because I hated spending $10 on a drink and then leaving it at the table when I wanted to swim.

There are so many dining options at City Walk that you'll probably need to take a look at the options first to decide where to go. For this trip, we decided to try two new restaurants and we weren't disappointed at all! First up, Cowfish. It may have a funny name but the food is really delicious - it's a burger/sushi fusion with a fun theme and great curb appeal. The views from the balcony are pretty great as you can see both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure from its perch. 

California Roll

Black Truffle Cheeseburger

The Cowfish Has Officially Left the Building Burger

We started our meal pretty safe with a California Roll (Patrick is the sushi master, not me) and it was better than average. I have to admit that this trip was a little unfair on the sushi side of things because nothing can live up to the standard of Disney's California Grill. Our entrees are where things got a little crazy - Patrick selected the Black Truffle Cheeseburger which is a beef patty with black truffle cheese, roasted shallots, sauteed mushrooms, and roasted garlic aioli. I ordered The Cowfish Has Officially Left the Building Burger and if you know anything about Elvis then you're probably aware that the King of Rock n Roll loved his peanut butter and bananas - which is exactly what adorned my beef patty. It was surprisingly delicious!! If you are an adventurous eater and you can take some weird toppings on your burger then you should definitely look at the Cowfish menu and consider it for your next trip!

Marshmallow Crisp Milkshake

Gimme More S'more Shake

A major theme for desserts on City Walk is the colossal milkshake - you'll see more of these in the next review (scroll down for a spoiler!) We enjoyed these huge shakes but they were a little too much for a post-meal treat.

Our other City Walk selection was the brand-new Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen (try saying that five times fast!) We were quoted an hour wait but it only took about 10 minutes to get seated on the patio. Please take this review lightly because we visited Toothsome in its first week open and I'm sure they've made improvements since our visit.

If you opt to sit outside, make sure to at least walk indoors to take a gander at the theme and decorations. I'm a fan of anything related to steampunk so this place totally tickled my funny bone. It's really awe-inspiring! I followed the construction on this restaurant really closely and I still can't believe it's finished. They made a remarkable amount of progressive in what I thought was a short amount of time.

We weren't very hungry when we sat down for a late lunch at Toothsome but we ordered an appetizer, entrees, and dessert anyway because - duh - it's Toothsome.

Kettle Chip Nachos

We started with the kettle chip nachos, which could have easily fed four or five people. We didn't finish the plate but they were a great start to our meal and the homemade chips were salty and crisp. 

Croque Monsieur

Reuben

We took the entrees easy with two selections from the sandwich menu. The Croque Monsieur is not something that can be found at your local deli so I try to order it whenever possible (ham and Gruyere cheese topped with bechamel sauce). It was so rich that I couldn't eat the whole sandwich in one sitting but it was just as good warmed up in the hotel room later that night! Patrick is a fan of the Reuben, in general, and he said that Toothsome's rendition was worthy of ordering again. It was loaded with corned beef, Swiss cheese, red cabbage, and 1000 Island dressing which is just the way he likes it.

Heavenly Hazelnut

Cinnamon Fantasy

The real draw at Toothsome is their milkshakes - in fact, they've started a major trend in Orlando with these over-the-top concoctions! I don't think it's possible to go wrong with any selection, but we settled on the Heavenly Hazelnut (think, Nutella) and Cinnamon Fantasy. Again, both shakes were too much for us to finish after such a big meal but we definitely appreciated the presentation and the souvenir mugs.

Finally - Universal park food. I've saved the best for last! The quick service options are nothing to write home about but the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has the BEST signature drink ...do I really have to tell you? Butterbeer. I would drink in a mug, on a rug, wrestle a thug, then take a chug...you get the idea. It's amazing and I will forever hold this drink sacred in my heart.

Cold (not frozen) butterbeer and butterbeer ice cream

And last, but never ever least, is Mythos. A trip to Islands of Adventure is not complete until I've had a meal at Mythos and I will probably keep that tradition the rest of my life. There is a reason it's consistently voted one of the best theme park restaurants and if you have a meal here then you'll understand what I mean! 

Spanakopita Dip with Pita Chips

Falafel Burger

Gnocchi Bolognese

We started with the Spanakopita dip with pita chips - it looks like a lot of food but we devoured it in a matter of minutes! I was truly expecting to be on-the-fence about this appetizer but it blew me away and I instantly wanted more. I think I've talked about my love of falafel enough already, but I couldn't walk away from Mythos without trying their falafel burger - O.M.G. It's ruined me for regular burgers the rest of my life! The feta-olive aioli on the side was absolutely divine and there was enough to spread on my burger as well as my fries. Patrick didn't stop talking about the Gnocchi Bolognese for days. He was truly enamored with this dish and said the flavor was out of this world! Cowfish and Toothsome were pretty great but Mythos is definitely the best dining option on Universal property. 10/10 would make myself look like a glutton all day every day again and again

So there you have it - our indulgences from Universal and its associated properties. We won't be fitting Universal into our next Orlando itinerary but I'll continue to drool over these pictures until our return (which I hope is sooner than later!) 

Halloween Festivities and Epcot's Food & Wine Festival

Welcome!

Okay so I kinda took that line from the sign, but this is exactly how we were greeted at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on our first night in Orlando. We didn't get checked into our room until 3:15pm and the party unofficially starts at 4:00pm so it was quite a rush to change into our costumes (yes! you can dress up!) and make it to Magic Kingdom at the top of the hour. I'll admit we were a little late and missed a couple of our FastPasses but we were there for our 4:40pm dinner reservation and that's what mattered most.

So here's a quick rundown: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is held on select nights in September and October (sometimes a few nights in November, as well) and it is a family-friendly event. All ages can dress up although there are restrictions on things such as realistic weapons and face masks for adults. The event has a special ticket price BUT that ticket will get you into Magic Kingdom at 4pm, which means you can probably save a day on your park tickets by using your event ticket instead (that's what we did). Daytime park attendees will be escorted out of the party at 7pm. Be prepared to get lots of candy! There are candy buckets stationed all around the park and all ages are encouraged to participate. There are also specialty snacks and souvenirs available only during the party so if you're a pin collector or a foodie then you won't want to miss this opportunity!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcake from Gaston's Tavern

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party also offers up a wonderful exclusive parade and fireworks show that rival all other parades and fireworks! And of course, there are a lot of special characters to meet during the party; Jack and Sally are always crowd favorites. Overall, we really enjoyed the party and would probably say it was one of the best nights of our trip. We will definitely be back!

Halloween decorations for the party

Spooky projections on Cinderella's Castle

The next event we attended on our trip was the much-anticipated Epcot Food & Wine Festival. This was pretty much my sole reason for planning this trip in late September (the Halloween party was an added bonus!) although I have to admit that I made a rookie mistake. While my itinerary showed two days for Epcot, I really only devoted one day to the Food & Wine Festival and it's something that has to be experienced across multiple days to gain full appreciation for it. 

The purpose of this event is to educate and appreciate global cuisine and wine. It's a very popular offering at Epcot and is almost always packed in the evenings and on the weekends. World Showcase is littered with food kiosks offering small or moderately portioned snacks for about $5 each. You can usually get a full menu in July or August from disneyfoodblog.com and you'll definitely want to give it a good look because stopping at every kiosk is probably going to hurt your tummy and your wallet. 

Our Food & Wine Festival day was really hot and muggy. We didn't really feel like stuffing ourselves full of food and drinks but we felt obligated to try a few things because it was a major focal point of our trip. Our favorite was the cheddar soup and pretzel roll from Canada; Patrick absolutely loved this dish and would have returned for seconds if we didn't have other places to go. 

I feel like I need to make another trip during Food & Wine Festival season to give it a fair shot. I made a couple of mistakes on this trip (only one dedicated day for the event, eating full meals instead of just the festival food) and I will be better prepared for all of the savory goodness next time!

Universal's Halloween Horror Nights - The Exorcist haunted house entrance

Hold on because we're about to switch gears! As you know, we finished our trip at Universal Studios and snagged a couple of tickets to the Halloween Horror Nights. This event requires separate admission from the parks and it's nothing like Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. If you like more adult-themed entertainment then this might be your scene but be prepared for the swarm of drunk people that you'll have to fight to get into the haunted houses. Oh, and there will be lines to wait. They had nine houses this year but we only completed six of them because the waits grew to 45 minutes or an hour by the end of the night. 

Scare actor for Halloween Horror Nights

Of all the special events we attended on this trip, we were the most disappointed in the money we spent on Halloween Horror Nights. Unlike Disney's Halloween Party, there wasn't any overlap in the park hours and the party hours, which means that someone's day is getting cut short - whether it's the daytime park goers or the nighttime party goers, unless you fork over the money for both a park ticket and a party ticket. Also, the general demeanor of the party crowd is pretty different. Of course the party attendees are mostly adults and many are imbibing so that probably has a lot to do with it, but there seemed to be a lot more lewd and aggressive behavior - especially in the haunted house lines - while we were there.

Entrance to Texas Chainsaw Massacre haunted house

While I won't say that you should avoid Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, I will say that I won't return to this event and I hope that my experience was just an isolated incident. And to end this review on a positive note: the haunted houses are amazingly themed and well-executed! Of course they use some of the same elements in nearly every house (smoke machine, oddly textured objects hanging from ceiling, jump scares) but it was pretty much the only reprieve from the real horror that was happening among the drunken crowds outside.