Best Food in Universal Studios

No matter what vacation I am on, I always look forward to finding good food!  Universal Studios was no exception!  We tried foods from both quick service kiosks and sit-down restaurants and found great options at both.

Dining Reservations

About a month before we left for Universal, I booked dining reservations for our family.  It’s not always easy or fast to get seated when you’re a family of five so I went ahead and planned out our dinners in advance.  The last thing I wanted was hangry kids (or to be a hangry momma)!

You can book reservations for restaurants at CityWalk and in each of the parks.  One thing to consider is that if you are not planning to have a “Park to Park” pass, you’ll need to make sure your reservations inside the park are on the day you’ll be there—otherwise, you’ll miss your reservation!

Pick a Ticket before Booking Dining

Universal offers a “base” park ticket that will allow you in to EITHER Universal Studios OR Islands of Adventure OR Volcano Bay.  If you have that ticket, you can only enter ONE of those parks for the day, which is why you need to figure out what pass you’re purchasing before making dining reservations in any restaurants inside of the park. And if riding the Hogwart’s Express Train is on your list of must-dos, then you’ll need to purchase a “Park to Park” ticket. 

If you want to go to MULTIPLE PARKS in ONE DAY, you’ll need to get the “park to park” pass.  Purchasing a “2 PARK – Park to Park ticket,” allows you to get into both Universal Studios AND Islands of Adventure in the same day, which also means you can ride Hogwart’s Express.  If you plan to head to Universal’s waterpark (Volcano Bay), in the same day, you’ll need to get the “3 PARK – Park to Park Ticket.”  If you’re planning your trip, check out this post for more tips! If you’re an annual passholder, like us, then you’ll already have access to both parks (potentially all of them, depending on your pass type).

Sit-Down Restaurants

We booked the following sit-down restaurants:

Mythos Restaurant (Islands of Adventure)

Out of all the restaurants we ate at, Mythos was our favorite!  I had the Knife, Fork and Spoon Grilled Cheese, my husband had the Pad Thai and our kids had a Mythos Burger and shared a Cheese Pizza.  My husband and I also shared the Mythos Potion of the Gods, which was good (as long as you like sweet)!  Rum Punch is probably my favorite mixed drink and this had a similar flavor. Out of all the restaurants we had on our trip, this was our favorite!

We actually just took another quick trip to Universal and ended up eating at Mythos again. This time we just ordered the Spanakopita Dip and the Shrimp Sushi Katsu Roll–both were fantastic!

The Cowfish (CityWalk)

My husband and kids all love sushi, but I don’t share that same love.  Cowfish brings burgers and sushi together. Thankfully, they have other options too!  I went with the Cucumber Ranch Chicken Sandwich and my husband had the Prime-Time Filet & Lobster Roll.  The kids ordered the PB&J Sushi Roll and the Cowfish Mini Burgers and they also all shared a Tempura Roll.  The kid’s meals are like a bento box and are super-cute!  Everyone enjoyed their meals plus it’s a really cool atmosphere!

Finnegan’s (Universal Studios)

We just stopped at Finnegan’s for a light lunch so I had the Celtic Chicken Club Salad.  It was really good though!  Plus I really wanted to try the Potato and Onion Webb and this came with it 😊  My husband got the Reuben, which was good, but not the best he’s had.  The kids ended up with chicken fingers.  I’d definitely like to come back to try some of their other offerings!

Toothsome Chocolate Emporium (CityWalk)

We ate here a few years ago and had really good food so we came back on this trip too.  Their Warm Chocolate Almond Bread with salted caramel butter is delicious and a “must try” when you’re there!  We got an order of the Totchos (tater tot nachos), which everyone gobbled up. 

I ordered the Toothsome Signature Beef Filet Mignon, which I’ve had before.  To be honest, I was not impressed with this at all this time.  When I eat filet, I expect for it to be super tender and this was not.  It was tough and I had to use a knife to cut it.  The flavor was good, but it was not worth the price of filet.  My husband got the Cocoa Pork Tenderloin and also wasn’t impressed.  It sounded good, but it had a little too much chocolate flavor for him.  The kids ended up with Chicken Fingers and Marinara Garganelli and they were happy.

I don’t think Toothsome will be on our dinner list again in the near future, but they do have great desserts!  My son got a “That’s Mint” shake, while my husband and other two kids drooled over all the flavors of macarons they ordered!  If you want variety for dessert, add Toothsome to your list!

One thing to note about their shakes, is that they are all topped with a dessert. In my son’s case, it had a huge mint Oreo ice cream sandwich. If you prefer a different dessert topping, you can switch it to a different one!

Margaritaville (CityWalk)

We typically try to eat at non-chain restaurants when we’re on vacation, but we decided to get dinner at Margaritaville. I just had the Key West Quesadilla appetizer and my husband went with Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jambalaya. Both were really good! We also shared a Watermelon Margarita. I wasn’t a huge fan of the drink, but I am more of a rum girl so Margaritas aren’t typically my choice. My husband thought it sounded good though so he ordered it.

Plus, we got to enjoy some good live music while we were there too.

Trattoria del Porto (Portofino Bay Hotel)

We had a quick meal at Trattoria del Porto and were very happy with what we got! I ordered the Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta and my husband ordered the Turkey Club. I wasn’t super-hungry so the bruschetta, along with a few bites of my husband’s sandwich was enough for me. Although the bruschetta was delicious, it only has 3 slices so it’s not really a shareable appetizer. The turkey club has a lemon aioli, which has just a hint of lemon, but was so good!

We also ordered the warm chocolate molten cake, which was really good. It’s served with vanilla gelato–I think we’re going to need to come back to just get more of that gelato!

Quick-Service Dining

We also had food from a variety of Quick Service places too.  Here were some of our favorites:

Central Park Crepes (Universal Studios)

We had the Strawberry Hazelnut, Cookies & Cream as well as the Smoked Brisket.  They were all so good, but the Smoked Brisket and Strawberry and Hazelnut were our favorites!  I still want to try the lemon blueberry because that’s the one that sounds like it’s right up my alley!

Butterbeer (Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure)

Can you really say you’ve been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter if you don’t get a Butterbeer?  There are three ways to have your butterbeer—hot, cold or frozen.  We prefer the cold Butterbeer.  It’s like a cream soda with a milky froth at the top and is delicious!  At around $7 a pop, the cost adds up! You can find this in both parks at several locations.

Chas Alcatraz (Universal Studios)

We stopped at this bar for the Ocean Attack. It can be made either with or without alcohol, but comes with a show!  Our bartender was wonderful and even gave our kiddos some extra shark gummies. I enjoyed the drink, but my husband wasn’t a huge fan.

Today Cafe (Universal Studios)

I love lemon so I was excited to try a lemon tart!  It was pretty tasty too!

Florean Forescue’s Ice Cream Parlour (Universal Studios)

Florean Forescue’s Ice Cream Parlour: My kids got the mint and banana flavors. Cones were $5.99 and not huge.  My youngest wanted vanilla, but spent all of his allotted money so he wasn’t happy that he didn’t get his own. However, when we got back to Cabana Bay we grabbed him some vanilla frozen yogurt.  It was $.37/oz so it was under $2 for his cup (plus they have sundae toppings).  This is definitely a good option if you’re trying to save some cash!

Churros (Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure)

My kids LOVE churros so those are always on the list!  They are hot and fresh and also have chocolate dipping sauce if you want a little extra sweetness! You can find them at a variety of carts around both parks.

Croissant Moon Bakery (Islands of Adventure) OR San Francisco Pastry Company (Universal Studios)

If you’re looking for a quick sandwich, check out Croissant Moon Bakery.  There are sandwiches plus bakery items as well.  We had the Hot Turkey Platter, chocolate cheesecake and a chocolate éclair, which were all good.  If you’re in Universal Studios, the San Francisco Pastry Company offers similar fare.

Doc Surgrue’s Desert Kebab House (Islands of Adventure)

The Beef/Chicken Kebabs are seriously one of the best finds in Islands of Adventure!  They are full of flavor and a great choice for lunch or dinner.

Cauldron Cake (Islands of Adventure & Universal Studios)

I know I mentioned that this list included some of our favorite things, but this makes the list as a heads up! My youngest was super-excited to get a cauldron cake, but we were not fans.  There is so much icing and it’s just so sweet.  And for the price (around $13), there are so many better choices!

What are your Universal Favorites?

What have you tried at Universal Studios or CityWalk that you love?  We have two more trips planned for this year so we’d love to try some other suggestions!