Best Food to Try in Universal Studios During Mardi Gras

My husband and I were able to escape cold Ohio and enjoy a couple of adult-only days at Universal Studios in March.  In January, we brought our kids down and became Annual Passholders so we’re doing our best to make the most out of our purchase.  We’ve never been to Universal during Mardi Gras, but it seemed like such a fun time to go. 

Mardi Gras Food & Beverage Lanyard

Mardi Gras is an enjoyable event whether you’re traveling as adults or with kids, but we loved it for our no-kid getaway!  There are lots of different foods and drinks to try throughout Universal Studios.  Plus, Universal has a Mardi Gras lanyard available that allows you to purchase $150 of food credit for $120 or $75 of food credit for $65.  And what’s even better is that they don’t expire and they can be used after Mardi Gras is over!

Annual Passholder Discounts

Plus, if you’re an Annual Passholder with a Preferred or Premier pass, you also get your discount on the food as well!  In addition, you can purchase a Mardi Gras refillable cup that allows you to get refills on many of their Mardi Gras drink offerings for $8. 

Mardi Gras Food Recommendations

In our short trip, we tried quite a few of the foods and drinks Universal had to offer!  Here is what we tried, starting with our favorites:

Pappas Bravas

These were definitely our favorite food offering on the Mardi Gras menu!  These are crispy, roasted potatoes with salsa bravas, garlic aioli and parsley.  We weren’t the only ones who thought they were good either!  As we waited for the parade to start, a girl behind us was literally licking her plate!

Meatball Garlic Bread Pressed Slider

This was another one of our favorites!  Italian food is always at the top of our list!  This had Italian meatballs, topped with mozzarella cheese stuffed between two slices of Texas Garlic toast.

Nashville Hot Mac & Cheese

We’ve been hearing that this was so good, but also super spicy.  I will tell you that we like spicy, but if you don’t this is NOT the meal for you!  Even for us, it was spicy.  The flavor was really good though and the spice was balanced with the creaminess of the mac and cheese. 

We sat at tables behind Richter’s Burgers, which was a perfect spot since we could easily refill our water bottle at the freestyle machines inside!  Although this was on the Mardi Gras menu, it was available in January when we were there so I don’t think this item is going anywhere!

Rou Jia Mo

These little sliders had great flavor and were easily a favorite of ours!  They had braised pork, Thai chili peppers, mustard greens and cilantro in a soft griddled bun.

Chana Masala

If you’re a fan of curry, this is a good option! It’s spiced chickpea curry, served with tomato and onion salad, basmati rice and naan bread.  This dish was super flavorful and something I’d get again!

Creole Crab Beignets

These were Cajun, brown sugar dusted beignets stuffed with creamy crab dip and scallions. I was hoping for something more like a crab Rangoon on this, but it was more like a traditional crab dip.  My husband really enjoyed these.

Beef Rissole

This tender beef filled crispy rissole was really good.  We just thought it needed some sort of dipping sauce. 

Conch Fritters

I am not a big seafood person, but typically fried fish is good with me.  These flash fried conch fritters were served with grilled pineapple and a pineapple remoulade. My husband enjoyed them!

Chicken Coxinha

These crispy, pulled-chicken tear drop fritters were ok, but lacked flavor.  If they came with some sort of sauce, they probably would have been better. 

Beignets

We also had the beignets, which were a nice treat.  They were no Café du Monde, but they were still a nice treat.

Mardi Gras Drinks

If you like sweet and fruity drinks that go down easy (and can get you in trouble), then my drink choices are right up your alley!  My husband had some beers that were offered, but I had a list of fun drinks I wanted to try.  We took advantage of the Mardi Gras refillable cup so we could get more bang for our buck!  Here is what we had:

Pineapple Caipirinha Punch

This drink was my absolute favorite!  It was Leblon Cachca, agave nectar, pineapple and lime juice.  It was sweet and fruity and tasted like a pineapple punch! 

Pina Verde

This drink was a close second!  It had Bacardi Superior Rum, Chartreuse Green Liqueur, Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut, pineapple and lime juice and fresh mint.  This drink reminded me of another rum punch type of drink.  It was also sweet and fruity. 

Goombay Smash

This one sounded good and it’s really up there with the first two.  It had Cruzan Aged Dark Rum, Ron Q Coco Rum, Grand Marnier, Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut, pineapple, orange and lime juice.

Category 5 Punch

I really thought this one would be my favorite, but I like sweet and fruity and this one wasn’t as sweet.  It had Myers’ Dark Rum, Cruzan Aged Dark Rum, passion fruit puree, orange and lime juice, grenadine and agave nectar.  If you don’t like super-sweet, then this may be a better choice for you.

All in all, we had a great time during Mardi Gras!  We loved trying all the different foods and still have things on our list we never tried!

Mardi Gras Parade

Definitely take the time to catch the parade!  We had a spot right in front of the Horror and Make-up show and it really was a perfect spot!  The parade came out right along the Hollywood sign and turned left towards Bourne.  We got to see it right as it started and ended up with plenty of beads, plus saw a few confetti pops!

What are your Mardi Gras food recommendations?

We’re already looking forward to our next trip with our kiddos in August! If you need tips on planning your next trip, check out our Universal Studios Planning guide and why Annual Passes were a great deal for us as well as our Best Food and Restaurants in Universals Studios, Citywalk and hotels.

Have you been to Universal for Mardi Gras?  What was your favorite food or drink?