First ‘Fast & Furious’ Roller Coaster Opens This Summer

Fans of the Fast & Furious franchise have had a lot to celebrate this week. Following Vin Diesel’s announcement of the title and release date for the 11th – and likely last – movie, Universal Studios Hollywood revealed a new roller coaster inspired by the series. The ride will open this summer, and a sneak peek will be shown in a Super Bowl commercial featuring Vin Diesel’s voice.

Universal’s new “Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift” ride will use innovative technology to make guests feel like they’re actually drifting cars. The ride will spin at speeds up to 72 miles per hour on a massive track stretching 4,100 feet – almost the length of 12 football fields – that weaves through the theme park.

Watch the Hollywood Drift teaser below:

The Fast & Furious franchise is a natural fit for a roller coaster, given its focus on speed and action. But Universal Studios didn’t just add the movie’s characters to an existing ride. They came up with a creative concept: the coaster cars actually drift and rotate, mimicking the driving style from the films. A version of this ride is coming to Universal Studios Florida, replacing the old Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, which wasn’t based on any specific movie property.

Hollywood Drift isn’t the first Fast & Furious ride at Universal Studios. Previously, they had a Fast & Furious: Supercharged attraction as part of the Hollywood studio tour, but it closed in 2025. Although the Supercharged ride remains open in Florida, it is also scheduled to close in the future.

The next Fast movie, Fast Forever, is planned to come out on March 17, 2028. But a bigger question is: will Universal create a Toretto’s Market and Cafe near the movie’s roller coaster? It could serve the famous tuna sandwich (white bread, no crust) that Brian O’Conner loved in the original Fast & Furious. Many fans—including myself—are really hoping they do!

The Best Food and Drink at Epic Universe

Burning Cheddar Bites

I found these at the Burning Blade Tavern in the Dark Universe area of Epic Universe, and honestly, they were a surprising highlight! They’re described as crispy fried jalapeño pimento cheddar bites served with sriracha ranch. They didn’t look amazing, but they turned out to be the tastiest savory thing I sampled there. The theming is really clever too – the tavern is designed to look like the windmill from the classic Frankenstein movie, and you might have even seen videos of it seemingly catching fire! Apparently, within the story of the Burning Blade, the place is full of coal, which is why these cheese bites are shaped like little coal nuggets. They’re perfectly crispy on the outside, with a hot and gooey jalapeño pimento filling, and the sriracha ranch gives it an extra kick that fits the theme. Forget Frankenstein’s aversion to fire – in this case, it’s a good thing! This is movie-themed food done really, really well.

Butterbeer Crepe

Let me preface this by saying I’m a huge butterbeer fan – honestly, it’s the best thing to come out of the Harry Potter universe, in my opinion. So, when I tried the new crepe at Café L’air De La Sirène in the Ministry of Magic area of Epic Universe, I was hoping for good things, and it delivered! It’s a light, thin crepe filled with a fantastic Bavarian cream that’s both sweet and rich, featuring shortbread cookie butter, and topped with fresh strawberries and, of course, more butterbeer drizzle and a shortbread cookie. Seriously delicious. I’ll admit, the 1920s Parisian aesthetic of this new Wizarding World area feels a little odd compared to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, but if it means we get treats like this crepe, I’m not complaining at all. It’s another win for the butterbeer family!

Crimson Glazed Pork

You can find this dish at Das Stakehouse in Dark Universe. It’s described as Crimson Glazed Pork – char siu-style roasted pork belly with a ‘bloody’ roast pork dipping sauce, served with charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, acorn squash, and crispy maitake mushrooms.

Das Stakehouse is a restaurant with a vampire theme, and they’ve really committed to the bit with spooky food presentations. The ‘crimson glaze’ on the pork is actually a char siu sauce, but it’s presented to look like blood. The black carrots and other charred vegetables taste good and fit the overall eerie atmosphere.

Luckily, despite the creepy presentation, the food actually tastes great! The pork was cooked perfectly with a nice balance of sweetness from the char siu, and notably, there was no garlic – a smart choice for a vampire-themed restaurant!

DK Crush Float

You can find this treat at The Bubbly Barrel in Super Nintendo Land. It’s a Banana Pineapple soft serve float. I thought it was a wonderfully over-the-top dessert – exactly what Donkey Kong would order! It’s a huge pile of banana and pineapple ice cream with chocolate pieces and caramel popcorn, all served on waffle cone bits and surrounded by pineapple soda. While I’m not a big fan of the pineapple soda itself, everything else was fantastic – a perfect cool-down treat on a hot Florida day. I think it would be even better if they used pineapple juice instead of the soda.

Dragon Fire Chicken Spire

You can find this treat at Hooligan’s Grog & Gruel in the Isle of Berk area of How to Train Your Dragon at Universal’s Epic Universe. It’s described as creamy mac & cheese with Nashville-style pulled chicken, hot honey, Calabrian peppers, chimichurri, and crispy onions, all served in a crunchy cone. While the connection to the movie isn’t entirely clear (maybe the cone is meant to look like a Viking helmet?), it’s a delicious addition to the park. There are three versions available: plain mac & cheese, and two with added toppings. The pulled chicken and chimichurri version was the best, but the PB & J version (with bbq harissa pulled pork and peanut bacon jam) was also excellent. The only downside is that the toppings are only on top – the cone itself is just filled with mac & cheese. It would be even better if some of the topping was at the bottom too, for a more consistent flavor in every bite.

First Light Mocktail

You can find the First Light Mocktail at Meteor Astropub in Celestial Park at Epic Universe. It’s made with Monin blue raspberry and vanilla crème syrups, blue prism powder, Minute Maid blue raspberry lemonade, Sprite, and topped with sweet cream cold foam and galactic sugar sprinkles. I’ve been focusing on trying all the themed food and drinks at Epic Universe, and this one stood out. The sweet cream cold foam tasted a lot like the topping on Universal’s Butterbeer. Overall, it was like a liquid blue raspberry lollipop with that familiar Butterbeer-style foam. It’s very sweet, but perfect for anyone who loves a sugary treat!

Frank & Friends Pretzel

You can find this snack at De Lacey’s Cottage in the Dark Universe. It’s described as a pretzel served with white cheese. I have to say, theme park pretzels can be hit or miss – sometimes they’re wonderfully warm and soft, but often they’re cold, hard, and overly salty. Thankfully, the Frankenstein pretzel at the snack stand between Monsters Unchained and the Burning Blade is fantastic! It’s exactly what you want in a theme park pretzel, and the fun detail of being able to ‘bite off’ Frankenstein’s bolts is a great touch. I have a suggestion: instead of just a head-shaped pretzel, offer different body parts – an arm, a leg, a torso – so guests can build their own Frankenstein monster out of pretzels before eating it! (And on a completely unrelated note, I still can’t believe I’ve been married for over 15 years!)

Frankenstein Gummy Brains

You can find these candies at Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets in Celestial Park. They’re gummy brains – that’s pretty much what they are! I wasn’t expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. They have the perfect gummy texture and a bright, tangy strawberry flavor. If brain-shaped gummies aren’t for you, Epic Universe also sells other Universal Monsters candies, like Dracula fangs, Creature From the Black Lagoon fish, and Wolf Man stars and moons. You can find them all at the candy shop near the entrance. It’s amusing to walk past all the beautiful cakes and pastries just to buy a bag of realistic miniature brains – the employees definitely notice!

Gobber’s Mead

You can find Gobber’s Mead at Mead Hall, the restaurant in the *How to Train Your Dragonthemed area of Epic Universe. It’s described as a boysenberry-blackcurrant vanilla mead infused with Grains of Paradise. I decided to try it, and it was surprisingly good! Named after the character voiced by Craig Ferguson, this mead is made exclusively for the park. It had all the flavors listed in the description, but was still light and refreshing – it might just turn you into a mead drinker!

Labotocotta

You can find this treat at Das Stakehouse in the Dark Universe area of Epic Universe. It’s officially described as a “Greek yogurt vanilla panna cotta brain with raspberry sauce.” I thought Das Stakehouse had two really impressive (and scary) desserts. The other was a red velvet cake with rice puffs made to look like maggots. This panna cotta looks like a brain in a dish of blood – the raspberry sauce! While the red velvet cake was visually more striking, the panna cotta, nicknamed “Labotocotta,” tasted better. The creamy texture and tangy raspberry sauce were a great combination. Surprisingly, two of my favorite things to eat at Epic Universe were fake brains! I’ve been eating strange themed food for years, and it’s clearly affected my judgment – I’m now on the lookout for a replacement brain!

Red Shell Calzone

You can find the Red Shell Calzone at Yoshi’s Snack Island in Super Nintendo Land. It’s described as a calzone filled with Italian meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. While some of my colleagues weren’t impressed, comparing it to a pepperoni pizza Hot Pocket, I actually enjoyed it! It brought back fond memories of college. It seems intentionally designed as a quick, easy snack – perfect for gamers who don’t want to pause their fun for a full meal, especially between rides like Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge and Mine Cart Madness. A vegetarian option is also available, served in a green calzone.

Snow Wraith

You can find the Snow Wraith drink at Spit Fyre Grill in the Isle of Berk area of How to Train Your Dragon at Epic Universe. It’s officially described as a Piña Colada ICEE with blue raspberry syrup. I was initially surprised it wasn’t a hot drink, considering the dragon theme, but then I remembered the drink is named after the ice-breathing Snow Wraith animatronic nearby! Like many of the themed drinks at Epic Universe, it’s very sweet, but the Snow Wraith had a nice balance thanks to the combination of the piña colada and tart raspberry syrup. I finished the whole thing quickly before it melted in the 95-degree heat – now that felt appropriately dragon-themed!

2026-02-05 23:58