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The Best Food and Drinks at Epic Universe

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Over many years, theme park cuisine has been perceived as being the poorest of options. Worse even than food served in ballparks; it lacked the swift service and affordability found there, yet still managed to be expensive. Remarkably, a properly cooked burger or a crispy chicken finger was often considered a treat when visiting an amusement park – or so the (somewhat unjust) reputation went.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a significant shift in the theme park world. Instead of just building rides based on popular movies and shows, they’ve started to focus on creating immersive experiences as well. This includes serving themed foods that really transport you into the story. For instance, when Universal unveiled The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, it wasn’t just about dressing up like a Hogwarts student, but also about savoring Butterbeer, the drink Harry himself would enjoy, thanks to the bars and stands offering frothy mugs of this delightful beverage.

Universal’s latest Epic Universe park features four themed zones: one inspired by “How to Train Your Dragon”, another by Nintendo, a third dedicated to the Dark Universe, and a new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Each zone offers uniquely designed dining establishments that serve dishes and drinks meant to evoke the sensation of living in a Viking fantasy land, the Mushroom Kingdom (and Donkey Kong Country), a town under the control of mad scientists and monsters, and a magical 1920s Paris from the Harry Potter series.

As a die-hard fan, I was thrilled to be part of the exclusive Epic Universe press preview. From every nook and cranny of this magical realm, I indulged in a smorgasbord of treats that left me utterly satisfied. It’s safe to say that traditional burgers and chicken fingers took a back seat as I sampled an array of intricately themed movie-inspired cuisine – something longtime followers of ScreenCrush know holds a special place in my heart (or should I say, stomach?).

Here are the 12 standout dishes from Epic Universe that I wholeheartedly endorse. Just be warned, a couple of these delicacies bear an uncanny resemblance to human brains – a testament to the whimsical nature of this extraordinary universe.

The Best Food and Drink at Epic Universe

Burning Cheddar Bites

Location: The Burning Blade Tavern, found in the Dark Universe

Official Description: “Golden fried jalapeño pimento cheddar balls drizzled with sriracha ranch.”

My Thoughts: These items may not appear particularly enticing at first glance, but they turned out to be one of the most flavorful savory dishes I tasted in Epic Universe. They also boast some of the most creative theming. They’re served at the Burning Blade Tavern, a bar and restaurant within the Dark Universe that is reminiscent of the windmill from the climax of the 1931 film “Frankenstein” (you may have seen it catching fire online). In the lore of the Burning Blade, the tavern’s flammability is due to its abundant supply of coal – making these bite-sized cheese balls a fitting representation. The blackened exterior has a satisfying crunch, while the jalapeño pimento filling offers a spicy, gooey center. The addition of sriracha ranch sauce adds an extra layer of heat that ties in nicely with the theme. Contrary to Frankenstein’s famous monster, in this case, fire is indeed a good thing. This dish takes movie-inspired cuisine to its most indulgently over-the-top heights.

Butterbeer Crepe

Location: You can find this at Café L’air De La Sirène, nestled within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
Official Description: This delightful crepe is filled with a scrumptious shortbread cookie butter Bavarian cream, Butterbeer™ cream and adorned with fresh strawberries, Butterbeer™ drizzle, and a Butterbeer™ shortbread cookie.
My Opinion: I’ve long been an advocate for the magical allure of Butterbeer, undeniably one of the most captivating aspects of the entire Harry Potter universe. The original concoction is hard to resist (and can be enjoyed at Epic Universe as well), and I find myself drawn to every new iteration that Universal offers — from hot and frozen Butterbeer, to butterbeer fudge, and a multitude of butterbeer-inspired treats. The exquisite Butterbeer crepe served in the French bistro at Epic Universe is another triumph; it’s light, delicate, yet boasts a cream that is sweet and indulgent without being overpowering. Although I sometimes question why Universal decided to create a Wizarding World area reminiscent of 1920s Paris — aesthetically, it doesn’t quite embody the Harry Potter spirit like Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley do — the French motif did result in this crepe, so I have no complaints.

Crimson Glazed Pork

Location: The Crimson Stakehouse nestled in the Dark Cosmos
Official Description: “Crimson-glazed Pork char siu-style roasted pork belly served with a bloody roast pork dipping sauce, charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, acorn squash, and crispy maitake mushrooms.”
My Impression: The Crimson Stakehouse is a restaurant that seems to be run by vampires or their associates, as suggested by the dark theme and several dishes adorned with “blood-like” elements. The crimson glaze on this pork dish resembles char siu sauce, but its appearance may give some diners pause. Despite the ominous decor, the blackened vegetables add to the overall ambiance of the meal.

Of course, if the food tasted as grim as it looked, it wouldn’t be worth a second glance. Fortunately, this dish was a delightful combination of flavors. The pork was well-cooked (not actually bloody) and had just the right amount of sweetness from the char siu sauce – no garlic whatsoever, which is fitting for a vampire establishment!

DK Crush Float

Location: The Bubbly Barrel can be found in Super Nintendo Land

Description: The official description is “Banana Pineapple soft serve float.”

My Thoughts: This outlandish dessert seems like it would be just up Donkey Kong’s alley: A towering mound of banana and pineapple ice cream, adorned with chocolate chunks and caramel popcorn, perched atop waffle cone fragments floating above a pool of pineapple-flavored soda.

I’m not particularly fond of pineapple soda, but the rest of it looked scrumptious, making it an excellent choice for a sweltering Florida afternoon. (It would be even more delightful if they replaced the soda with fresh pineapple juice.)

Dragon Fire Chicken Spire

In a fictional setting inspired by How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, a food item is available at Hooligan’s Grog & Gruel. This dish, referred to as a “handwich,” is filled with creamy macaroni and cheese, Nashville-style pulled chicken, hot honey, Calabrian peppers, chimichurri, and crispy onions, all served within a crunchy cone. The writer expresses appreciation for the dish, especially the versions featuring pulled chicken and chimichurri, but suggests that incorporating some of the toppings within the cone would enhance the overall experience by allowing the flavors to be enjoyed throughout the dish.

First Light Mocktail

At Meteor Astropub, located within Celestial Park at Epic Universe, you’ll find an intriguing beverage called the First Light Mocktail. This drink is a creative blend of Monin blue raspberry syrup, Monin vanilla crème syrup, blue prism powder, Minute Maid blue raspberry, Sprite, and sweet cream cold foam, topped with a sprinkle of galactic sugar.

In my personal opinion, as I’ve been indulging in movie-themed foods lately, the dining experiences at Epic Universe’s themed lands piqued my interest. However, many of the park’s eateries are located in the central hub, Celestial Park.

The First Light Mocktail from Meteor Astropub, close to Stardust Racers, caught my attention due to its sweet cream cold foam, reminiscent of Universal’s Butterbeer topping. Essentially, it was a liquid blue raspberry lollipop, with a frothy butterbeer-like top. It was extremely sweet, making it an ideal treat for any child with a strong fondness for sweets (and, perhaps, myself as well).

Frank & Friends Pretzel

Location: De Lacey’s Cottage in the Dark Universe
Official Description: “Soft pretzel with white cheese.”
My Reflections: A soft pretzel can be quite a gamble: When it’s warm and tender, there are few treats more enjoyable. But they often turn out to be cold, hard, and excessively salted – practically inedible, if you ask me.
Luckily, the Frankenstein’s Monster pretzel available at the snack stand on the trail between Monsters Unchained and the Burning Blade in the Dark Universe is decidedly warm and tender. It offers all the charm of a theme park pretzel and an added bonus – you can bite off the bolts that adorn poor Frank’s neck! Here’s an idea for improvement: Instead of just serving a head pretzel, offer various body parts as well: An arm pretzel, a leg pretzel, a torso pretzel. This way, I could create an entire Frankenstein’s Monster out of pretzels and exclaim “It’s alive! It’s alive!” before devouring it. (I can hardly believe someone chose to marry me, and has stayed married for over 15 years now?! I find it hard to accept.)

Frankenstein Gummy Brains

Location: Moonship Chocolates & Celestial Sweets, situated in Celestial Park
Official Explanation: These are gummy brains, I’m telling you.
My Impressions: Frankly, my expectations weren’t sky-high when I bought these; they caught my eye because of their quirky factor. To my pleasant surprise, they were exceptional: Just the right gummy texture, with a zesty strawberry flavor. For those who aren’t brain fans, Epic Universe offers a variety of Universal Monsters candies, including Dracula gummy fangs, Creature From the Black Lagoon sour gummy fish, and Wolf Man sour stars and moons. You can find them all in the candy store near the main entrance. Let me tell you, when you choose to pass up the tempting pastries and cakes by the cashier for some realistic-looking miniature brains, you’ll get some amusing glances from the staff.

Gobber’s Mead

* Location: Mead Hall, located within the How to Train Your Dragon section of Epic Universe
* Official Description: A boysenberry-blackcurrant vanilla drink infused with Grains of Paradise
* Personal Impression: Given that the main restaurant in the How to Train Your Dragon area of Epic Universe is called Mead Hall, I thought it would be fitting to try something reminiscent of the Vikings. Gobber’s Mead, a unique mead created specifically for Epic Universe and voiced by Craig Ferguson’s character, piqued my interest. To my surprise, this drink managed to capture all the flavors mentioned in its description while still maintaining a light and refreshing taste.

Labotocotta

Display:

Location: The Stakehouse in Dark Universe
Official Description: “Vanilla panna cotta resembling a brain, served with raspberry sauce.”
My Impressions: The Stakehouse offers two intriguing desserts that are both frighteningly realistic: Red Velvet Death, a red velvet cake adorned with rice “worms,” and the Labotocotta, a panna cotta that appears to be a floating brain in a petri dish filled with raspberry sauce. Although the red velvet cake seemed more horrifying, the Labotocotta had a more delightful flavor. The creamy richness of the panna cotta complemented the tangy raspberry sauce exceptionally well. So, despite my decade-long diet of strange movie food, I found myself enjoying these eerie desserts quite a bit.
Note: My fascination with these unusual treats may be due to the deterioration of my own brain from years of consuming such foods. Regardless, I’m eager to find ways to replace my damaged organ.

Red Shell Calzone

Location: Yoshi’s Snack Island found in Super Nintendo Land
Product Description: “A red shell-shaped calzone filled with traditional Italian meat sauce and mozzarella cheese.”
Personal Observations: Some of my coworkers found this dish unremarkable, with one commenting that it resembled a pepperoni-flavored Hot Pocket. However, I found myself reminiscing about my college days as the taste brought back memories of Hot Pockets, which I haven’t had in over two decades. Despite its similarity to a Hot Pocket, I appreciated this calzone as a slightly upgraded version of a beloved snack for gamers.
Perhaps the resemblance to a Hot Pocket is intentional, as it fits perfectly with the gaming atmosphere. This convenient calzone makes an excellent quick bite between thrilling rides on Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge and Mine Cart Madness. For vegetarian visitors, Yoshi’s Snack Island offers a green calzone filled with tasty vegetables.

Snow Wraith

Location: Spit Fyre Grill, located in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Official Description: Piña Colada ICEE® with blue raspberry syrup.
My Thoughts: Since dragons breathe fire, it seems a dragon-themed drink should be hot. However, upon closer inspection, the Spit Fyre Grill is situated next to an animatronic of the Snow Wraith, a beast that spews ice, giving this drink its name.
Many of the mocktails and themed drinks in Epic Universe lean towards the sweet side, catering to a younger audience who enjoys sweet treats. The Snow Wraith’s cocktail had a good balance, thanks to the combination of sweet piña colada and tart raspberry syrup. I finished it off before it could melt in the 95-degree heat (which, incidentally, is quite fitting for a dragon-themed beverage).

Every Epic Universe Ride Ranked

11. Fyre Drill

Experience the thrill of a water gun battle meets a shooting gallery ride, much like Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and you’ll find yourself on Fyre Drill – a leisurely boat ride where each rider controls their own water cannon. The objective: Aim and fire at targets as they approach. Hit the mark (or miss, depending on your point of view) and you trigger an array of mists, splashes, and soaks.

Fyre Drill is a fantastic way to beat the summer heat, and it’s incredibly rewarding to hit a long-range bullseye with a burst of water. However, the fundamental concept isn’t entirely unique to this ride, and if you wish to stay dry (or just avoid getting soaked), it’s best to pack a poncho.

10. Constellation Carousel

A true amusement park lacks charm without a carousel. The one in Epic Universe is unique in that it blends seamlessly with the rest of Celestial Park’s Victorian-era aesthetic. However, unlike traditional carousels, this one doesn’t have horses mounted on poles rotating above. Instead, animals and ride vehicles move up and down independently from the spinning base, offering a fresh twist on a classic theme park attraction.

9. Dragon Racer’s Rally

This “Sky Fly” offers guests an exhilarating experience as they take on the role of dragon trainers, sitting in seats equipped with adjustable wing mechanisms that allow riders to move them up and down. This motion causes the individual seats to rock back and forth, even performing full inversions while the entire gondola arm swings around and fluctuates up and down.

This innovative take on a classic Red Baron-style attraction is undoubtedly the highlight of the three rides on Epic Universe’s Isle of Berk, skillfully incorporating the concept from “How to Train Your Dragon”. Although it can be challenging to master the wing controls, I soon found myself struggling to control them effectively. Unfortunately, my dragon training session came to an end before I was fully prepared (evidently, I still have much to learn about dragon taming).

8. Yoshi’s Adventure

Come on, check out that ride vehicle! Who wouldn’t want to hop on the back of that cute dinosaur if you grew up playing Nintendo games? This gentle omnimover journey with Yoshi takes you through a tunnel filled with animatronic scenes. The task for riders is to find three different colored eggs scattered around and press the matching buttons on the console in front of you. Collect them all, and you receive a golden egg in Universal’s Super Nintendo Land app.

Though this ride is mainly designed for little kids, it’s vibrant and enjoyable, and the interactive aspect of searching for hidden eggs (which aren’t too difficult to find) keeps things engaging, making the otherwise tranquil experience more interesting.

7. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge

This marks the third incarnation of Universal’s Mario Kart ride, following Japan and Hollywood. The ride itself is identical to its West Coast counterpart, but the queue line is significantly longer and filled with more Nintendo references. As for the ride experience, it might take a while to grow on you. The sheer excitement of climbing aboard a life-sized (yet four-seater) Mario Kart is an exceptional experience in itself, but instead of a fast-paced roller coaster, Universal chose to emphasize the gaming aspect of the franchise, transforming their Mario Kart into a dark ride. Competitors strive to accumulate the most points by launching shells at video game characters that pop up in an augmented reality headset. Initially, it can be challenging to grasp the concept, but once you get the hang of it — especially if you embrace the competitive spirit — it’s a blast!

6. Mine Cart Madness

Instead of Super Nintendo Land in Universal Studios Hollywood, Epic Universe includes a separate area based on the Donkey Kong Country video game series. One ride here is Mine Cart Madness, which takes visitors on a thrilling tour through an old temple ruin. The track seems precarious and damaged in parts; a fake track is superimposed over the real one that the mine cart follows. This creates a convincing effect, particularly for younger guests, as this cutting-edge attraction skillfully simulates a runaway cart careening through an ancient mine, with jolting bumps and unexpected drops.

5. Curse of the Werewolf

On this whirling roller coaster, you’ll be swept through Darkmoor’s forest. Each carriage on the train rotates separately, adding an exciting element of randomness to each ride, ensuring no two experiences are ever identical and infusing a delightful sense of unpredictability. To heighten the eerie ambiance, animatronics and sound effects are utilized; remember to look up when you pass through the large tunnel.

The thrilling Darkmoor roller coaster whirls you around its forest tracks. Each car on this spinning train rotates independently, creating a unique ride each time due to the unpredictable twists and turns. The ride is further enhanced by animatronics and sound effects that contribute to a spooky atmosphere. Don’t forget to look up when you enter the big tunnel!

4. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders

Finding the right balance for kids’ roller coasters can be quite challenging, as I’ve learned from my own family experiences. A ride that appears too frightening will lose their interest, while one that seems overly easy or slow might leave them feeling cheated. The ideal blend of excitement and moderation is essential.

Hiccup’s Wing Gliders manages to strike this balance effectively, offering high speeds, a long water-flying segment enhanced by splash effects, and various unexpected launch elements. The voice of Jay Baruchel as Hiccup (or an impressive imitation, I must admit I can’t tell the difference) serves to reassure riders that they are in for a fun ride and everything will turn out well. True to his word, it does not disappoint.

3. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry

From the inception of the first Spider-Man dark ride at Islands of Adventure, Universal has pioneered an exceptional style of immersive dark rides. These rides synchronize guests’ vehicles with action displayed on highly realistic screens, supplemented by practical special effects and animatronics. The debut Harry Potter attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, advanced this technology, while its successor, Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts, integrated it with an indoor roller coaster.

In the upcoming Epic Universe’s Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, the concept is taken to new heights. Guests climb into large flying elevators modeled after those from the Harry Potter films, where they join forces with the story’s main trio of heroes to combat the villainous Dolores Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton). This attraction showcases some of Universal’s most convincing illusions yet, and its entrance — a stunning transition from 1920s Paris to 1990s London, culminating in the grand hall of the Ministry of Magic — is an awe-inspiring spectacle. The grandeur of this reveal outshines many entire rides at other amusement parks.

2. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment

In this rephrased version, the text maintains the original meaning while being more natural and easy to read:

Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment is an exceptionally dark and spooky dark ride. Universal Studios, with their extensive history of Halloween Horror Nights, had the expertise to create a truly terrifying (and darkly comical) attraction filled with monsters and jump scares.
Visitors are led through an ominous replica of Frankenstein Manor, where they pass by rooms drenched in atmosphere, lit by eerie equipment and crates filled with glowing organs and lab rats. They eventually reach Victoria Frankenstein’s laboratory, where she aims to redeem her family’s reputation by capturing Dracula. As riders participate in her latest experiment, things predictably take a turn for the worst, leading to encounters (and scares) from all of Universal Monsters’ classic characters. The entire ride, along with its surrounding castle and queue, is incredibly detailed, making it feel like a dream come true for vintage horror enthusiasts — or the stuff of nightmares.

1. Stardust Racers

At Epic Universe, although the four themed lands are its primary attractions, it’s worth noting that the park’s most impressive ride, and arguably the best overall, is situated outside these lands in the central Celestial Park.

Stardust Racers, the park’s standout coaster, doesn’t have a movie or TV connection (there is, however, a Flux Capacitor on each train as an Easter egg). Instead, it’s a cutting-edge, dual-launched roller coaster featuring two symmetrical tracks that intertwine and soar over and under one another. Each track offers the same thrilling experience, while racing against a train on the other track adds an extra dose of adrenaline. When the two vehicles swirl around each other, you’ll feel like giving a triumphant high five to someone in the other train, as they come incredibly close – it feels almost within reach! (For an additional burst of excitement, try sitting in the front row.)

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2025-05-27 16:58

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