During our three-day media preview in Universal’s Epic Universe, we had the chance to experience 30 dining outlets, 20-plus shops and the little “extras” that bring each of the five worlds to life. Here’s our full review.
It’s worth noting that at counter service locations with dining rooms, guests can order at the counter or head straight to a table and order via QR code. Either way, servers will bring your order to your table when it’s ready.
Celestial Park
Home to 11 food and beverage outlets and five impressive shops, Celestial Park nestles in the foreground of the exquisite Helios Grand Hotel, with eye-catching water features and serene gardens throughout. It’s the lovely park from which Epic Universe’s four portals are accessed, and a tranquil retreat from the worlds beyond the portals.
Epic Eats
Seven of the dining outlets are self-explanatory quick-serves, food carts or bars, so we’ll focus on the sit-down dining in this world.
The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant
Inspired by Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisine, dishes at this full-service venue have the flair of authenticity. From familiar potstickers, ramen and dim sum to the more unusual Sichuan-spiced Smashed Cucumbers, Blue Dragon offers a unique culinary journey worth exploring.
We sampled Wontons in Chili Oil, spicy and satisfying as a starter, and Chicken Khao Soi (Thai coconut curry broth, grilled chicken, crispy egg noodles, green papaya salad and Thai basil), a slight side-step from ramen, and one we really enjoyed for its rich, not-too-spicy flavours. A real winner for us. Dessert was Passion Fruit Mooncake, which wasn’t quite to our taste, but we appreciated that it was not overly sweet.
Meteor Astropub
Chicken and Waffles isn’t the first thing we rush to on a menu, but that changed when we tried Meteor Astropub’s version. The chicken was succulent and the waffle full of maple flavor. A real hit! We also sampled the Vegan Sausage and Peppers, a bit dry on its own but much improved by the peppers. The burgers looked delicious, and the addition of spicy gochujang in the Fish and Chips batter was intriguing. We’ll give them a try next time.
Pizza Moon
Choose from baked pastas, salads, or eight pizzas with a high-class twist, such as the Harvest Moon (grilled artichoke, Divina tomatoes, roasted peppers, Castelvetrano olives and arugula) or Pizza Lunare, with its purple ube crust.
Atlantic
Fine-dining (reservations required) reaches stellar heights at this full-service water-view beauty designed to feel like you’re in a Victorian aquarium. We were treated to several samples from the seafood-laden menu, including indulgent Baked Oysters Valentina, King Oyster Mushroom Ceviche and Seared Scallops with Arborio rice. Prefer fish? Sea Bass with carrot mochi in a lemongrass sauce is unmissable. More the landlubber type? Opt for chicken, filet mignon, burger “au poivre” or the fabulous oven-roasted vegetarian Romesco Romanesco with hazelnuts, wild mushrooms, and pea tendrils.
The must-try cocktail is the vodka-based Northern Lights, topped with a butterfly pea blossom ice sphere and gold luster dust. A delicate soupçon of Pina Colada Panna Cotta finished our tasting off in style. We’ll admit, we each had two!
Epic Extras
The night-time Cosmos Fountain Show is the big draw, but the undisputed “extra” in Celestial Park is peace and quiet. Lovely little paths and bridges to discover. Time off your feet, and nature’s simplicity for your brain – plus that awesome view of Helios Grand.
Popular Purchase
There are five shops in Celestial Park, offering a wide range of merchandise from the Universal Orlando lineup. While there isn’t one iconic item to look for here, it is worth noting that while the merchandise is varied, it may not include something you’d hoped to purchase in one of the four worlds. If you’re staying at a Universal Orlando hotel, ask any shop attendant if your purchase qualifies for delivery to your hotel.
Super Nintendo World
Wild, wacky, jam-packed with nostalgia for 1990s kids, everything in this world is in motion and making noise, and the Super Mario Bros song will swirl through your brain incessantly, even though it’s not actually playing.
Epic Eats
The Bubbly Barrel’s DK Crush Float with Mug is the fan-favourite treat hereabouts. The not-so-good news is that it costs $18.99. The good news is, the gigantic banana and pineapple flavoured float comes in a plastic cup inserted into the souvenir mug so the mug is clean when you toss it in your backpack. More good news? You can get the float without the mug for $12.99.
Toadstool Café is the local burger joint, and even caters to the carb-conscious with Bowser’s Fireball Challenge, a 1-pound meatball covered in mozzarella, sans bun (give the crispy puff pastry shaped like Bowser’s head to a friend). Nintendo fans won’t want to miss all the nostalgic details inside.
Epic Extras
Brush up on your dance moves before you meet Toad and you’ll have an adorably memorable encounter.
Popular Purchase
Dedicated Nintendo gamers will want to purchase a Power-Up Band ($45 plus tax), each with an icon representing Super Nintendo World’s seven main characters. Bands allow for a greater range of interactive play in the world, with the ability to track your own scores and see how you measure up against other Power-Up Banders.
Dark Universe
Mysterious, foreboding, and packed with storytelling details that make you wonder what horrors happened here, Darkmoor is the world of Universal’s classic monsters. And you’re about to meet them.
Epic Eats
Meals meet macabre at Das Stakehause, named for stakes through the heart rather than cuts of prime beef. The food gets in on the act through dishes such as blood orange chicken on a black burger bun, skull-shaped cornbread and a Labotocotta panna cotta “brain” topped with “blood” (raspberry sauce). Try it. We dare you.
Some of the creepiest décor inside Das Stakehause may frighten younger guests, including the demonic child clutching her teddy bear, just as you round the corner into the dining room from the right-hand side, and two impaled vampires at the back of the room.
Icon of Darkmoor, The Burning Blade Tavern, serves standard bar food (burgers, wings, etc), and has very limited seating inside. Next door, DeLancy’s Cottage offers cinnamon bites and a giant soft pretzel shaped like Frankenstein’s monster’s head, with a white cheese dipping sauce on the side. We ripped off its chin, which tasted like pretzel-meets-brioche, adding an extra salty kick when dipped in the cheese sauce. Big enough to share between two as a quick snack.
Epic Extras
Must-not-miss experiences here are meet-ups with Frankenstein’s monster and his Bride, walk-around characters including Ygor (ask what’s in his satchel), and the “sound room” across from Curse of the Werewolf, where creepy noises take your brain on an unsettling journey.
Popular Purchase
What makes the Invisible Man invisible? An experimental drug he’s created, called monocane. Now, guests at Epic Universe can purchase a Monocane Mocktail in a souvenir lab glass ($12; $7 without the lab glass). Give the glass a swirl and watch the green liquid inside create a mini tornado. Sip the drink and legend has it you’ll disappear. We didn’t, but it might work for you!
Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
Where do we begin? It’s Paris, it’s Harry Potter, it’s Fantastic Beasts…and it’s totally convincing. Of all the Epic Universe worlds, the Wizarding World is perhaps the most realistic and immersive.
Epic Eats
We opted for Baguette Ratatouille Provençale, Salad Niçoise and Bièraubeurre Crepe (Butterbeer crepe) at Café L’air De La Sirène. The crunchy baguette and its vegetable filling were simply delicious, the salad packed a delightful tuna punch, and while everyone should try the Bièraubeurre Crepe once, we didn’t get a huge amount of flavour from it and felt there might be too much cream and custard. Even so, we scarfed one down, no problem.
Tucked down a dark alley, Le Goblet Noir looks like a place where wizards up to no good would gather. Its signature dish is the Alchemist’s Platter (smoked sausage, potato & cheese pierogies, marinated beets, pickled egg, caramelized onions, warm pretzel, German mustard and cheese fondue), and we liked how varied the menu is, from beef goulash, handheld sandwiches and Jäerschnitzel to luxurious Coc Au Vin.
Epic Extras
If the Talking Fountain and the Talking Portraits in Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure had a baby, it would grow up to be the Interactive Portrait at the Antiquities shop across from Le Goblet Noir. Engage her in a live one-on-one conversation. She may even read your tea leaves!
Popular Purchase
Choose a wand that speaks to you at Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique ($65-$85 per wand!), then cast spells at various locations throughout wizarding Paris. Good fun, but, if your wallet is starting to quake, not essential to the enjoyment of the world.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
From the icy-breathed Snow Wraith to the loveable baby Night Lights, there are dragons everywhere in Isle of Berk – 30 in all – along with their trainers, including Hiccup, Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Gobber.
Epic Eats
Mead Hall is the place to be for hearty fare, notably the Thawfest Platter. With three meats, two kinds of veg, Nordic fries and sauces, it’s big enough to share. We opted for the lighter Hiccup’s Grilled Salmon and fresh Nordic Harvest Salad, more reasonable options on a hot day. But you do you; we’re not here to judge!
Hooligan’s Grog and Gruel serves up Berk’s iconic Mac & Cheese Cones, a selection of three massive assemblages of mac & cheese with the choice of bbq harissa pulled pork, peanut bacon jam and parsley; fish-shaped crackers; or pulled chicken, honey, Calabrian peppers, crispy onions and chimichurri. We enjoyed the pulled pork, with its sweet jam and tangy bbq, but even between the two of us we couldn’t make it through a whole cone. Two adults could split this bad boy as a snack, but be aware the pork and jam are only on the top of the cone.
The opposite of burger-and-fries fare, Vikings watching their figures will appreciate the somewhat healthier options at Spit Fyre Grill, if you ignore the Mac & Cheese Cones and go for a Bowl. The zippy Salmon Bowl and tender Steak Bowl are worthwhile choices, but don’t overlook the Vegan Bowl, a curiously delightful mix of kale, bean salad, pineapple salsa, candy beets, vegan feta with mango and mint vinaigrette.
Epic Extras
Cue the winner of “most adorable show” when baby dragon Pouncer and his Viking friend stop by for a humorous play date. We won’t go into how incredible the hatchling’s technology is, because the little white offspring of Toothless and the Light Fury is, of course, “real.”
Meeting Pouncer is fairly astonishing, but nothing beats recreating the moment Hiccup and Toothless bonded, during a meet-and-greet with the Night Fury. Wait times are long, as would be expected for such an iconic experience.
Popular Purchase
Kids may clamour for the Toothless Wings, a heavy-plastic dress-up set with snap-open wings and a tail, but at $63, it’s a hefty outlay. For less dosh and more interaction, head to Toothless’ Treasures and “adopt” a baby dragon, complete with hatching session and the reassembled egg to use as a carrying case, all for just $21 (plus tax).
That’s the full inside track on what is a truly astounding theme park. We could easily go back just to sample more of the food and enjoy the amazing level of detail. Yes, it’s that good!
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