Universal Orlando Resort has a good variety of food offerings between the three (current) theme parks, City Walk, and the resorts. Some of my favorite restaurants are actually in the Portofino Bay and Hard Rock resorts, but for this article I'm going to focus on what you can find in the parks. Some people are happy to just grab chicken tenders and call it a day, but as a food lover I make it my mission to taste as much as possible. Over my three years working at Universal Orlando resort, these are some of my favorite food spots inside the parks. (Note: I have not been to the parks since they redid Monster's Cafe or added DreamWorks Land, so I cannot comment on those locations.)
Universal Studios
The Leaky Cauldron
The Leaky Cauldron is one of my favorites not just for the food but for the environment. The Leaky Cauldron was Harry Potter's first step into the wizarding world, leading into Diagon Alley. This quick service spot offers a variety of British dishes including cottage pie, fish and chips, bangers and mash, and scotch eggs. For dessert I highly recommend the sticky toffee pudding, which comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. And don't forget to grab some butterbeer!
Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor
Also located in Diagon Alley, Florean Fortescue's offers an eclectic variety of ice cream cones and sundaes. Soft serve options include my favorite, butterbeer ice cream, along with flavors such as banana, mint, pistachio, orange marmalade, and toffee apple. The hard packed ice cream flavors include salted caramel blondie, sticky toffee pudding, strawberry and peanut butter, and apple crumble with more adventurous flavors like chocolate chili, earl grey and lavender, and clotted cream (I wasn't a fan). For the less adventurous eaters they also serve classic vanilla and chocolate ice creams.
Finnegan’s Bar and Grill
Finnegan's is my favorite sit down restaurant on the Studios side. It is a classic Irish pub located in the New York section of the park with a wide variety of Irish cuisine and alcoholic beverages to choose from. Starters include meat and cheese boards, chicken wings, and Irish loaded chips. Entrees range from NY strip steak to classic reubens. They also have some dishes in common with the Leaky Cauldron, such as shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and bangers and mash.
Central Park Crepes
Central Park Crepes can have a long wait, but the crepes are worth it. They offer both savory and sweet with some seasonal offerings. The savory ones I have tried in the past have been massive and delicious, but the current offering of chopped tripleta is one I haven't tried. I love the classic strawberry hazelnut, but the other current flavor of cookie butter sounds absolutely incredible. The menu isn't listed on the their website or app from what I can see, but I found the most recent updates on the Orlando Informer website.
Islands of Adventure
Green Eggs and Ham Cafe
Green Eggs and Ham is my favorite walk-up location in Islands of Adventure. When it first opened, I was skeptical about trying "green eggs," but the food was so much better than I expected. They offer a bunch of different tater tot bowls including green eggs and ham, who hash with corned beef, carnitas tots, pizza tots (available as vegan as well), and buffalo chicken tots. You can't go wrong with any of these options.
Mythos
Mythos, located in Lost Continent, is a more upscale sit-down restaurant with a mediterranean theme. Some of the starters include hummus, calamari, baked lamb meatballs, octopus, and spanakopita dip. Entrees include spinach and garlic ravioli, souvlaki couscous bowls, sea scallop asparagus risotto, and lamb loin. They also have some delicious burgers, sandwiches, and salads. This is one restaurant where you may need a reservation on busy days, so plan accordingly.
The Three Broomsticks
The Three Broomsticks, located in Hogsmeade, is another immersive restaurant in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The menu is very hearty with spareribs, rotisserie smoked chicken, shepherd's pie, and of course fish and chips. Families can get the Great Feast, a platter of chicken, ribs, corn on the cob, mixed vegetables, and roasted potatoes. You can also grab some butterbeer here or my other favorite wizarding world beverage, pumpkin juice.
Confisco
Confisco is another sit-down restaurant located near the front entrance of Islands of Adventure. Offering global fare, the menu includes quesadillas, ahi tuna nachos, hummus, watermelon Greek salad, french onion soup, sweet and sour sticky ribs, pad thai, Korean fried rice bowls, pork belly banh mi sandwiches, and more. This restaurant is perfect for international food lovers. The attached bar also offers a wide variety of cocktails and mocktails.
Volcano Bay
Whakawaiwai Eats
When I'm at a water park, I want something quick, easy, and delicious. Whakawaiwai Eats offers all I need to enjoy lunch at Volcano Bay. They offer longboard pizzas, pretzel dogs (foot long with pineapple salsa and bacon), jerk shrimp mac and cheese, and grab-and-go salads. The pizzas include a muffaletta pizza and BBQ chicken pizza, with more classic options available as well. There is a good variety of classic and inventive flavors, which is something that I love.
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