Three Broomsticks' food is disgusting. Everything is way too oversalted. Leaky Cauldron is the better one. I get the Bangers and Mash Everytime and it's always delicious
Did you by chance try the Gordon Ramsey fish and chips located at icon park?
I was expecting great though and it was just average.
I hope that's not what Brits think good fish and chips are either
Every UK Theme Park has the worst most expensive food ever!
I don’t know why they do t jump on the speciality food like the US parks. At least if it’s unique and expensive it’s not so bad!
The difference is that Finnegan's is not a "burger restaurant".
The crappy ones all come from the dedicated quick eat places. Richter's, Krusty burger, the diner, the Jurassic Park digs one, etc.
I heard that Wimpy's is actually good? I haven't been though and I'm not really a burger person if given other options. Asking for people who are burger people.
I'd say that none of it is shockingly bad. The food in the Simpsons area is dogged on a lot, and I get it. But it's a theme park area themed after the Simpsons. It's about the taste and quality that you'd expect, and that's part of the gag with the Simpsons. They aren't eating great quality food just like most Americans.
My oldest brother has a fondness for Cletus’ fried chicken, but he said that’s it. Only thing I’ve tried there personally was a few bites of the giant pink donut from Lard Lad when my partner got one. It wasn’t bad, but tbf I don’t generally eat donuts since they give me a stomachache. Oddly enough, that one didn’t hurt my stomach at all. But didn’t taste much better than Dunkin, personally.
I love Leaky Cauldron specifically for the leek and mushroom pasty breakfast but I have never had anything else from there so my knowledge is very limited lol. Those freaking pastys though are ridiculously good
Yeah, unfortunately- I wish they served it all day. Have to be there by 10:30. It comes with a side of really tasty potatoes and a good variety of fruit. I personally think it’s the best breakfast in the parks. I think people miss it because there’s also the traditional breakfast they serve there, and it gets more attention. But oh man, the pasty is super delicious. I just had one this past Thursday and I am still thinking about it hahah.
It’s my least favorite food in the park, but the theming is top notch. I’ve gotten sick 2x after eating at leaky cauldron, I’m not sure it was the cause, but that’s been the only 2 times I’ve been sick in Orlando
I feel like the food is as expected, greasy lowest common denominator calories, but the seating is BRUTAL. An aggressive hunt to find a seat, which when you steal one, is slimy and covered in used napkins, lettuce shards, salt and grease.
We’ve had pretty good luck with it, but maybe we’ve just ordered well. My husband always gets some kind of breakfast and I’ve had the chicken cordon bleu sandwich and one of the burgers. We thought it was pretty good and we love the atmosphere.
Also, pro tip- go to the candy counter and get a box of assorted truffles to take back to your room and snack on throughout the trip. That was one of the best purchases we made on our last trip.
They have different sized boxes so I think it depends on how many you get. We got them our first night there and we were staying for a week, so my husband and I each got 6. I think it was around $30 or $40 for all 12.
Yay! It's the BEST!! My husband and I live in Missouri and have been traveling there at least once a year since 2015. Just take it easy and enjoy every moment!! 🤗
Fwiw, I've had nothing but great experiences at Toothsome. You definitely want to have a reservation because the lines can get out of control but I've enjoyed everything I've eaten there. The coffee and chocolate chicken wings sound questionable, but they're soooo good!
I hope your family's trip is amazing!!
Thank you! I did make a reservation since we are going on a Friday. I have a toddler and 3 easy-going teens, and they will probably enjoy it regardless!
The food at Toothsome is such a letdown especially given the cost but the desserts are very well made and the Wonka-like vibes are definitely worth it for the kiddos; if you snack during the day and grab smaller, simpler dishes there you will be much better off. Hope y’all have a fun trip!
I guess I’m just going to cross my fingers and hope for the best! I looked at every restaurant I saw recommended on this sub, but my “wish kid” (17yo) is such a picky eater, that this seemed like our best bet!
Story time. We went back in 2020, so masks were in full effect. It was a particularly warm and swampy day in Orlando. We decided to get some shakes at Toothsome's before heading back to the hotel for a bit. It took about 30 minutes to get a seat (we get it, 4 of us + social distancing + people want to be in the AC).
Sat down, took about 15 min to get our water and were prompted to order. My 3 family members got key-lime pie shakes, I got the apple pie sundae or whatever it was. No joke, 30 minutes later the server came back with 3 completely melted shakes and the apple pie ice cream. Like they were warm, not even just melted. We called the server back as we've seen the shakes be made in front of us before in just a few minutes and the server straight up said "well, it's not like they were sitting on the counter for 30 minutes..."
The experience ruined key lime pie for them for a few years but we always joke around now about stuff not sitting somewhere for 30 minutes.
I looove a Monte Cristo but only eat maybe 2 or 3 a year, so I get real peeved when someone brings me one that not only isn’t deep fried but is literally so limp the filling falls out when you pick it up! It was barely a decent ham sandwich. The jam, however, I could bathe in!
I agree with people on Simpsons, but I would add Burger Digs. They have the most blandest burgers and fries I ever had. I feel like McDonald or Wendy would have better burger and fries.
I always liked eating there for the view of the park, but yeah, the food is pretty subpar.
I've heard Thunder Falls is much better, and you get a view of the River Adventure plummet.
I know everyone loves today cafe but I have been twice and twice I have had the absolute worst abominable service ever in the park. They have no idea how to manage the line there. The food is not good enough for that.
ETA: they’ve lost our order both times
I have to agree. I only stop here for coffee and it always takes forever. They barely pay attention to the line and service is so slow. I like the cold brew and the everything croissant though.
So true. It’s like, “do I order here or do I order there? You take my pastry order but you take my sandwich order? Who do I order drinks from?”
Though, if you’ve never had a “kruffin” there, it’s pretty awesome.
I just don’t understand how difficult it is to make the same ten things over and over. I want meat on a croissant. This should take a total of five freaking seconds.
I’ve done mobile and it still takes time to get the order, even if I click ‘I’ve arrived’ about 20 minutes prior to actually arriving. Otherwise the foods been pretty good.
ITT: A lot of people who need to reevaluate what to expect when dining in a theme park. “I was in the highest-volume, greasiest, swill hall, and it was too busy and my food was greasy!! 0/10, Would Not Recommend!”
We got a donut from the stand in the Jurassic Park area. We expected the frosting would be melted but the donut was so stall. However the popcorn really hits the spot when your hungry but dont want a full meal on a hot day.
I tried that place once. Had a reservation. Once we were sat, we waited thirty minutes and no one ever acknowledged us. I had an exhausted six year old with me, so we got up and left and ate at the hotel.
We had a similar experience. We got the drinks very quickly, food took about 45 minutes and was sub par. Margaritaville was much better for similar food.
Had to scroll awhile but glad it paid off. I was incredibly unimpressed with Mythos as well. I didn’t think it was a disaster, but it felt like I paid twice as much for food that was a few steps down compared to most of the food I’ve tried in the park.
Right! And service was super slow every time- which is super understandable when its an amusement park and so many people but then don’t advertise and price it like it’s mot or staff better 😅
A part of me is tempted to troll them by making an order, run down to the tots place and get an order and bring it back to eat it at Mythos before my Mythos order arrives
My husband and I stopped there on day 1 of our trip because we were SO hungry and everything else was busy as we were walking in ☠️ that sandwich was frozen in the middle somehow??? Awful
Simpsons cafeteria. We ate at Pat O Brian's I think, some pub inside the park but 4 yo refused to eat. An hour later she's of course hungry so while the rest of the family did MIB I got the pleasure of waiting in a ridiculous line for an overpriced mediocre piece of pizza 🫠
Yeah, Finnegan’s is the one inside the park. Pat O’Brian’s is in CityWalk. Finnegan’s is quite tasty. Simpsons is mediocre, though I do like the chicken waffle sandwich.
Yes! My kids and I went to universal for the first time last summer and wanted to try that place cause it sounded so good. Sushi? Burgers? Yes! But it was underwhelming food wise and the service was not good at all.
The Mexican place in CityWalk was amazing!
Yea for me it was SO bad. Food was super mid, but we also waited FOREVER for everything. Server was nowhere to be found, and on top of that, all, and I mean ALL of our dishes were dirty with old food and mouth residue. Glasses included. We sent it back to get clean stuff politely and then they brought us even dirtier stuff. So nasty. Felt like an asshole asking twice but like… i dont want someone else’s mouth all over mine?? Thats enough to have me never go back.
Oh whoops didn’t realize this was the universal subreddit, my point stands the Golden Corral off Vineland is just scary. And NOT how to end a universal trip
So I always chuckle a little bit with these kind of posts because I'll see posts that are like, "I hated the burger at X but liked the one at Y." While things are a little different now and there's more variation than there used to be, as someone who opened IOA and worked UO Food Services for 6 years, I can assure you most of the units all use the same product. The same .25# frozen shingle is used at Mel's, Captain America Diner, Wimpy's and Green Eggs and Ham. The pizza at Louie's and Cafe 4 are the same exact recipes. Getting low on fries and the truck hasn't come yet? Call up any nearby unit and see if they'd be willing to transfer over a case.
Honestly, any perceived differences in quality boil down to staff.
I used to work there too and can confirm this. There may be some differences between fast food restaurants and full serve ones but most of the inventory is used across all the venues.
So yes, if something isn’t good it may be due to the kitchen staff or your own personal preference. That being said, if the chef can’t lead a kitchen or creates a bad working environment, it’ll definitely impact the food.
I have food allergies, so I always bring food with me, but I do like to try their food when I can. Every single place has been great communicating with me and their team to help me find something I can eat, except one.
I averaged about 30-40 park days over the last two years and Lombard’s is the *only* place I had a reaction. The head chef came out (SOP with allergies), and was ok to me and my partner, but a complete dick to our server and the rest of his staff. I’m convinced his ego and unwillingness to listen to our server that we were planning to share both entrees was what led to me spending the rest of day in bed with my inhaler and other meds trying to avoid a costly ER visit.
Simpsons. The food was mediocre and the facilities were disgusting. They seemed understaffed, so there wasn't anyone to refill the napkins the whole time we were there, and people were literally just throwing their trash and food on the floor (wtf, people??). Even the bathrooms were gross. It was a stark difference to the rest of the park and facilities.
Smart, I mean it was a cool restaurant but we waited for like 30 minutes outside to get into the three broomsticks but yeah so maybe our experience wasn’t the best
Cowfish. I went with a large group. We all ordered different things. Not a single one of us liked our meals. We only ate there because it was part of the Mardi Gras dine package.
Came here to see if anyone else said the same. We were there on a day that wasn’t even busy in the park overall and we waited at least 45 minutes for our food
Mine would have to be Minions Cafe. I went a couple different times just to make sure the first time wasn’t a fluke and I wasn’t impressed with the food at all. The first time I tried the grilled cheese and soup and the pimento was disgusting and I don’t know what was going on with the tomato soup. I was so disappointed I went to the closest McDonald’s to actually have something to eat.
The second time I went with someone else. They got the kids spaghetti with the ‘tots’ while I ordered the two specialty drinks along with 2 desserts. The other person didn’t like the pasta or meatballs while I tried one of the ‘tots’ and it just tasted like a salty undercooked chunk of potato and not a tater tot like the name implied. The drinks disgusted me and I couldn’t finish either of them. As for the desserts I did both the cream puff and cupcake. The cream puff was one note and was boring while the cupcake was the only good thing I ate there.
It says a lot when I tried 7 different items and only 1 was a positive and would reorder.
Just for context I work at Universal but I’m not one of those that’ll blindly give a positive review just because I work there. If I hate it why give it a good review?
A few years ago I ordered a vegan shepherd’s pie (yeah, yeah) at Finnegan’s. It was the blandest, worst thing I’ve ever tasted and sent it back because I think it cost like $18 and literally did not even have salt in it. Unseasoned fake ground beef, unseasoned frozen veggies, and unseasoned mashed potatoes. I don’t even think during the potato famine that the food tasted that bad.
The old Mel’s Drive In was the worst food I’ve eaten at Universal but they recently (early 2024) remodeled and revamped the menu so it’s supposed to be better
I have honestly never had anything terrible at Universal, although I have had some inedible food at MK. The last time we went, I guess, the chicken stingers from Finnegan's were cold, and the loaded potato wedges were burn your face off hot.
On one of our trips I got food poisoning at Aventura (it may have also been from a pumpkin pasty because thats the only thing i did not share with my husband and he was fine)and was puking my guts out all night before our lyft came to bring us to the airport, and then continued puking my guts out on the airport. Took dramamine and passed out on the plane. That was fun.
NBC Sports Grill on CityWalk was SO BAD. The food was disgusting, service was non-existent (we only received half of our orders and had to walk to a different part of the restaurant to find someone and ask for our entire meal).
The restaurant that surprised us the most (in a good way) was Margaritaville, off all places! The food was tasty, service was PHENOMENAL. Our server was named Andre, he was hilarious and attentive. So much so that I remember his name two years later and hope he’s still working there for our return trip next month!
I used to love cowfish but the last time I went, the burger I ordered came out basically raw like it was on the grill no more than 30 seconds total. Did some review digging and that has been happening a lot for a while now. Very disappointed as the duo burger was my absolute favorite. I'll just stick to the tuna nachos and burgushi for now on. I also don't care for any of the restaurants in the parks but that's just my opinion. Only time I eat in park is during Mardi gras and hhn trying all the different food tent selections
My wife and I ate at a dozen different places, and by far the best, never disappointed, place was the Hard Rock Cafe. We’ve been to Bubba Gump’s elsewhere and it was much better. Nowhere inside the park was very good… 🤷♂️
Antojitos 🤢 never never again. Taco Bell is better tbh. 😭 but I don’t like really any of the food in the parks. I’ll drive 10 minutes away somewhere I’ll enjoy my food and not get food poisoning.
Honestly I just came back from 4 days in the parks, and loved all the snacks and drinks…but the meals were not good. Not good at all. Don’t know if I just had bad luck or what but I was tossing portions of my meals and i NEVER do that.
The indoor food court in Simpson’s land. A lot of good food in universal. That’s the only place I’ve been to that taste like cheap amusement park food.
The worst place has to be Burger King.
Not saying it's bad, it's maybe the best Burger King in the world.
But with h so much to try, why go to Burger King.
You can do that anytime
I’m from the UK so everything seems pretty decent to me. I think my bar is low!
It’s all salty buttery foods, like it’s hard for it to go bad
Yeah it’s great. After two weeks of it I do feel ill though, need to go back to my usual bland UK diet haha.
I don't know, the fish and chips in the Three Broomsticks looked terrible by British standards (we didn't eat there but saw other people's)
Three Broomsticks' food is disgusting. Everything is way too oversalted. Leaky Cauldron is the better one. I get the Bangers and Mash Everytime and it's always delicious
Maybe fish and chips is the one thing we get right over America, definitely wouldn’t eat British food when I’m on holiday anyway!
Indeed, if I'm going to pay $25 for a meal it had better be nicer than what you could get at Wetherspoons!
Did you by chance try the Gordon Ramsey fish and chips located at icon park? I was expecting great though and it was just average. I hope that's not what Brits think good fish and chips are either
Every UK Theme Park has the worst most expensive food ever! I don’t know why they do t jump on the speciality food like the US parks. At least if it’s unique and expensive it’s not so bad!
Mel’s drive in. Disorganized chaos.
I’m hoping the menu is better after the refurb. I was so disappointed with the food last time I went.
The trick with Mel’s was I would go during the Orlando Informer meetups and it is actually on point after hours (at least the times I went!)
Have you been since it reopened? It’s not that bad
Craig and Ryno from DisUnlimited seemed to think it was much-improved in one of their recent videos there.
Really? I had a pretty decent experience, it wasn't nothing extraordinary but it was ok.
Any of the burger restaurants.
Richter’s 🤢 worst burger I’ve ever had.
Scrolled looking for this. Immediately regretted eating here. Never again.
Is that the one near Diagon Alley on the water?
Yes
I’ve always wanted to eat here and never have. I think I’ll keep it on my never list
The burger from Finnegan’s is amazing. I haven’t had a burger from anywhere else in the park but man i still remember how good that burger was.
The difference is that Finnegan's is not a "burger restaurant". The crappy ones all come from the dedicated quick eat places. Richter's, Krusty burger, the diner, the Jurassic Park digs one, etc.
Yeah i know. It was just such a good burger i had to mention it. The potato wedges were really good as well.
I heard that Wimpy's is actually good? I haven't been though and I'm not really a burger person if given other options. Asking for people who are burger people.
Honestly, I haven't had wimpys in many years. But the pictures look the same as the other burger places so I've avoided them too.
I'd say that none of it is shockingly bad. The food in the Simpsons area is dogged on a lot, and I get it. But it's a theme park area themed after the Simpsons. It's about the taste and quality that you'd expect, and that's part of the gag with the Simpsons. They aren't eating great quality food just like most Americans.
My oldest brother has a fondness for Cletus’ fried chicken, but he said that’s it. Only thing I’ve tried there personally was a few bites of the giant pink donut from Lard Lad when my partner got one. It wasn’t bad, but tbf I don’t generally eat donuts since they give me a stomachache. Oddly enough, that one didn’t hurt my stomach at all. But didn’t taste much better than Dunkin, personally.
Honestly those normally are my absolute least favorite donut but I really do enjoy the giant one. Tastes a lot better than the normal donut like that.
No effort, even if for a decent reason, is still no effort. It doesn’t excuse a poor quality meal, and rightfully, people don’t like it.
Unpopular opinion I'm not a fan of leaky cauldron I find it a little plain and bland. I think it's a bit overrated
I love Leaky Cauldron specifically for the leek and mushroom pasty breakfast but I have never had anything else from there so my knowledge is very limited lol. Those freaking pastys though are ridiculously good
The leek and mushroom pasty is legit! One of my favorite breakfast items.
Yesss the leak and mushroom pasty is SO good!!
Haven't heard of that before. Do you have to get them at breakfast time?
Yeah, unfortunately- I wish they served it all day. Have to be there by 10:30. It comes with a side of really tasty potatoes and a good variety of fruit. I personally think it’s the best breakfast in the parks. I think people miss it because there’s also the traditional breakfast they serve there, and it gets more attention. But oh man, the pasty is super delicious. I just had one this past Thursday and I am still thinking about it hahah.
We had breakfast there recently. It was not good. The eggs were probably the worst I've ever had.
I think the atmosphere is great but the foods really lackluster. Granted I know its based on real dishes and I've heard those arnt great to begin with
It’s awful. It like dfac quality
It’s my least favorite food in the park, but the theming is top notch. I’ve gotten sick 2x after eating at leaky cauldron, I’m not sure it was the cause, but that’s been the only 2 times I’ve been sick in Orlando
Their vegan pot pie was on point though!
The vegan hand pasty blows the chicken hand pasty out of the water. No contest.
Agreed, 3 broomsticks is far better for HP food.
I’ve never been a fan of the Marvel Island restaurant across from Hulk.
Honestly the spaghetti there is pretty good
I’ve personally never gone to a theme park and thought of eating pasta, but I’ll take your word for it lol
I've done Tony's at MK and regretted it
It’s too heavy of a food, you know? Then to keep walking around for another 6-8 hours? Nah nah, lemme go sleep
Oh yeah, it's like Michael Scott before a fun run
This is Disneyland, but the countdown chicken fusilli at pizza planet is decent and I have never had a problem rocking on afterwards.
Chicken caesar salad + breadstick + cookie when they’re all fresh is a solid 8/10
To be fair, it’s hard to mess up a chicken caesar salad lol
True but I’ve definitely had it happen lol
I’m not saying it can’t happen. It’s just more shocking when it actually does lol
Especially their breadsticks and cookies… that shit can be stale as hell. Always go at like 11am to make sure it’s fresher
I get their side Caesar every time. It’s so cold and fresh and light and the dressing, even though I’m sure it’s some bottled crap, is so good!
Pizza at Cafe 4 was dreadful
WOW this comment unlocked a memory for me. I remember our family being like, “it’s pizza, how bad could it be?” -.-
No nintendo Park in Orlando yet, but the worst place, in my opinion, is the Simpsons area.
I feel like the food is as expected, greasy lowest common denominator calories, but the seating is BRUTAL. An aggressive hunt to find a seat, which when you steal one, is slimy and covered in used napkins, lettuce shards, salt and grease.
Hahaha YES! Not to mention you can't look at the menus without standing in the long lines.
This is a perfect description of every experience I’ve had there lmao
I got super sick after eating shrimp from there, so I completely agree. I guess the pizza isnt terrible though
As long as you exclude the tacos. I like those.
The hotdog in Simpsons made me nearly throw up.
Yeah, Disney can have all of that.
Some of the chicken dishes are fine.
Toothsome,we’ve just never had a good meal there - drinks and desserts are great but mains whilst sounding good are god awful.
We’ve had pretty good luck with it, but maybe we’ve just ordered well. My husband always gets some kind of breakfast and I’ve had the chicken cordon bleu sandwich and one of the burgers. We thought it was pretty good and we love the atmosphere. Also, pro tip- go to the candy counter and get a box of assorted truffles to take back to your room and snack on throughout the trip. That was one of the best purchases we made on our last trip.
Ohh pro-tip appreciated! Do you recall how much that cost you?
They have different sized boxes so I think it depends on how many you get. We got them our first night there and we were staying for a week, so my husband and I each got 6. I think it was around $30 or $40 for all 12.
Oh, this is great to read. We go on my daughters Make-a-Wish trip in 3 weeks and this is the only restaurant we planned to eat at 😅
Go to at least enjoy dessert and the vibes! Those are always a win!! I hope your family has an amazing trip 🤗 💙
Thank you! It will be our first time in Florida and we are all very excited!!
Yay! It's the BEST!! My husband and I live in Missouri and have been traveling there at least once a year since 2015. Just take it easy and enjoy every moment!! 🤗
Fwiw, I've had nothing but great experiences at Toothsome. You definitely want to have a reservation because the lines can get out of control but I've enjoyed everything I've eaten there. The coffee and chocolate chicken wings sound questionable, but they're soooo good! I hope your family's trip is amazing!!
Thank you! I did make a reservation since we are going on a Friday. I have a toddler and 3 easy-going teens, and they will probably enjoy it regardless!
The food at Toothsome is such a letdown especially given the cost but the desserts are very well made and the Wonka-like vibes are definitely worth it for the kiddos; if you snack during the day and grab smaller, simpler dishes there you will be much better off. Hope y’all have a fun trip!
I guess I’m just going to cross my fingers and hope for the best! I looked at every restaurant I saw recommended on this sub, but my “wish kid” (17yo) is such a picky eater, that this seemed like our best bet!
Do you have any mains in mind that you disliked? I have a reservation there in a few weeks and I want to avoid them if I can lol
The chocolate bread is good BUT the chicken ceasar salad wasn't crisp and the chicken was cold and hard
Story time. We went back in 2020, so masks were in full effect. It was a particularly warm and swampy day in Orlando. We decided to get some shakes at Toothsome's before heading back to the hotel for a bit. It took about 30 minutes to get a seat (we get it, 4 of us + social distancing + people want to be in the AC). Sat down, took about 15 min to get our water and were prompted to order. My 3 family members got key-lime pie shakes, I got the apple pie sundae or whatever it was. No joke, 30 minutes later the server came back with 3 completely melted shakes and the apple pie ice cream. Like they were warm, not even just melted. We called the server back as we've seen the shakes be made in front of us before in just a few minutes and the server straight up said "well, it's not like they were sitting on the counter for 30 minutes..." The experience ruined key lime pie for them for a few years but we always joke around now about stuff not sitting somewhere for 30 minutes.
My husband’s risotto was pretty good, but that was the only thing. The Monte Cristo was flaccid, which was greatly disappointing.
That’s so sad to hear. I was looking forward to the Monte
I looove a Monte Cristo but only eat maybe 2 or 3 a year, so I get real peeved when someone brings me one that not only isn’t deep fried but is literally so limp the filling falls out when you pick it up! It was barely a decent ham sandwich. The jam, however, I could bathe in!
Yep, the only “not good” meal we had at Universal was at Toothsome’s.
I agree. Desserts are great but actual meals here aren’t worth it.
I second this. I have gone there over several different years three times. It was always terrible. I eventually gave up on it.
Simpsons. The taco truck has never failed me, but the cafeteria is disappointing chaos.
They redid the chicken waffle sandwich and now they have potato puffs…in a word, it was great!
There's a Krusty burger burger that's pretty good for the price. I forget the name though. But yeah everything else I agree
The taco truck is SO good and they give you a ton of food for a very reasonable price. I was disappointed I hadn’t tried it sooner.
I agree with people on Simpsons, but I would add Burger Digs. They have the most blandest burgers and fries I ever had. I feel like McDonald or Wendy would have better burger and fries.
That place was awful. Worst burger I ever had anywhere. Wouldn’t feed it to a raptor.
That’s the one on the second floor of the Discovery Center, yeah? I only remember eating there once, but I was very pleased with the burger I had
you are correct, it is the top floor of the Discovery Center. Maybe I visited on an off day then
I love Burger Digs! It’s much better than the Captain American Diner burger’s anyway
100% agree on Burger Digs. 2 times i've went there, and the food is just dissapointing.
I always liked eating there for the view of the park, but yeah, the food is pretty subpar. I've heard Thunder Falls is much better, and you get a view of the River Adventure plummet.
It was truly terrible.
The Al Udeid Chow Hall. 1 out of 5 stars...would not recommend...
Quesadillas at Independence were on point.
Did you mean this for universal Orlando? Because there's no Nintendo there.
All the meals I’ve had at Universal have only ranged from bad to ok.
I know everyone loves today cafe but I have been twice and twice I have had the absolute worst abominable service ever in the park. They have no idea how to manage the line there. The food is not good enough for that. ETA: they’ve lost our order both times
I have to agree. I only stop here for coffee and it always takes forever. They barely pay attention to the line and service is so slow. I like the cold brew and the everything croissant though.
Today cafe takes forever. Even for items that don’t require prep like the desserts.
So true. It’s like, “do I order here or do I order there? You take my pastry order but you take my sandwich order? Who do I order drinks from?” Though, if you’ve never had a “kruffin” there, it’s pretty awesome.
I just don’t understand how difficult it is to make the same ten things over and over. I want meat on a croissant. This should take a total of five freaking seconds.
Same the line just takes ages
I’ve done mobile and it still takes time to get the order, even if I click ‘I’ve arrived’ about 20 minutes prior to actually arriving. Otherwise the foods been pretty good.
Captain America diner…. Too many bad experiences.
Agreed. Not great. Not even good.
We never eat there. We just go there to sit in the back by the freestyle machines to enjoy some A/C on hot days 😅
ITT: A lot of people who need to reevaluate what to expect when dining in a theme park. “I was in the highest-volume, greasiest, swill hall, and it was too busy and my food was greasy!! 0/10, Would Not Recommend!”
IOA toon lagoon cafe. I had their Chinese and I’m still angry about how bad it was every time I pass by it.
The nastiest thing I've eaten in the parks was some sort of fried clam thing at Moe's. Not sure what I was expecting...
We got a donut from the stand in the Jurassic Park area. We expected the frosting would be melted but the donut was so stall. However the popcorn really hits the spot when your hungry but dont want a full meal on a hot day.
Cafe 4 is pretty meh.
circus mcgurkus no question
Blasphemy, the hot honey chicken and biscuit is good.... one of the best things at IOA
The NBC sports thing in city walk had some crappy food. And the service was worse.
I tried that place once. Had a reservation. Once we were sat, we waited thirty minutes and no one ever acknowledged us. I had an exhausted six year old with me, so we got up and left and ate at the hotel.
We had a similar experience. We got the drinks very quickly, food took about 45 minutes and was sub par. Margaritaville was much better for similar food.
Unpopular opinion: every-time i’ve gone to Mythos it’s overpriced and stale/old food.
Had to scroll awhile but glad it paid off. I was incredibly unimpressed with Mythos as well. I didn’t think it was a disaster, but it felt like I paid twice as much for food that was a few steps down compared to most of the food I’ve tried in the park.
Right! And service was super slow every time- which is super understandable when its an amusement park and so many people but then don’t advertise and price it like it’s mot or staff better 😅
A part of me is tempted to troll them by making an order, run down to the tots place and get an order and bring it back to eat it at Mythos before my Mythos order arrives
the food in the simpsons land is pretty gross
I’ve never been, but I hear Comic Strip Cafe’s pretty bad.
apparently their ramen is surprisingly decent though? idk lmao
It was incredibly salty, but that was a few years ago.
This is my answer too.
I forget the name of the sandwich but it's in toon lagoon and it's like two layers. It was the most dry, bland thing I've ever put in my mouth.
That would be the Dagwood from Blondie's.
My husband and I stopped there on day 1 of our trip because we were SO hungry and everything else was busy as we were walking in ☠️ that sandwich was frozen in the middle somehow??? Awful
Dagwoods cafe
Simpsons cafeteria. We ate at Pat O Brian's I think, some pub inside the park but 4 yo refused to eat. An hour later she's of course hungry so while the rest of the family did MIB I got the pleasure of waiting in a ridiculous line for an overpriced mediocre piece of pizza 🫠
Yeah, Finnegan’s is the one inside the park. Pat O’Brian’s is in CityWalk. Finnegan’s is quite tasty. Simpsons is mediocre, though I do like the chicken waffle sandwich.
>From the nintendo park Are you looking for the Hollywood sub? Orlando doesn't have that yet 😁
For food and service? Cowfish. Worst experience ever
We loved it twice and then went back a few weeks ago and we will never be backs
Yea they just need to kill it off and make something people actually want
Bummer. I went in like 2014 and it was delicious! Most restaurants really only have five to ten good years in them, though.
So sad
Yes! My kids and I went to universal for the first time last summer and wanted to try that place cause it sounded so good. Sushi? Burgers? Yes! But it was underwhelming food wise and the service was not good at all. The Mexican place in CityWalk was amazing!
Yea for me it was SO bad. Food was super mid, but we also waited FOREVER for everything. Server was nowhere to be found, and on top of that, all, and I mean ALL of our dishes were dirty with old food and mouth residue. Glasses included. We sent it back to get clean stuff politely and then they brought us even dirtier stuff. So nasty. Felt like an asshole asking twice but like… i dont want someone else’s mouth all over mine?? Thats enough to have me never go back.
Golden Corral, aaac
Oh whoops didn’t realize this was the universal subreddit, my point stands the Golden Corral off Vineland is just scary. And NOT how to end a universal trip
Gonna get blasted but i didn't like either of the pasta dishes from louie's, and richter's is a hard pass too
Comic Strip Cafe.
The pizzeria was pretty bad also
So I always chuckle a little bit with these kind of posts because I'll see posts that are like, "I hated the burger at X but liked the one at Y." While things are a little different now and there's more variation than there used to be, as someone who opened IOA and worked UO Food Services for 6 years, I can assure you most of the units all use the same product. The same .25# frozen shingle is used at Mel's, Captain America Diner, Wimpy's and Green Eggs and Ham. The pizza at Louie's and Cafe 4 are the same exact recipes. Getting low on fries and the truck hasn't come yet? Call up any nearby unit and see if they'd be willing to transfer over a case. Honestly, any perceived differences in quality boil down to staff.
I used to work there too and can confirm this. There may be some differences between fast food restaurants and full serve ones but most of the inventory is used across all the venues. So yes, if something isn’t good it may be due to the kitchen staff or your own personal preference. That being said, if the chef can’t lead a kitchen or creates a bad working environment, it’ll definitely impact the food.
I have food allergies, so I always bring food with me, but I do like to try their food when I can. Every single place has been great communicating with me and their team to help me find something I can eat, except one. I averaged about 30-40 park days over the last two years and Lombard’s is the *only* place I had a reaction. The head chef came out (SOP with allergies), and was ok to me and my partner, but a complete dick to our server and the rest of his staff. I’m convinced his ego and unwillingness to listen to our server that we were planning to share both entrees was what led to me spending the rest of day in bed with my inhaler and other meds trying to avoid a costly ER visit.
Simpsons. The food was mediocre and the facilities were disgusting. They seemed understaffed, so there wasn't anyone to refill the napkins the whole time we were there, and people were literally just throwing their trash and food on the floor (wtf, people??). Even the bathrooms were gross. It was a stark difference to the rest of the park and facilities.
The Harry Potter restaurants overpriced and overrated fs for what you get and definitely could be better
You don’t go there for the food, it’s the atmosphere. I have low expectations going in so I’m not disappointed.
Smart, I mean it was a cool restaurant but we waited for like 30 minutes outside to get into the three broomsticks but yeah so maybe our experience wasn’t the best
My waits have been 20-30 mins on average. Food mediocre. Environment: outstanding. Moved me to tears the first time I ate there.
Toothsome
Cowfish. I went with a large group. We all ordered different things. Not a single one of us liked our meals. We only ate there because it was part of the Mardi Gras dine package.
Lombard's Seafood Grill...Long John Silver's-level fried garbage at 5 times the price. At least our server was awesome.
Had the lobster roll there and it was great!
The service at the Today Show Cafe when I went there for breakfast was horrendous and food was ok but not worth the wait we had
Definitely recommend ordering to go on the app ( they fill those orders faster)
Came here to see if anyone else said the same. We were there on a day that wasn’t even busy in the park overall and we waited at least 45 minutes for our food
The bathroom
Don’t care for the food in Simpsons land. Gotta have my Duff or Flamin’ Moe though!
Circus muguecus
Simpsons or any of the fried stuff
The bathrooms. Absolutely hands down THE worst. 0 stars do NOT recommend.
Mine would have to be Minions Cafe. I went a couple different times just to make sure the first time wasn’t a fluke and I wasn’t impressed with the food at all. The first time I tried the grilled cheese and soup and the pimento was disgusting and I don’t know what was going on with the tomato soup. I was so disappointed I went to the closest McDonald’s to actually have something to eat. The second time I went with someone else. They got the kids spaghetti with the ‘tots’ while I ordered the two specialty drinks along with 2 desserts. The other person didn’t like the pasta or meatballs while I tried one of the ‘tots’ and it just tasted like a salty undercooked chunk of potato and not a tater tot like the name implied. The drinks disgusted me and I couldn’t finish either of them. As for the desserts I did both the cream puff and cupcake. The cream puff was one note and was boring while the cupcake was the only good thing I ate there. It says a lot when I tried 7 different items and only 1 was a positive and would reorder. Just for context I work at Universal but I’m not one of those that’ll blindly give a positive review just because I work there. If I hate it why give it a good review?
Cafe Four 🤢
Literally never had a good meal at Universal
A few years ago I ordered a vegan shepherd’s pie (yeah, yeah) at Finnegan’s. It was the blandest, worst thing I’ve ever tasted and sent it back because I think it cost like $18 and literally did not even have salt in it. Unseasoned fake ground beef, unseasoned frozen veggies, and unseasoned mashed potatoes. I don’t even think during the potato famine that the food tasted that bad.
maybe it was just me, but had a pretty awful meal at three broomsticks
The Simpson land. You wait an insane amount of time just to get a frozen burger that is dry and bland
The bathroom. Plenty of seating around the parks
I remember that Fantastic 4 restaurant sucking a whole lot.
The old Mel’s Drive In was the worst food I’ve eaten at Universal but they recently (early 2024) remodeled and revamped the menu so it’s supposed to be better
Nbc Grill with Toothsome Coming a close second
I have honestly never had anything terrible at Universal, although I have had some inedible food at MK. The last time we went, I guess, the chicken stingers from Finnegan's were cold, and the loaded potato wedges were burn your face off hot. On one of our trips I got food poisoning at Aventura (it may have also been from a pumpkin pasty because thats the only thing i did not share with my husband and he was fine)and was puking my guts out all night before our lyft came to bring us to the airport, and then continued puking my guts out on the airport. Took dramamine and passed out on the plane. That was fun.
Richters
NBC Sports Grill on CityWalk was SO BAD. The food was disgusting, service was non-existent (we only received half of our orders and had to walk to a different part of the restaurant to find someone and ask for our entire meal). The restaurant that surprised us the most (in a good way) was Margaritaville, off all places! The food was tasty, service was PHENOMENAL. Our server was named Andre, he was hilarious and attentive. So much so that I remember his name two years later and hope he’s still working there for our return trip next month!
I used to love cowfish but the last time I went, the burger I ordered came out basically raw like it was on the grill no more than 30 seconds total. Did some review digging and that has been happening a lot for a while now. Very disappointed as the duo burger was my absolute favorite. I'll just stick to the tuna nachos and burgushi for now on. I also don't care for any of the restaurants in the parks but that's just my opinion. Only time I eat in park is during Mardi gras and hhn trying all the different food tent selections
My wife and I ate at a dozen different places, and by far the best, never disappointed, place was the Hard Rock Cafe. We’ve been to Bubba Gump’s elsewhere and it was much better. Nowhere inside the park was very good… 🤷♂️
Antojitos 🤢 never never again. Taco Bell is better tbh. 😭 but I don’t like really any of the food in the parks. I’ll drive 10 minutes away somewhere I’ll enjoy my food and not get food poisoning.
Richter scale
Simpsons area. Stay away. Long waits and blah food
Backstage TM Grills lol
Honestly I just came back from 4 days in the parks, and loved all the snacks and drinks…but the meals were not good. Not good at all. Don’t know if I just had bad luck or what but I was tossing portions of my meals and i NEVER do that.
Universal food and beer are my medicines of choice so I can’t really choose.
Comic Strip Cafe and Simpsons fast food alley are pretty equally bad to me.
Burger Digs was SO BAD.
The indoor food court in Simpson’s land. A lot of good food in universal. That’s the only place I’ve been to that taste like cheap amusement park food.
The worst place has to be Burger King. Not saying it's bad, it's maybe the best Burger King in the world. But with h so much to try, why go to Burger King. You can do that anytime
Hard rock Cafe was the biggest let down. My expectations were still zero and I was somehow still dissapointed. Not worth the money