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The Best Thing To Eat in Every World at Universal Epic Universe

Michael Y. Park's image
Michael Y. Park
Edited by: Jessica Merritt
& Keri Stooksbury
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Universal Orlando Resort granted the author access to the park’s preview period. All opinions are the author’s own, and Universal Orlando Resort had no input in any part of this review.

Theme parks are searching for attendance records, not Michelin stars, and amusement park food often revolves around how quickly guests can wolf down much-needed calories from chicken tenders and soggy pizzas between thrill rides. That said, Universal Epic Universe, the big, much-ballyhooed theme park opening May 22, 2025, in Orlando, Florida, has made a big deal of not only reinventing theme park rides but also the way parkgoers eat and drink when they’re not hanging on for dear life on the twists and turns of Stardust Racers or shooting shells at rival racers in Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.

On a visit during its soft launch in mid-May, my family and I visited every one of the so-called “worlds” off the main hub at Epic Universe, got the skinny from fellow parkgoers and employees, and used common sense (like looking at which places had the longest lines) to get a sense of which foods and drinks were starting to become the most popular. We then tried several of them throughout the day to crown what the best thing to eat (or drink) in each world at Epic Universe was.

Here are the best (and some disappointing) things to eat and drink at Epic Universe.

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Super Nintendo World

We spent an inordinate amount of time at Super Nintendo World — and judging by the crowds I saw, so did most people going to the Epic Universe previews. I left my spouse and our kid as they got into line for a ride in the Donkey Kong section, visited every other world in Epic Universe to take photos, scout out rides and food places, and quiz workers and other patrons about their food favorites, and came back to Super Nintendo World to find them both still happily putzing around punching question mark boxes and chasing coins.

Of the 10 or so hours we spent at Epic Universe, easily more than half was in Mario Mario’s happy place in Florida. (Yes, Mario Mario is the character’s actual official name.) We tried more Super Nintendo World foods and drinks here than anywhere else.

DK Crush Float at the Bubbly Barrel

The first thing we tried was possibly the best thing to eat or drink in Epic Universe: the DK Crush Float ($12.99 or $18.99 with the souvenir mug, as seen here). You can find it at the Bubbly Barrel in the Donkey Kong section of Super Nintendo World, through the tunnel past the Mushroom Kingdom part of this spoke of the park.

Donkey Kong bubbly barrel DK Crush Float
Donkey Kong Bubbly Barrel’s DK Crush Float may be the best single thing at Epic Universe.

The DK Crush Float is a cup of Fanta Pineapple soda topped with a waffle cone bowl filled with pineapple-banana soft-serve sprinkled with small toffee bits and caramel popcorn. It was genuinely good and had tropical zing, with the acidic pineapple offset by the mellow creaminess of the banana.

Very sweet, of course, but also full of interesting textures of toffee, waffle cone, soft-serve, and pineapple soda that worked well together. It’s clearly meant to be the Epic Universe’s take on a Disney World Dole Whip killer. Universal has created an infinitely more complex confection in flavor and texture than Disney’s Dole Whip. Disney World will have to up its game to keep this particular frozen treat conversation going.

I thought the caramel popcorn was just a tad too much, but the vendor thankfully limited our serving to just a few popcorns, or just enough for us to take a break from the ice cream, bear down on the caramel-y foamy-crunchiness, and then get back to the main event. But it wasn’t necessary, and the DK Crush Float probably would have been just fine without them.

Bottom Line:

The DK Crunch Float at the Bubbly Barrel concession stand in the Donkey Kong section of Super Nintendo World is the best thing to get at Epic Universe.

Fire Flower Spaghetti and Meatballs at Toadstool Cafe

At Toadstool Cafe, which reminded me of the detailed theming and constant entertainment inside one of the better restaurants on a Disney cruise ship, we ordered the Mario Mini Burger Adventure Set ($12.99), the Fire Flower Spaghetti and Meatballs ($17.99), the Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots ($8.99), and the ? Block Tiramisu ($8.99).

The spaghetti and meatballs were the best entree. Not surprisingly, the pasta was soft. You can’t expect mass-produced pasta at a theme park restaurant sitting in a basket for a long time not to overcook. But the sauce wasn’t overly sweet and had a little kick. It was probably too much kick for the average American kid’s palate, but enough for that kid’s parent to sense it as tingling on the tongue without it being overpowering. There were also 2 tiny mushrooms floating around in it.

Toad spagh meatballs
Fire Flower Spaghetti and Meatballs at Toadstool Cafe is surprisingly spicy.

The meatball was well-spiced and surprisingly light, not dense like when the meat blend is overcooked. The Parmesan shavings (from a real chunk of cheese!) were generous, unlike the mushrooms, and real, adding enough sharpness, nuttiness, and umami to balance the rest of the dish. I’d gone in expecting this to be the worst dish of the bunch, but besides overcooked pasta, it was the best.

Bottom Line:

Even if the pasta was overcooked, the Fire Flower Spaghetti and Meatballs is the best entree at Toadstool Cafe in Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe.

Mario Mini Burger Adventure Set at Toadstool Cafe

The mini burger was disappointing: You could barely see the beef patty, which, as we’d expected, was a small, brown beef puck well-done to dryness. Our first-grader didn’t finish it. At least it came with a little Mario figurine on a pick.

As for the sides, the way they prepared the fries raised many questions. First, they were truffle fries, an odd way to go for a children’s meal. I can’t get enough of truffles, but I’m an adult, and almost every child I know (even in France!) finds the flavor of truffles to be off-putting. The truffle flavoring was faint but enough to ensure our kid didn’t eat any fries. As a truffle lover, I found its use here a waste: Why bother putting truffle oil on mushy crinkle fries that have sat out so long in moist conditions that they’re more steamed than anything else when they go out?

The corn was sodden and overcooked. Surprisingly, the broccoli was perfectly steamed and still crisp inside, making it easily the best side dish here. I know; I was surprised, too!

The burger set came with a paper question-mark-block box. Inside was a shortbread cookie enrobed in a white chocolate shell molded to exactly resemble a Super Mario Bros. coin. It was a great job in terms of its looks, but it was also so dizzyingly sweet that when I bit into it, I felt kind of like I was doing that surprised-face phasing-in-and-out-of-reality thing Mario does when he runs headlong into a Goomba.

Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots at Toadstool Cafe

The garlic knots weren’t terrible, but they weren’t great. They had that chalky aftertaste I’ve gotten before from anticlumping agents in certain powders — I’m pointing the finger at the granulated Parmesan or garlic.

? Block Tiramisu

Somehow, I managed to get a tiny taste of the ? Block Tiramisu with a berry coulis without losing a finger to my son’s gnashing teeth, who wolfed it down. He loved it, as he does tiramisu in general. I found it way too sweet, and the shortbread that made up the walls was flavorless and a little soggy, but if you need a single Super Mario Bros. dish for your kid or for your foodie pic for socials, this is probably it.

Toad tiramisu
The ? Block tiramisu at Toadstool Cafe is worth an Insta, but is it worth eating?

I couldn’t figure out if the coffee used in the tiramisu was decaffeinated or caffeinated, but our son seemed perfectly OK and not more hyperactive than usual, given that he was already surrounded by the sensory overload of some of his favorite video games come to life in Central Florida.

Bottom Line:

The most Insta-worthy dish at Epic Universe is the ? Block Tiramisu at Toadstool Cafe in Super Nintendo World.

Dark Universe

Someone out there has to give Universal Epic Universe’s Dark Universe an award for the most gloriously redundant theme park name. It seems to have gotten short shrift in the food department as well. (And, honestly, everything else, as well — it’s appropriately moody and has an interestingly wacky, swingy ride in Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, but is clearly the redheaded stepchild of the park).

During our visit, there was just a steakhouse (Das Stakehaus, naturally), a burger joint (the Burning Blade Tavern, in which it looked like the patrons were prisoners forced to eat in a dungeon cell — not the most appetizing look), and a single food stand (De Lacey’s Cottage).

Warm-Hearted Cinnamon Bites at De Lacey’s Cottage

It was at the food stall that we found the most in-demand dish in this monster-filled, vaguely Transylvanian universe: Warm-Hearted Cinnamon Bites ($9.99), doughnut balls dusted with cinnamon and sugar, drizzled with cream cheese icing, and sprinkled with streusel.

Frankenstein cinnamon rolls
Warm cinnamon bites have nothing to do with hearts at Dark Universe.

How in demand was it? Not only was it the No. 1 food the staff working here recommended to me, but it was also completely sold out when we got to De Lacey’s Cottage. So we waited for 10 or 15 minutes with a couple of other parkgoers who’d also wanted to try them out while one of the staffers ran off somewhere to resupply the stand’s doughnuts.

The doughnuts themselves were not remarkable. They were warm and fluffy, but not anything you wouldn’t find if you were lucky enough to get a fresh batch from a chain doughnut place. They weren’t overly sweet or cinnamon-y — notably, the cream cheese icing wasn’t as cloying as many restaurants and people tend to make it, though it did have that sticky, runny texture icing can get when the ingredients are separated from overmixing.

The generous streusel, which was not too much, put these cinnamon bites just over the top for me, providing just enough crunchy, textural contrast to the soft, gooey rest. It was another example of the Epic Universe menu designers paying better attention to the overall mouthfeel of their dishes than many other parks.

Bottom Line:

The Warm-Hearted Cinnamon Bites are just cinnamon doughnut holes. They’re not shaped like hearts or anything monstrous.

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Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was where the Epic Universe recipe developers (or kitchen) fell short on food texture. I’d been hearing about the Butterbeer crepes almost since I heard about Epic Universe getting an official opening date, and they’re still getting a lot of lavish loving attention on social media. You get them at Café L’air de La Sirène, where they’re listed as the Bieraubeurre Crêpe ($19.99). We also got lavender lemonade ($5.49) and pumpkin juice ($4.29).

Bieraubeurre Crêpe at Café L’air de La Sirène

On the menu, the Butterbeer crepe is described as: “shortbread cookie butter Bavarian cream, Bieraubeurre™ cream, strawberries, Bieraubeurre™ drizzle, and a shortbread cookie garnish.” It’s essentially a butterscotch crepe generously sprinkled with Harry Potter intellectual-property magic and liberally garnished with trademark symbols.

Harry Potter butterbeer crepes
Butterbeer crepes at Café L’air de La Sirène show potential, but we like the pumpkin juice better.

In terms of flavor, the crepes were good and sweet but not overly so, offset by the acid freshness of the fresh strawberries and the cool, fluffy cream. The crepes themselves were thick, dense, and rubbery, which could have resulted from not quite the right ratios in the mixture, not letting the batter rest, or overmixing. They were also bland, lacking the very slight sweetness and faint egginess of good sweet crepes, instead merely tasting cold and flat. To a large degree, we ate the toppings and dipped them in a bit of the rubbery crepes to balance out the sweetness of the toppings by themselves, but didn’t finish the dish.

The potential is there. If the Epic Universe kitchen team can fix their crepes to make them lighter, more delicate, and more flavorful, the Butterbeer crepes will actually be worthy of all the social media love they’re getting.

Lavender Lemonade at Café L’air de La Sirène

The lavender lemonade was just purplish lemonade. We didn’t get more than the barest whiff of lavender.

Pumpkin Juice at Café L’air de La Sirène

The pumpkin juice seemed to be cold apple cider with pumpkin spice (I’m guessing cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and maybe a little cinnamon, in this case) dialed up to 11. It was the most popular drink in our group of 3, and my son and I argued over who took disproportionately large sips.

Bottom Line:

The Butterbeer crepes at Café L’air de La Sirène have the potential to be worthy of their social media fame. On the other hand, the pumpkin juice may extend the life of the pumpkin spice fad yet another year.

Isle of Berk

The final spoke world we ate at in Epic Universe was the Isle of Berk, the part of the park themed around DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon.” Before I took my son here to eat a light supper, I’d already interrogated all the Viking-costumed park workers I could about what they thought was the best thing they’d found to eat here in the weeks the concession stand had been open. The 2 consensus answers were the Goldfish Mac & Cheese Cone ($13.99) and Hiccup’s Salmon Bowl ($18.99).

Both are at the Spit Fyre Grill, a takeaway stand where you order online, pick up your order, and sit down at benches overlooking the river loop for the water ride Fyre Drill, where riders squirt targets with water hoses from Viking longboats. (Yes, we got splashed a little.)

Goldfish Mac & Cheese Cone at Spit Fyre Grill

We started with the mac and cheese cone, a mild, white cheddar truncated cavatappi in a seed-topped flatbread and topped with Goldfish crackers. It all came in a paper cone for eating with your hands.

Dragon mac cone
Your kids will probably want the mac and cheese cone at Isle of Berk.

This was carbohydrate overload, and I could only manage a couple of bites, but that’s clearly why the staffers (who all looked to be in their late teens) and, judging by the other diners, young children were such fans. If you’re looking for instant energy to give you enough pep to bounce to the next ride, this could be the ticket.

I found it underflavored and wished they’d used sharper or smokier cheeses. Goldfish crackers may be a favorite among children ages 1 and up, but they didn’t do many favors here, with their sharp, artificial flavor making the oh-so-mild cheesy pasta even monotonous. Texturally, however, it was a good contrast to the soft-on-soft macaroni-in-bread composition of the rest of the meal.

Hiccup’s Salmon Bowl at Spit Fyre Grill

The grilled salmon bowl, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise. Of course, the dish was overcooked, but only slightly and not to the point of being bone dry.

I rarely order salmon at places like these, where it inevitably sits under heat lamps, losing all its moisture while waiting for the rest of the order to be completed. We might’ve gotten lucky with the one I got, but the interior of the salmon was still moist and reasonably juicy, even if it didn’t look it. Though the citrus dressing wasn’t strong, it and the avocado crema drizzle were enough to keep the fish flavorsome.

Dragon salmon
Adults will better appreciate the salmon bowl at Isle of Berk.

The grilled salmon rested on a bed of nutty, delightfully chewy ancient grains. The crispy, tangy jicama salad was a great counterpoint to the salmon, and switching between the fish and the crumbled feta was when I realized the Epic Universe menu designers were paying attention to mouthfeel. The blistered tomatoes added that extra zesty zing that put this dish over the top.

Bottom Line:

Children and carb-loading marathon runners will probably love the mac and cheese cone, but most adults may find it too much. The salmon bowl may be a better choice for them.

Final Thoughts

The Universal Epic Universe menu designers have clearly focused on dishes that will keep guests coming back, spread word of mouth, and create a social media buzz.

If you’re seeking a single must-try food at Epic Universe, it’s the DK Crush Float at Bubbly Blaster in the Donkey Kong part of Super Nintendo World. There’ll almost certainly be a line when you go, but it’s worth the wait.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best thing to get to eat or drink at Epic Universe?

The DK Crush Float at the Bubbly Barrel at Super Nintendo World.

How are the Butterbeer crepes at the Harry Potter world at Epic Universe?

The crepes themselves need some work, but the flavor profiles are there. This could be an excellent dish with lighter, more flavorful crepes to compliment the toppings.

What food at Epic Universe will my kids actually eat?

Try getting them the mac and cheese cones at Isle of Berk.

Why didn't you rate the foods at Celestial Universe at Epic Universe?

Honestly, I didn’t know it was its own universe rather than being a vaguely steampunkish hub. If I go back, though, the first thing I’ll try is the tteokbokki stand on the eastern side.

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About Michael Y. Park

Michael Y. Park is a journalist living in New York City. He’s traveled through Afghanistan disguised as a Hazara Shi’ite, slept with polar bears on the Canadian tundra, picnicked with the king and queen of Malaysia, tramped around organic farms in Cuba, ridden the world’s longest train through the Sahara, and choked down gasoline clams in North Korea.

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