Looks like my wish has been granted. Universal Studios Hollywood announced today that another of Universal Orlando's CityWalk restaurants will be coming to California.
As I had hoped, it's Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen. The steampunk-themed restaurant will replace the Hard Rock Cafe and open in 2021. Previously, Universal Studios Hollywood has brought Antojitos Cocina Mexicana and VIVO Italian Kitchen to its CityWalk, with NBC Sports Grill and Brew replacing the former Tony Roma's next year.
With Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Bubba Gump, and Voodoo Doughnut also in both Orlando and Hollywood, the trend has been to standardize the line-up at Universal's shopping and dining districts, though this switch comes at the cost of one of the Hard Rock Cafe franchises that had been on both coasts.
The Hard Rock space gives Universal a prominent location for the impressive facade that it created for Toothsome in Orlando, where the restaurant replaced NBA City, near the entrance to Islands of Adventure. With a focus on Instagram-worthy desserts and milkshakes, Toothsome will be catching up in the Southern California market with Downtown Disney's Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes, though the last time I checked in Orlando, the menu was bigger and the prices smaller at Toothsome, which should work in its favor.
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