Universal Orlando's new Universal Epic Universe theme park opens in 101 days. To help fans imagine what a day in the new park might feel like, Universal today announced some of the more than 100 new eats and drinks that you will find in Epic Universe.
We will start in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic, where Universal will offer yet another form of Butterbeer. This time, it's a Butterbeer crepe, in keeping with the Parisian theme of the new land.
Served in the land's Café L’air De La Sirène, the Bièraubeurre Crepe will include shortbread cookie butter, Bavarian cream, Butterbeer cream, strawberries, Butterbeer drizzle, and a Butterbeer shortbread cookie.
On the breakfast menu will be Quiche Lorraine, gilded with a mornay sauce, and for lunch and dinner, Poulet à la Provençal (roast half chicken), and Baguette de Dinde, with sliced cracked black pepper turkey, arugula, apples, and Brie, with mustard butter and apple butter.
A second restaurant, Le Gobelet Noir, will serve a vegan Lentil Stew as well as an Alchemist's Platter, which includes smoked sausage, potato and cheese pierogies, pickled eggs, marinated beets, caramelized onions, and a warm pretzel served with German mustard and cheese fondue.
In a land themed to Universal's classic monsters such as the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, and Dracula, Dark Universe's table service restaurant will Das Stakehaus. Bird on a Stake (grilled dry rubbed chicken tenderloin) will be one of the signature entrees here, along with Fish on a Stake (blackened salmon steak), and Bits and Pieces (seared and glazed wild mushroom brisket meatloaf).
Das Stakehaus also will serve a "Blood" Orange Chicken Sandwich, on a black bun with pickles and slaw, served with fries.
Also on the menu: Our Favorite Vegan Familiar's Stuffed Cabbage, with Impossible meat substitute wrapped in cabbage leaves and served under a bell pepper tomato sauce, with beet bucatini.
In the How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk land, Mead Hall will serve a Thawfest Platter with sausage, salmon, and chicken drumsticks with a wild berry BBQ glaze, along with roasted carrots, cipollini onions, Nordic fries, and side sauces.
Other options will include a vegan Nordic Harvest Salad with kale, arugula, and red cabbage, with radishes, ancient grains, blueberries, and apples, topped with a sprinkle of trail mix and a raspberry vinaigrette. Mead Hall also will offer a Sullen Sea Sandwich, grilled salmon topped with pickles, arugula, and tartar sauce.
To drink, the land's signature beverage will be Yaknog - a malted chocolate drink with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla and topped with whipped cream. For dessert, it's Stormfly's Catch of the Day, a a chocolate mousse fish atop a bed of crispy rice cereal.
The east coast installation of Super Nintendo World also will include the Toadstool Cafe that we first saw at Universal Studios Hollywood. Also on the menu here will be the bacon and cheese Mario Burger, pesto chicken Luigi Burger, and one-pound Bowser's Fireball Challenge.
The land also will include Yoshi's Snack Island, which will serve a menu similar to Hollywood's Power Up Cafe, with calzones and smoothies.
Epic Universe's hub will be Celestial Park, which will offer multiple restaurants and bars. Selections here will include Sea Bass at the Atlantic seafood restaurant, Tonkotsu Ramen at The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant, and a vegan Harvest Moon Pizza - with grilled artichoke hearts, Divina tomatoes, and roasted peppers, topped with Castelvetrano olives and arugula - at Pizza Moon.
The The Oak & Star Tavern will offer barbecue platters, with a choice of smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork, cheddar jalapeño sausage or roasted chicken, with sides such as braised greens and mac and cheese. At Comet Dogs, visitors will find a Bulgogi Dog, an Al Pastor Dog, and a vegan-friendly Smoky Carrot Dog. Other locations in the land will include Meteor Astropub, Frosty Moon, Star Sui Bao, and the bars Celestiki and Bar Zenith.
Universal Orlando's Universal Epic Universe opens on May 22. For more on the park's attractions, please see our Visitors Guide to Universal Epic Universe.
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There's definitely some interesting items here, but as with so many theme park menus, I expect some watering down as they get guest feedback and get used to executing these dishes. That Butterbeer crepe looks like it can't miss, but if the kitchen can't execute it consistently, it might not survive. Crepes can be notoriously difficult/tricky, especially in high volume locations - we ordered from a crepe place at Legoland Billund last summer, and while the item we got was excellent, it took FOREVER, not only to have our order made but how long we waited in line just to place the order. I think they're being really ambitious trying a Butterbeer crepe because of the immense demand that will come with linking a menu item with the iconic flavor, so I certainly hope the chefs know what they're getting themselves in for.
I'm really interested in the food of Dark Universe, but I wonder why they seem to be focusing so much on the visual appeal of those dishes in a restaurant that will undoubtedly be dimly lit. I also hope they are able to develop some walking food for this area that captures the theme while still being appealing to the palate and family friendly.
The setting of Ministry of Magic in Paris will help chefs develop menus that won't overlap with Isle of Berk, but I do worry that there is some sameness between the offerings of those 2 portals. Personally, I expected more Ren Faire-style food for Isle of Berk, or maybe Scandinavian (heavy on pickled fish and meatballs/sausage), but the dishes shown here seem a bit on the modern side. Frankly, the Alchemist's Platter looks more appropriate for Isle of Berk than Ministry of Magic.
However, I think the restaurants of Celestial Park are going to be the go-to locations for guests visiting Epic Universe, at least for its first year or 2 of operation. I think the Portal system will force guests to either linger inside portals or hang out in Celestial Park while they wait to access other portals. I think guests will eventually figure out that if they time things right, they can eat a sit down lunch and/or dinner in one of the Celestial Park restaurants while they're waiting between portals, or at the end of their day. The 3 main table service restaurants all look like excellent up-scale eateries with distinct cuisines not duplicated anywhere else in the park (Asian, Seafood, and Pizza/Italian). I'm particularly interested in Pizza Moon, which looks like is going right at Villa Napoli - a pretty bold move IMHO.
I thought the portal-slot-gate-keeping had been debunked. Was that just debunking the free Celestial Park and paying for every other park piecemeal. I WILL NOT have my day dictated to me like virtual queue. The 3 park bundle is bad enough. Im trying to go radio silent before i visit but im thinking visiting might not be a priority until they lose this 'feature.'
yeah, there's no evidence that these portals (at opening) will be anything other than gateways to their designated lands.
Baguette de Dinde would carry me through the day. A Butterbeer Crepe is tempting but seems like it would be way too sweet. Bring me a Thawfest Platter, please. And then leave me in peace. :o)
Stop, stop...you had me at blackened salmon.
Finally an option for us who love seafood and hate getting it fried.
Ambitious but it won’t last. The Jungle Cruise restaurant offered deliciously exotic options when it first opened and now serve a steak, fried rice, or shrimp pasta entree. Park goers enjoy theming but what they really love are their basic dishes and less expensive options like hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, and cheese pizzas (throw in Mac and cheese and you have the diet of most 3-18 year olds). The restaurants in Epic will gravitate towards these options as has happened in every other US theme park. Hopefully though, they can keep a mix that interests both foodies and the masses.
I'm bummed that there hasn't been a reveal of Epic's Super Nintendo World serving the flavored popcorn or other items that exist in the USJ installation. Most of Epic's SNW menu appears ported from Hollywood, which has inferior food & beverage options.
Stormfly's catch of the day looks hilarious! I started laughing as soon as I scrolled down!
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I keep wondering if TPI will Get a Media Preview Pass to Epic.....?