Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure have come a long way when it comes to the food that they offer. In years past, the food has been subpar at best. Now some of the places you will want to come back to time and time again.
Of course, there are some misses at both theme parks. But overall, they have some great places to choose from. Below we will go over some of the different “fast food” locations at Universal and Islands of Adventure and let you know what we think.
Some of the places took us by surprise. Others were as I would have expected. If you are planning a Universal Orlando Resort vacation and looking for places to eat. Find out what we think of a couple of the places below.
Universal Studios
Leaky Cauldron
The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley serves Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. No matter the time of day you will be able to get a great meal here. All the food we tried was amazing. You can either stand in line or order off the mobile app. Once that is done you will be seated and they bring your food out to you, hot and delicious.
For breakfast they have a bunch of great choices. Since Leaky Cauldron is in Diagon Alley which is in “London”. You will find a traditional English breakfast which includes scrambled eggs, black pudding, English Bacon, sausage links, baked beans, grilled tomato, mushrooms, and breakfast potatoes. However, they also offer an American Breakfast with eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage and croissant.
Besides those two favorite options you can find oatmeal, pancakes, Pasty, blood sausage and more. We tried the American Breakfast and Pancakes and it was delicious. The eggs were cooked perfectly and fluffy. The pancakes came out hot and the butter melted like you would expect. Oh and the bacon was nice and crispy. The meal was nice and filling and we left breakfast with plenty of energy to tackle the Wizarding World.
Breakfast was delicious and so was lunch. Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron had a ton of English favorites. You will find things like Fish & Chips, Guinness Stew, Bangers & Mash, Cottage Pie, and my personal favorite Scotch Eggs. We ended up going with the Scotch Eggs and Kids Fish & Chips. Just like breakfast, lunch too was very delicious. The fish was cooked perfectly. The scotch eggs were also amazing.
Besides our main course we also got a dessert. We tried the Chocolate and Butterbeer potted cream. It was pretty much like pudding and boy, was it amazing. Now I have find that a lot of the desserts offered at the quick service dining locations at Universal are lacking. The potted cream at the Leaky Cauldron was anything but lacking. If you are a fan of Butterbeer. I would definitely recommend it. You can also get your Butterbeer fix with regular Butterbeer, and the frozen and hot varieties.
Krusty Burger and Moe’s
What fan of the Simpson’s has never wanted to try the famous Krusty Burger or Duff Beer? I for one know I have. And to my surprise I was not very impressed. With a name like the Clogger Burger I was expecting something amazing.
The burger is topped with secret sauce, cheddar cheese sauce, tomato, lettuce, and bacon. The Clogger Burger won’t knock your socks off. It was ok. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. However, it is one of the better burgers you can find at Universal Studios Orlando.
Krusty Burger also sells foot-long hot dogs and a Ribwich. I would probably skip the hot dog since you can get that almost anywhere. The sideshow Bob foot-long is topped with homemade chili (which smelled good), cheese sauce, onions & coleslaw.
At Moe’s Tavern you will find Duff Beer and the Flaming Moe. I tried the Duff Beer and it was ok. I am not much of a beer drinker but it tasted pretty average to me. However, there is something to having a Krusty Burger and a Duff Beer in the Simpson Land at Universal Studios Florida.
Richter’s Burger Company
Richter’s Burger Company was my least favorite meal during my whole trip to Universal Orlando Resort. The burger was not very good at all. It was lacking in flavor. It was very bland.
The burger we ordered was the Big One. It claims to be their juiciest burger with bacon and cheddar cheese. Well it did have cheddar cheese and bacon (2 small strips). However, it wasn’t juicy at all. It was dried out. By far the worst burger we had on our nearly three week vacation.
We also ended up ordering the Dig It Sundae. This wasn’t too bad. It was pretty much chocolate ice cream in a cup. It was the best part of our meal.
Mel’s Drive-In
Mel’s Drive-in is another popular dining location in Universal Studios. The burgers are way better than the ones you will get at Richter’s Burger Company which I was surprised by. You can also find chicken fingers, grilled chicken, and salads here.
The burgers are pretty good here and I would suggest the BBQ Brisket Burger. The BBQ sauce isn’t overpowering and the onion ring on top helps pull it all together. The chicken tenders are also very tasty. They were not dried at all like you find at many theme parks. Our chicken fingers were still juicy and tender with the right amount of crisp.
Mel’s Drive-In also isn’t a bad place to get a milkshake or root beer float. Sure you will find better places around Orlando. However, they are pretty good here. If you are looking to get your ice cream fix. Mel’s has you covered.
Islands of Adventure
Burger Digs
You can find Burger Digs in the Jurassic Park section of Islands of Adventure. Now Burger Digs is your typical Theme Park dining location with so-so burgers. The Burgers are just ok. Nothing to write home about. However, in saying that, it will not be the worst burger you can find at Universal Orlando Resort.
Pizza Predattoria
Also in the Jurassic Park section you will find Pizza Predattoria. I would skip this place unless you are really in the mood for subpar Pizza. You might even be better off buying frozen pizza and cooking it in the microwave to get your pizza fix.
Okay, that might be a little mean. But seriously, it’s not very good. It is cheesy and loaded with toppings. So they do have that going for them. However, if you really want a good pizza I wouldn’t waste my time.
Three Broomsticks
Don’t confuse Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade with the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. While both breakfast menus are about the same. The lunch and dinner menus are very different.
At Three Broomsticks you can order the Great Feast which will feed a family of four. It consists of a garden salad, smoked chicken, spareribs, corn on the cob, and potatoes. You can also find this in a chicken and ribs platter without the salad.
Three Broomsticks does have shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, beef pasties, and everyone’s theme park favorite (I don’t understand why) turkey leg. You will also be able to have some butterbeer to help curb that craving.
Comic Strip Cafe
Comic Strip Cafe is another dining location in Islands of Adventure. Here you will find burgers, grilled chicken, and pizza. While the food isn’t bad. It’s just average at best.
Nothing against Comic Strip Cafe or any other quick service location at Islands of Adventure. The food here at Islands of Adventure is lacking. Nothing has jumped out at me so far. Nothing made me think that boy, I have to come back here next time.
If you are looking for a quick meal while exploring the theme parks you can find both good and bad locations. We went over just a few of the different locations both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure offer. Hopefully, our quick review helps you plan your Universal Orlando vacation a little better.
The Leaky Cauldron was by far the best quick service dining location we visited. Both breakfast and lunch were amazing. Universal Studios in general had better food than Islands of Adventure. If you have a park to park ticket, take the Hogwarts Express or walk on over to Universal Studios.
Are you planning a Universal Orlando Resort vacation in the next couple of months? Let us know in the comments below. We would also love it if you guys have any suggestions for our next Universal post.
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