If you are planning a visit to Universal Orlando Resort or even to nearby Walt Disney World you might find yourself visiting CityWalk. This amazing area connects both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida to the parking garages. Along the way you will pass many amazing restaurants that you will want to try.
CityWalk is jammed packed full of amazing restaurants and shops. Get your Harry Potter merch at the Universal Store without having to have a theme park ticket. Or grab a Donut at Voodoo Doughnut for breakfast. Or have an amazing lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants.
Grab a massively delicious milkshake from Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. Or answer Forrest Gump trivia while eating shrimp at Bubba Gump. Plus you can always try something new like the Burgushi at Cowfish.
Check out our reviews below of some of the amazing locations at Universal’s CityWalk. If you are planning a Universal Orlando Vacation you will want to check these places out.
Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen
One thing for certain, you can’t miss Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen. The building really sticks out when walking towards Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure. The steampunk style building will make you want to check it out. It almost has that Willy Wonka feeling.
The big draw here is the Milkshakes. These are not your typical milkshakes. These guys are unique and huge. It is a meal all by itself. Some of the different options to choose from include That’s “Mint”, Marshmallow Crisp, Red Velvet, Chocolate X5, and many more. Bring a friend or family member to help finish these guys.
While the big draw might be the massive milkshakes they also sell food too. You can get everything from apps to salads, burgers, and pasta. They have a wide selection of meals for you to choose from.
We had the Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls and the May Contain Bacon burger. The egg rolls were delicious. The sauce that came with them made for the perfect pairing. I would definitely order them again.
Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls 
Marshmallow Crisp Milkshake 
May Contain Bacon Burger
As for the burger. I would probably pass on that one. The burger itself wasn’t bad. It tasted good and I liked the pretzel roll. However, the name would suggest that it was loaded with bacon. It was not. It had two strips of bacon like you would find on your typical bacon burger.
Now the milkshake on the other hand was simply amazing. We ended up going with the marshmallow Crisp. It came with a huge marshmallow and rice crispy chunk. The flavor was on point. I can’t wait to go back to order another one. I would love to try them all but I know I can’t. At least not in one sitting.
If you are planning on visiting Toothsome Chocolate Emporium you might want to make a reservation. We didn’t have one and they were all booked up when we went to visit. However, we were able to go upstairs and sit at the bar and have dinner.
Hard Rock Cafe
Many people have heard of Hard Rock Cafe before. The Hard Rock Cafe at CityWalk is unlike the rest though. This is the largest Hard Rock in the world. Stepping inside you can understand why that must be true.
Unlike Toothsome which is unique. Hard Rock Café Orlando is just like the others except for its size. You will find tons of music merch hanging on the walls. The menu is like you would find at any other location.
We went with the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and Mac and Cheese. Neither one was a let down. I asked for a medium burger and it was more on the medium rare side which I was okay with. That’s why I order my burgers that way. I don’t mind if they are medium rare, medium, or medium well. If I ask for a medium that shouldn’t way undercook it or overcook it. So far it has worked out well for me. The mac and cheese too came out perfectly. Plus don’t worry you won’t be paying an arm and a leg for boxed kraft mac and cheese.
Like I said before, this place is huge. While we were able to walk right in and get a table you might want to make reservations if this is a must do for you. We went around noon in August and didn’t have any issues. You just never know what might happen.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
I don’t know why but Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. has been one of my favorite places to eat at when I visit Orlando. Anywhere I go I try to stop by Bubba Gump if they have one. We visited one last year in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and it did not disappoint. Just like the one in Orlando does not disappoint.
I have never had anything that I didn’t enjoy and I have tried much of the menu. I usually go with some type of seafood. This time (Day 11 of my pandemic trip) we had the Bubba’s Far Out Dip appetizer, 20 for $22 (Fried and Tempura Shrimp), Forrest’s Seafood Feast, and a kid’s cheeseburger with bacon.
Forrest Seafood Feast 
Kids Cheeseburger with bacon 
20 for $22
Everything came out perfectly. The shrimp and fish came out hot and crispy. The Far Out dip is a great app to start with. It’s not overpowering and goes well with your main course.
If you can’t decide on what you want. I suggest getting the Run across America Sampler. It comes with the Far out dip, Seafood Hush Pups, fried shrimp, and chicken tenders. It’s enough for your main course or for the table to share. Anytime I visit CityWalk I make sure I grab lunch or dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. I think you should too!
Margaritaville
Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Universal CityWalk gives you that Island feel in the middle of Florida. My 10 year old daughter loved this place. Not sure if it was more because of the music or food. She enjoyed both.
The menu is vast with many different options to pick from. Grab a Beach Club (turkey and ham), Cheeseburger in Paradise, Fish Tacos, Key West Chicken Quesadilla, and many other amazing choices.
We ended up visiting Margaritaville twice this past August. Once just my daughter and I. The other time when the rest of my family came down. My daughter loved their mac and cheese so much that she ordered it twice.
Boneless Wings 
Cheddar BBQ Burger 
Shrimp Tacos
I went with the Cheddar BBQ Burger the first time. It was cooked perfectly. Plus they had the right amount of the BBQ aioli on it. It wasn’t too much or too little. We both enjoyed it.
On the second visit I wasn’t too hungry so I went with the Caribbean honey boneless wings. They were pretty amazing and they went perfectly with my daughter’s mac and cheese. It almost reminded me of the four cheese mac & cheese with honey pepper chicken tenders at Applebees.
There are so many different places to check out when you are visiting Universal CityWalk. You won’t be able to visit them all in one go. That’s not a bad thing. It just means you will have to come back. If you are a Universal Passholder many of the places give you a discount too! You can’t beat that in my book.
Planning a Universal Orlando Vacation can be a lot of fun. Plus it is much easier than planning a Walt Disney World Vacation. We hope that these reviews give you a better idea of some of the places you can grab lunch or dinner at. There wasn’t one place that we wouldn’t visit again.
Have you tried any of the above places? Any suggestions on where we should visit next? Let us know in the comments below.
Kozmo Photos 