13. Today Café
The next best thing to being in the audience of “The Today Show” in New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza? Stopping by Today Café, themed after NBC’s morning talk show. Granted, this quick-service dining spot is located in the Hollywood area of Universal Studios Florida rather than the park’s New York section, but don’t think too hard about it.
The menu includes bakery items but with a bit more substance than you’d find among, say, Starbucks’ food selection. Breakfast sandwiches (egg white Florentine, for example), lunch/dinner sandwiches (Park Avenue avocado toast), soups, and salads offer a wide variety for Universal guests looking for healthier options than typical theme park fare. As a bonus, all food items on the menu are $15 or less.
Today Café has a Google rating of 3.9 out of 5, with a predominant amount of travelers commending the restaurant’s sandwiches. Its true stamp of approval, though, comes from a source who knows a thing or two about “The Today Show”: Al Roker himself. The talk show’s esteemed weather reporter attended the restaurant’s grand opening in 2019 and has occasionally influenced specialty menu items. At the time of writing, the location serves Al’s Butternut Squash Tart. That’s what’s happening in this neck of the woods.
12. Café 4
Universal Orlando Resort
As with everything in Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal Islands of Adventure, Café 4’s aesthetic is straight out of a comic book. Within the restaurant’s lore, guests dine on the ground floor of the Baxter building, the headquarters of the Fantastic Four. Its quick-service lunch and dinner menu specializes in pizza, pasta, and hot subs.
On Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, Café 4 hosts a character dinner buffet, requiring reservations. Guests don’t get to meet the Fantastic Four, but arguably more popular heroes, including Spider-Man, Captain America, Storm, Rogue, Wolverine, and Cyclops. The character buffet experience costs $53 for diners ages 10 and up and $30 for children ages 3 to 9, and it includes a digital download of your photo with one of the superheroes. (Universal Orlando annual passholders: Call 407-224-7554 to receive 20% off your character dinner price.) The buffet’s menu features salads, chicken, pasta, vegetables, and pizza, so there’s something for everyone.
As a whole, including both its quick-service meals and character buffet options, Café 4 has a Google rating of 3.9 out of 5. Diners appreciate the former’s mobile ordering, and the latter’s characters. One visitor wrote, “The superheroes spent SO much time with our party and never once rushed us, were absolutely amazing and there were so many included photos taken. The heroes actually sat down with us at our table multiple times to just chat to us.” Excelsior!
11. Illumination’s Minion Café
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Studios Florida said “Bello!” to Minion Land in 2023. The area expands the footprint occupied by the existing Despicable Me Minion Mayhem simulator to now also include a new attraction called Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast and a new quick-service restaurant called Illumination’s Minions Café, among a handful of atmospheric additions. (Illumination is the studio behind the “Despicable Me” and “Minions” movies.)
Minions Café is, in a word, adorable. Its tater tots are shaped like Minions, for crying out loud! Minions Café’s lunch and dinner menu is committed to its theme, with every item allegedly created by the Minions themselves and named after a character from the “Despicable Me” movies: Otto’s Pet Rock (a peanut butter mousse), Kevin’s Chopa Chopa Salad (a bowl with chicken, pork, and veggies), the list goes on. As you might imagine, there are quite a few menu items with banana flair. For example, “The Antidote” is a non-alcoholic, banana-cream-pie-flavored soda with graham crackers on top. For even more banana mania, visit the popsicle stand and popcorn cart within Minion Land.
With Google reviewers praising the location’s imaginative design, abounding in everything from the menu to the décor, Minions Café — which stands where Monsters Café once did — is among Universal’s more whimsical eateries, and it carries a Google rating of 4.0 out of 5.
10. Thunder Falls Terrace
Universal Orlando Resort / YouTube
Sure, families flock to John Hammond’s park to see dinosaurs, but they’ve gotta eat while they’re there. Thunder Falls Terrace is a quick-service restaurant in the meta, park-within-the-park story of Jurassic Park at Universal Islands of Adventure.
Thunder Falls Terrace is a meat-lover’s paradise. The hearty fare on the menu includes rotisserie chicken, chargrilled ribs, roasted pernil, and “prehistoric” raptor wings (jumbo chicken wings). Meatless chorizo is the restaurant’s featured vegetarian option. One Google reviewer recommended planning Thunder Falls Terrace as your “biggest meal” of the day, writing, “Portions are generous.”
The restaurant’s vast dining room mimics the film’s design with its wood paneling, inviting vegetation, and even dinosaur embellishments on a large chandelier. After all, as Mr. Hammond repeats in the movie, he “spared no expense” in building his park. If you plan on eating at Thunder Falls Terrace, you might want to do so after riding the nearby thrills of Jurassic World VelociCoaster and Jurassic Park River Adventure, not before. Ultimately, Thunder Falls Terrace has a Google rating of 4.0 out of 5. Travelers enjoy the convenience of mobile ordering and the speedy service when using that option.
9. Confisco Grille
Universal Orlando Resort / YouTube
In the heart of Universal Islands of Adventure, full-service lunch and dinner is served at Confisco Grille. The menu features bistro-style Greek, Mediterranean, and Asian dishes like pad thai, a superfood salad, and pork belly banh mi. Reservations are encouraged.
Confisco Grille welcomingly embodies the spirited theme of Islands of Adventure. Within the park’s mythology, Port of Entry — the area in which Confisco Grille resides, and the first land guests encounter upon entering Islands of Adventure — is the jumping-off point for the world-hopping adventures you’ll have throughout your day. As such, diners who look closely throughout Confisco Grille will find subtle nods to each of the park’s islands. These props were allegedly confiscated from their various realms — hence the restaurant’s name, Confisco Grille. (For example, you may spot a fish who looks particularly Seussian, plucked straight from the park’s Seuss Landing area.)
Port of Entry is one of the most detailed lands in any Universal theme park. Without any actual attractions, though, the area is nothing more than a pathway in and out of the park. Stopping for a meal at Confisco Grille offers an opportunity to pause and appreciate the ambiance of this top-tier theme park atmosphere (whose music is even on Spotify). Confisco Grille has a Google rating of 4.0 out of 5. Its most frequently mentioned menu item among Google reviewers is the pad thai, which one traveler calls “the star of the show.”
8. Lombard’s Seafood Grille
Richard Stokes/Getty Images
Lombard’s Seafood Grille, a full-service restaurant, is the place for seafood lovers — just be mindful of not riding one of Universal’s thrilling roller coasters after your meal. The self-described “flagship restaurant” of Universal Studios Florida, Lombard’s has been a park staple since opening day in 1990.
The restaurant is located at the waterfront of the San Francisco area, with its interior recalling seafaring voyages. Named after fictional scientist Luis Lombard, the establishment was once an underwater laboratory, according to the lore described on Universal’s official blog. Request an outdoor table for a picturesque, lakeside view or an aquarium table to gaze upon real fish. Reservations are suggested.
The restaurant’s lunch and dinner menu boasts a rotating catch of the season, as well as various shrimp, lobster, and salmon selections. Lombard’s skews on the expensive side in terms of how much money to expect to spend at Universal dining locations, with entrees ranging from $19 (sausalito grilled chicken) to $58 (split bone-in ribeye with shrimp). Lombard’s Seafood Grille carries a Google rating of 4.0 out of 5, with travelers calling the interior design “beautiful” and the food “excellent.”
7. Leaky Cauldron
Universal Orlando Resort
The top-rated Harry Potter eatery, Leaky Cauldron is located in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida. The British cuisine at Leaky Cauldron shares a few menu items in common with The Three Broomsticks, the restaurant inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Hogsmeade (located at the park next door, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Explore’s staff pick as the better section among the halves of Orlando’s Wizarding World). However, the two establishments mostly have unique menus.
Leaky Cauldron’s lunch and dinner specialties include “toad in the hole” (an English sausage in Yorkshire pudding) and cottage pie. Leaky Cauldron is one of the few restaurants in Universal Studios Florida to serve breakfast, typically lasting until 10:30 a.m. and featuring pancakes and apple oatmeal flan.
And yes, you can indeed pair your meal with Butterbeer, the signature non-alcoholic beverage of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If you want Butterbeer but not a full meal, visit The Hopping Pot or The Fountain of Fair Fortune; both are walk-up, beverage-focused locations deeper within Diagon Alley. Leaky Cauldron holds a Google rating of 4.0 out of 5, with reviewers adoring the location’s Harry Potter atmosphere but cautioning others to expect a long line during peak hours due to high demand (again, mobile ordering is the hero of the day).
6. Green Eggs and Ham Café
Universal Orlando Resort / YouTube
If you just read the name “Green Eggs and Ham Café” and made an unapproving face, you’re not the first. That’s the whole deal of the namesake Dr. Seuss book upon which this dining location is based. The book, of course, concludes with the non-believer in question finally trying the dish and loving it. Perhaps you’ll have the same experience at Green Eggs and Ham Café, a quick-service window (shaped like its namesake dish) with outdoor seating in Seuss Landing at Universal Islands of Adventure.
The lunch and dinner menu, naturally, features green eggs and ham as one of several styles of tater tot plates. Other varieties include pizza tots (a fair substitute for Halloween Horror Nights’ pizza fries during that event’s off-seasons), buffalo chicken tots, carnitas tots, and the ever-intriguing Who Hash from “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” Served in a can, Who Hash contains beef, onions, cheese, scallions, and tater tots. Ultimately, Green Eggs and Ham Café carries a Google rating of 4.1 out of 5. with its apologists hailing it as “super underrated” and deserving of more hype than it gets.
5. KidZone Pizza Company
Universal Orlando Resort / YouTube
Two words: pizza fries. You’ll find them at KidZone Pizza Company, a quick-service location at Universal Studios Florida — or, you will at least during Halloween Horror Nights (HHN), the park’s signature, late-night event throughout spooky season. Here, pizza fries are akin to turkey legs at Magic Kingdom or cotton candy at a state fair. One traveler on Google Reviews wrote, “Is it really Halloween Horror Nights without pizza fries?” They’re exactly what they sound like: a plate of French fries adorned with tomato sauce, cheese, and your choice of meat or veggie pizza toppings. The exclusivity of this guest-favorite dish during September and October, as well as its association with such an incredible Halloween event, is the reason for this location’s high Google ranking.
Outside of Halloween, KidZone Pizza Company’s operations are seasonal at best. The walk-up counter with outdoor seating serves lunch and dinner during peak crowd periods and may be closed during your visit. When it’s open, its menu includes relatively standard pizzas. The notoriety of KidZone Pizza Company definitely comes from its HHN menu, somewhat ironic for its name given that Universal recommends kids not attend HHN due to the graphic nature of the event. You’ll find KidZone Pizza Company next door to SpongeBob StorePants. KidZone Pizza Company has a Google rating of 4.3 out of 5.
4. Croissant Moon Bakery
Universal Orlando Resort / YouTube
Inviting ambiance and a wide selection of food (and coffee) make the quick-service Croissant Moon Bakery a delightful choice for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack, or a caffeinated pick-me-up. You’ll find it in Port of Entry, the exploration-themed entrance corridor of Universal Islands of Adventure.
Croissant Moon Bakery features a menu of croissants (obviously), deli sandwiches, pastries, and a full gambit of coffee varieties, from macchiatos to mochas. Conversely, if you’d prefer the comforts of home while on vacation, a Starbucks is located across the thoroughfare from Croissant Moon.
If the Orlando weather isn’t too brutal during your visit to Croissant Moon Bakery, opt for a table outside and enjoy the sights and sounds of the incredible details that Universal’s designers put into Port of Entry. You also won’t have to venture far if you’d like to enjoy your cup of joe with a lakeside view of the entire park, the screams and laughs of riders aboard Jurassic World VelociCoaster echoing across the water. Croissant Moon Bakery has a Google rating of 4.3 out of 5. , its fans calling it a “hidden gem” and some even visiting multiple times in one vacation.
3. Wimpy’s
Universal Orlando Resort / YouTube
Burgers, chicken, and salad are the name of the game at Wimpy’s, a quick-service location with outdoor seating in Toon Lagoon at Universal Islands of Adventure. This crowd-pleasing spot is a smart choice for large families or visitors with picky eaters who are looking for a quick lunch or dinner that doesn’t require reservations.
In a park filled with beloved, world-renowned characters who have stood the test of time, Wimpy’s is named after a relatively deep cut in pop culture history. Wimpy is a friend of Popeye, which makes sense given the restaurant’s proximity to Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, a raft ride. Part of the appeal of Wimpy’s might be watching riders get soaked directly below you while you remain completely dry and enjoying a hamburger. The surrounding land, Toon Lagoon, brings the “funny pages” of old-school newspaper comic strips to life, as well as thematically adjacent vintage animation, like Popeye and his crew.
If you thought Walt Disney World was the only place in Orlando to enjoy the iconic Dole Whip pineapple sorbet treat, note that it’s on the menu here at Wimpy’s. What’s not to like? The unsuspecting Wimpy’s — undoubtedly the underdog of our list — has an impressive Google rating of 4.3 out of 5. Travelers appreciate how the menu’s simplicity “isn’t stressful” and call Wimpy’s “far superior to any other theme park quick-service spot.”
2. Mythos Restaurant
Universal Orlando Resort / YouTube
If you haven’t heard that Mythos Restaurant at Universal Islands of Adventure is well-respected among theme park enthusiasts, Universal will tell you with a giant banner plastered across the establishment’s threshold, proclaiming its victory as “the world’s best theme park restaurant” by Theme Park Insider.
OK, so the hubris is somewhat comical, but it’s well-earned. Themed to match The Lost Continent — the mythology-based land in which the restaurant resides — and serving Mediterranean, Asian, and American cuisine, the full-service Mythos is a fantastic blend of Universal storytelling with terrific food.
Approaching Mythos, the restaurant’s first impression is strong. The building seems to be carved from huge rocks, with waterfalls abounding its exterior nooks. Guests can eat indoors (which Universal describes as “the go-to place for all the gods to have a meal”) or outside (with lakeside views of the park, or “a grotto on a distant ocean” within the restaurant’s fiction). The lunch and dinner menu serves calamari, sushi, ravioli, couscous, lamb shank, and other selections. Reservations are encouraged. Mythos carries a Google rating of 4.3 out of 5., with its reviews lauding the restaurant with praise. “Truly an amazing restaurant,” one traveler wrote. “Lives up to the hype of best theme park restaurant,” another said. The numbers don’t lie; the people love Mythos.
1. Finnegan’s Bar & Grill
Universal Orlando Resort / YouTube
You might not visit a theme park to casually hang out somewhere, but if you did, you’d be wise to choose Finnegan’s Bar & Grill as your hang spot. Part Irish pub and part full-service restaurant, Finnegan’s is located in the New York area of Universal Studios Florida across from Revenge of the Mummy. Finnegan’s takes place within “The Brinks Job,” a 1978 heist movie. Though the film is among the obscure movies of the heist genre you may not have seen, you needn’t be familiar with its source material to enjoy the restaurant’s food (and live music from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.).
Among the menu’s entrees are steak, flounder, salmon, beef stew, fish and chips, and burgers. Drinks include a long list of signature cocktails, including Finnegan’s G&T, comprised of New Amsterdam gin, Chambord liqueur, tonic water, simple syrup, and a rosemary sprig. Guests love the complimentary “soda bread” served with apple butter. “I wish i could order 10 of these and bring them home with me,” one diner wrote on Google Reviews.
Reservations are encouraged for sit-down dining, though guests can visit the bar without a reservation. Jovial and spirited, the feel-good Finnegen’s is the victor of the best restaurant in Universal Orlando Resort’s theme parks, according to Google Reviews, with its 4.4-star rating championing above every other dining location in Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure.
