I am convinced that theme parks are a playground for foodies. As a fellow foodie, I become easily obsessed with themed restaurants and cuisine. Lucky for me, Universal has an abundance of themed restaurants and dessert shops to indulge in. While I normally budget well for food, I decided to splurge during my three-day trip to Universal Orlando Resort with my siblings. Not only does the actual theme park have an abundance of restaurants and food stands to choose from, but the Universal CityWalk located directly outside the park also has plenty of themed restaurants to eat at. Read on to discover the best restaurants at Universal Orlando Resort and universal CityWalk!

Best Restaurants in Universal Studios

Leaky Cauldron

Located inside Diagon Alley in the Universal Orlando Resort, Leaky Cauldron is a restaurant Harry Potter fans should be extremely familiar with. This rustic pub is an exact replica of that found in the Harry Potter movies.

My brother, having been to Universal before, highly recommended we check out Leaky Cauldron for breakfast. Even though I am not huge on breakfast food, I was thoroughly impressed by the selection Leaky Cauldron had to offer. I ordered the pancake breakfast, which came with three pancakes, sausage, bacon, and a croissant. My siblings each got a cup of hot butterbeer and shared a few sips with me. These few sips left quite the impression on me, leading me to purchase hot butterbeer again later that day.

The Fountain of Fair Fortune

While we’re on the subject of butterbeer, The Fountain of Fair Fortune is another location in Diagon Alley that should make it on your list of places to eat in Universal Studios. This location sells both regular and iced butterbeer. While they tend to be a bit pricey, it is worth trying the drink for the pure nostalgia of the experience. I personally prefer iced butterbeer over regular butterbeer, but hot butterbeer is far superior, in my opinion. While The Fountain of Fair Fortune does not sell hot butterbeer, you can find some at The Hopping Pot, Leaky Cauldron, and Three Broomsticks.

Three Broomsticks

Speaking of Three Broomsticks, this Harry Potter-themed restaurant can be found in Universal’s second park, Islands of Adventure. This restaurant offers hearty meals such as fish and chips, rotisserie smoked chicken with corn on the cob, chicken and ribs, and smoked turkey legs, as well as salads and a children’s menu.

Mel’s Drive-In

Mel’s Drive-In is a 50s retro diner located in Universal Orlando Resort, along the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Beverly Hills section of the park. If you are as obsessed with old-fashioned cars and diners as I am, then you will absolutely adore this restaurant. I felt like I had stepped back in time when I entered this restaurant.

I recommend ordering the BBQ brisket burger platter. This brisket burger is stacked with smoked gouda and golden BBQ and is topped off with a large onion ring. My brother and I shared this item. However, after realizing how good it tasted, I wished I had ordered an entire burger for myself. Make sure you do not miss out on this amazing burger while visiting Universal! In my opinion, Mel’s Diner serves some of the best food at Universal Studios Orlando.

The Burger Digs

If you’re in the mood for another burger while visiting Universal, make sure to check out The Burger Digs in Universal’s Islands of Adventure. This restaurant is located within the Jurassic Park section of Universal. As you would guess from the establishment’s name, the menu comprises burgers. While I did prefer my burger from Mel’s Drive-In, it was still fun to eat in this themed restaurant, especially since we ate next to fake dinosaurs!

Places to Eat in Universal CityWalk

The Universal CityWalk is located directly outside Universal Orlando Resort. This area comprises lots of themed restaurants, food stands, and dessert shops. There is no admission fee to get into the CityWalk area, and the area stays open late. Walking around Universal CityWalk at night is a fun and lively experience, as well as a great way to end each day at Universal. Discover the best places to eat in Universal CityWalk below!

Voodoo Doughnut

Voodoo Doughnut is known for its creative and quirky donuts. These donuts are quite large, and the shop has a plethora of scrumptious donuts to choose from. Not only does this esteemed shop sell an incredible array of tasty treats, but it also is spookily decorated to the T. Take a look below for evidence.

Antojitos

If you’re a fan of Mexican food, you must check out Antojitos at the CityWalk. This lively Mexican restaurant serves a gigantic bowl of complimentary chips and salsa and has a wide variety of Mexican foods to choose from. Additionally, the restaurant has live music on select nights! We ate here on a Friday evening and were blessed with a fun band singing pop songs in Mariachi style. This ended up being such great entertainment for us while eating our meals.

The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium

The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium looks like it is straight out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I felt like I had won a golden ticket when we stepped into the restaurant. This restaurant has a wide variety of foods to choose from. We, however, only came here for dessert. There are a few different desserts to choose from, but I recommend ordering one of the over-the-top milkshakes. Believe me when I tell you the savory taste of these milkshakes is most definitely worth the price. I chose to go with the Heavenly Hazelnut shake, which was made of Nutella® ice cream, hazelnuts, Nutella®, cocoa powder, and fresh whipped cream. The name Heavenly Hazelnut was definitely on-brand, as I felt like I had entered Heaven itself when I took my first sip. If you want to splurge on a dessert in Universal CityWalk, this is the place to do it. I cannot forget to mention you also get to keep the cup the milkshake comes in as a souvenir. It’s really a win-win situation.

Hard Rock Café

Lastly, the Hard Rock Café is a widely recognized restaurant across the world. We decided to eat here our last night since we were each craving a specific pasta on the menu. We had worked up quite the appetite that day, and we knew the Hard Rock would not disappoint. I enjoyed eating here because it gave us a beautiful view of the restaurants and palm trees situated on the other side of the lake. 

There are way more restaurants in Universal Studios and Universal CityWalk than the ones I have mentioned in this post. However, I believe I have listed the best of the best for you. If you’ve eaten additional places in the parks or at the CityWalk, I’d love to hear which were your favorites so I can try them out the next time I visit! Comment below to give those places a shoutout.

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