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Flaming Moe at Moe’s Tavern
Flaming Moe at Moe’s Tavern

The 22 Best Things to Eat at Universal Orlando Resort

Where to find butterbeer in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, burgers in the Simpsons’ Springfield, and cotton candy in Seuss Landing

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Flaming Moe at Moe’s Tavern

Some cities specialize in a cuisine or a pizza style, but there’s a shocking variety of edible entertainment to be found at the parks, hotels, and downtown district comprising Universal Orlando Resort.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter commits so deeply to its theme you’ll think you’ve stumbled into a bona fide English pub, and you can eat the actual grub made famous by The Simpsons right next to a real-life Moe’s Tavern. With these and so many more themed food options, we’ve pinpointed the best restaurants at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, the Dr. Seuss treats that truly deliver, and the quirky offerings at Universal CityWalk actually worth eating.

Between sky-high sweets, Universal Studios Florida’s Krusty Burgers, and yes, butterbeer, here’s everything you have to taste while visiting Universal Orlando’s parks.

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Pollo alla Carbonara at Mama Della’s Ristorante

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The schtick at Mama Della’s is theme-park Italian. Find the entrance off the Portofino-inspired hotel’s piazza and watch as tableside musicians and “Mama” make the rounds. Don’t worry; that superficiality ends with the food. Hearty Italian indulgences like chicken Parmesan and lasagna fill the menu, but the brown butter-doused pollo alla carbonara, speckled with pancetta and peas, reigns supreme.

Pollo alla Carbonara at Mama Della’s Ristorante
Pollo alla Carbonara at Mama Della’s Ristorante

Butterbeer

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The butterbeer you’ve heard so much about is a butterscotch-cream beverage straight from the Harry Potter books that’s smooth, sweet, impossible to resist, and available pretty much everywhere in the Wizarding World. The great debate about the supremacy of hot, cold, and frozen varieties rages on, but we prefer the frozen version for its icy texture, ideal on a steamy Florida afternoon.

Butterbeer in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Butterbeer in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour

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From whimsical scoops to butterbeer soft serve, every frozen treat at this colorful Harry Potter creamery is divine. No samples are offered, so if you’re overwhelmed, opt for the can’t-lose pairing of Earl Grey and lavender with sticky toffee pudding.

Ice cream from Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour
Ice cream from Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour

Leaky Cauldron

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Universal Studios’ best food can be found at this Diagon Alley eatery, where British fare like fish and chips, toad in the hole, and a sublime ploughman’s lunch with English cheddar and blue stilton live up to the highest of standards.

Ploughman’s lunch at Leaky Cauldron
Ploughman’s lunch at Leaky Cauldron

Clogger Burger at Krusty Burger

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Krusty Burger’s cheddar sauce-slathered, bacon-topped double stack is the most theme park-y food you’ll find in The Simpsons-themed land. We can’t help but think Krusty Burger’s twisted proprietor would love this gloopy, unhealthy mess of a fast-food burger.

Clogger Burger at Krusty Burger in Universal Orlando Resort
Clogger Burger at Krusty Burger

Emack & Bolio's Marketplace

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This one-stop shop inside Hard Rock Hotel offers scoops of the Boston-bred chain’s curious flavors, making for one of the best sweet treats you’ll find at the resort or beyond.

Ice cream at Emack & Bolio’s Marketplace
Ice cream at Emack & Bolio’s Marketplace

TODAY Cafe

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Prepare yourself for an entirely meta experience that brings the NBC morning television stalwart to life with gourmet pastries, New York-inspired sandwiches and yes, Al Roker’s own recipes, like a tomato, artichoke, and pickle-topped avocado toast. Worth a walk-through for the novelty alone, Universal Studios Florida’s TODAY cafe remains noteworthy for its superior breakfast eats and healthier options compared to other in-park spots.

A tray of pastries and a branded TODAY mug fill out a breakfast spread
Breakfast spread at TODAY Cafe
Universal Orlando / official

Smokehouse Stack at NBC Sports Grill & Brew

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This legit sports destination offers a lengthy beer list and hefty meals, but it’s worth exiting the park just for this juicy burger, which is topped with all things smoked — brisket, pork, gouda — then slathered in barbecue sauce.

Smokehouse Stack at NBC Sports Grill & Brew
Smokehouse Stack at NBC Sports Grill & Brew

Voodoo Doughnut

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With inventive flavors and reasonable prices, the famed Portland doughnuttery makes a handy breakfast or late-night snack. You’re bound to feel left out if you’re not among the masses carrying pink boxes back to their hotel rooms.

Doughnut from Voodoo Doughnut
Doughnut from Voodoo Doughnut

Cotton Candy Cloud at Honk Honkers

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With unusual flavors (pink vanilla! Apple!) and a mess of candy mix-ins spun directly into the cotton candy, this dose of Harajuku-style fun comes from the Honk Honkers gift shop tucked in Seuss Landing.

Cotton Candy Cloud at Honk Honkers
Cotton Candy Cloud at Honk Honkers

Cheeseburgooshi at the Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

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After a day of casting spells and hugging Minions, your kids will expect some culinary whimsy on the table too. Satisfy them with this deep-fried take on a sushi roll. Cooks wrap a black Angus bacon cheeseburger in soy paper and potato shards, before deep-frying it and slicing it into rounds. This is one time you won’t mind eating your kids’ scraps.

Cheeseburgooshi at The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar
Cheeseburgooshi at The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

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You can purchase quirky confections downstairs at this smoke-churning steampunk factory, but the real treat isn’t sweets or Instagram-ready milkshakes: It’s the savory stuff. The all-day breakfast and the Southern fried chicken BLT are wholly sublime. For something sweet, go ahead and order a starter of chocolate almond bread, which comes with salted caramel butter.

Burger and fries at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen
Burger and fries at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

Cauldron Cake at Honeydukes

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Delightful in a cake-from-a-box way, the Cauldron Cake is made of dense chocolate sponge cake and sports thick “fiery” frosting. The Harry Potter favorite comes in — what else? — a keepsake cauldron.

Cauldron Cake at Honeydukes
Cauldron Cake at Honeydukes

Sundae on a Stick at Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop

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This whimsical chocolate-dunked vanilla ice cream bar fits perfectly among its Seussian surroundings, and the ice cream shop serves it frozen so it won’t disintegrate in the sun.

Sundae on a Stick at Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop
Sundae on a Stick at Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop

Three Broomsticks

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Serving heartier fare than Leaky Cauldron, this village tavern boasts exceedingly excellent platters of smoked chicken and spare ribs, both accompanied by roast potatoes and full ears of corn.

Smoked chicken and spare ribs platters at Three Broomsticks
Smoked chicken and spare ribs platters at Three Broomsticks

Hog's Head

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Hog’s Head is the preferred venue to drink like an off-duty Hogwarts professor, made all the better by the bar’s rustic interior. Opt for one of two exclusively themed beers: a Hog’s Head red ale or Dragon Scale lagered ale.

Hog’s Head pub at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando
Hog’s Head pub at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando
UNIVERSAL ORLANDO

Mythos Restaurant

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A banner hanging outside this mythical-themed restaurant proclaims Mythos is the “World’s Best Theme Park Restaurant.” You’d think it couldn’t possibly live up to that boast, but somehow it does. The robust menu of Greek and Asian specialties includes plenty of options, but a perfectly seared salmon served atop zucchini ribbons will surely cancel out the day’s other sugary indulgences.

Seared salmon at Mythos Restaurant
Seared salmon at Mythos Restaurant

Hot Dog Hall of Fame

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Don’t be fooled by the name and the ’90s exterior. This whimsical eatery offers denominations of tube steaks from Vienna to Sabrett and beyond, each dressed up in its hometown style. A self-serve mustard bar even enables a twist on the classic Chicago dog, if diners are so inclined.

Hot dog at Hot Dog Hall of Fame
Hot dog at Hot Dog Hall of Fame

Mar y Tierra at Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food

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This surf-and-turf skillet is a specialty take on molcajete mixto. It features chorizo, shrimp, and skirt steak, topped with roasted chipotle tomato sauce and chunks of queso fresco, altogether outshining the menu’s more recognizable dishes. (Try not to fill up on chips beforehand — they’re addictive here.)

Mar y Tierra at Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food
Mar y Tierra at Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food

Strong Water Tavern

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An impeccable restaurant that could stand on its own as one of Orlando’s finest, Strong Water Tavern incorporates local vendors and seasonal produce not often seen at theme park hotels. Ceviche, curried goat, and jerk chicken are among the surprising dishes, all complemented by a serious cocktail program led by the on-duty “rum captain.” If you’re in search of a fantastic dinner, look no further.

Dish at Strong Water Tavern
Dish at Strong Water Tavern

Wok Bowl at Urban Pantry

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After days of eating junk, an unlimited pile of vegetables is a welcome blessing at Universal’s millennial-focused Aventura Hotel. Add your preferred noodles and a protein, choose between stir fry or noodle soup, and top with fresh herbs.

Wok Bowl at Urban Pantry
Wok Bowl at Urban Pantry

Jerked Mahi Sandwich at Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club

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Water parks aren’t generally known for their food, but Volcano Bay debunks the sentiment. Just look at this well-seasoned fish sandwich served with crisp mango slaw and fresh veggies. (Get the yucca fries too.)

Jerked Mahi Sandwich at Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club
Jerked Mahi Sandwich at Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club

Pollo alla Carbonara at Mama Della’s Ristorante

The schtick at Mama Della’s is theme-park Italian. Find the entrance off the Portofino-inspired hotel’s piazza and watch as tableside musicians and “Mama” make the rounds. Don’t worry; that superficiality ends with the food. Hearty Italian indulgences like chicken Parmesan and lasagna fill the menu, but the brown butter-doused pollo alla carbonara, speckled with pancetta and peas, reigns supreme.

Pollo alla Carbonara at Mama Della’s Ristorante
Pollo alla Carbonara at Mama Della’s Ristorante

Butterbeer

The butterbeer you’ve heard so much about is a butterscotch-cream beverage straight from the Harry Potter books that’s smooth, sweet, impossible to resist, and available pretty much everywhere in the Wizarding World. The great debate about the supremacy of hot, cold, and frozen varieties rages on, but we prefer the frozen version for its icy texture, ideal on a steamy Florida afternoon.

Butterbeer in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Butterbeer in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour

From whimsical scoops to butterbeer soft serve, every frozen treat at this colorful Harry Potter creamery is divine. No samples are offered, so if you’re overwhelmed, opt for the can’t-lose pairing of Earl Grey and lavender with sticky toffee pudding.

Ice cream from Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour
Ice cream from Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour

Leaky Cauldron

Universal Studios’ best food can be found at this Diagon Alley eatery, where British fare like fish and chips, toad in the hole, and a sublime ploughman’s lunch with English cheddar and blue stilton live up to the highest of standards.

Ploughman’s lunch at Leaky Cauldron
Ploughman’s lunch at Leaky Cauldron

Clogger Burger at Krusty Burger

Krusty Burger’s cheddar sauce-slathered, bacon-topped double stack is the most theme park-y food you’ll find in The Simpsons-themed land. We can’t help but think Krusty Burger’s twisted proprietor would love this gloopy, unhealthy mess of a fast-food burger.

Clogger Burger at Krusty Burger in Universal Orlando Resort
Clogger Burger at Krusty Burger

Emack & Bolio's Marketplace

This one-stop shop inside Hard Rock Hotel offers scoops of the Boston-bred chain’s curious flavors, making for one of the best sweet treats you’ll find at the resort or beyond.

Ice cream at Emack & Bolio’s Marketplace
Ice cream at Emack & Bolio’s Marketplace

TODAY Cafe

Prepare yourself for an entirely meta experience that brings the NBC morning television stalwart to life with gourmet pastries, New York-inspired sandwiches and yes, Al Roker’s own recipes, like a tomato, artichoke, and pickle-topped avocado toast. Worth a walk-through for the novelty alone, Universal Studios Florida’s TODAY cafe remains noteworthy for its superior breakfast eats and healthier options compared to other in-park spots.

A tray of pastries and a branded TODAY mug fill out a breakfast spread
Breakfast spread at TODAY Cafe
Universal Orlando / official

Smokehouse Stack at NBC Sports Grill & Brew

This legit sports destination offers a lengthy beer list and hefty meals, but it’s worth exiting the park just for this juicy burger, which is topped with all things smoked — brisket, pork, gouda — then slathered in barbecue sauce.

Smokehouse Stack at NBC Sports Grill & Brew
Smokehouse Stack at NBC Sports Grill & Brew

Voodoo Doughnut

With inventive flavors and reasonable prices, the famed Portland doughnuttery makes a handy breakfast or late-night snack. You’re bound to feel left out if you’re not among the masses carrying pink boxes back to their hotel rooms.

Doughnut from Voodoo Doughnut
Doughnut from Voodoo Doughnut

Cotton Candy Cloud at Honk Honkers

With unusual flavors (pink vanilla! Apple!) and a mess of candy mix-ins spun directly into the cotton candy, this dose of Harajuku-style fun comes from the Honk Honkers gift shop tucked in Seuss Landing.

Cotton Candy Cloud at Honk Honkers
Cotton Candy Cloud at Honk Honkers

Cheeseburgooshi at the Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

After a day of casting spells and hugging Minions, your kids will expect some culinary whimsy on the table too. Satisfy them with this deep-fried take on a sushi roll. Cooks wrap a black Angus bacon cheeseburger in soy paper and potato shards, before deep-frying it and slicing it into rounds. This is one time you won’t mind eating your kids’ scraps.

Cheeseburgooshi at The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar
Cheeseburgooshi at The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

You can purchase quirky confections downstairs at this smoke-churning steampunk factory, but the real treat isn’t sweets or Instagram-ready milkshakes: It’s the savory stuff. The all-day breakfast and the Southern fried chicken BLT are wholly sublime. For something sweet, go ahead and order a starter of chocolate almond bread, which comes with salted caramel butter.

Burger and fries at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen
Burger and fries at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

Cauldron Cake at Honeydukes

Delightful in a cake-from-a-box way, the Cauldron Cake is made of dense chocolate sponge cake and sports thick “fiery” frosting. The Harry Potter favorite comes in — what else? — a keepsake cauldron.

Cauldron Cake at Honeydukes
Cauldron Cake at Honeydukes

Sundae on a Stick at Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop

This whimsical chocolate-dunked vanilla ice cream bar fits perfectly among its Seussian surroundings, and the ice cream shop serves it frozen so it won’t disintegrate in the sun.

Sundae on a Stick at Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop
Sundae on a Stick at Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop

Three Broomsticks

Serving heartier fare than Leaky Cauldron, this village tavern boasts exceedingly excellent platters of smoked chicken and spare ribs, both accompanied by roast potatoes and full ears of corn.

Smoked chicken and spare ribs platters at Three Broomsticks
Smoked chicken and spare ribs platters at Three Broomsticks

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Hog's Head

Hog’s Head is the preferred venue to drink like an off-duty Hogwarts professor, made all the better by the bar’s rustic interior. Opt for one of two exclusively themed beers: a Hog’s Head red ale or Dragon Scale lagered ale.

Hog’s Head pub at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando
Hog’s Head pub at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando
UNIVERSAL ORLANDO

Mythos Restaurant

A banner hanging outside this mythical-themed restaurant proclaims Mythos is the “World’s Best Theme Park Restaurant.” You’d think it couldn’t possibly live up to that boast, but somehow it does. The robust menu of Greek and Asian specialties includes plenty of options, but a perfectly seared salmon served atop zucchini ribbons will surely cancel out the day’s other sugary indulgences.

Seared salmon at Mythos Restaurant
Seared salmon at Mythos Restaurant

Hot Dog Hall of Fame

Don’t be fooled by the name and the ’90s exterior. This whimsical eatery offers denominations of tube steaks from Vienna to Sabrett and beyond, each dressed up in its hometown style. A self-serve mustard bar even enables a twist on the classic Chicago dog, if diners are so inclined.

Hot dog at Hot Dog Hall of Fame
Hot dog at Hot Dog Hall of Fame

Mar y Tierra at Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food

This surf-and-turf skillet is a specialty take on molcajete mixto. It features chorizo, shrimp, and skirt steak, topped with roasted chipotle tomato sauce and chunks of queso fresco, altogether outshining the menu’s more recognizable dishes. (Try not to fill up on chips beforehand — they’re addictive here.)

Mar y Tierra at Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food
Mar y Tierra at Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food

Strong Water Tavern

An impeccable restaurant that could stand on its own as one of Orlando’s finest, Strong Water Tavern incorporates local vendors and seasonal produce not often seen at theme park hotels. Ceviche, curried goat, and jerk chicken are among the surprising dishes, all complemented by a serious cocktail program led by the on-duty “rum captain.” If you’re in search of a fantastic dinner, look no further.

Dish at Strong Water Tavern
Dish at Strong Water Tavern

Wok Bowl at Urban Pantry

After days of eating junk, an unlimited pile of vegetables is a welcome blessing at Universal’s millennial-focused Aventura Hotel. Add your preferred noodles and a protein, choose between stir fry or noodle soup, and top with fresh herbs.

Wok Bowl at Urban Pantry
Wok Bowl at Urban Pantry

Jerked Mahi Sandwich at Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club

Water parks aren’t generally known for their food, but Volcano Bay debunks the sentiment. Just look at this well-seasoned fish sandwich served with crisp mango slaw and fresh veggies. (Get the yucca fries too.)