Hello and welcome to my runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend 2025 trip report! I’m returning to the blow-by-blow diary format for this trip. Today we’re discussing food reviews from Universal Studios Florida. Read all the posts in this report here. Onward!
I’m not gonna lie; my most recent Universal Studios snack review post was less than complimentary. Don’t get me wrong, Universal isn’t slinging poison, but the vast majority of what I tried left me underwhelmed.
That being said, a girl’s gotta eat – and it’s only fair to give Universal a second chance to prove itself. I’m hardly a professional food critic, but I’d like to think my tastebuds are fully operational. Shall we see what I thought about this last round of snack breaks?
WHAT HARRY POTTER EATS IN A DAY
Our first day at Universal was a bit nippy, which meant for the first time the weather was ripe for hot butterbeer! Up until this point I had only had butterbeer in its frozen and carbonated guises. We picked ours up at the Hog’s Head pub in Hogsmeade.
Now, I know I am the minority in this, but I am the rare person that prefers butterbeer in its carbonated form over the frozen. I feel like the bubbles help cut across the aggressive sweetness of the butterscotch syrup.
I bring this up because it may color your opinion of my opinion of hot butterbeer, which is that it is tasty and sweet but entirely too one-note. The butterscotch is of course nice, but I’d be willing to bet a shot of espresso would really turn it up a notch. A sharp, bitter coffee flavor would add the depth it lacks.
I overheard an interesting note regarding butterbeer generally: butterbeer is trademarked as nonalcoholic, which is why any requests to get any sort of liquor shot involved with your butterbeer order will be summarily denied. Likewise you are not allowed to buy a shot separately and mix it in front of any Universal employees. So if you were hoping for a stiffer butterbeer experience, you’re gonna have to be sneaky about it. Not that I’m suggesting such a thing!
While in various Potter lands I also enjoyed my previous stalwarts, fire whiskey with cider and clotted cream ice cream. Ooh, do you think I could get a clotted cream fire whiskey float? I don’t think those are trademarked…
UNIVERSAL MARDI GRAS – BITES OF THE BAYOU
We happened to be at Universal during their Mardi Gras celebration, which includes an assortment of themed food booths a la an Epcot festival. A lot of the cuisine at these booths is centered around international destinations. I don’t wholly understand this – shouldn’t it all be New Orleans inspired? But I’m hardly an expert on Mardi Gras festivities.
At any rate, the food that I tried was New Orleans inspired, so just call me a traditionalist. Our Bites of the Bayou haul included baked Cajun mac and cheese (creamy spicy cavatappi pasta with andouille sausage, holy trinity, and a cajun cream sauce, garnished with scallions), chicken and sausage gumbo (stew of trinity, chicken, andouille, bacon over white rice), and a Cajun twisted tater (cajun seasoned potato, Creole remoulade sauce, herbs).
Okay. Here are two observations about Universal’s version of a food festival: 1) These are pretty big portions as opposed to the tastings you might find at an Epcot festival and 2) they don’t seem to enjoy the same level of popularity.
You might think that last bit is good, what with the ensuing shorter lines and all, but it also means that there’s not as much turnover, which means the food in question may be sitting under a heat lamp for a bit before it gets to you. It was also a rainy and gloomy morning when we were there, which probably didn’t help with turnout.
I fear my assessment of both the mac and cheese and the gumbo falls victim to the latter fact. Both had a sort of slightly gummy, barely-warm-enough quality that failed to impress me. As comfort food goes, the flavors were salty and cheesy and pleasant, but my overall impression was lackluster.
I will say the twisted tater, for whatever reason, was a different story. I was holding down a table while the rest of my party ordered so I didn’t see, but I suspect this was fried in real time, and by consequence came hot and fresh. Everyone likes a fried potato; add some Cajun spices and herby remoulade, and you’re in business. Would recommend!
We also picked up a bag of beignets. I took a bite, but I’ll tell you a secret: I don’t get the hype around beignets. They are… plain donuts? With powdered sugar? Please do not come for me! I’m not claiming beignets categorically suck! I’m just saying I, personally, do not understand the beignet hype. And if you think about it, that’s great news! Here, you can have my portion! It’s yours!
IS BAYLINER DINER AT CABANA BAY A HIDDEN GEM?
Bayliner Diner is the food court at Universal’s Cabana Bay resort, and it is not fancy. It reminds me of nothing more than the quick service at Disney’s Pop Century. There are grab and go items as well as different cafeteria-style food bays with different themes, like pizza and pasta or burger and grill. (Check the menu here.)
Having found myself there for lunch, I took a chance on the international section and selected the ahi tuna bowl. Per the menu: seared tuna with wakame seaweed salad and pickle cucumber on furikane ginger rice.
It may sound like risky business, ordering seared tuna at a theme park resort counter service restaurant. Yet a chef cooked my tuna to order right in front of me and turned out absolutely delicious!
The fish was fresh and high in quality, with the seaweed salad, pickled cucumber, and ginger rice all providing flavorful accompaniment. A drizzle of sweet-and-salty hoisin sauce was the perfect finishing touch. You could serve it at a table service restaurant and I wouldn’t be mad in the slightest.
While not as flashy as other Universal restaurants, I suspected Bayliner Diner may be a hidden gem. I’ll have to give more of their hot entrees a try!
And as always, bonus points for the Coke Freestyle machines dispensing Cherry Coke Zero. I plan to install one in my apartment just as soon as I win the lottery.
GRABBING BREAKFAST BEFORE CLASS AT SHIZ UNIVERSITY
Universal’s Wicked exhibit came completely with a temporary snack kiosk just outside its doors. Not just that, but a lightly breakfast-centered snack kiosk, with a menu that includes a breakfast sandwich! As your theme park breakfast sandwich queen, I knew what I had to do.
The Breakfiz Croissant is described thusly: Black Forest ham with cheddar cheese and a poppy seed croissant. Admittedly I’m not a huge ham fan, but I didn’t let that stop me.
Nor should it have, as this is a solid breakfast sandwich as theme parks go. The croissant was crisp and warm, although personally I could have done without the poppy seeds. The cheddar and ham were indistinguishable from what you could buy at any grocery store, but they provided the necessarily salty-and-creamy combo that makes a breakfast sandwich good. An egg would’ve really put this over the top, but as there was only one team member manning the kiosk I’d imagine that would complicate food safety.
PINK GOES WELL WITH GREEN
You can’t have a theme park breakfast without a theme park cocktail, and the Wicked kiosk dutifully provides. A sucker for both bubbles and pretty colors, I ordered the Sparkling Emerald: a sparkling green limoncello spritz.
How do they make it sparkle, scientifically? Should I introduce sparkles to my insides? Best not to think about that. The Sparkling Emerald was beautifully, slightly effervescent, vaguely lemony, a bit viscous, and not very strong. Perfect for feeling like you’re on vacation without facing any real consequences.
Becky got the counterpart cocktail in the pink Shimmering Spritz, which while vaguely different in flavor (blueberry! Ick!) basically fits the same description. Do it for Insta or don’t do it at all, says I.
BETTER SNACK TIMES AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
While I would continue to argue that Walt Disney World’s food offerings are superior, I was much more satisfied with this trip’s round of snacks. We’re still a long way from the Food & Wine Festival, but with careful curation it’s possible to ferret out something tasty at Universal. I’m ready to wager that next time will be even better!
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Threads @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!