Beyond Corn Dogs: Snacks at Universal Orlando 2023

Back in the day, the best snacks at the parks meant corn dogs and french fries. Sometimes the ribs at Thunder Terrace. But mostly, good snacks were found only outside of the parks. But the Wizarding World changed that for me in 2014. Since then, I’ve broadened my horizons outside of the Wizarding World and tried a bunch of delicious snacks at Universal Orlando. Here are some of the popular snacks at Universal Orlando 2023.

Florean Fortescue’s ice cream, Diagon Alley, Universal Studios Florida

I haven’t gone through half the menu yet, but I can say this ice cream parlor is one of my favorites in the USA. Every flavor is delicious. I wish I could have this at home.

Central Park Crepes, Universal Studios Florida

At the time of eating, I thought this was good, but not great. It was hot and fresh (while the sun was baking me beyond belief). I loved that my crepe was crispy, the brisket filling was flavorful and tender, and the sauce was nice and tangy. It didn’t blow my mind, though.

But something happened a few days later. I started craving the flavor combination of the brisket and sauce. Oh man. I think I need to eat this again, out of the sun.

Minion cafe, Minion Land, Universal Studios Florida

Meatball Mountain

Okay, sure this could be a meal for someone. And okay, sure, this wasn’t even mine, I just took a single bite. But I can tell you that when I return to Universal, I’m going to get another one (and split it with someone). I wouldn’t get it as my sole meal, but as a snack I thought it was delicious. Crispy on the outside, plenty of marinara on the inside, filled to the brim with cheese and meat. Cute plating. 3.5/5

PX-90

Okay I’m classifying this drink as a snack for one reason only. That frosting at the top. Not cream, frosting. It’s like a hybrid of a cupcake and a drink in one, and therefore it’s a snack. Absolutely loved the drink portion. Absolutely despised the cupcake frosting portion. Why, Universal?

Honeydukes, Hogsmeade, Islands of Adventure

Honeyduke cupcake

I thought for sure I was going to throw out half of the frosting on this cake. But shockingly, it was light and fluffy and delicious. It was vanilla without the cloying sweetness and awful fake flavor that’s typical of colored frosting. And the vanilla cupcake itself was light and fluffy. And then the surprise – the chocolate frog had a nice minty flavor. It could have been my imagination, I don’t see minty chocolate frog on the description, but I liked it.

Professor McGonagall’s Ginger Newt

I love ginger anything. Newts remind me of watching Matilda as a kid. Although I adore Wizarding World and watching Harry Potter movies brings me a warm nostalgic feeling, I’ve never been huge into Harry Potter. I have no idea where the newts come from in the series. Anyway, I thought this could be a good cookie, probably standard gingerbread. Boy was I wrong. This was the best freaking ginger item I’ve ever eaten. I don’t know if it was intentional, but it was a perfect balance of crisp on the outside, chewy (not soft) on the inside. The flavor was not overpoweringly ginger nor overpoweringly sweet. And look at that little face. So cute. So simple. I tried making it at home, without the cute shape. It wasn’t the same, but still delicious.

Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop, Seuss Landing, Islands of Adventure

Sundae On A Stick

It’s a hand-dipped ice cream bar. It’s no Good Humor Candy Center Crunch, but it’s better than most ice cream bars. The crisp chocolate sprinkles, hardened chocolate covering encased a creamy and smooth vanilla ice cream for about 5 minutes. Then the Orlando sun got to it and it melted into goop. It was a race against time that my slow-eating self could not beat. It was delicious goop nonetheless.

Snookers & Snookers Sweet Candy Cookers, Seuss Landing, Islands of Adventure

Sour candies

In a real strange turn of events, I didn’t get anything from the bakery case after exiting the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride. Instead, I opted for the bulk candy. Sour candies to be exact. Why, you ask? They say sour candy helps with anxiety. And I was anxious about the drop and being hurled from Velocicoaster. Thought the candy might help, but instead I let my avoidance-of-negative-emotions take over and didn’t ride Velocicoaster at all. And even though I didn’t use it for emotional support, the candy was still delicious. And, it was probably the cheapest snack at the parks.

Louie’s Italian Restaurant, New York, Universal Studios Florida

Pizza

I’m originally from Brooklyn. I’ve lived outside of New York long enough to realize people get pretty annoyed about us being food snobs, especially for New York staples. So I’m going to cut to the chase here. This is not good pizza. I am a food purist – you serve it to me in a specific way, I eat it that way. No sauces, no add-ons, no changes. For the first time in my life I ran to the red pepper flakes and parmesan packets. And that still wasn’t enough.

This pizza is in a real strange zone where it’s not bad enough to be good and not good enough to be good either, and yet it’s not horrible enough to throw in the trash. It was edible, there was a lot of cheese on it. That dough was one of the worst doughs I’ve had. Underbaked and flavorless. And yet, I ate the whole thing. What a freaking conundrum.

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Conclusion

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