Universal Studios Hollywood Food: 10 Delicious Must Eats

What Universal Studios Hollywood food should be on your must-eats list?

Returning to Universal Studios Hollywood in Southern California with upgraded annual passes, we’re eager to share the best foods from Universal Studios Hollywood. While we enjoy the rides, we always prioritize indulging in delicious meals and snacks.

Our days at Universal Studios Hollywood involve exploring, riding a couple of attractions, and savoring various treats throughout the park. With the flexibility of annual passes, we make the most of our visits. Highlights from our must-eats list include Mario’s Strawberry Soda, the Giant Pink Donut from Lard Lad Donut, Macho Nachos from Minion Cafe, and so much more.

Our future plans involve trying Costa Rican-inspired meals at Jurassic Park Cafe, such as the Slow Roasted Mojo Pork and citrus glazed chicken, along with a frozen alcoholic drink from Isla Nu-Bar.

We have tried popular and favorite Universal Studios Hollywood food items like the Waffle Chicken Sandwich from Cletus’ Chicken Shack and Tacos from Bumblebee Man’s Taco Truck. We need another sticky toffee pudding from Three Broomsticks, which I remember being quite amazing. A revisit is needed to make sure it is as delicious as we remember it.

Read on for our top Universal Studios Hollywood food picks. Use this list to guide your stomach during your visit. What are your favorite Universal Studios Hollywood foods?

1. Mario’s Strawberry Soda

With the new Super Nintendo World opening, you bet we had to use our annual passes. Unfortunately, while we did make it inside the land (it was super crowded), we still haven’t been able to try all the goodies at Toadstool Cafe. As of now, you have to get into the land early to make reservations to eat at Toadstool Cafe.

However, if you can’t get into Super Nintendo World, you can still try one of Mario’s treats. Right outside of Jurassic Park Cafe and next to Isla Nu-Bar is the Character Shop, where you’ll now find cream sodas by Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach.

These fruity cream sodas come in three flavors:

• Mario’s Strawberry Soda
• Princess Peach’s Cream
• Luigi’s Green Apple Soda

Being a fan of strawberries, we went ahead and tried Mario’s Strawberry Soda. And we must say it’s one of the best foods at Universal Studios Hollywood and one of the best drinks outside of butterbeer.

The creamy vanilla ice cream with the strawberry soda combo is delicious! You’ll agree that this is not just cream soda; once you slurp the popping boba, its sweetness bursts. And the ice cream they use at Universal is top quality.

The fruity cream sodas are $12.

You can also grab the Super Nintendo World souvenir popcorn buckets at the Character Shop for $39.99 and the collectible drink sippers for $20.

2. Giant Bavarian Pretzel

The Giant Bavarian Pretzel is a Universal Studios Hollywood food you shouldn’t miss, especially if you’re into pretzels and carbs.

In search of must-eats, we eyed the giant pretzel being eaten by a group at a table. They pointed us to the snack bar, where we got a delicious Giant Everything Seasoning Pretzel that had just come out of the oven. It is the Giant Bavarian Pretzel with everything seasoning, but you can get it with salt.

The pretzel was freshly baked, hot with a nice toasted outside and soft, chewy inside. It was well seasoned, sprinkled with an everything seasoning blend. It did not need anything else, but you could get a side of nacho cheese to go with it.

This is a perfect snack to share with others. It is served in a box to go.

The Giant Bavarian Pretzel costs $12.99 or $13.99 for the Giant Everything Seasoning Pretzel.

3. A Giant Pink Lard Lad Donut

One of the best snacks at Universal Studios Hollywood is the famous giant pink donut from Lard Lad Donut. You can’t go to Universal without having a donut. This donut is as big as your head and pink with sprinkles!

The donut is the classic Homer Simpson’s doughnut, one of the most popular Universal Studios Hollywood Food. And it’s really good! After the first bite, you’ll understand why Homer drools for them.

Other fun donut flavors are available at Lard Lad Donut. However, if you only want the classic pink donut, you can find it at the Kwik-E-Mart.

A Lard Lad Donut costs $9.99.

4. Jumbo Smoked Turkey Leg

The jumbo smoked turkey leg is a classic theme park food, and Universal Studios Hollywood is no exception. The turkey leg is big and juicy, making it the perfect snack to share.

Smoked turkey legs can be found all over the park, but we recently had them as a meal at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. It came with fries.

“It tastes like bacon,” my 10-year-old nephew described the smoked turkey leg. The meat’s smokiness gives it a unique savory flavor, just like bacon.

The Smoked Turkey Leg Platter at Three Broomsticks costs $16.99, and the Jumbo Turkey Leg at Universal Tower Snack Bar costs $12.99. Both are gluten-free.

5. El Macho Nachos from Minions Cafe

Eat like a minion!

Minions Cafe specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches, but we saw their El Macho Nachos on the menu and decided to try them. We were pleasantly surprised!

The nachos are made with tortilla chips and topped with queso, loaded with savory chicken tinga, pico de Gallo, sour cream, and guacamole.

It’s a huge portion! And shareable. We were stuffed after eating it.

El Macho Nachos from Minions Cafe costs $13.99. This food item is gluten-free.

6. Nutella Banana Pudding at Minion’s Cafe

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At the Minion’s Cafe, you can try the Nutella Banana for dessert. If you love bananas and hazelnuts, it’s a must-try.

The pudding contains a layer of banana pudding (it tastes just like bananas), vanilla wafer crumbles, and delicious hazelnut cream. Make sure to dip your spoon to combine all the layers. It’s creamy, smooth, and not overly sweet as long as you remove the fondant. It has just the right banana-to-hazelnut ratio. Also, the little cup and the minion fondant as decor on top are just too cute!

Minions Cafe is located right by the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride.

Nutella® Banana Pudding costs $5.99.

7. Butter Beer in Hogsmeade

You cannot come to Universal Studios Hollywood and not have Butter Beer when you’re in Harry Potter World! There are two ways to enjoy Butterbeer: frozen or regular.

We recommend getting the classic if you have never had it before and don’t use a straw. It’s meant to be sipped with the cream at the same time, and using the straw means drinking from the bottom of the cup.

The frozen is like a slushie with some cream on top. It’s so good, especially on hot days. Hot butterbeer is served during the wintertime.

Is Butterbeer real beer at Universal? No. It’s not alcoholic. You can get alcoholic craft beers at Hog’s Head adjacent to Three Broomsticks.

Butterbeer is sweet. It’s like a cream soda. If you like cream sodas, you’ll like butterbeer.

Butterbeer costs $8.00 and is available at the Three Broomsticks, Hog’s Head, and the outdoor Butterbeer cart in Hogsmeade.

8. Classic Cinnamon Churro

A classic churro is always a must at any theme park or amusement park, and Universal Studios Hollywood is no exception.

You can find churros at stands and carts throughout the park.

The churro is delicious, and we enjoyed it more than Disney’s. It’s covered in cinnamon sugar. It’s crispy outside and chewy in the middle without tasting stale. We swear every time we eat one at Disney, it’s stale (probably a controversial opinion). Universal’s churro tastes fresh and delicious.

The classic cinnamon churro costs $5.49.

We spied Oreo Churro Bites at Universal Tower Snack Bar, which is next on our list to try.

9. Tropical Sunset Cone from Studio Scoop

If you’re looking for a refreshing treat, look no further than the Tropical Sunset Cone from Studio Scoop in the lower lot of Universal Studios Hollywood. This soft-serve ice cream cone is pretty and hits the spot.

The Tropical Twist contains a soft-serve mix of blue raspberry, orange (which tasted like a creamsicle), and watermelon ice cream. The flavors blend well together, and it’s not too sweet. The three flavors balance each other nicely, pleasantly surprising our taste buds.

The Tropical Sunset Cone costs $7.29.

10. Spare Ribs Platter at Three Broomsticks

The Three Broomsticks is one of the restaurants in Hogsmeade, and you cannot come here and not try their food. While they have British pub favorites like fish & chips and shepherd’s pie, we spontaneously decided to try their spare ribs. And wow, they are good!

The spare ribs come with roasted potatoes and corn on the cob. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, and the sauce was slightly sweet-tangy with a hint of smokiness. The corn on the cob was also delicious.

The only negative thing for us was that they smothered the ribs in BBQ sauce, which some people may enjoy. However, it didn’t stop us from devouring our spare ribs platter.

The value of the plate is good, too. For $20, you get a heaping plate of food that can easily be shared between two people. It was a total of 8 meaty ribs. These days, at least here in LA, buying a rack of ribs at the market to cook at home costs way more, and it doesn’t include potatoes and corn.

The Spare Ribs Platter cost $19.99.

Most FAQS

What kind of food do they have at Universal Studios Hollywood?

There are a variety of restaurants and food stands throughout the park, so you’ll be sure to find something that suits your taste. Expect theme park-type foods as well as some restaurants serving hearty meals.

Can you bring in food to Universal Studios Hollywood?

Sealed water bottles and small snacks are allowed in the theme park. Read Universal Studios Hollywood’s Food policy here.

What are the food prices at Universal Studios Hollywood?

Food prices vary throughout the park. Expect to spend around $15-25 for a meal for one person and $5-10 for snacks and drinks.

Can you order food ahead at Universal Studios Hollywood?

No. Advance food orders and mobile orders are not available at Universal Studios Hollywood. Dining establishments are first-come, first-served.

Universal Studios Hollywood offers many great foods and snacks; the list above is just a taste (pun intended) of what’s available. As we try more food, we will add to this list the things we enjoyed, so be sure to check back for updates.

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