“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Maybe that’s why, in the first week of COVID-19 related closures for the world’s major theme parks, we’re suddenly longing to not just step into our favorite stories and worlds, but to dine in those decadent, immersive, delicious, world-building restaurants they contain…
Yes, the last decade has seen an almost unimaginable shift in the scale and scope of theme park additions, prioritizing built-out, in-universe lands over mere E-Ticket rides. But along the way, the most unexpected, exciting (and for Disney and Universal, lucrative) development has been each of those land’s ways of fully placing guests into their stories and worlds through foods, drinks, and snacks – how to eat like an alien, dine like an adventurer, drink like a cartoon character, and more…
As Imagineering fans daydream of new lands themed to their favorite intellectual properties, the question always turns to food. And now, with those restaurants closed for deep-cleaning and far-reaching proclamations shutting many restaurants across the country altogether, we can’t help but dream of some of these must-try menus from the world’s most incredible themed lands…
1. Three Broomsticks
Location: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (at Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood)
We can pretty much unanimously agree that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was the first of today’s newest generation of theme park “lands” – wholly immersive, dedicated to a single intellectual property, and committed to bringing to life a single, physical, to-scale place copied right from the screen. To that end, the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade was a must-see (er, must-eat?) for Potter fans and themed entertainment design fans; the place that changed it all!
Perfectly capturing the frosted-window, dark wood, snow-capped essence of the Scottish pub Harry and friends retire to on their trips to Hogsmeade village, the restaurant was groundbreaking for adhering to series creator J.K. Rowling’s exhaustive commitment to world building, meaning you won’t find hot dogs or Coca-Cola here. Instead, the restaurant exclusively offers real pub fare and in-universe drinks like pumpkin juice, Fizzy Otters, and Butterbeer. Given guests’ excitement about being part of the culinary narrative, it’s no surprise that the formula was repeated in the attached Hog’s Head Pub and in the Diagon Alley expansion’s counterpart, the Leaky Cauldron.
Menu Must-try: From Shepherd’s Pie to Bangers and Mash, the Scottish pub classics are simply unmissable. There’s also Fish and Chips, Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken, and Beef, Lamb, and Guinness Stew. You almost can’t go wrong. All that said, the one many guests can’t stop talking about is the tangy, rich Spare Ribs Platter, served with corn on the cob and roasted potatoes. Or, try the Great Feast (above) to sample them all! Wash it down with a Pumpkin Fizz and you’ll truly be living the hungry Hogwarts student life.
2. Flo’s V8 Cafe
Location: Cars Land (at Disney California Adventure)
Disney’s first large-scale response to the Wizarding World popped up a thousand miles away when the Route 66 desert town of Radiator Springs popped up inside the reborn Disney California Adventure. Like Hogsmeade, the immensely detailed recreation of town included the real shops and restaurants owned by the automotive cast. The only problem is that humans don’t buy hubcaps or drink motor oil, meaning the mythology needed expanded a bit.
Still, there’s no place in Cars Land like Flo’s V-8 Cafe, the neon glowing drive in at the corner of Route 66 and Cross Street. The teal, chrome, and glass-clad mid-century diner is filled with the doo-wop tunes of Flo’s Motorama Girls records with spectacular views of the Cadillac Range, Ornament Valley, and the Modern Marvel: Radiator Springs Racers bursting through the desert landscape.
Menu Must-try: The menu at Flo’s has gone through a number of revisions, axing some fan favorites like radiator-shaped pasta salad and other delectable deli salads in favor of a simpler All-American diner menu of pulled pork in a chipotle barbecue sauce, fried chicken, and a tuna sandwich. That said, we’ve got to praise the vegetarian choice here – Fillmore’s Pot Pie (get it?) filled with creamy sweet corn and potato, chiles, and cheddar cheese in a flaky pie crust… or the classic V-8 Milkshakes you can’t beat…
3. Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen
Location: Adventureland (at Magic Kingdom)
A reimagining of the long-shuttered Adventureland Veranda, the December 2015 opening of the Skipper Canteen totally refreshed Magic Kingdom’s dining options. Brilliantly, the restaurant was redesigned to connect to some of the cinematic mythologies that permeate Disney Parks. For example, the restaurant is supposedly run by the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd., the exotic pre-war company (founded by Dr. Albert Falls) who runs the “World Famous” Jungle Cruise. And fittingly, the restaurant is positioned as the off-duty hangout of the ride’s infamous Skippers.
Inside, the restaurant is divided into three unique dining rooms: the Skippers’ mess hall (its sunlit, towering central room), a jungle room (filled with ornate dark wood display cases and masks) and a secret room hidden behind a bookcase (secret meeting space for S.E.A. – The Society of Explorers and Adventurers).
Menu Must-try: The coolest thing about the Skipper Canteen, though, might be its menu. Unabashedly uprooting the park’s culinary features, the Skipper Canteen’s menu is downright adventurous. It’s meant to represent the exotic dishes encountered by adventurers on their global trips, and by nature of offering a $33 whole fried fish (head and all!) it succeeds wildly. For slightly less adventurous palates, we’d recommend the tofu and thai noodles tossed in a Spicy Soy-Chili-Garlic Sauce – said to be a favorite of Pamela Perkins, president of the Lost Legend: The Adventurers Club!
4. Mythos
Location: The Lost Continent (at Universal’s Islands of Adventure)
When Universal’s Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, the park represented a wild diversion from anything Universal had done before. Forget movies, studios, or behind-the-scenes. This literary theme park thrust guests into stories, including the mythological Lost Legend: The Lost Continent – a now-fractured original “island” based in Greek and Roman stories. One of its three realms, the Lost City, is one of the most beautiful lands ever designed for a theme park. Built around the towering ruins of the Declassified Disaster: Poseidon’s Fury, the land’s coolest feature might be Mythos, a restaurant concealed within an ancient, eroded mountain.
Inside, Mythos is true wonder with its sea-carved cavern, gushing fissures and ancient carved sealife, and its floor-to-ceiling windows providing unparalleled views to a weathered terrace where Atlas himself supports the mountain on his shoulders and the Great Sea beyond. Dining in Mythos may not strictly be as story-centered as other restaurants on this list, but the physical place is so strong that it makes Mythos feel like a one-of-a-kind dining experience.
Menu Must-trys: When the park opened, Mythos was its fine-dining anchor, offering elaborate seafood meals so sought-after, guests could make reservations at Mythos without purchasing park admission. Over the years, Universal’s backed off its Disney-esque full service restaurants, transforming Mythos’ menu into a pleasant and reasonably priced collection of pasta, pad thai, salads, and sandwiches. Though Mythos isn’t as pricey or high-class as it used to be, it just means this unforgettable dining locale is available for all.
5. Satu’li Canteen
Location: Pandora – The World of Avatar (at Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
Unlike Hogsmeade and Radiator Springs which recreate known-and-loved locales from films brick-for-brick, Pandora – The World of Avatar instead invented an entirely original, Imagineer-made place – the Valley of Mo’ara – with a rich mythology all its own. The idea is that guests are eco-tourists visiting the distant moon of Pandora long after the forgotten events of Avatar, learning from the culture, customs, and cuisine of the native Na’vi people.
That story is very evident in the land’s quick service eatery, Satu’li Canteen. It’s set in a long-abandoned quonset hut that once served as the militaristic mess hall for invading humans. Now, however, the kitchen has been repurposed as a cultural arts showcase of the native Na’vi and to serve hungry (and respectful) travelers like us, offering the “tastes of home” (that is, Earth) with a Pandoran twist.
Menu Must-try: The Canteen’s signature dishes are customizable rice bowls of grilled meats or tofu, bright veggies, sauces, and slaw with “alien” boba bubbles, but the snack that got people talking when it opened was a kid’s menu exclusive: cheeseburger pods! A cleverly “exotic” take on the kids’ classic, the steamed bao buns hold ground beef, cheddar cheese, ketchup, mustard, and a pickle stuffed inside, looking delightfully alien but tasking familiar… and somehow, it manages to fit comfortably in the narrative without breaking the story!
6. Be Our Guest Restaurant
Location: New Fantasyland (at Magic Kingdom)
Disney World’s first response to the Wizarding World model was Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland, opening in phases from 2010 to 2012. The reimagining of half of the park’s Fantasyland (mostly on the former site of the Lost Legend: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) ultimately took the form of mini-lands dedicated to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Dumbo, each with all the placemaking and rockwork that would become standard in today’s era.
The land’s two “immersive dining” features both fall within the Beauty and the Beast portion of the land. There, Gaston’s Tavern debuted with LeFou’s Brew (an attempt at matching Potter’s Butterbeer) whereas the epic and enchanting Be Our Guest Restaurant allows guests to dine inside the Beast’s castle in one of three rooms: the darkly enchanted West Wing, the musical Castle Gallery, or the iconic Ballroom from the film.
Menu Must-try: Though dining in the Beast’s Ballroom could easily command five-dollar-sign menus, Disney did something uncharacteristically charitable: they opted to offer three times of day at three price points. Between breakfast ($$) and lunch ($), the menu and ambiance transform from quick service to prix fixe full service for dinner ($$$). There’s one staple that runs through all three: after curiously being absent from the menu at opening, the legendary “grey stuff” is available morning, noon, and night, albeit as a atop cupcakes (breakfast and lunch) or in an edible white chocolate Chip cup (dinner).
7. Tropical Hideaway
Location: Adventureland (at Disneyland)
When the Modern Marvel: The Enchanted Tiki Room opened in 1963, the Polynesian bungalow was accompanied by the Tahitian Terrace – a luau-flavored table service dinner restaurant banking on the Tiki Craze that had taken the country by storm. In 1993, the restaurant was converted into Aladdin’s Oasis, but quickly fell into disuse. After a decade of serving as little more than a meet-and-greet, the shuttered dinner show was repurposed in 2018, becoming the sensational throwback Tropical Hideaway.
Clearly a pre-emptive strike against the crowds expected to descend on the tiny, cramped Disneyland for Galaxy’s Edge, the quick service spot is best understood as a place to “Dole Whip and chill,” activing the park’s unused space and absorbing crowds like a sponge to relieve Adventureland’s paths. But brilliantly, the Hideaway also intertwines elements of the land’s 1930s time setting and places guests into the expanded universes of Indiana Jones Adventure, S.E.A., and the Tiki Room. Somehow, this relaxed Tiki bar manages to mesh into one cohesive, adventurous space packed with details… and a rare Animatronic outside of an attraction!
Menu Must-try: The quick service spot’s snacks include an array of steamed bao buns and peanut butter and jelly mochi buns. But of course, its main draw remains the legendary Dole Whip. Fans flocked to the Hideaway to try the pineapple soft serve in new flavors (raspberry, mango, and lemon, plus swirl) and new specialty versions like the Chili-Mango Whip with chamoy, mango, and chile-lime seasoning.
8. Oga’s Cantina
Location: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
In the lead-up to the 2019 opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, fans eagerly debated what the dining options in the land may be like. Smartly, Disney opted for a high-capacity, quick service restaurant (Docking Bay 7) selling quasi-alien-but-recognizably-American staples as the main course. But they also created a highly sought-after experience drawn straight from the films: a “wretch hive of scum and villainy,” Oga’s Cantina.
While narratively it’s not the thief-infested cantina on Mos Eisley seen in A New Hope, the Batuu version does its best to maintain the atmosphere of a raucous interstellar bar alight with toe-tapping music (in this case, delivered by a beloved Imagineering-original character making a hilarious “Easter egg” cameo). Though fans initially resisted the Cantina breaking Walt’s 60-year anti-alcohol precedent at Disneyland, Oga’s Cantina is one of the hottest tickets in town.
Menu Must-try: Unlike most bars, Oga offers breakfast concoctions that are out-of-this-world, like the Spiran Caf (hot coffee, rum, whipped cream, and a dollop of orange marmalade creme) or the non-alcoholic Moogan Tea (unsweetened tea with chocolate milk, vanilla, and cinnamon). The rest of the day, fans clamor for the Bespin Fizz (Bacardí rum, yuzu purée, pomegranate and white cranberry juices, and a cloud swirl with a smoking dry ice effect). The popular Blue Bantha is the land’s unique Blue Milk served with a cookie, but costs $5 more than the cookie-less Milk Stand version.
9. Fast Food Blvd.
Location: Springfield – Home of the Simpsons (at Universal Studios Florida)
Born of the same bare-minimum “backlot” aesthetic and the now-tired “behind the scenes” philosophy of the late ‘80s, it’s no surprise that both Disney and Universal’s “studio” themed parks have been gifted blockbuster lands as of late. Though Diagon Alley remains the anchor of Universal Studios Florida, a similarly compelling transformation took place around the existing Simpsons Ride and its comical Krustyland exterior.
A pretty total transformation of the park’s World Expo land (which had made great sense back when the Lost Legend: Back to the Future – The Ride was its centerpiece), the new land isn’t quite as immersive as the Wizarding World, but effectively brings to life the colorful cartoon town with all the props and pranks you’d expect. In any case, the real highlight of Springfield was the opportunity to taste staples of the Simpsons world, each more humorous and Instagrammable than the last.
Menu Must-try: The waterfront Duff Brewery lets guests sip Homer’s favorite drink (brewed exclusively for Universal) in a comical beer garden; the iconic Lard Lad Donuts serves the unforgettable, face-sized Big Pink Donut; Krustyburger serves not only its ⅓ pound namesake, but the ⅔ pound “Clogger Burger” with Kurly Fries (above); but of course, the “Three Broomsticks” equivalent for Simpsons fans must be Moe’s Tavern, Springfield’s only pub. There you can try Duff Beer, Buzz Cola, or the land’s signature drink, the non-alcoholic Flaming Moe (complete with dry ice steam).
10. Pym Test Kitchen
Location: Avengers Campus (at Disney California Adventure)
When Disney announced that a land themed to the generation-defining Marvel Cinematic Universe would soon begin recruiting the next generation of heroes at Disney California Adventure, fans wondered aloud how Disney would replicate the essential elements of the Wizarding World model (namely, in-universe dining and shopping) when neither dining nor shopping really happened in any of the first 23 films… Uh oh.
Naturally, Imagineers found a solution. In terms of shopping, the starring sidekick Spider-Bots featured on the Spider-Man themed Web Slingers attraction will feature prominently in the land’s W.E.B. Suppliers gift shop, providing all manner of hero equipment. As for dining? Yep. Disney cracked the case. The Pym Test Kitchen is a converted laboratory where “research chefs” have been fiddling with Pym particles (responsible for Ant-Man’s miniaturization and growth) to create heroic new dishes for would-be heroes. (Cleverly, the rear of California Adventure’s Animation Building will be disguised in plain sight by being painted white and marked as Pym’s main laboratory, with the Test Kitchen merely being a guest-friendly front.)
Menu Must-try: The menu at Pym’s somehow strikes all the right chords. It’s decidedly Ant-Man in its humor while also being entirely Instagrammable and unique. Guests will watch “regular” pretzels pass through a quantum field, emerging as giant soft pretzels; a giant Impossible meatless meatball served in a giant spoon (with a tiny fork to eat with), and the piece de resistance: the Not-So-Little Chicken Sandwich, with a giant chicken patty and a shrunken bun.
Onward…
Since Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Universal Orlando don’t look likely to re-open anytime soon, might we suggest you make the jump to our LEGEND LIBRARY to read through the in-depth Imagineering stories of closed, classic Lost Legends, abysmal Declassified Disasters, never-built Possibilitylands, and other must-read special features just for fans? It’s the perfect way to pass time and dig deeper than ever into Disney Parks.
