Mardi Gras IS BACK at Universal Orlando Resort and we are STOKED!

Universal Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval 2024 is being held from February 3rd through April 7th, 2024, and it features a ton of fun events, shows, and even some celebrities. However, what we’re always looking forward to most is the globally-inspired Mardi Gras food!

We tried A LOT, and we have A LOT of opinions on this year’s food and beverage offerings! Before we get started, we recommend making a list of all the snacks you want to get BEFORE you get to the resort to save time. The menus can be viewed by checking out Universal’s website. With that out of the way, let’s get into it!

This year, 14 countries and over 60 food items are being offered! The booths are meant to authentically represent the countries and will especially highlight the Philippines and Columbia. We only tried a few food items, but there’s a huge variety.

Check out this delicious Mardi Gras food! You’ll find over 60 food items from 14 countries at Mardi Gras this year in Universal Studios. #mediaevent pic.twitter.com/AxgxgsO3bt

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) February 9, 2024

FRENCH QUARTER/NEW ORLEANS DESSERTS

We tried classic beignets and King cake! Beignets are a classic New Orleans dessert, so you gotta try them at a Mardi Gras event for sure, and trust us, they’re worth it. These beignets were fantastic. They were well powdered and so light and fluffy. We thought they could have used a dip, but they were great on their own.

Then we tried the King cake. It was a cinnamon spice cake, and it was very soft. We particularly enjoyed the sprinkles on top instead of crystal sugar.

COLOMBIA

FOOD

• Arepa de Choclo — $8.49
• Colombian Burger — $9.99
• Oblea — $6.99

DRINKS

• Aguardiente Punch — $13 12 oz. cup / $17 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $13 Refills

At the Columbia booth, we tried the Obleta! It’s a crispy wafer filled with dulce de leche and strawberries. The thin wafer snaps as you bite it, as you would expect from an ice cream cone. We really enjoyed the dulce de leche which had a very yummy caramel flavor. It went deliciously with the fresh strawberries.

MEXICO

FOOD

• Chilaquiles Verdes — $7.49
• Churro Loops & Chocolate — $7.99
• Quesabirria — $8.99

DRINKS

• Agua Frescas — $5.49
• Classic Margarita — $13 12 oz. cup / $17 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $13 Refills
• Gran Añejo Margarita — $13 12 oz. cup / $17 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $13 Refills
• Jose Cuervo Añejo Tequila — $11.50 1.25 oz. pour
• Modelo — $11
• Modelo Chelada Lime — $14.50
• Modelo Chelada Pineapple — $14.50

The quesabirria was so tender! We didn’t notice a lot of cheese in it, but the meat was super juicy. It was pretty greasy, but the flavor was on point, especially when dipped in the salsa. We noticed the salsa has a low heat spice to it. If you think ketchup is spicy, you might want to skip the salsa.

PUERTO RICO

FOOD

• Bacalaitos — $7.99
• Pastelitos de Guayaba — $5.99
• Pastelón — $8.99

DRINKS

• Fanta Piña Colada — $4.99
• Piña Colada — $13 12 oz. cup / $17 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $13 Refills

From Puerto Rico, we gave the Pastelon a try! It is a layered casserole of sweet plantain and picadillo beef topped with Edam cheese. We thought this was very good! It reminded us of a sweeter lasagna. It was hearty and yummy!

We also tried the Piña Colado from here! The Piña Colada is Ron del Barrilito Santa Ana Overproof rum, lime juice, coco cream, pineapple juice, and smoked sea salt. It is more of a pineapple sour with coco cream. The sweetness really comes from the pineapple juice, so it’s not overly sweet, and the yellow is from the juice not artificial flavors. It’s certainly sour, but it was overall fantastic. The souvenir cup is a fun addition!

Here’s a look at the Pina Colada in a souvenir cup! It’s like a pineapple sour with a cream additive and it’s DELISH! #mediaevent pic.twitter.com/RSrPj3Be4h

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) February 10, 2024

THAILAND

FOOD

• Chicken Satay — $8.99
• Green Curry with Chicken — $6.99
• Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp — $8.49

DRINKS

• Butterfly Pea Blossom Tea — $13 12 oz. cup / $17 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $13 Refills / $8 Mocktail

We tried the Chicken Satay which is essentially marinated grilled chicken skewers with Thai cucumber topped with peanut sauce. These were great! The chicken was very delicious and tender. They were easy to pull apart. We really liked the peanut sauce that covered them, but if you’re not a fan of traditional Thai peanut sauce, you may want to try something else like the curry chicken.

There were a few places we didn’t try, but thought you needed to see how good the food looks!

GERMANY

FOOD

• Bavarian Pretzel with Obatzda — $11.49
• Chicken Schnitzel — $8.99
• Currywurst — $7.99
• Käsespätzle — $4.99
• Mutzen — $6.99

DRINKS

• Ayinger Celebrator — $12.75 20 oz. cup / $15.75 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $16.75 Souvenir Stein / $11.75 Refills
• Beer Flight — $12.50
• Jägermeister — $11.50 1.25 oz. pour
• Schladerer Himbeergist Brandy — $13 1.25 oz. pour
• Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Radler — $12 20 oz. cup / $15 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $16 Souvenir Stein / $11 Refills
• Warsteiner Pilsener — $12.75 20 oz. cup / $15.75 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $16.75 Souvenir Stein / $11.75 Refills

Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier — $12 20 oz. cup / $15 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $16 Souvenir Stein / $11 Refills

The currywurst looked so yummy!

NEW ORLEANS

FOOD

• Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya — $7.49
• Crawfish Étouffée — $7.49
• Fried Green Tomato Po’Boy — $12.49
• Shrimp & Crawfish Boil — $14.49
• Shrimp Gumbo — $7.49

DRINKS

Category 5 Punch — $13 12 oz. cup / $17 20 oz. Souvenir Cup / $13 Refills

It’s not a New Orleans celebration without a po’boy!

PHILIPPINES

FOOD

• Crispy Lumpia — $7.49
• Pancit Bihon — $8.49
• Pandan Cheesecake — $6.99

DRINKS

• Buko Juice — $12
• San Miguel — $10.75

We wanted to dig into the Pancit Bihon, but we already had so much food! Pancit Bihon is made with rice noodles, sautéed vegetable, pulled chicken, garlic and soy sauce.

Everything we tried was fantastic! If you have a chance to check out these fun event, we highly recommend it.

We’ll keep you in the loop when it comes to this year’s Mardi Gras celebration as well as all kinds of Universal Orlando updates, so stay tuned!

ICYMI: FIRST LOOK Inside the Universal Mardi Gras Tribute Store!

Which snack do you have circled to try on your next Universal trip? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: We were invited by Universal Orlando to attend the Mardi Gras media event. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.

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