REVIEW: This Epic Universe Meal Is Served in a Boat… and One Piece Should be Thrown Overboard

Universal’s brand-new Epic Universe looks poised to be a game changer for the resort. The technologically advanced theme park features stunning attractions, breathtaking themed portals, and, of course, themed food!

During our most recent visit to the park, we stopped in at Mead Hall, the intricately detailed central dining location in the How to Train Your Dragon-themed Isle of Berk portal.

Universal describes Mead Hall as “a grand chamber hewn from mountain rock,” and once inside, it’s clear that description is not all that hyperbolic, as the scale of the restaurant is massive.

The food selection is described as one where guests can “feast on a hearty menu including meat, fish, sandwiches, and desserts. Beverages include assorted meads, ciders, and ales.”

Given the popularity of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise amongst children, we decided to sample one of Mead Hall’s primary kids’ meal offerings: Barf and Belch’s Duo Plate.

Available for $9.49, the platter includes mac & cheese bites, grilled sausage, carrots, Nordic Fries, and grapes on the vine, all served in a cardboard replica of a Viking boat.

Let’s start with the sausage: Even though this grilled and sliced sausage looks like a simple hot dog, it’s decidedly more seasoned and smokier than a typical hot dog. Though we should note that any kids who enjoy a hot dog will likely like this as well. One note: the sliced chunks may be a bit large for some younger eaters, so parents may want to break them up a wee bit more.

The second main portion of the meal was the mac & cheese bites, and boy, were they disappointing. We really wanted to like the mac & cheese bites, as they’re a somewhat atypical element to a theme park meal, and certainly an appealing dish in concept to kids. However, these were a big miss. They were tiny — someone just looking at the dish cold would likely assume they’re chicken nuggets — and when we actually cut into them, they were almost entirely fried batter with seemingly no full “mac” and very little cheese to speak of.

As far as the sides went, the grapes were delicious, as were the carrots. The latter were roasted and seasoned. The Nordic Fries had a thick texture to them, not dissimilar to steak fries as opposed to the more typical thin-cut fry style of fast food or theme park meals.

Overall, this meal is a good kids’ meal offering. For under $10, the Barf and Belch’s Duo Plate offers five different foods, which is good for picky kid eaters who may eat some but not others. Truthfully, if the disappointing mac & cheese balls were either reformulated or replaced, this might be our favorite kids’ meal offerings at Epic Universe. In addition, the portion size was pretty good, and the presentation in the cardboard boat will likely be fun for youngsters. One downside — it should be noted that the meal does NOT come with a drink option.

Stay tuned to AllEars for more on the culinary options at Epic Universe.

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Which Epic Universe restaurant are you most excited to try? Let us know in the comments below. 

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