A Chocolate Lover’s Guide to Chocolate Desserts at Universal Orlando Resort

I don’t like desserts… I love desserts! And chocolate ones are my favorite. Good thing Universal Orlando Resort is a chocoholics’ paradise. Cake. Pie. Cookies. Pastries. Doughnuts. Ice cream. Candy. Shakes. Even bread pudding and crème brûlée! Universal has got it all.

I’ve enjoyed some of these desserts many times. Others I just tasted for the first time, purely for research purposes, of course (who says your research can’t taste good?). And I had a great excuse: February is National Chocolate-Lover’s Month (also my birthday month — coincidence? I think not)! So here’s a guide to all the ways to indulge all month long.

Universal Studios Florida

Nutella Puff
Location: TODAY Cafe

The puff stands for puff pastry, flaky folds of buttered dough, similar to a croissant. In the center is a rich chocolate hazelnut filling. Deliciously crispy! And if you want to feel virtuous after all that chocolate, swing by for lunch and try the wonderful kale salad with oven-roasted chicken, apples, and goat cheese.

SWEET SUGGESTION: Ask to have the pastry heated up for you, so the middle will be delightfully melty.

Chocolate and Chocolate Chili Hard-Packed Ice-Cream
Location: Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley

The chocolate ice-cream here is exceptionally good, especially in a waffle cone. For the more adventurous chocolate fans, I recommend trying the chocolate chili — aka chocolate with a kick. And since you get to choose two flavors when you order the hard-packed ice cream, you can try both!

SWEET SUGGESTION: You can watch the dragon atop Gringotts Wizarding Bank breathing fire right outside the ice-cream parlor. Don’t worry, it won’t melt your frozen dessert!

Universal Islands of Adventure

Chocolate-Hazelnut Crème Brûlée
Location: Mythos Restaurant

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as plunging your spoon through a layer of crystallized sugar and chocolate cookie crumble, especially with chocolate hazelnut custard inside. With award-winning food and a central location between Seuss Landing and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Hogsmeade, Mythos is one of my top lunch/dessert spots. So, if you feel like having something to eat before this much-awaited dessert, I recommend the spinach and ricotta ravioli or the pad Thai.

Sundae on a Stick
Location: Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop at Seuss Landing

An ice-cream bar hand-dipped in chocolate with a vanilla-ice-cream center is a hallmark of childhood. Here, you can get it with toppings like nuts, rainbow, or chocolate sprinkles. As a chocolate lover, my favorite is chocolate on chocolate. And the shop is just a hop, skip, and a jump from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish for all you kids and kids-at-heart.

Chocolate Frogs and Peppermint Toads
Location: Honeydukes in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Hogsmeade

Chocolate Frogs are a quintessential wizarding treat, a large milk chocolate candy in individual boxes, each with a wizarding trading card inside. I also love Peppermint Toads, bite-sized dark chocolate sweet (apparently, amphibian-shaped chocolate is my thing.) Both treats are a great way to cap off a ride on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in Hogsmeade.

SWEET SUGGESTION:  You can also find Chocolate Frogs and Peppermint Toads in Sugarplum’s Sweet Shop in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley at Universal Studios — a delicious treat for after the magical experience of Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.

Swirled Ice Cream
Location: Chill Ice Cream at Marvel Super Hero Island

If you’re a defender of ice cream, then this is a must-try in Marvel Super Hero Island. The dessert is a perfect blend of creamy chocolate and vanilla soft-serve ice cream. Ask to have your swirl on a freshly-made crisp wafer cone for the best experience. It’ll sure cool you down after your thrilling ride on The Incredible Hulk Coaster and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Oh, and don’t forget to snap a selfie with Iceman right outside this cool walk-up counter.

Universal Volcano Bay

Chocolate Lava Cake
Location: Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club

Do you know what’s even better than a giant volcano? A giant volcano made of chocolate cake with molten melted chocolate in the middle! You’ll work up quite an appetite between riding the waves at Waturi Beach, rafting through TeAwa the Fearless River and laughing at people screaming down Ko’okiri Body Plunge.

Universal CityWalk

Triple Chocolate Bread Pudding
Location: The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

This is the first stop for any self-respecting chocoholic. I may have actually cried tears of joy when this place opened. This dessert answers the age-old question of whether dark, milk or white chocolate is the best. Answer: all three! It one-ups your average bread pudding since it’s made with dark, milk, and white chocolate cake. And it’s served with white chocolate ice cream. Yum!

Coffee and Chocolate Stout Chicken Wings
Location: The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

I bet you were thinking I’d only cover chocolate desserts — surprise! This place is worth another mention (and multiple visits) for all the wonderful savory options, too. I’m a fan of wings any day, but cover them with glistening chocolate stout glaze and sprinkle them with sesame seeds, and I’m in heaven! If you’re like me and not a coffee-drinker, don’t worry, you’ll still love ‘em. And if you still feel like there’s room for more chocolate, top your meal with a Brownie Bark Sundae.

SWEET SUGGESTION: If you’re just coming for a Chocolate X5 milkshake, head to the ice cream parlor to the left when you walk through the door (oh, in case you’re wondering why it’s called Chocolate X5, it’s literally because you get your chocolate fix in five different ways: chocolate ice cream, chocolate chunks, chocolate sauce, whipped chocolate topping, and chocolate spirals). Or if you’re over 21, head to the bar upstairs for a Too Chocolate Stout, one of many choc-tails. No need to ask for a table in the restaurant.

Old Chocolate Fashioned
Location: The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

Ok, this is not technically a dessert. But it had to make the list, as it’s a delicious and lush chocolate treat. It’s no surprise that chocolate and bourbon go great together, but when you add cherry liqueur and orange bitters it’s just a match made in chocolate heaven.

Chocolate Jamaican Sensation
Location: Bob Marley — A Tribute to Freedom

I’d never had guava in a dessert before moving to Orlando (DC transplant here). The thin layer of guava between the layers of chocolate cake and frosting adds a subtle sweetness, accentuated by the dulce de leche sauce. Savoring it under an open sky to the sound of live reggae music makes it taste even sweeter.

Skillet Baked Chocolate Cake
Location: Bigfire

The tableside s’mores get all the attention, and with good reason, but my favorite dessert here is this rich flourless chocolate cake with bourbon ice cream. I like coming for dinner (love the BBQ shrimp with cornbread) and dessert after a weekend matinee at Universal Cinemark.

SWEET SUGGESTION: If you’re feeling extra-chocolatey, order a hot chocolate on the side. The drink comes with tiny marshmallows and you can ask to have them torched so it’s suuuper creamy.

Chocolate Old-Fashioned and Diablos Rex Doughnuts
Location: Voodoo Doughnut Orlando

I’m a sucker for a classic cake doughnut with chocolate frosting. And if you want something devilishly decadent, go for the Diablos Rex: a chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate frosting, red sprinkles, and a pentagram-shaped vanilla drizzle with chocolate chips in the middle.

Universal Orlando Hotels

The Kitchen Sink Cake
Location: The Kitchen at Hard Rock Hotel

It’s what other desserts want to be when they grow up. This rock star cake has seven layers: brownie, peanut butter, chocolate chunk cookie, pecan pie, vanilla cheesecake, devil’s food chocolate cake, vanilla chiffon, plus chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. This could easily feed a family of four #FoodComa.

Chocolate and Stracciatella Gelato
Location: Gelateria at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel

Picture this: you’re lounging on an Italian piazza overlooking a sparkling bay, listening to live opera as you enjoy a cup of rich artisanal gelato. It’s chocolate, of course, or maybe Stracciatella, a creamy flavor infused with shreds of dark chocolate.

Mexican Chocolate Mousse
Location: Strong Water Tavern at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort

Nothing goes with chocolate like cinnamon and raspberry! This dessert is more of a cake, with layers of chocolate cake and frosting with a hint of cinnamon. If you’re craving something savory, they’ve got a lot of great small plates here, too, like the jerk chicken with mango chutney — so good! I like sitting outside to eat and watch the water taxis to the theme parks come and go.

Peanut Butter S’Mores Pie
Location: Jake’s American Bar at Loews Royal Pacific Resort

If my inner child invented a dessert, it would taste like this. It’s got a graham cracker crust with a layer of creamy chocolate and a good half-inch-thick layer of peanut butter mousse (I measured it) infused with mini marshmallows, topped with a swirl of toasted marshmallow.

That gives you a taste of some of the chocolatey deliciousness at Universal Orlando Resort. Share some of your own favorite chocolate treats in the comments below.

Must be 21 years and older with valid identification to purchase or drink alcoholic beverages.