When visiting Universal Orlando Resort, you don’t want to spend your time in the theme parks wandering around trying to figure out what kind of food you want to eat; go into your visit with confidence. There are new menus hitting the streets of Universal Studios Florida, and it’s imperative you’re in the know of which ones — that way, during your next visit, you can say you did the homework.
Finnegan’s Bar & Grill
It’s truly the luck of the Irish that we live to see a new menu come to Finnegan’s Bar & Grill in Universal Studios Florida, and trust me when I say it’s nothing short of a crowd-pleaser. The talented chefs behind it want to bring attention to the three dishes they’re most proud of.
For starters (pun intended), the Beer Battered Onion Rings are a new shareable that you need at your table. Handcrafted by Finnegan’s Chef Jerry Helminski, these thick, hand-cut onions are dipped in house-made beer batter and fried to a crisp with an Irish stout aioli.
A little bit of protein is just what you need to kick the day into high gear, and you can do exactly that with Reilly’s Chicken Wings. These wings are coated in a smooth, sweet and savory whiskey glaze and are served with a side of celery sticks and ranch. We have Finnegan’s Chef Assistant Angelica Morales to thank for this tasty dish!
Speaking of savory, let’s talk about the Red Dragon Bacon Cheeseburger. Finnegan’s Chef Assistant Tyler Brennan decked this dish out with a half-pound all-beef burger, red dragon cheddar cheese, bacon, red onions, and roasted garlic aioli between a four-leaf-clover-branded bun and topped it off with a fried pickle. On the side, you’ll find lettuce, tomato, and classic pub chips.
Lombard’s Seafood Grille
At Lombard’s Seafood Grille in Universal Studios Florida, there’s a lot of fish out of water, and they’re all cooked to perfection! There are three fish dishes in particular that are not only new to these grounds, but also the culinary team’s top favorites.
When it comes to food, San Francisco, California, is known for its heavy Asian and Latin American influences. At Universal, we bring those influences to life at Lombard’s within our own San Francisco, and it shows in these two new dishes made by Chef Jose Acosta Yalta, who was deeply inspired by the culture of the city and his own background.
“I’m from Lima, Peru, a city that is so coastal,” Chef Jose says. “We grew up in front of the ocean and had seafood every day, and one of the dishes that we have back home is ceviche. Now ceviche is known worldwide, and San Francisco has some of the best Peruvian restaurants, so I wanted to showcase that into a dish that can also be easy to understand.”
If you love ceviche, you’ll love the Tuna Crudo. It’s made with ceviche-style leche de tigre — a spicy citrus-based emulsion — as well as cured tuna, avocado, onion, giant corn, cilantro, nori, and rice paper.
Miso is such an exceptional flavor, and it especially shines in the Miso Glazed Sea Bass. In this dish, you’ll savor a mix of sesame, baby bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, scallions, and snow peas in a hearty miso glaze.
Not only is this Chef Jose’s first time getting to create new menu items at Lombard’s, but this is also the first major new menu rollout since the restaurant opened with Universal Studios Florida 35 years ago. It’s a monumental occasion all around!
Florida is no stranger to citrus, and you’ll find those flavors and more all over the Salmon Beurre Blanc. Created by Lombard’s Chef Hector Diaz, this dish is made with fresh salmon, arugula, parsnips, bacon, and piquillo peppers while cooked in citrus beurre blanc and parsley oil.
Although Chef Hector is also Latin American, hailing from Puerto Rico, he drew his inspiration for this dish from where he has spent the last 19 years: Clermont, Florida. Surrounded by orange groves, he says he wanted to bring local flavors to this San-Fran-inspired restaurant.
“This beurre blanc is a citrus beurre blanc, and back when I was creating this dish, citrus is one of the flavor profiles that I wanted to see through, and it’s fresh in the season as well,” Chef Hector says.
Richter’s Burger Co.
Anyone can make a burger, but no one can make a burger as groundbreaking as the ones at Richter’s Burger Co. — and I’m not just saying that because this restaurant is also located in San Francisco! This year, we’ve got two new handhelds and a sweet treat to sip on with them!
Universal Studios Florida Sous Chef Xerxes Samadan was tasked with finding and creating “that signature burger,” and he landed on the Aftershock Burger. This fresh angus beef patty is smothered in jalapeño bacon jam and topped with fried onion straws, pepperjack and American cheeses, lettuce, and barbecue sauce. “Once you’ve tasted it, it’s got that sweet-spicy flavor that makes you want it more and more with every single bite,” Chef Xerxes says.
If beef isn’t your thing, this burger joint has just the dish for you: the Tremor Crispy Chicken Sandwich. This fried chicken breast is dusted in Flamin’ Hot® Cheetos® breading and topped with pepperjack cheese, ranch, lettuce, and pickles.
On Richter’s old menu, there were two grilled chicken sandwiches, but when coming up with a dish good enough to replace them, Chef Xerxes felt like he needed to make something with a little more “WOW!”
“Let’s be real — who likes boring grilled chicken?” Chef Xerxes says. “They want it to be fried, so we did a fried chicken sandwich.” Couple that with some cheesy spice and you’ve got one mouthwatering masterpiece of a chicken sandwich.
This last treat is the perfect fusion of breakfast and dessert, and we’re calling it the Cap’n Crunch® Shake. Made with a blend of Cap’n Crunch® with Crunch Berries® milk and topped with even more cereal, this shake is everything and more.
Which restaurant in Universal Studios Florida are you going to dine at first? Let us know in the comments below!