The last thing you need to be doing during your ventures at Universal Studios Florida is wondering how and where you can curb your cravings for good food — that’s what I’m here for! What’s better than an insider scoop on the tastes that await you in DreamWorks Land (besides the food itself)?
You’re sure to work up an appetite after a thrilling ride on the family-friendly Trolls Trollercoaster, and luckily for you, there are quite a few hot spots nearby that are nothing short of swamptastic. On that note, let’s dive into our first enchanting eatery at DreamWorks Land: Swamp Snacks!
Swamp Snacks
“Get out of me swamp!” are words you won’t have to worry about hearing while dining here, as the swamp is the place to be when hunting for a quick pick-me-up. Swamp Snacks is brimming with delights you’ll undoubtedly go crazy ogre!
Chef Robert Martinez, director of culinary operations at Universal Orlando Resort, says that his team likes to immerse guests into the experience.
“So many of our guests relate to so many of our character [franchises],” says Chef Robert. “We want to give them something they relate to.”
I can’t envision a better combination of sweet and savory than the Far Far A Waffle. If you’ve ever simultaneously craved pizza and waffles, do I have the snack for you! If you haven’t, you’ll certainly start after taking a bite of one of these. These crispy waffles are stuffed with pizza sauce, cheesy mozzarella and sliced pepperoni to bring a sensation overflowing with flavor.
“Donkey — he loves waffles,” says Chef Robert. “He always has an infatuation with waffles.” When developing the concept behind the Far Far A Waffle, Chef Robert asked himself, “How do we do waffles in a way that guests will love?” Thus, the Far Far A Waffle was born.
Trust me, while you’re wandering DreamWorks Land, you’ll need a Shrekzel in your life. It’s exactly what it sounds like — a Shrek pretzel! Aside from its fun Shrek-face shape, the Shrekzel is coated in melted butter and salt while served with green Sage Derby cheese. That’s right — blue cheese isn’t the only one named for its hue!
The Swamp Dog may sound a bit zany, but the flavors are anything but! Find this delectable dog wrapped in a savory pizza tree bark as it’s filled with that oozing green sage Derby cheese. I feel like this dish perfectly captures the true essence of a swamp — only much yummier.
Chef Robert says the team’s goal was to make the Swamp Dog look like a literal log of wood. The sage Derby cheese brings that natural-but-tasty green color that oozes from the slices in the fresh-baked pizza dough it’s wrapped in! To top it off, the dough is brushed in a wash that resembles wood grain. Chef Robert says this is one of his favorite foods to feast on in DreamWorks Land!
I really like to channel my inner ogre when having the Mud Puddle Pudding at Swamp Snacks. With smooth chocolate pudding as its base, this snack is made with cookie crumbs and cookie cake and is crawling with gummy bugs on top that you can dig into with a shovel-shaped spoon — Shrek wouldn’t have it any other way!
Finally, after a long, hot day of trekking around Universal Studios Florida, I like to cool off with a Frozen Ogre Sour Apple Ice Pop or Chonkey Donkey Chocolate Ice Pop. Besides Shrek’s Swamp Meet and Greet, these Shrek- and Donkey-shaped treats are the best way to get close to your favorite swamp dwellers!
There are a variety of beverage options at Swamp Snacks to wash all these delights down with, including bottled water and energy drinks. Lovers of the brews can sip on a variety of draft beers and canned favorites.
Trolls Treats
There’s no better place to get your fix for a sweet treat than at Trolls Treats! This spot has ice cream swirls with tasty flavors that will throw you in a whirl. Each cone is topped with a unique, Troll-hair-shaped soft serve ice cream swirl available in two flavors.
When I first stopped by Trolls Treats, I was faced with making one of the hardest decisions of my life: Poppy-licious Pink or BroZone Berry? I went for the former, but absolutely nothing is stopping me from going back and giving the latter a try as well! Trust that once you see what flavors make up these two dairy delights, you’ll be walking out with one of each in both hands.
The Poppy-licious Pink cone sports a pink lemonade-flavored soft serve swirl topped with tasty flower sprinkles. Named for Queen Poppy herself, this cone comes wrapped in a sleeve with her face printed on it. There are even cute little cutouts for her ears that fold outward to complete Queen Poppy’s entire look!
You’ll practically transform into a Troll with the BroZone Berry cone! The huckleberry soft serve swirl topped with green leaf sprinkles not only turns the inside of your mouth blue, but it also overwhelms your senses with a flavor unlike any other. “Huckleberry is like if a blackberry and a blueberry had a baby,” says Chef Robert. With blackberries having such a tart flavor and blueberries’ flavor getting washed out, Chef Robert says huckleberry is the perfect combination of both. This cone’s namesake honors the Pop Trolls boy band sensation, BroZone. Similar to its pink counterpart, the BroZone Berry cone comes wrapped in a printed sleeve with Branch’s face on it accompanied by foldable cutouts of his ears.
DreamWorks Imagination Cafe
Imagine indulging in treats from all your favorite DreamWorks movies in one place… actually, you don’t have to imagine! Located next to E.T. Adventure you’ll find DreamWorks Imagination Cafe, a quick-service dining stop with tastes that give life to classic DreamWorks characters and their stories.
In case you couldn’t get enough of Shrek (who could?), there’s an Ogreoni Pizza at DreamWorks Imagination Cafe with your name on it. The warm, fluffy — yet crispy — Roman-style dough is decked in savory pizza sauce and topped with pepperoni (or just cheese), fresh mozzarella and basil. Just thinking about it is making me hungry; I hope reading about it does the same for you!
Everybody was in fact not kung fu fighting at DreamWorks Imagination Cafe, but they were digging into some of Po’s Kung Fu Bao! These sensational buns are steamed to perfection and filled with char siu pork and chicken teriyaki. One bun is black while the other is white — just like our favorite villain-fighting panda bear.
Feel like the man — or in this case, infant — in charge when you try the Boss Baby Beignets. These are like if powdered doughnuts and funnel cakes had a baby (no pun intended), and it was French. Sink your teeth into these warm, sweet, cloud-shaped pillows sprinkled with powdered sugar and drift away to confectionary paradise.
Some might say this DreamWorks treat is the cat’s meow. Named for Puss in Boots’ very-own lucky lady comes Strawberry Softpaws, a fruity bowl of fresh strawberries. I may be biased given that strawberries are my favorite fruit, but this snack is a winner in my book.
I’m sure you can’t stop the feeling of wanting more sugary sweet treats to get you by during your time at the park, and I don’t want you to. Just as its name suggests, you Can’t Stop the Donut! There’s no beating the rich blue frosting fixed atop a fresh-baked doughnut, and the rainbow sprinkles and whipped topping truly tie it all together. No promises that this one won’t leave you with a blue tongue too!
What special treats in DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida have caught your eye? Let us know in the comments below! And since you’re already here, take a look at our in-depth guide to DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida.
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