Magic & Meals: My Vegan Weekend at Epic

EXPERIENCING THE MAGIC: My Vegan Adventure at Universal’s Epic Universe! 🌟✨

If you haven’t been to Universal’s new Epic Universe yet, stop what you are doing and start planning! I finally made the trip to Orlando, and let me tell you—it completely lives up to the hype. The vibe is absolutely electric from the moment you step through the Chronos entry gate.

Imagine a park that isn’t just a park—it’s a collection of five immersive worlds connected by a stunning central hub called Celestial Park. It’s lush, it’s futuristic, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. But before I get into the incredible food (and trust me, we ate), let me give you the lowdown on the portals you can visit!

🌀 The Portals: A Quick Tour

Celestial Park: This is the heart of the universe! It’s not just a walkway; it’s a living, breathing garden with dancing fountains, roller coasters that mimic shooting stars, and the stunning Helios Grand Hotel acting as the backdrop.
Super Nintendo World: Power up! 🍄 This place is a literal video game come to life. You enter through a green pipe and suddenly you're surrounded by Piranha Plants, question blocks, and Bowser’s Castle. It’s colorful, chaotic, and pure joy.
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk: Vikings, unite! 🐉 This portal drops you right into a seaside village bustling with dragons and towering statues. The energy here is adventurous and loud in the best way possible.
Dark Universe: ⚡ For the brave souls (and hungry vegans—more on that later!), this world is dedicated to Universal’s Classic Monsters. Think Dr. Victoria Frankenstein’s experiments and shadowy villages. It’s spooky, atmospheric, and beautifully creepy.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic: 🪄⚡ MY FAVORITE! As a huge Potter fan, I was screaming inside. You travel from 1920s Paris (Place Cachée) to the 1990s British Ministry of Magic. The details are mind-blowing—the wands, the spells, the architecture! It feels like you’ve actually apparated into the movies.

💡 VIP Insider Tip: How to Beat the "New Park" Jitters

If I can give you one piece of advice, it’s this: Book the VIP Tour.

Since Epic Universe is brand new, it is absolutely huge, and honestly, they are still working out some kinks. We noticed a few rides having technical difficulties throughout the day (classic new park struggles!), but the VIP Tour completely saved us. The guides are amazing at navigating around the downtime and making sure you get on all the rides without the stress. It is 100% worth it to guarantee you experience everything!

🌱 Vegan Eats: The Good, The Spicy, and The Spooky

Now, let’s talk about the most important part: THE FOOD. I made it my mission to hunt down the best vegan bites at Epic Universe. Here is everything I tried!

🍽️ Lunch at Atlantic (Celestial Park)

We started fancy at Atlantic, a stunning restaurant surrounded by the aquarium-like waters of Celestial Park.

King Oyster Mushroom Ceviche: This was our appetizer and a total winner. Fresh, zesty, and a perfect light start.
Romesco Romanesco: Okay, this dish blew my mind. The Romanesco was so healthy and fresh, but the real star was the charred mushrooms they served with it. I swear, the char gave it this crazy illusion of eating a piece of steak, but completely plant-based. It felt upscale and hearty without being heavy. 10/10 for creativity!

🥖 Dinner at Café L'air De La Sirène (Ministry of Magic)

Naturally, for dinner, I had to be in the Wizarding World! This French-themed cafe is gorgeous.

Baguette Ratatouille Provencale: If you love bread, this is for you. The baguette itself was arguably the best part—crispy outside, soft inside—and the ratatouille filling was flavorful and comforting.
The Butterbeer Situation: 🍺 Sad news—the Butterbeer Crêpes are not vegan-friendly (why, Universal, why?!). BUT, you can still live the magic! I grabbed a Cold Butterbeer with the non-dairy topping. It’s sweet, frothy, and iconic. Sipping that while walking around 1920s Paris? Chef’s kiss.

🧟 Lunch at Das Stakehaus (Dark Universe)

On day two, we embraced the spooky vibes at this vampire-themed steakhouse.

Vegan Familiar’s Stuffed Cabbage: This was... an experience! Visually, they really leaned into the horror theme—it honestly looked like brains or a corpse with maggots (gross, but cool!). But taste-wise? It was actually delicious! It’s stuffed with Impossible meat and seasoned perfectly. Just close your eyes if the "brains" look gets to be too much!

🍕 Snack at Pizza Moon (Celestial Park)

We needed a quick pick-me-up later in the day.

Harvest Moon Pizza: This is their designated vegan pie. Heads up: They don’t use vegan cheese, so it’s a "red pie" with sauce and veggies. It wasn't the best thing I ate at the park, but it was decent!
Pro Tip: Since we were staying at the Helios Grand Hotel (which is literally right there at the back of the park), this pizza made for excellent leftovers later that night!

🐉 Dinner at The Blue Dragon (Celestial Park)

We ended our trip at this Pan-Asian spot, and the vibe here is unmatched—neon dragons and cool lighting everywhere. It surprisingly wasn't packed, which was nice.

Kai-Ming Mapo Tofu: 🌶️ WARNING: When the menu shows a pepper icon, believe it! This dish was incredibly spicy—like, "I almost died" spicy—but the flavor was so good I couldn't stop eating it. If you love heat, this is a must-order.
Smashed Cucumbers: A refreshing, crunchy side that helped cool down the fire from the tofu.

🎆 The Grand Finale

We wrapped up the night watching the fountain water show in Celestial Park. Seeing the water dance to the music with the Helios Hotel glowing in the background was the perfect way to say goodbye to an epic weekend.

Have you been to Epic Universe yet? Let me know your favorite vegan finds at my instagram @_jesvegan!

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