A quiet restaurant. The soft strains of a violin fill the air, played by a mysterious figure who might just be a vampire’s helper. Then, a plate arrives. On it rests a perfectly formed, glistening replica of a human brain, bright pink with raspberry sauce. You dip your spoon in. This isn’t a scene from a horror film, but the cutting-edge reality of a brand new theme park’s dining experience.
This shocking scene is not from a horror movie. It is from the new Epic Universe theme park, the first major park to open in the United States in over twenty years. When it opened on May 22, it promised to pull guests into new worlds. It seems they plan to do it through their stomachs.
Beyond the Hotdog
For decades, theme park food meant one thing: handheld junk. Visitors fuelled their day with salty pretzels, giant turkey legs, and sticky cotton candy. It was fast, it was easy, and it was boring. Most of it was eaten while shuffling forward in a long queue.
But this new park shreds that rule book. Here, the food is a main attraction.
For serious theme park fans, the “theming” is what matters most. They visit these fantasy lands to escape the real world. The more complete the illusion, the deeper the escape. Epic Universe uses bizarre and high-quality food to build these illusions. They swap hot dogs for saffron labneh and coconut nectar. They are betting that guests want to eat the fantasy, not just look at it.
Dining with Dracula
The park’s five lands include the spooky Dark Universe, a place that celebrates classic monster movies. Here, guests find Dracula’s own restaurant, a spot with the dreadful punny name ‘Das Stakehaus’.
Forget flimsy paper plates and plastic forks. Das Stakehaus hands its guests real black silverware and solid plates. This simple change makes diners feel like they can be trusted in a vampire’s castle. The restaurant serves high-quality cuts of steak, chicken, and salmon, in addition to burgers. A critic who ate there reported the vegetables were “incredibly fresh,” a true shock for any theme park.
But the real monster on the menu is the dessert. The ‘Labotocotta’ is a silky-smooth Greek yogurt panna cotta. It is also shaped exactly like a human brain, glistening with a bright pink raspberry sauce. One spoonful, and the diner completely forgot they were spooning into a brain while a vampire played music.
A Pizza from the Moon
The strangeness does not stop in the land of monsters. In the park’s Wizarding World, a French-themed cafe serves a stunningly authentic breakfast. The ‘Oeufs en Cocotte’ features poached eggs smothered in rich Mornay sauce and gruyère cheese, a meal that feels like it belongs in Paris, not a theme park.
Nearby, a magical bar pours a potent, brightly coloured cocktail called the ‘Lobe Blaster’. It is a punchy mix of moonshine, limoncello, and absinthe. The bartenders, dressed in tailored vests, even warn drinkers to avoid using magical Portkeys after finishing one.
Perhaps the most mind-bending food item exists in the park’s main hub, Celestial Park. A restaurant called Pizza Moon looks like a vintage theatre from a 1902 silent film. Inside, the pizza oven itself is a giant steampunk rocket.
This rocket produces the ‘Pizza Lunare’, a pie that defies all logic. First, it has no red sauce. The chefs spread a rich garlic béchamel over the dough. Second, the crust is not white or brown. It is a thick, sweet, and bright purple crust made from ube. This strange purple base is then topped with mountain-like peaks of custardy ricotta cheese, crispy pancetta, and garlic confit. It is a work of art that tastes as bizarre as it looks.
People line up for roller coasters, but Epic Universe argues that food can be the main event. These odd, “unserious,” and delicious meals are a new reason to buy a ticket. They prove that you can escape reality one purple pizza, or one spoonful of brains, at a time.
