22 Best Restaurants in Universal Orlando, Florida

This enchanting table-service restaurant's eclectic menu includes dishes such as pad Thai, pan-seared salmon with lemon-basil butter, souvlaki couscous bowl, and brick oven–roasted chicken. The building itself—which looks like a giant rock formation from the outside and a huge cave (albeit one with plush upholstered seating) from within—will grab your attention, as will the view of the big lagoon in the center of the theme park. Reserve online or with the Universal phone app for lunch or an early dinner.

Billed as a "hotel lounge," Strong Water breaks all the rules for hotel dining: the surroundings are comfortable, and the food is some of the most memorable in Orlando. Specializing in the cuisines of "the rum latitudes," the menu features dishes from Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Colombia, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Mexico. Every item is a hit, from familiar and unusual ceviches to remarkable chicken tenders in buttermilk batter to the Jamaican curry goat. The list of rums from around the world is longer than the food menu; the deceptively potent milk punch made with Nicaraguan rum and black tea is a must.

The massive and very noisy Antojitos brings the specialties of Mexican cantinas and food carts to CityWalk. The outside looks like it's been spray-painted with shocking pastels; inside, the grand two-story space is chic yet rustic, sparse but dotted with Mexican folk art. Neon sculptures on the ceiling depict hip versions of Day of the Dead figures. Start with guacamole, made table-side, and follow up with beer-and-chile-braised pork tacos topped with pineapple and guajillo salsa or the Mixiote stew made with beer-braised goat. End with a coffee crème brûlée with churros or the molten dulce cake. The restaurant stocks 200 tequilas and a range of handcrafted tequilas.

"Bice" (pronounced beach-ay) is an Italian nickname for Beatrice, as in Beatrice Ruggeri, who founded the original Milan location of this upscale Italian chain in 1926. At the Orlando branch, starched linens, frescoed ceilings, marble floors, and bay-view picture windows set the stage for sophisticated (and pricey) dishes such as pan-seared wild halibut with Swiss chard or veal scallopini with lemon-caper sauce. Although prices start at around $30 for pasta dishes and peak at $70 for a rib eye steak, pastas and salads are available in half portions upon request. The Amaretto cheesecake is a splendid dessert.

A flashback inspired by camping trips and cooking over an open flame, this restaurant features a menu that brings back memories. Among the entrées are fire-grilled steaks, Colorado lamb shanks, beer-glazed scallops, barbecue shrimp, skillet-roasted half-chicken, and the Heathstone Seafood Bake, which includes wood oven-baked northern whitefish, shrimp, cold water mussels, andouille sausage, fresh corn, red potatoes, and lemon butter. Specialty salads and hamburgers are also featured, along with side dishes that include Southern-style potato salad, coleslaw, cornbread, fire-grilled vegetables, and smashed potatoes. Still hungry? Sample the s'mores. It's like dining in a lakeside summer house.

In your hurry to reach the attractions upon entering the park, you could (like many people) walk right past this full-service restaurant without noticing it, but it's a good place to enjoy a sit-down meal. The menu is American with international influences, and offerings include exotic wraps and sandwiches as well as entrées ranging from chilled tuna noodle bowls and pad Thai to sweet-and-sour ribs.

This Irish pub would look just right in lower Manhattan during the Ellis Island era. The menu offers classic Irish comfort food like shepherd's pie, corned beef and cabbage, bangers and mash, and fish-and-chips, plus a healthy assortment of wines, cocktails, and beers, including Guinness on tap and a five-beer sampler. If shepherd's pie isn't your thing, opt instead for a steak, burger, entrée salad, or sandwich. Irish folk music, sometimes live, completes the theme in this beautiful, atmospheric place.

Although this restaurant is built to resemble Rome's Colosseum and contains 1,000 seats, there's often a wait at lunch or dinner. The music is always loud, the walls are covered with rock memorabilia, and the menu still features the burger that started it all: the steakburger with applewood bacon, cheddar cheese, a crispy onion ring, leaf lettuce, and vine-ripened tomato. Barbecued meats, from baby-back ribs to hand-pulled pork, are smoked on-site. Other entrées include New York strip steak, grilled Norwegian salmon, and Tupelo chicken tenders.

An airy room and tropical decor complement the menu's curries, pad Thai, coconut soup, and other Asian-inspired dishes. Islands, which serves breakfast and dinner, also has a play area to keeps tots entertained, and you can create your own stir-fry combos during the Wok Experience on Friday and Saturday evenings. On Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights, you might be treated to visits from assorted characters such as Scooby Doo and Shaggy—at no extra cost.

With an adventurer's theme honoring its namesake aviator (Captain Jake McNally), this gastropub is a great place to grab a cold one as well as anything from a Caesar salad or flatbread sandwich to shrimp mac 'n' cheese or roasted chicken. Jake's also hosts seasonal beer dinners that feature regional and specialty brews.

British pub staples are fitting fare for Diagon Alley's signature restaurant. The drinks menu complements hearty meals like stews and cottage pies with kooky-sounding beverages from the Harry Potter books like Tongue-Tying Lemon Squash, Otter's Fizzy Orange Juice, and Fishy Green Ale. Order at the counter, then be seated; a microchip in your "candlestick" will tell servers where to bring the grub. The Ploughman's Platter, with its cheeses, Scotch eggs, and apple-beet salad is food enough for two average eaters. English sausages can be had in toad-in-the-hole, bangers and mash, or a sandwich with three-mustard mayo. The fish-and-chips has an excellent flaky crust; the cod is flown in daily. End with the indulgent sticky toffee pudding.  There are iconic treasures throughout the Cauldron, from the replica movie art on the walls to the actual leaking sign.

Designed to resemble a Fisherman's Wharf warehouse from 19th-century San Francisco, Universal Studios' flagship full-service restaurant serves fresh fried fish, fried shrimp, and assorted other takes on seafood. You can also get a Boursin steak sandwich with fried onion strips, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and big salads. The New England clam chowder is a standout, especially for the price.

The premise here is that you're eating at a home-turned-restaurant—there's an actual "Mama Della," who appears nightly, and you'll be serenaded by a strolling accordionist, guitar player, and vocalist. The menu features Italian classics like homemade parsley gnocchi with pomodoro sauce, chicken parmigiana, and lasagna alongside more ambitious dishes like bistecca (steak) with truffle mashed potatoes, roasted wild mushrooms, broccolini, onions, and carrots. Patio seating provides a view of the hotel's nightly Musica Della Notte (Music of the Night) opera show.

At the corner of Hollywood and Vine is a flashy 1950s-style eatery with a retro spaceship design and several vintage cars parked out in front. Thanks to its location and look, this is one of the most popular choices in the park, so you might have to brave crowds for an extra-thick shake (recommended) or an order of the decadent chili-cheese fries. Basically, it's the burgers that draw crowds in. In case you and others in your group decide to go your separate ways, Mel's is also a great place to meet up.

Though the giant beer tanks are just for show, this bar has plenty of brews to accompany everything from loaded nachos, fish tacos, giant pretzels, and sturdy sandwiches to ½-pound premium Black Angus beef burgers (the Grand Slam features a pound of beef), sirloin and strip steaks, cedar-plank salmon, and ribs. If you're looking to watch a game, this is the spot: it has more than 100 giant TV screens.

Burgers, sushi, bento boxes, and a combo the founders call "burgushi" bring Universal goers to this contemporary second-story restaurant. The setting is flashy, with colorful booths and playful decor complementing video screens showing schools of fish swimming by, aquarium-style. Unwind with a cocktail like Buffalos and Bacon, a bourbon-cherry liqueur combo garnished with candied bacon. The rolls and burgers defy traditional rules, with bento boxes combining the two and other mixes and matches such as a sushi "fusion" roll that might be a sushi roll—or it might have filet mignon layered in. And a burger might be a hunk of ground beef, or it could have peanut butter, banana, and bacon.

This casual restaurant has omelet stations at breakfast; flatbreads, sandwiches, and salads at lunch; and grilled salmon, filet mignon, and roast chicken at dinner. The kids' menu is entertaining, with plates such as I Don't Want That (grilled cheese) or I'm Not Hungry (chicken tenders) that are served with a choice of fries, a salad, or fresh fruit.

With its dark-wood interior and hundreds of framed celebrity caricatures, this pricey restaurant resembles its famed New York City namesake. For most diners, steak steals the show (aged beef is a specialty), but the gargantuan Nova Scotia lobsters are nearly as popular. Other seafood options include broiled salmon with mango salsa and jumbo-lump-meat crab cakes with chipotle tartar sauce. The Italian specialties are top-notch versions of favorites like veal parmigiana.

A steampunk decor of gizmos, gears, pulleys, belts, and smokestacks is the backdrop for this very popular restaurant, where chocolate and sweets rule. Desserts—ranging from artisanal milk shakes and sumptuous sundaes to chocolate brownie bark, bacon brittle, and salted caramel flan—are naturally big draws. But one cannot live on sweets alone, which explains the salads, soups, flatbreads, sandwiches, hamburgers, and pastas, as well as more extravagant entrées such as grilled teriyaki salmon, braised short ribs, filet mignon, and cocoa pork tenderloin.

Rickety staircases and gaslit chandeliers set the tone for this counter-service restaurant, where you can feast on ample portions of shepherd's pie, fish-and-chips, turkey legs, and Cornish pasties. The Great Feast option includes salad, rotisserie smoked chicken, spareribs, corn on the cob, and roast potatoes for $69.99 for a party of four. The full English breakfast (from park opening until 10:30 am) features eggs, sausage links, black pudding, English bacon, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, and  potatoes. Look (and listen) for hidden Harry Potter Easter eggs, and ask your server for the facts.

Overlooking a tranquil harbor, this is a family-friendly option with a dash of Italiano. The breakfast buffet features both omelets and other hot dishes as well as baked goods and fruit; dinner starters like shrimp polenta and Caprese flatbread segue to entrées such as chicken marsala, grilled beef tenderloin, and shrimp Alfredo.

House-made pasta and inventive cocktails are highlights at the ultrahip Vivo, which is styled after a trendy Roman nightclub. The waiters are attentive, the food—mussels marinara, lamb ragu, squid-ink seafood—is quietly impressive, and the blazing wood-fired oven makes almost instantaneous pizzas.