Super Nintendo World food you have to try
By Helen Wright
The kooky and colourful Super Nintendo World is now open at Universal Studios Hollywood and the playful land is scoring points in the foodie world too. When you’re a kid, amusement parks are all about the rides and characters, but the more I hang out at some of the world’s best theme parks, the more I notice the small details that help make such a big impression on guests. With this wacky world, Universal have created one of their most immersive experiences yet and I was hungry to discover what Super Nintendo World food you simply have to try once you get there.
The new world, which is part of Universal Studios Hollywood, officially opened to the public on 17th February 2023 and the whole park is a sensory overload. With theme park food and snacks increasingly becoming attractions in themselves, I couldn’t wait to see what Universal would serve up for the fun and wacky world of Mario and friends. From colourful cupcakes to burgers with moustaches (!) the Super Nintendo World food and drink did not disappoint. Below I have picked my 13 favourite Nintendo nibbles to help you up your lunch time game at Universal.
The best Super Nintendo World food at the new Universal land
So, to recap: The awesome new Super Nintendo World has now opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in California. It’s a crazy fun land, packed with games, interactive elements and a brand-new attraction. We were there for the launch and everything you need to know about the Mario-tastic world is over on our Super Nintendo World post.
Have you got your tickets yet? Find the lastest prices and deals here
One thing deserving of its own page is the creative Super Nintendo World food options that are on offer. Over the last few years, theme park food has become an attraction in itself, taking something that used to be a necessity during a long day at the parks and creating food, drink and restaurants that are part of the fully immersive theme.
The best Super Nintendo World food can be found at the iconic Toadstool Café, inside the land. This very cool restaurant is a cross between a quick service eatery and a sit-down restaurant. Due to the popularity of the new land, reservations for Toadstool Café are required. They cannot be made on the Universal app and can only be made in person once inside Super Mario World. For this reason, we recommend you immediately make a reservation once you enter the land as the wait times around lunch and thereafter are around one-hour. You will recieve a text message when your table is ready.
TOP TIP: Visiting from the UK? WIFI is free throughout the whole Universal Studios Hollywood park. If your data is turned off, you should still recieve texts when connected to the WIFI, providing your airline mode is not activated.
With a few exceptions, the stylised Toadstool Café is the only place at Universal Studios that you can sample Super Nintendo World food. We ate A LOT and below are our favourite foods and snacks at Super Nintendo World. Favourite this page or grab a pen.
DID YOU KNOW: Universal Express tickets mean you don’t have to join a virtual queue to get into Super Nintendo World?
The best Super Nintendo World food at the epic new Universal Studios land
Princess Peach’s Peach Soda, $12
This is one of the Super Mario World food and drink options that can be found outside the land itself. I picked up this peachy treat at the snack stand beside the character shop, opposite The Mummy Returns attraction. It’s SO good. It was actually one of my favourite Super Mario World food and snacks because it was so tasty and nostalgic!
The Super Nintendo Fruity Cream Sodas come in three flavours, Strawberry (Mario), Apple (Luigi) and Peach (after Princess Peach, of course). I opted for the latter and not *just* because I wanted the tiara straw… I loved this drink which was sweet but not too sweet, refreshing and had vanilla ice cream and popping boba inside.
Boba is a jelly-like pearl made with fruit juice, which is found in the popular Japanese drink, Boba Tea. Universal have used it here to excellent effect – Nintendo is Japanese after all! – as the boba is what makes up the flavour of the sodas. The full ingredients include the flavoured boba (for whichever colour you choose), syrup, Sprite, fruit sauce, vanilla bean ice cream, coconut syrup, and a cherry. So, it’s not the healthiest drink in the park, but it is the most fun y’all!
Why Toadstool Cafe and the Super Nintendo World food is different to other theme park restaurants
Toadstool Café is a fast-casual eatery within Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood and it’s an immersive experience in itself. The dining room has been designed with virtual windows that look out onto the digital Mushroom Kingdom world. Depending on what is going on in the digital windows, the lighting and sound inside the restaurant change accordingly. At first, it’s really subtle so you don’t notice it, but when you do it’s very cool.
You make your order at the quick-service window and then a server will seat you and leave a digital number on your table. They are connected via Bluetooth, so just like magic, your food will be served to you at the table. Wahoo!
Best Super Nintendo World Food at Toadstool Café
Piranha Plant Caprese, $13.99 (V)
When it comes to Super Nintendo World food, this is one of the more instagrammable menu items and I think it’s ‘super’ cute. This Nintendo take on the Caprese salad is inspired, but for the price, you aren’t getting a lot for your dollar. The mozzarella is tasty and the design is fun, but the whole dish is very small and would not count as a main meal unless you are a very small eater. On the plus side, it’s vegetarian and makes for a cute pic and a tasty side salad if you are prepared to pay a premium for it.
TOP TIP: Add the Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots, $5.99 to make it more substantial.
Mario and Luigi Burgers, $16.99
This is definitely a more filling option and also more aligned with the traditional idea of theme park food. The Mario Burger (beef) and the Luigi Burger (chicken) are tasty options, served with fries and each with a cute cap and moustache! Now here’s the catch… we said the Super Nintendo World food was immersive, right? Well, we are in the Mushroom Kingdom and so twist on this menu is that all the fries are truffle fries! Indulgent for some, but I am personally not a fan of truffle. However, I requested regular fries at the desk instead of truffle fries and it was all good.
The burgers are a great shout to get your energy up for the games and the chicken one has a pesto sauce, so it’s a fresh take on the normal theme park offering. It’s a big plate and far better value for money than some of the other options (Luigi burger is $15.99).
Super Tomato Soup, $12.99
Soup is a weird theme park meal IMO, but this is Super Nintendo World food and it comes in a fun and quirky mushroom dish so we rolled with it and I am glad we did! There are two soup options, mushroom and tomato, but the tomato one was our favourite. The soup was full of flavour and if you wanted a bit more to eat, you can team it with the Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots, $5.99 to bulk it up.
Vegetarian and plant-based food at Super Nintendo World Hollywood
One definite criticism I have for the Super Nintendo World food at Universal Studios Hollywood, was the lack of Vegetarian and Plant-based options. Non-meat eaters are pretty much left with soup (which is not for everyone, especially if it’s hot in California and you’re about to ride a speeding attraction) or tiny salads. It was even more surprising to me that a California-based theme park would fall short in this area with the state’s commitment to the environment generally. Some options, such as the meatballs, could easily have been plant-based (the kids pasta is) and even the ‘green’ Luigi burger lends itself to a Veggie theme. At Super Nintendo World in Japan, a veggie pizza is offered, kitschy decorated like a toadstool. Why not here?
Bowser’s Fireball Challenge, $TBC
This one was actually a surprise addition to the menu, being added in March 2023, a month after Super Nintendo World opened. This hot take on a meat pie is a 1lb meatball with mozzarella, mushroom marinara sauce and parsley. The pie topper is Bowser in puff pastry form and it’s served with a side of hot sauce. Can you handle it?
Superstar Chicken Salad, $14.99
Not much to say about this fresh chicken salad. It’s not exciting, but it’s big enough, tastes good and comes with cute Instagram-friendly star-shaped croutons.
Fire Flower Spaghetti & Meatballs, $15.99
One of the most filling Super Nintendo World foods at Universal Studios. The spaghetti and meatballs are tasty and great value for money. There is also a kids meal option, which is plant-based and comes with cute, edible printed croutons and a gold coin cookie. This is really good value and is enough food to satisfy an adult… just. (Power-Up Spaghetti Marinara, $12.99).
Super Nintendo World food for kids:
Mario Mini Burger Adventure Set, $12.99
The other kids’ meal option is the Mario Mini Burger adventure and I was really impressed with this! My kids will love the broccoli and sweetcorn with the flag in and the burger was good too. You also get a cookie in the ‘?’ box. It’s a substantial feed for the under 13s, I would say it’s big enough that younger children might even be able to share.
NOTE: The chips that come with the kids’ meal are also truffle fries as standard. If you have a fussy eater or a kid who just doesn’t like truffle (like me), you can request normal fries when you order.
Super Nintendo World food: Desserts
Princess Peach Cupcake, $8.99
Of all the Super Nintendo World food, I think the desserts at Toadstool Café were my favourite. They were all super stylised and delicious – it was hard to pick just one! My personal favourite was the Princess Peach Cupcake. It looked ridiculously sickly and I didn’t think I would finish it, but it was actually nowhere near as sweet as it looked and I easily managed the whole thing… The cake was soft and fluffy and when you bite into it, there is a surprise jam layer. Delicious!
The other thing I liked about Toadstool Café was that everything is ordered via a digital menu and everything looked almost identical to the photos, which is often very much not the case. A lot of effort has gone into the food presentation here and guests will love it.
? Block Tiramisu, $9.99
Coffee isn’t my favourite but this cake tiramisu was a hit with our group. Fluffy and creamy with a hint of coffee and the box is made from cake and completely edible. Everyone loved the kitsch design.
Mt. Beanpole Cake, $8.99
Did you like Neapolitan Ice Cream when you were a kid? If so, prepare to be served a plate of nostalgia with this cake that tastes exactly the same! The only throwback that had a greater impact was *that* Mario music…
That was our pick of the best Super Nintendo World foods, have you sampled any yet? What did you think? Come join us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok and let us know.
READ our round up of Super Nintendo World Hollywood
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