Staring today, Mardi Gras 2021: International Flavors of Carnaval at Universal Studios Florida is in full swing. This year, several tasting booths are placed throughout the park to celebrate flavors from around the world. We went to the Cuba tasting both to review some Cuban-inspired dishes and we have some thoughts!
Menu for the Cuba Tasting Booth at the Mardi Gras 2021: International Flavors of Carnaval at Universal Studios Florida
Food:
- 🆕 Cuban Sandwich: Roasted pork, Serrano ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles on Cuban bread, served with plantain chips – $13.49
- 🆕 Cuban Flan: Baked vanilla custard with dark caramel – $4.49
- 🆕 Plantain Chips – $3.50
Beverages:
- 🆕 Cuba Libre: 9oz. Rum and Coke
Bacardí 8 Year – $7.00
Bacardí 4 year– $6.00
Bacardí Light – $5.00 - 🆕 Cuban Coffee – $3.49
Photos of Menu Items from the Cuba Tasting Booth at Mardi Gras 2021: International Flavors of Carnaval at Universal Studios Florida
*NEW* Cuban Sandwich: Roasted pork, Serrano ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles on Cuban bread, served with plantain chips – $13.49
The Cuban sandwich comes with plantain chips, which are also available to purchase a la carte. We didn’t plan on being impressed by this sandwich, but we were pleasantly surprised!
This is your basic Cuban sandwich— but in this case, this is a good thing. The pickles and mustard complement the pork and ham, but the cheese is dismissed with the prominence of all these flavors. The bread itself is the perfect crunchy-but-soft texture.
The plantain chips that come on the side are crispy but soft. They make for a good side to complement the sandwich but are pretty basic plantain chips. We wouldn’t order them on their own.
*NEW* Cuban Flan: Baked vanilla custard with dark caramel – $4.49
This dessert is presently nicely. The Cuban flag provides a pop of color to the caramel hues. Speaking of which, look at that pool of caramel!
We just wish that the topping wasn’t so hard. We couldn’t cut into it nor bite into it! We’d like to not break our teeth when trying to enjoy a dessert.
Overall, this flan has a nice taste thanks to the vanilla and caramel flavors. Though sweet, the flavors are perfectly balanced. The sweet caramel taste is still lingering, long after we’ve finished the dessert. If you’re a fan of flan, you will definitely love this!
*NEW* Plantain Chips – $3.50
*NEW* Cuba Libre: 9oz. Rum and Coke with Bacardí 8 Year – $7.00/Bacardí 4 year – $6.00/Bacardí Light – $5.00
We purchased this drink with the Bacardí 8 Year rum — thanks, Tasting Lanyard!
This choice gave us a strong alcohol flavor that you can definitely taste. The menu says the drink comes with Coke, but some people have been ordering Sprite instead. We love the choice that we made!
*NEW* Cuban Coffee – $3.49
Location of the Cuba Tasting Booth at Mardi Gras 2021: International Flavors of Carnaval at Universal Studios Florida
The Cuba tasting booth is located next to Richter’s and Chez Alcatraz, across from the exit of the Fast & Furious Custom Gear shop. We recommend visiting this booth during the festival, which runs through March 28th!
Be sure to check out the menus for all the tasting booths at Mardi Gras 2021: International Flavors of Carnaval. Don’t forget to stop by the tribute store while you’re at Universal Studios Florida!