What is a Mardi Gras celebration without food from New Orleans? From seafood options to fluffy beignets and Bloody Mary’s, this booth found at the Mardi Gras 2021: International Flavors of Carnaval has a little something for everyone!
Menu for New Orleans Tasting Booth at the Mardi Gras 2021: International Flavors of Carnaval
Food:
- 🆕 Crawfish Boil: Mix bag of crawfish, andouille, red bliss potatoes, corn on the cob – $10.99
- 🆕 Shrimp Boil: Mix bag of shrimp, andouille, red bliss potatoes, corn on the cob – $10.99
- 🆕 Crawfish & Shrimp Boil: Mix bag of shrimp, andouille, red bliss potatoes, corn on the cob – $12.99
- 🆕 Muffaletta Sandwich: Mortadella, salami, ham, mozzarella cheese, olive relish on a toasted bun – $13.49
- 🆕 Shrimp Gumbo: New Orleans style gumbo with Gulf shrimp, bacon, andouille sausage, okra, bell peppers – $5.49
- 🆕 Jambalaya: Mixed rice with andouille, shrimp, chicken, peppers, tomatoes – $5.99
- 🆕 Etouffee: New Orleans style creamy stew with crawfish, bell peppers, white rice – $5.49
- 🆕 Beignets: Sweet fried pastry with powdered sugar – $5.99
- 🆕 Andouille Twisted Tater: Stuffed Cajun twisted tater, sausage – $10.99 (Add andouille queso for $2.00)
- 🆕 Twisted Tater: Flavored with Cajun spices – $7.99
Beverages:
- 🆕 Abita Purple Haze: 9oz Raspberry fruited lager – $5.00
- 🆕King Cake Milk Punch: 9oz bourbon milk punch using our house-made King Cake syrup – $6.00
- 🆕Tropical Storm Punch: 9oz traditional Mardi Gras cocktail incorporating rum, orange and passionfruit flavors – $6.00
- 🆕Bloody Mary
9oz Wild Bloody Mary – $7.00
24oz Wild Bloody Mary – $18.00
9oz Mild Bloody Mary – $7.00
24oz Mild Bloody Mary – $18.00
Photos of Menu Items for New Orleans Tasting Booth at the Mardi Gras 2021: International Flavors of Carnaval
*NEW* Crawfish Boil: Mix bag of crawfish, andouille, red bliss potatoes, corn on the cob – $10.99
*NEW* Shrimp Boil: Mix bag of shrimp, andouille, red bliss potatoes, corn on the cob – $10.99
*NEW* Crawfish & Shrimp Boil: Mix bag of shrimp, andouille, red bliss potatoes, corn on the cob – $12.99
This boil was not very good. The shrimp was probably the best we had from the New Orleans counters, but that might be due to the seasoning.
There is a thick coating of seasoning! It’s like the lid came off while someone was trying to season the dish and the entire shaker dumped on the shrimp. But that might just be because most of the stuff is bland.
We expected to bite into a crunch corn on the cob but it was mushy. The potatoes were bland too.
We’re not crawfish experts, but there wasn’t much meat and we didn’t care for that. The crawfish in the jambalaya (keep reading for that review) was better.
The sausage was okay but there are so many other dishes with excellent sausage so this one was disappointing. We wouldn’t recommend it.
*NEW* Beignets: Sweet fried pastry with powdered sugar – $5.99
If you’re looking for us during Mardi Gras, just follow the trail of powdered sugar because these beignets are on point.
They are puffy, fluffy, and sweet (like us after eating all this food). Make it a point to grab a bag of beignets.
*NEW* Shrimp Gumbo: New Orleans style gumbo with Gulf shrimp, bacon, andouille sausage, okra, bell peppers – $5.49
This had four pieces of shrimp and some andouille sausage. It was all very zesty and well-seasoned. There was a nice kick but we wouldn’t call it hot or spicy.
The sauce is thick and rich with flavor from the peppers and okra. We can’t figure out why bacon is on the sign, unless we’re just missing it in the dish.
The shrimp is okay but we liked food from the other New Orleans counters better.
We liked the sauce and rice but there are better options around than this one, which isn’t memorable at all.
*NEW* Muffaletta Sandwich: Mortadella, salami, ham, mozzarella cheese, olive relish on a toasted bun – $13.49
Don’t waste your money on this unless you have the tasting lanyard.
We could pretty much only taste the cheese and relish. The meat was bland and doesn’t stand out at all.
It’s served with kettle chips on the side but they’re way too salty.
This was probably the first booth that disappointed us.
*NEW* Jambalaya: Mixed rice with andouille, shrimp, chicken, peppers, tomatoes – $5.99
This is a really good value for the amount of meat you get: two giant chunks of sausage plus a couple of smaller pieces, two shrimp, lots of chicken chunks, a *creepy* friend on top, and rice and peppers.
This has a good flavor—especially the sausage and rice. The shrimp was average, and the chicken was a little dry. The jerk chicken from the Bahamas booth is preferable and can’t be beat. It’s not as spicy, but it has a sweet, zesty tomato and pepper flavor.
*NEW* Etouffee: New Orleans style creamy stew with crawfish, bell peppers, white rice – $5.49
The stew looked gross at first but it was actually delicious! It has a gravy consistency with a nice flavor from the peppers. Mixed with the rice, it was perfection.
The meat tasted a bit like crab, but it’s crawfish. It’s perfectly cooked, really savory, and hearty. Perfect on a rainy, cool day (like today)!
*NEW* Andouille Twisted Tater: Stuffed Cajun twisted tater, sausage – $10.99 (Add andouille queso for $2.00)
We might have died and gone to heaven (or New Orleans) with this andouille twisted tater. It was so spicy and we loved it!
The queso makes the entire thing so much better. The sausage is zesty but more on the mild side until you add the queso. If you don’t like things to spicy, don’t get the queso.
Honestly, the taters were seriously undercooked but you won’t even notice because the cheese and sausage are so incredible. It blows away the Frank-N-Coils from Halloween Horror Nights.
We could eat this every day.
*NEW* Twisted Tater: Flavored with Cajun spices – $7.99
The regular twisted tater is super undercooked, limp, and soggy. And it has nothing to even slightly balance that out.
It was a big disappointment and almost inedible.
It was basically just wet potato with some Cajun seasoning.
Plus, there was a wet puddle in the tray under the twisted tater. Don’t waste your money.
*NEW* Abita Purple Haze: 9oz Raspberry fruited lager – $5.00
*NEW* King Cake Milk Punch: 9oz bourbon milk punch using our house-made King Cake syrup – $6.00
We’re skeptical of anything that says “milk punch” but we loved this drink.
The purple, green, and yellow sprinkles on top added that Mardi Gras flair. You can taste the bourbon but it’s sweet and creamy and made with their house-made “king cake syrup.”
The bourbon adds a strong flavor that balances out the sweet, but if you don’t like bourbon, don’t get this one. We found it unique and delicious though and would want another!
*NEW* Tropical Storm Punch: 9oz traditional Mardi Gras cocktail incorporating rum, orange and passionfruit flavors – $6.00
Prepare to have your sweet tooth satisfied with this super sweet drink. The passion fruit is strong, but you can still taste the rum. A good choice if you’re into sweet drinks and tiki vibes.
*NEW* Bloody Mary – $7.00 for 9oz, $18.00 for 24oz
There are two sizes and two spice levels. We ordered 24oz of both the mild and “wild” options.
Each drink is basically a meal on top of a Bloody Mary. There’s shrimp, bacon, a New Orleans style hush puppy, olives, pickles, peppers, and celery.
The “wild” (spicy) one is really spicy! You can recognize our spicy drink in these photos by the green peppers hanging out of the edge of the drink.
There are bold flavors from both versions of the drink. The shrimp was good and the hush puppy was excellent.
It’s a nice surprise when you bite into it, with rice, peas, and sausage mixed up like jambalaya in a large fried ball.
The bacon was crispy, sweet, and savory. It was perfect for dipping in the Bloody Mary.
The small size doesn’t include all the toppings and the large ones are not included in the tasting lanyard. That said, we recommend splurging on the large ones just so you can experience all the toppings.
We would recommend this to anyone who likes Bloody Marys and though we love spice, we did prefer the mild drink.
Location of New Orleans Tasting Booth at the Mardi Gras 2021: International Flavors of Carnaval
The New Orleans Tasting Booth has 5 locations found throughout the park. The first can be found across from Mel’s Drive-In, near TRANSFORMERS: The Ride 3-D. There is also a food truck located in Production Central, a booth outside the entrance of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, a booth outside the Tonight Shop and the Blood Mary location is next to the stage in Production Central.
Mardi Gras will be celebrated at Universal Studios Florida from February 6th to March 28th, and we highly recommend checking out this booth if you come for the event!
Planning your Mardi Gras 2021 tasting experience? Check out our review of the Bahamas booth!