Universal Studios Florida has been getting a lot of updates this year, especially when it comes to food. From the newly opened Minion Cafe to new snack stands in New York, there’s plenty to choose from. Restaurants can often get crowded during peak lunch and dinner times, so grab and go stands can be a lifesaver when you’re hungry. If you’re making your way through New York, you might spot 2 new stands by Gramercy Park. Avenue Eats and 57 Fare offers some unique offers which are perfect for the Big Apple, including a Mini Apple Streusel Mousse. Let’s give these stands a try, starting off at 57 Fare.
57 Fare is set up near the entrance to Race Through New York starring Jimmy Fallon. You’ll find giant slices of pizza here, as well as calzones, gelato, and Italian ice.
Calzone – $11.99
Spinach, mushroom, ricotta & mozzarella cheese with house made marinara dipping sauce
This calzone was delicious! The pastry crust is filled with spinach, mushroom, mozzarella, and ricotta. The ricotta cheese was our favorite part. We didn’t really taste the mushroom as much as the spinach and cheese, but we would definitely order this again. There’s a cup of marinara served on the side, but the calzone is tasty enough on its own the sauce isn’t really necessary. It is on the strong, more acidic side, and will help you finish off the remaining edges of the calzone. The only downside to this calzone is that there isn’t enough filling. The filling is delicious, but there’s more pastry than filling, which doesn’t make this worth the price.
Mini Apple Streusel Mousse – $5.99
This is the best dessert that you’ve been missing out on! This tiny little cup of cake is sure to be a big hit. Layers of spongey vanilla cake, vanilla cream, and apple fie filling combine for a sweet treat you have to try. The texture of the apple mousse on top is perfect and truly impressed us. It’s not artificial or sugary,just a really refreshing and light dessert.
This cake is on the lighter side, without being too sweet, which is perfect on a hot day. Every bite of this cake is perfection. Don’t miss out on this hidden gem here at Universal Studios Florida.
Gelato Cup – $4.99
Salted Caramel or Chocolate
Louie’s Italian Restaurant is right up the street from this location, so when we saw gelato on the menu, we expected it to be the same hand-scooped gelato from Guido’s. We were wrong. There are two pre-packaged flavors of gelato available. Unfortunately, this was a hard pass for us. Guido’s has a better selection of gelato flavors and Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour has the best ice cream in the park, which makes it really difficult for us to recommend this gelato cup. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s not worth returning for.
Italian Ice Pushup – $4.69
Strawberry or Lemon or Mango
Another option on the menus here in New York are Italian Ice Pushups. 57 Fare has lemon and strawberry and Avenue Eats has mango. We grabbed the mango and found them to also be prepackaged options. That’s not a complaint, though. This is an inexpensive theme park treat that will keep you cool and hydrated while on the go.
Avenue Eats is located across from Finnegan’s and Revenge of the Mummy. This stand also houses 2 Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, so be sure to stop by and get your refills here.
Queso Arepas- $8.49
Seared corn cake with white cheese, salsa rosa
Arepas are a pretty common menu item around the Universal Orlando Resort. Many of the seasonal and holiday food offerings have included arepas in the past and now we have this queso arepa on the menu in New York. This one comes with a side of mayo ketchup for dipping.
Sadly, this was the most disappointing arepa we’ve had at Universal. It was very flat and dry and no amount of sauce or unlimited Freestyle drinks could save it. Skip this one unless you happen to be there when a fresh plate is arriving to the stand.
Papa Rellena- $7.49
Crispy savory beef filled potato
This papa rellena is basically the same as you can find over at Natural Selections in Jurassic Park. The outside has a nice, crispy coating to it, but the inside is slightly disappointing. The potatoes have very little flavor to them. After the amazing potato knish from Marvel Super Hero Island, this potato ball is underwhelming. The meat inside is pretty standard. After trying a lot of new items lately, this papa rellena just came across as very bland and basic.
Chicken & Cheese Filled Empanadas- $13.99
This is the clear winner of Avenue Eats. The Chicken Empanada is absolutely fantastic. It’s sweet and savory and perfectly balanced. There’s plenty of filling inside this empanada, compared to the calzone we tried earlier. This packs so much rich, zesty flavor from the chicken and peppers, it will leave you wanting more. We highly recommend the chicken empanada.
Cr̬me Caramel Flan Р$5.49
The Creme Caramel Flan is a large portion and there’s enough to share. This really gave us cheesecake vibes, though. The texture was kind of airy at the top and more dense and sticky at the bottom, thanks to the layer of caramel. There wasn’t too much flavor here, though. It’s kind of bland, unfortunately, and failed to impress us. It’s nice to see them trying new things, but this one seems to be poorly executed.
There are some hits and misses, but overall, these stands are a welcome new addition to the New York section of Universal Studios Florida. Will you be visiting New York to taste any of these treats? We’d love to see you opinions in the comments below.
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