REVIEW: Does Cafe 4 at Universal’s Marvel Super Hero Island Live Up to Its Fantastic Four Name?

Cafe 4

Cafe 4 is one of the first things guests see when entering Marvel Super Hero Island from Port of Entry (other than The Incredible Hulk coaster, of course). Marvel Super Hero Island is themed to the comics of the 1990s rather than the modern Marvel Cinematic Universe. The land and its components are designed to look as if they’ve jumped off the page with exaggerated illustration styles and cheesy, campy effects.

Exterior

Guests enter the Baxter Annex beside a giant four. Atop the building are Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, and the Thing on the left with the Human Torch on the right. A “4” logo flag flies above the building.

Interior

The inside is designed to look like a cross between the Baxter Building’s cafeteria and a high-tech lab. Before you report Reed Richards to OSHA, be assured there’s no cross-contamination between the food and any experiments. (Though, maybe it’d be better if Richards could learn something from Pym Test Kitchen). Half of the space is taken up by a switchback queue and cafeteria counter, both of which are obsolete now that Cafe 4 has switched to mobile order only.

The centerpiece is a tall device that changes colors and uses its digital display to create the 4 logo.

On the ceiling above, projections appear intermittently. They rotate between Doctor Doom, the squad in the Fantasti-Car, and icons of each hero.

Cafe 4 shares a building with Kingpin Arcade. There’s an entrance between the two, but it’s usually barricaded. There’s also a window into the arcade, made to look as if the wall has been broken open.

• Cheese Pizza – $10.99 for jumbo slice | $16.09 for combo | $38.99 for whole pizza
  • mozzarella, tomato sauce, and house-made dough 
• Pepperoni Pizza – $11.99 for jumbo slice | $17.09 for combo | $42.99 for whole pizza
  • mozzarella, pepperoni, tomato sauce, house-made dough
• Veggie Pizza – $12.99 for jumbo slice | $18.09 for combo | $43.99 for whole pizza
  • mozzarella, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomato sauce, herbs, AND house made dough
• Specialty Pizza – $13.99 for jumbo slice | $19.09 for combo | $43.99 for whole pizza
  • roasted chicken, Roma tomatoes, mozzarella, Parmesan, herbed ricotta cheeses, basil pesto sauce, and house-made dough

• Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken – $13.99 | $19.09 for combo
• Spaghetti & Meatballs – $11.99 | $17.09 for combo
• Chicken Parmesan – $13.99 | $19.09 for combo
• Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo with Chick’n – $13.99 | $19.09 for combo

• Meatball Sub – $12.99 | $18.09 for combo
• Chicken Parmesan Sub – $13.49 | $18.59 for combo

Salads & Sides

• Chicken Caesar Salad with Garlic Knots – $13.99
• Side Caesar Salad – $6.99
• Garlic Knots with Marinara – $4.29

Fantastic Finishes

• Strawberry Cheesecake – $6.49
  • strawberry glazed New York-style cheesecake, graham cracker crust
• S’mores Cookie – $5.79
  • chocolate chips, toasted marshmallow, and graham cracker crumbs
• Chocolate Cake – $5.99
• Chocolate Chip Cookie – $4.79
• Seasonal Fresh Fruit Cup – $4.99
• Watermelon Bowl – $4.99
• Pineapple Bowl – $4.99

Beverages

Non-alcoholic:

• Fountain Drinks – $4.79
• Coca-Cola Freestyle Souvenir Cup – $18.99 for one, $16.99 for two, or $14.99 for 3+
• Premium Bottled Water – $6
• Powerade – $5.50
  • Fruit Punch or Mountain Berry Blast
• Minute Maid Juice – $3.99
  • Apple or Orange
• Bottled Milk – $4.29
  • 2% or Chocolate
• Hot Drinks – $4.29
  • Coffee, Decaf, Hot Cocoa, or Hot Tea

Alcoholic:

• Budweiser Draft Beer – $11.25 | $14.25 in a souvenir pilsner
  • 5% ABV | Missouri, USA
• Bud Light Draft Beer – $11.25 | $14.25 in a souvenir pilsner
  • 4.2% ABV | Missouri, USA
• Samuel Adams Seasonal Draft Beer – $12.25 | $15.25 in a souvenir pilsner
  • ABV varies | Massachusetts, USA
• Miller Lite – $10.50
  • 4.2% ABV | Illinois, USA
• Coors Light – $10.50
  • 4.2% ABV | California, USA
• Angry Orchard – $11.50
  • 5% ABV | New York, USA
• Heineken – $11.50
  • 5% ABV | Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Stella Artois – $12.25
  • 5% ABV | Leuven, Belgium
• High Noon Pineapple Seltzer – $12.50
  • 4.5% ABV | California, USA
• Nütrl Orange Vodka Seltzer – $12.50
  • 4.5% ABV | Missouri, USA

Reviews

We set out to try a few menu staples to compare to similar offerings around the resort. It’s worth noting that the menu here is nearly identical to that of Louie’s Italian Restaurant next door at Universal Studios Florida. The food seems to be the same. That being said, sometimes the venue can make or break a dish, so we (and our elementary-age Junior Reporter) gave it a go.

Jumbo Cheese Slice – $10.99

This is edible. It’s not the best quick-service theme park pizza we’ve had (RIP to EPCOT’s Electric Umbrella flatbread) but it’s not the worst. It’s slightly better if you add parmesan cheese from the packets found at the self-service cutlery stations. It was cooked as expected, the sauce is cheap but does the trick, and the cheese is greasy and rubbery. But it’s pizza.

The slices are jumbo, roughly equivalent to two slices from a large pizza.

Rating out of 7: 4

Junior Reporter’s rating: 2 out of 2 thumbs up.

Jumbo Pepperoni Slice – $11.99

The pepperoni pizza is, as expected, the same as the cheese pizza but with pepperoni. They’re your standard grocery store plastic bag quality of pepperoni with little spice.

Rating out of 7: 4

Junior Reporter’s rating: 2 out of 2 thumbs up.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken – $13.99

The menu lists garlic knots but we got a breadstick. Hopefully, they’re actually making the change to the garlic knots because that’s what Louie’s did and those awful, bland, dry breadsticks need to go.

The pasta is cooked properly, as is the chicken. Nothing about this dish is notable. It wasn’t good or bad. The chicken was neither dry nor juicy. The sauce was grocery store-quality. It’s all exactly as it says on the menu, but we’ve made much better chicken alfredo at home.

Rating out of 7: 4

Junior Reporter’s rating: 0 — would not try it because it had “stuff” (parsley) on top.

Chocolate Chip Cookie – $4.79

This was one of the worst cookies we’ve ever had. It was incredibly dry and crumbly while somehow simultaneously wet. The chocolate is low quality, which is to be expected, but this cookie is only about $1.30 cheaper than specialty cookies from higher-end bakeries like Gideon’s Bakehouse. It’s dense and large, but to justify the price point, you’d have to actually eat the whole thing, which we would argue is at a much higher cost than the monetary one.

Rating out of 7: 1

Junior Reporter’s rating: 2 out of 2 thumbs up.

Overall

The short answer is no. Cafe 4 is not Fantastic like its namesake heroes. Ironically, we all rated our entrees a four out of 7.

The good news is that Cafe 4 is no longer the worst counter service restaurant at Islands of Adventure. That title has been usurped by a different venue (but more on that another time). While we still can’t recommend it, kids and picky eaters will find acceptable dishes here. Look, this is not a fine dining venue, but even for theme park quick service, this is bad.

The food is pretty much identical to Louie’s Italian Restaurant, which is someplace we’d only recommend if you’ve had one too many drinks at Halloween Horror Nights and require greasy bread to fix it. Or you want gelato. There’s no good reason to come to Cafe 4, and especially not before a go on Hulk.

If you’re set on eating here, your time and money may be better spent on Character Dining, where you’ll be joined by the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America, and Wolverine. Character dining is pricier at $56.99 for adults and $31.99 for children. It includes a buffet, one non-alcoholic beverage, and one souvenir photo. Still, we’d only do this if our kids really wanted the dining experience, because the food can’t be any better than the daily fare. Maybe next time, we’ll try the character dining and let you know.

Have you eaten at Cafe 4? Let us know your experience in the comments below.