REVIEW: Trying Theme Park Matzo Ball Soup and More at Le Gobelet Noir in Epic Universe

Le Gobelet Noir is in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, tucked away in the Quartier de Nicolas Flamel.

The exterior of Le Gobelet Noir is a time-worn auberge (small inn). A sign with a three-dimensional goblet hangs above the entrance doors.

Inside, guests will find multiple dining areas set in a dark atmosphere, with large casks behind the registers, a wine cellar-style room, and more.

Check out our full restaurant tour to see more.

Warm Beef Sandwich – $17.99

Shaved corn beef, butterkäse, German mustard, and hearty multi-grain bread

For a theme park beef sandwich, this is not bad. It’s a little dry, but it could be worse, so we’re not complaining too much. The multigrain bread is excellent; it’s perfectly toasted and a little buttery. Universal’s steak fries are always great. We wouldn’t run back for this dish, but it’s solid.

Rating out of 7: 5

Wizard’s Brew Bratwurst Sandwich – $16.99

Roasted bratwurst, caramelized onions, Wizard’s Brew beer cheese, and German mustard, served in a pretzel bun

The pretzel, sausage, mustard, caramelized onions, and beer cheese in this dish are the same that come with the Alchemist’s Platter, which we review later on. That being said, the sum of all these parts is much better here. The pretzel bun is soft, and we love this as a sandwich.

Rating out of 7: 6

Jägerschnitzel – $17.99

Crispy pork cutlet, brown mushroom gravy, and tavern fries

It’s hard to mess up schnitzel, and we think this is really good. The breading is perfectly seasoned, with just the right amount of salt. It’s crispy and not at all greasy. The pork cutlet is quite thick, and the mushroom gravy is nice. This is a nice, big portion, and we would get this again. We love it.

Rating out of 7: 7

Coq au Vin – $17.99

Red wine marinated chicken breast, mushrooms, pancetta, pearl onions, and pommes purée

The chicken here is tender and juicy, but this is a tiny piece of chicken for the cost. The sauce here is a little sweet, but definitely salty. The mashed potatoes are good for quick service. For $18, this dish seems on the small side. We think this should have come with a side salad or something similar. This is good, but it’s an awful portion for the price.

Rating out of 7: 2

Beef Goulash – $18.99

Hearty beef stew with tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and Hungarian paprika; served with egg noodles

The bread that accompanies this dish is hard as a rock, and is the same as the bread included with the Lentil Stew. We found there was an inconsistency in the tenderness of the beef in our serving; one of our reviewers said their piece was tender, while the other said the beef was not tender at all. Our noodles were dry and not cooked well.

The overall flavor of the sauce, however, is fantastic. The flavor between the vegetables and sauce is a great base, but the rest of the dish fails to match in quality.

Rating out of 7: 3

Herb Crusted Cod – $19.99

Potatoes and caramelized leeks in a creamy broth

The creamy broth here is so heavy, it almost comes across like cod in a clam chowder. The fish is cooked pretty well with some chewiness, but it has a prominent fishy smell that’s overwhelming. This is just not great, we wouldn’t recommend it.

Rating out of 7: 2

Lentil Stew (Vegan) – $13.99

Hearty stew of lentils, vegan bacon, and root vegetables; served with an artisan bread

Like that which comes with the Beef Goulash, the bread that accompanies this dish is hard and not very fresh. It might be good if you dip it in the stew, but you don’t want to eat it alone.

The lentils here are quite soft, when we’re used to them being on the chewier side. The taste is very flavorful and well-seasoned overall. We applaud Universal for including this as a vegan option.

Rating out of 7: 4

Knödel Soup/Salad Combo – $13.99

Rich chicken broth, knödel, roasted chicken, house greens salad, herb brioche croutons, and Champagne vinaigrette

This has no right to be as good as it is; it’s very solid. It’s not life-changing, but if you had told us five years ago that a theme park was going to serve matzo ball soup, we would tell you that we’re not going to touch it (but would review it anyway).

This soup has the right amount of salt. The vegetables are nicely cooked, and the chicken is tender. If you’re in the mood for a hot soup in hot Florida weather, this will hit the spot.

The salad that comes with the soup is good, but the Champagne vinaigrette is interesting. It’s not overpowering, and it tastes as described. The greens here are excellent, and the croutons are straight out of a bag, but that’s fine.

Rating out of 7: 5

Ancient Forest Salad – $12.99

Kale, arugula, frisée, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, beets, and herb vinaigrette

This is a great salad, though the dressing could offer a bit more flavor to the overall dish. We like the serving size and the temperature at which it’s served, especially given the weather. This is super refreshing. There are a lot of fresh ingredients here, and a good combination of them.

Rating out of 7: 5

Alchemist’s Platter – $27.99

Smoked sausage, potato & cheese pierogies, marinated beets, pickled egg, caramelized onions, warm pretzel, German mustard, and cheese fondue

A lot is going on with this dish. The sausage is perfectly servicable, but salty. The mustard is good, but we wish it were spicier. The pickles (which were not listed on the menu) are nice, crunchy, and sweet. The pierogies are excellent, with warm and soft potato inside. They’re hard to cut through but easy to chew.

The pickled eggs are very sweet, and we don’t taste much vinegar. The red color is from red beets. The cheese fondue is alright, but the pretzel here is terribly dry.

We had high hopes for this platter, but it was disappointing. Other than the pierogies, everything was very standard. We’re not sure how Americans will feel about this dish, and wouldn’t recommend you try it, especially not at this price.

Rating out of 7: 3

Baklava (Vegan) – $6.99

Pistachio, walnuts, vegan anglaise, and coconut nectar

This is so good, we would never guess that it was vegan. It has a honey-like and buttery sweetness to the pastry, but it contains neither to keep the dessert vegan. The mix of nuts here is impossible not to like. This dessert is phenomenal, and we love this. It’s no less good for being vegan in comparison to other baklava we’ve had elsewhere.

Rating out of 7: 7

Black Forest Cake – $7.99

Chocolate cake, vanilla mousse, and cherries

This tastes like chocolate-covered cherries, and as such is very cherry-heavy — but not in an artificial way. The chocolate cake is rich and tastes nice with the cherry. You also get a creamy texture from the whipped cream. The tiny tree is nice, dark chocolate, and is not sweet.

Rating out of 7: 7

Le Breuvage Sombre du Gobelet Noir – $7

Dark brew with mixed fruit, topped with the eyes of Plimpies (yogurt popping pearls)

We expected a lot more flavor from this, but it’s really just a light, refreshing juice. It is much sweeter at the bottom versus sipping from the top. It tastes as advertised, but we couldn’t tell what fruit flavor was involved here. The yogurt popping pearls don’t add much.

Rating out of 7: 3

Stay tuned for our video review!