REVIEW: The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant is a Win for Epic Universe

The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant is located at the back of Celestial Park, near Universal Helios Grand Hotel.

Guests enter The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant through an archway shaped like a blue dragon. The archway and the restaurant’s facade are highlighted with neon lights that illuminate at night. There’s an outdoor patio.

In addition to table service, The Blue Dragon offers cocktails at The Tiger Bar. Stay tuned for our full restaurant tour to see more.

The Dragon’s Stardust (Caffeine Free) – $11

Jade-green infusion of lemongrass, ginger, stevia, pineapple, butterfly pea blossom, and a blend of other herbs and spices.esc

The dominant flavor comes from the butterfly pea blossom, giving it a sweet, minty taste. There are also floral notes throughout. It is a nice option.

Rating out of 7: 5

Golden Dragon – $11

Cream of coconut, lime juice, turmeric syrup, pineapple juice, jalapeño essence, and ground ginger

The first taste is sweet and pineapple forward, and then the spice hits. It is extremely spicy and great for a mocktail. Only get this if you are ready for the spice.

Rating out of 7: 7

Szechuan Smash – $18

Kikori rice whiskey, crushed Szechuan peppercorns, yuzu juice, honey syrup, and sparkling water; topped with ginger aromatic fog

While this was not as spicy as the above Golden Dragon, it does have a slow burn from the peppercorn. It simply tastes like a sweet whiskey drink with the lightest spice. Overall, a solid option with great presentation.

Rating out of 7: 6

Tian Lin Fizz – $17

St. Augustine New World gin, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, pear and lemon juice, lemongrass syrup, and sparkling water

The pear flavor hits up front, with the lemon flavor on the back. We could also taste a hint of the elderflower. This is similar to a Highball with slightly more sugar.

Rating out of 7: 5

Dotonbori Smash – $17

Nikka Days Japanese whiskey, fresh lemon juice, sugar, lemon, and mint

For a mid-meal drink, we grabbed this Japanese whiskey cocktail. It is not sweet at all and has a strong lemon flavor. This was not our favorite, and we would likely not get it again.

Rating out of 7: 4

Sho Chiki Bai Warm Sake – $15

A premium Junbai hot sake, served warm to enhance its rich mouthfeel and umami-forward profile

We had this after our entrees, and it was a nice way to end the meal. The mouthfeel is pleasant and smooth.

Rating out of 7: 7

Double Fried “Korean” Wings – $16

Korean “style” gochujang flavored ultra-crunchy wings

These are big individually and a good-sized serving for a starter. They’re great for a theme park. They have a crunchy exterior. The chicken is tender and juicy. They aren’t as spicy as we would like.

Rating out of 7: 5

Cold Noodles (Spicy, Vegan) – $16

Chilled noodles, cucumbers, dragon sauce, Sichuan spice, and peanuts

This is refreshing, but the flavor profile isn’t right. They’re flour noodles, which isn’t traditional for cold noodles. They’re doughy, like undercooked Italian pasta. There’s not a lot going on flavor-wise.

Rating out of 7: 2

Smashed Cucumbers (Spicy, Vegan) – $13

Dragon sauce, cilantro, peanuts, and Sichuan spice

This has a light spice. The cucumber is fresh. The peanuts add a little something extra, but there’s not a lot of flavor. It’s a good portion size, and we do recommend it for breaking up all of the meat and dumplings you’ll be eating.

Rating out of 7: 5

Wontons in Chili Oil (Spicy) – $16

Chicken wontons, dragon sauce, and chili oil

These look dry, but a super spicy sauce is hiding at the bottom. The chicken is of good quality, but the dumplings are a little rubbery. It’s fine, slightly better than P. F. Chang’s.

Rating out of 7: 5

Pork Soup Dumplings – $16

Seasoned ground pork with dragon sauce

Din Tai Fung in California has ruined us for dumplings because these just don’t live up to our standard. They’re good, but mostly carried by the spicy sauce. They weren’t hot even though they just came out. And the serving isn’t very big for $16.

Rating out of 7: 4

Dragon Fried Rice – $33

Wok fried rice, lump crab, shrimp, sausage, egg, and snow peas

The crab is fishy but otherwise well-cooked. The shrimp is perfect and tender. The sausage has a bit of pepper. The rice is cooked perfectly. The dish has the right amount of salt throughout. If it wasn’t for the crab, this would be a 7, but it doesn’t ruin the whole plate.

Rating out of 7: 6

Tonkotsu Ramen – $29

Ramen noodles, rich pork broth, chashu pork, tare egg, shiitake mushrooms, and togarashi oil

These noodles are much better than the cold noodles. The broth is good, the mushrooms are excellent, and the eggs are great. The pork is tender and smoky with just the right amount of fat. This is exceptional and a relatively good portion size for $29.

Rating out of 7: 7

Crispy Orange Chicken – $28

Crispy chicken, blood orange sweet & sour sauce, snow peas, and white rice

This is probably what most people will order. We want it spicier, but it’s not bad. The chicken is tender, and the breading provides a crunch without being too much. The sauce reminds us of McDonald’s, but not in a bad way. The snow peas are fantastic. The jasmine rice is also good.

Rating out of 7: 6

Kai-Ming’s Mapo Tofu (Vegan, Spicy) – $27

Sichuan chili crisp sauce, vegan ground pork, and white rice

This doesn’t really taste like an authentic Sichuan mapo tofu, which is more intense, but it’s good. We like having a different spice than other dishes. The vegan pork is pretty convincing, and the tofu is cooked perfectly. It’s soft and delicate but holds all the flavor from its surroundings. This is another good portion size, too.

Rating out of 7: 6

Banana Napoleon – $12

Miso butterscotch bananas, 5-spice wontons, and vanilla ice cream

This is unreal. The miso butterscotch bananas are amazing. The rest is pretty standard, but it all works well with the bananas. The wontons are like a thin, flaky cinnamon pastry. It’s a phenomenal dessert.

Rating out of 7: 7

Kaffir Lime Rice Pudding – $12

Mango, toasted sesame seeds, and sesame ice cream

Picky eaters won’t like this, but we think it’s spectacular. The pudding is creamy. The ice cream is great. It leaves a nice herbal aftertaste — probably lemongrass — that reminds us of green curry.

Rating out of 7: 7

Passion Fruit Mooncake – $12

Passion fruit cheesecake, dragon crust, mango, and passion fruit

This isn’t as good as the other desserts, but it’s not bad and has a beautiful presentation. It’s just so dense and doughy. Mooncake is supposed to be doughy, but this consistency is off. If we didn’t know any better, we would say it’s undercooked. It has a nice flavor with a subtle sweetness and would be good to share.

Rating out of 7: 5

Watch our video review below.