REVIEW: Eat a Very Crunchy Shell at Yoshi’s Snack Island in Epic Universe

Red Shell Calzone – $12.99

Red shell calzone filled with Italian meat sauce and mozzarella cheese

While we have previously tried the shell calzones at Yoshi’s Snack Island in Universal Studios Japan, the contents of these shells are somewhat different. We do appreciate, however, that they both come in unique yellow wrappers with Yoshi on the front. The front half of the wrapper is transparent, so it looks like Yoshi is in the process of actually eating the shell.

The red shell is filled with what is described as mozzarella cheese and Italian meat sauce. The red exterior of this calzone was extremely crunchy, and our reporter joked that this felt like eating an actual shell. The texture is made even more strange because while the red part is very hard, the white dough on the bottom was so gooey it almost felt underdone.

The sauce has a little spice kick that is not mentioned on the menu, so be wary of this if you are extremely averse to heat. The filling tasted like general premade meatballs in a basic tomato sauce, and this had very little cheese. The excellent presentation saves this snack by a point, but we still have to rank it low.

Rating out of 7: 2

Green Shell Calzone – $12.99

Green shell calzone filled with vegan Italian sausage, marinara, and vegan mozzarella cheese (plant-based)

The green shell is plant-based, so the filling is vegan sausage, marinara sauce, and vegan cheese. This had the same texture issues as the red shell, with a very hard, colored top and an overly soft, doughy bottom.

This tasted very similar to a store-bought pizza roll, though this is far heavier on the cheese with very little sauce. Our vegan reporter said this was an okay snack, though they wished there was a more balanced cheese-to-sauce ratio. On the other hand, our non-vegan reporter said this tasted far too much like raw vegan cheese and called the filling “gross.” They met in the middle to give it a balanced rating.

Rating out of 7: 3

Yoshi’s Smoothie Mango – $7.49

Mango purée and syrup frozen with milk, topped with whipped cream, mango syrup, and diced mango

The mango smoothie at Yoshi’s Snack Island is also wrapped in a themed sleeve specifically for this location. It tasted a bit artificial, and the mango was very tart. The abundance of sugar makes us think it would be a hit with children, but we wouldn’t seek it out unless we happened to be nearby.

Rating out of 7: 4

Yoshi’s Smoothie Apple Melon – $7.49

Green apple and honeydew melon syrup frozen with milk, topped with whipped cream, honeydew melon syrup, and a mint sprig

The green version is apple and melon flavored. Our reporter confirmed this tastes just like a Japanese melon Fanta and tried to walk away with it in her hands. Unlike the mango, this had no artificial aftertaste and balanced just the right amount of sweetness. This is easily one of the best beverages in Super Nintendo World.

Rating out of 7: 7