We tried a surprisingly good brain, some not-so-good worms, and more Dark Universe-themed menu items at vampire restaurant Das Stakehaus in Epic Universe.
Location
Das Stakehaus is located in Dark Universe, across from Pretorius’ Scientific Oddities.
Exterior
The gothic stonework is covered with moss and worn by age, but the vampires’ familiars are ready to serve you inside Das Stakehaus.
Interior
Inside are domed stone ceilings and long wooden tables with high-backed seats topped by bats.
Paintings of vampire history adorn the walls in some of the dining areas, while some are where the dearly departed are entombed.
Check out our full restaurant tour to see more.
Stakes
- Fish on a Stake – $22.99
- Bird on a Stake – $17.99
- Bits and Pieces – $19.99
Entrées
- Das Burger – $17.99
- “Blood” Orange Chicken Sandwich – $17.99
- Our Favorite Vegan Familiar’s Stuffed Cabbage (Vegetarian) – $16.99
- Carved Staked Steak (Gluten Sensitive) – $23.99
- Darkmoor Black Wings – $15.99
- Crimson Glazed Pork – $19.99
- Forager Salad (Gluten Sensitive) – $15.99
Desserts
- Labotocotta (Gluten sensitive) – $6.99
- Red Velvet Death (Vegetarian) – $6.99
Beverages
- Monocane (Non-alcoholic) – $7
- Reaper’s Reserve – $13
Stake Reviews
All of the “staked” dishes are impaled with a wooden skewer. It has “nostro arbitrio solous” in Latin on the end, which translates approximately to “at our discretion alone.” The phrase is also engraved on the side of the well in Dark Universe, with the implication that the villagers are only allowed to keep living by the will of the vampires.
Fish on a Stake – $22.99
Blackened salmon “stake” with charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, acorn squash, and crispy maitake mushrooms
This was good, but not great. The thick cut of salmon was dry and fishy, with very little seasoning.
The sides, which come with most of the dishes here, are very good. The baby carrots look like they were roasted “to death,” but they’re tasty. The onions added a strong note to the mashed potatoes.
Ultimately, we preferred the salmon at Mead Hall.
Rating out of 7: 4
Bird on a Stake – $17.99
Grilled dry-rubbed chicken tenderloin with red chimichurri, charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, acorn squash, and crispy maitake mushrooms
The white meat is a bit dry, but no moreso than any other theme park chicken.
It was heavily coated with the dry rub and chimichurri, which gave it a good kick.
Rating out of 7: 5
Bits and Pieces – $19.99
Seared and glazed wild mushroom brisket meatloaf, with charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, acorn squash, and crispy maitake mushrooms
This is good meatloaf with a spicy kick. The glaze complements the spice nicely. Once again, these are great choices for sides. This dish ended up being one of our favorites here at Das Stakehaus.
Rating out of 7: 6
Entrée Reviews
Das Burger – $17.99
Seared Angus burger with tomato pepper chutney, white cheddar cheese, grilled onions, hot cherry peppers, and bacon on a black bun with fries
We expected your standard theme park burger, but this is above and beyond. The patty is surprisingly spicy and hearty.
It’s complemented well by the fresh slices of cherry peppers and grilled onions. Even the fries are better than the regular fare. They’re soft and hefty with a subtle spice. This was our other favorite dish.
Rating out of 7: 6
“Blood” Orange Chicken Sandwich – $17.99
Flash-fried marinated chicken breast, blood orange sauce, and pickles with a familiar slaw, on a black bun with fries
It’s just okay. The dry chicken was not prepared in a shape conducive to staying in the bun. The slaw was good by itself (it’s served as a side with another dish), but it’s not good on the sandwich. We really don’t recommend this.
Rating out of 7: 3
Our Favorite Vegan Familiar’s Stuffed Cabbage (Vegetarian) – $16.99
Impossible stuffed cabbage and beet bucatini in a bell pepper tomato sauce
The Impossible meat is bland compared to what we’re used to, but it wasn’t bad. We wish it were spicier like the other dishes here. Sadly, it’s the best part of the dish.
The beet buccatini was off-putting, and not just because it looks uncannily like worms. We really did not enjoy the bell pepper tomato sauce. It’s not a bad vegetarian option, but we’d recommend the Forager Salad (without the chicken) instead.
Rating out of 7: 4
Carved Staked Steak (Gluten Sensitive) – $23.99
Carved strip steak served medium with a hint of blood, charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, acorn squash, and crispy maitake mushrooms with a bloody jus
This strip steak looks more like a slice of prime rib. The rub and flavor are good, but this was not a good piece of meat. It had a lot of fat, and it was overcooked. We had to saw through it with the knife. Skip the steak at the Stakehaus.
Rating out of 7: 2
Darkmoor Black Wings – $15.99
Darkmoor spicy chili-dusted fried wings with smoked cheddar, charred scallions, pimento cornbread skull, and soy chili garlic sauce, served with a familiar slaw
The serving size is decent for the price point, with two full, large wings. They’re breaded and fried, with a nice spice to the breading. It pairs well with the sweet glaze drizzled over the top.
The cornbread skull is a little dry. It would be much better with some butter, but they did not provide any. It has a sticky sweetness mixed with an earthy, potpourri-style base in the bread. The “familiar” slaw is unusual, with snap peas and kale in place of the more standard ingredients. That’s not to say unusual is bad. With the creamy, mayo-based sauce, the slaw is surprisingly tasty and fresh.
Rating out of 7: 4
Crimson Glazed Pork – $19.99
Char siu-style roasted pork belly with bloody roast pork dipping sauce, charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, acorn squash, and crispy maitake mushrooms
This isn’t exemplary, but it is spot on for what one would expect from char siu pork. The pork is decent with a solid texture that isn’t overdone. The sweet sauce lingers in your mouth, though we wished it was slightly less heavy on the soy undertones.
Rating out of 7: 4
Forager Salad (Gluten Sensitive) – $15.99
Crispy maitake mushrooms, acorn squash, red beets, blue cheese, arugula, and bibb lettuce, tossed in a blueberry pomegranate dressing with a grilled chicken stake
The salad is $12.99 when ordered without the chicken, which is what we chose. This makes the dish vegetarian, but not vegan since it comes with real cheese.
This is a well-composed salad, and the ingredients were fresh and flavorful. It’s all pulled together by the blueberry pomegranate dressing, which was tangy, sweet, and refreshing.
Rating out of 7: 5
Dessert Reviews
Labotocotta (Gluten sensitive) – $6.99
Greek yogurt vanilla panna cotta brain with raspberry sauce
Our reporters were a little torn with this dessert. It is not good for what is described on the menu as a panna cotta, because it has a very different texture. The “brain” is more of a thick custard that is served cold.
That being said, if this was described as just a custard dish, it is really very good. The fact that the custard is served cold makes it refreshing for the Florida heat, and the raspberry “blood” sauce added a nice, fruity note.
Rating out of 7: 5
Red Velvet Death (Vegetarian) – $6.99
Red velvet heart “beet” coffin cake with chocolate crumbs and puffed rice maggots
This is another solid dessert at Das Stakehaus, though you have to get over the visual of the puffed rice looking a little too much like real maggots. You might want to avoid this one if you are a visual eater.
The texture of the cake is very similar to an actual red velvet, and the flavor of the beets comes through after the first bite. We liked that it wasn’t overly sweet, making it a lighter dessert option despite still being cake.
Rating out of 7: 5
Beverage Reviews
Screaming Berry
Each world at Epic Universe has a custom Coke Freestyle mix, and the one for Dark Universe is called “Screaming Berry.” It has strong overtones of grape Fanta with some added berry. It’s not our favorite of the custom Freestyle mixes, but it’s still good.
Rating out of 7: 4
Monocane (Non-alcoholic) – $7, $12 in souvenir beaker
Monin Pineapple syrup, Monin Blue Raspberry syrup, Monin Passion Fruit syrup, emerald luster dust, and Sprite mocktail
The monocane (center above) is a vibrantly green mocktail served in a plastic beaker. The rubber “cork” has room for the included clear straw. It’s very sweet with a sour kick on the back end. The pineapple and Sprite are the most forward flavors. This is well-balanced with a fun presentation, and we recommend it.
Rating out of 7: 6
Reaper’s Reserve – $13
Classic brown ale with nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon, exclusive to Epic Universe | 5% ABV | Florida
The worlds of Epic Universe have other exclusive, signature drinks in addition to the Coke Freestyle mixes. Reaper’s Reserve is an aromatic brew only found inside Das Stakehaus and a few other spots around Dark Universe. It tastes like cream soda or Butterbeer, in the best possible way. Our only minor complaint is that we wish it came in a smaller pour, as it’s a lot of flavor that would be difficult to drink alone. We recommend sharing it between multiple people.
Rating out of 7: 6
Video
Watch our video review below.
Overall
Das Stakehaus is a fun Dark Universe venue. In general, the food is well seasoned with good flavors. The sides in particular are well executed. However, most of the meat in the main entrées is of low quality. Our top recommendations are the Bits and Pieces, the Forager Salad, and the Das Burger. Skip the Staked Stake and Blood Orange Chicken Sandwich. Both of the desserts are also solid, just make sure you won’t be too grossed-out by their presentation.
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