A First-Timer’s Guide to Experiencing Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida

Minion Land at Universal Studios Florida has been a hot topic the past week, and I finally had the chance to visit this newly themed area. I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of the Minions, but I love exploring new offerings at the parks. All weekend I saw photos all over social media, and I kept thinking, “This is so cute. I need to go there immediately,” and that’s finally happening.

Before we jump into everything new, let’s touch on what used to be in these new spaces. We all remember the beloved Monsters Cafe that served hearty foods and had a spooky ambiance. After the dining location was closed, it wasn’t long after that everyone started to speculate that the Minions could be moving in. Next door, a new attraction was being created where the Shrek 4D experience once lived, and Universal was quick to confirm it would be something Minion themed by making some of the signage visible. Change happens very often at Universal theme parks, so this was inevitable.

Now that we covered the past, let’s focus on what is here now. This area may seem small, but there are a handful of things to see. The new attraction hasn’t opened, but the store has. This new merchandise location is called “Evil Stuff,” where you’ll find Villain-Con-themed merchandise. There are a lot of fun details to look at in this store, so be sure to scan the entire room and take your time.

After passing the Evil Stuff store, guests will find new offerings like the Bake My Day shop, the Freeze Ray POPS, Illumination Theatre, and Minion Cafe.

Bake My Day

Bake My Day is a shop that is pink from the room to the floor. Guests will be able to purchase merchandise showcasing Fluffy and, of course, Minions. The items here are surprisingly diverse and make for great souvenirs. Toward the back of the shop is where you can buy specialty sweet treats like the Swiss roll dessert that is also offered at Minion Cafe. Also available are Minion-themed smores, macarons, cupcakes, mini whoopie pies, and decorated caramel apples.

Freeze Ray POPS

This popsicle stand is different than any you’ve seen before. It’s vibrant, and there’s a massive popsicle above the order window. Here you can order popsicles inspired by iconic characters like Gru and the Minions. They also have other frozen delights with flavors you don’t want to miss. The “normal” popsicles are $5.99; the flavors include mango, strawberry, coconut, blueberry lemonade, cotton candy, cheesecake, lemon mint, and cookies and cream. The one that catches my eye the most is the blueberry lemonade; I can’t wait to go back and try this. These frozen desserts are perfect for these hot summer days.

Illumination Theatre

At Illumination Theatre, fans can come face-to-face with their favorite Minion franchise characters and other friends from “Sing,” like Rosita, Gunter, and Johnny. You’ll find the meeting outside the theatre facade, and the backdrop has Illumination film imagery all over it. While wandering around the area, I saw Rosita and Gunter greeting guests, and they looked stunning!

Minion Cafe

This eatery is bright and fun, with mischief around each corner. The food is delicious, but I’ll save those thoughts for the dining review article. What you do need to know is that they want everyone to use the app to order food. If you aren’t tech-savvy, that’s okay; they have a small register by the restaurant entrance where you can place an order.

After stepping into the restaurant, it was hard to imagine that Monsters Cafe was ever there. I say that because it’s the complete opposite look and vibe. What I really enjoyed was how vibrant everything was and all the details sprinkled throughout the dining location. I will let you in on a little secret, order Carl’s Crispy Cauliflower. It was hands down the best quick service item I’ve ever had at Universal. As I said, I will dive more into all the food in our dining review article.

Overall Thoughts

If you are visiting this newly done area, I would suggest dedicating an hour to exploring. If you plan on eating, I would say maybe set aside two hours of your day. I know two hours seems like a big chunk of the day, but those two hours will go by quickly, especially if you wait in line to meet characters. Speaking of lines, it’s important to know that there might be a line at Minion Cafe since the team members walk each party to tables as they become available. These two hours also include browsing the Evil Stuff store and ordering sweets from Bake My Day.

If you are interested in dining at Minion Cafe, I suggest making your way to the restaurant closer to 2:30 PM because the lines were very hectic from 12 PM to 1:30 PM. The way I did it was I checked out all the stores, looked at the characters, and took a peak at the Freeze Ray POPS. After doing that is when I made my way to the dining location. To me, this is the best way to experience Minion Land, especially if it’s your first time.