Shirt and shoes are NOT required here — but your taste buds sure are. If you’re staying at Universal’s latest resort adjacent to Epic Universe, Universal Terra Luna Resort, you’ll most likely find yourself blasting over to Moonrise Bar and Moonrise Grill out at the pool deck. These are your outdoor resort options to enjoy some fresh food and drinks out in the sun, including poolside favorites such as burgers, shrimp tacos and salads, plus wine, beer and cocktails from the full-service bar. Moonrise Grill is open from 11AM to 6PM, and Moonrise Bar is open from 11AM to 8PM.
Moonrise Bar offers plenty of bar seating, as well as [space-age] sofas, tables and chairs to kick back and enjoy some beverages and quick-service style cuisine.
MOONRISE GRILL FOOD
Moonrise Grill is just steps away from Moonrise Bar and the rest of the pool area, offering burgers, salads, sandwiches and snacks.
You can order food at the pick-up window, or via Mobile Order from anywhere at the resort. You’ll receive a notification or buzzing pager once your food is ready to be picked up at the window before enjoying at your poolside loungers, or seating at the bar. Here’s what we tried out!
Tempura Cauliflower | $9
The crispy cauliflower is supposed to be served with ginger-sesame soy sauce, but it wasn’t available for our order. We opted to eat them sans sauce, or dipping them into some trusty ol’ ranch dressing – which did not disappoint. These are breaded and fried well; possessing a nice crunch before biting down into the cauliflower.
Terra Burger | $16
Double smashed beef patty, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, cosmic sauce, served on a challah bun
We added some crispy bacon, which added an additional $1.50 — which was worth the extra flavor in our opinion. The beef was well-cooked, and the cheese was nice and melted. We did ask for more cosmic sauce on the side, as there was barely any served on the burger itself. Once we dipped each bite into that textra suace, we liked the burger to that of one fancy Mr. Burger King (ever heard of him?). The fries were served piping hot with some salt and pepper on top. Overall, we thought the burger was just okay, it’s not necessarily a “smash” burger, but it tasted good enough for a quick poolside option.
Hand Twist Hot Dog | $10
What is essentially an oversized “pig in a blanket” is a solid hot dog choice. The pastry breading surrounding the dog posesses a nice, buttery flavor. This was served up more cold than we would have liked, but, hey, it was still pretty good!
Cosmic Explosion Wrap | $13
The wrap included a side of sweet potato fries. These were served hot and crispy, and we preferred these over the regular fries available here. That said…
The veggie wrap is said to include Garbanzo bean hummus, grilled seasonal vegetables and spinach on flour tortilla, but in reality we only received a thin layer of hummus (which tastes straight out of a store-bought tub), and a few pieces of Romaine lettuce on a huge tortilla. We’re not sure if they were out of the ingredients and failed to remove the item from the menu, or if there was a major mixup in the kitchen, but this was the biggest letdown.
MOONRISE BAR DRINKS
Moonrise Bar should be your go-to stop for cocktails, mocktails, beer, wine, and frozen concoctions during your Terra Luna stay. The bartenders are super friendly, and we really enjoyed each beverage we tried here.
Each of the cocktails are available for a flat fee of $16. You can opt in for a souvenir Terra Luna cup (one of two hotel-branded items available) for an additional $1 with the purchase of any cocktail or draft beer at Moonrise Bar. Plus, you receive a super-cute swizzle stick! Here are the few cocktails we tried out:
Ryno selected the Ice Giant: Patrón Silver Tequila shaken with fresh lemon juice, kiwi purée and margarita mix, finished with a thin slice of kiwi. Lightly fruity with a nice punch of tequila, this was essentially a kiwi margarita, but a very good one. This was a repeat order for him!
Hannah ordered the Martian Terrain: Casamigos Blanco Tequila shaken with Aperol, guava purée and lemon sour, finished with a salt rim. She felt it was very guava-forward, with more notes of the peppery aftertaste from the tequila, not-so much of the Aperol. She found it refreshing, but would opt for another drink to try next time around.
Finally, I tried the Flows of Venus: Weber Ranch 1902 Vodka shaken with watermelon, lemon juice and cream of coconut, finished with a sliver of watermelon. I likened it to a coconut-hinted watermelon Jolly Rancher. It doesn’t get any better for this watermelon and coconut… nut. Smooth, fruity, refreshing; what else can you ask for in a poolside bev? I ordered this another 3 times during our visit. I’m a creature of habit, what can I say?
For more from our review of Moonrise Bar & Grill, watch the DIS Unlimited’s video here!
