There’s SO much to love about Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) and specialty food is high on our list of highlights! This year is no exception and with over a dozen HHN-exclusive food booths, it can be hard to narrow down a must-have list. Thankfully, we’ve done the research and sampled over twenty menu items and have some clear winners you should try on your next visit into the fog.
To get a look at EVERYTHING we’ve tried so far, check out our full dining review video –
Cursed Carnival
Located in Gramercy Park / New York
Death by Cheese Stick – giant hand-breaded mozzarella cheese stick with spicy marinara sauce – $10.99
We’ve tried this cheese stick more than once and have yet to have the epic cheese pull we would expect from a mozzarella stick of this proportion. Despite its lack of melty cheese, you can tell it is freshly breaded and fried. Plus, the spicy marinara sauce really does have a kick. We’ve had better mozzarella sticks but it’s still hard to be disappointed with this one.
Freakishly Long Corndog – footlong Nathan’s hotdog, hand-dipped, fried, and topped with jalapeño ranch, and crispy bacon bits – $12.49
This corn dog had all the right ingredients but tasted as sad as it looks. The breading was quite thin and soggy; not the typical theme park corn dog we’ve come to accustomed to. Jalapeño ranch and bacon is a great combination but cannot overcome the texture of this sad, soggy corn dog. The Freakishly Long Corndog is a pass for us.
Xul Beer Co. PB&J Mixtape – $14
The PB&J Mixtape has been a sleeper hit this HHN season and is absolutely worth a try! This 16 ounce can is almost a shareable dessert or a great treat to kick off your night of eating your way through Universal Studios! It literally tastes like you’re eating a PB&J sandwich- you’re immediately hit with the comforting taste of peanut butter and bread with a finish of sticky, sweet strawberry jelly.
57 Scare Menu
Located in Gramercy Park / New York
Pizza Skull – pepperoni and cheese stuffed skull – $9.99
While not new to HHN, the pizza skulls are doing the most this year. They are piping hot, cheesy, and have just the right amount of sauce and pepperoni. The pizza skull could be a shareable snack for two or a walking snack as you head to your next house. My only note – add ranch dipping sauce, then it’s perfect.
Fallout
Located in Gramercy Park / New York
Cram Tots & More – thumbs-up chili-glazed spam with cheddar tater tot kegs and scallions – $12.99
This is a wild dish that doesn’t make sense until you try it but then you’re so glad you did. The tater tot kegs are the best version of a hash brown casserole you’ve ever had and then they’re perfectly fried. Combine these rich tots with the spice of the chili glaze and the crisp spam and it’s “okie dokie” with me. The spam adds the perfect texture and is great even on its own. The Cram Tots & More is a must have item!
Yum Yum Deviled “Eggs” – coconut panna cotta “eggs” with pineapple whipped ganache and Tajin – $7.99
As connoisseurs of deviled eggs, we were pretty disappointed when we discovered the Yum Yum Eggs are imposters. However, the presentation had us intrigued just enough and we were pleasantly surprised. Once you trick your mind to expect a sweet dessert and not a deviled egg, it’s a unique dessert just light enough for the warm HHN season we’ve had. The consistency is just right with a little bit of sweetness and the Tajin is enough to make it interesting. The portion size may not look like much but I would say one egg half is about all you need.
Pickle Bucket Baked Chicken – buffalo chicken dip with crispy fried pickles – $12
Fallout has another winner with the Pickle Bucket Baked Chicken! This dish combines some of your favorite appetizers and just works. The pickles are always hot and crispy with just the right amount of crunch. The real star of the show is the buffalo chicken dip that would rival any Super Bowl Sunday recipe. Even Ryno who doesn’t typically like buffalo chicken agreed it was a winner. The best part is, there is plenty of the dip to enjoy after the pickles are long gone.
The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks
Located in Gramercy Park / New York
Ramblin’ Rabbit Fried Carrot Cake – crispy carrot cake with white icing and torn Ramblin’ Rabbit cotton candy – $8.99
The Ramblin’ Rabbit Fried Carrot Cake has a lot going on and yet not enough of the right things. Arguably the best part of a carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting which is missing from this version. The white frosting is not proportional and the cotton candy is of course just a clever garnish. While there’s nothing wrong with fried carrot cake, this one isn’t quite as special as it sounds.
Black Cat Lounge
Located in New York near Sting Alley
Cat’s Meow – Misguided Spirits Gin, Ferrand Dry Curacao, lime juice, and honey dew syrup – $17
The presentation of this cocktail is everything you could hope for in a Toxic Twenties cocktail. Aside from it being lime green, the eye ball gummy garnish makes it feel like the Halloween party of our dreams. Despite the greta presentation, the martini glass is pretty small for the $17 price tag and ultimately tasted like a pre-made party punch. The gin thankfully came through but wasn’t enough to make it a memorable drink.
Twisted Tater Chips
Near Universal Music Plaza Stage
Twisted Tater Chips – crunchy spiraled twisted potato chips with choice of spicy cheddar or ranch and vinegar seasoning – $9.99
The Twisted Taters have gone rogue this year and are now house-made chips. We decided to try the ranch and vinegar version and were pleasantly surprised by how fresh they were. They were served hot, thin, crispy, and with plenty of seasoning. This booth is located near the soundstage houses and is a great snack to share and take in line with you. Be warned, these chips are pretty salty so you’ll want to drink plenty of water.
Various HHN Bars
Cursed Cranberry Vodka Spritz – $14.75 (various booths and outdoor vending carts)
We cannot say enough about how much we love the Cursed Cranberry Vodka Spritz! It’s the right amount of sweetness and fizz with a 7% ABV. Even though it’s served in a can, it’s best enjoyed over ice in your souvenir cup.
Tripping Animals Brewing Co. Fresh Fangs Sour Ale – $14 (various booths)
Served in an 18 ounce can, this is a refreshing (more subtle sour), perfect for warm HHN nights.
Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale – 20 oz. souvenir cup ($16.50), souvenir cup refill ($12.75), or 20 oz. single serve ($13.50) (Club Horror and Transformers Fanta Bar)
The Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale is not to be missed! It’s our favorite pumpkin beer, just the right amount of pumpkin and spice without being heavy or too sweet. Pro tip- buy this as your first drink in your souvenir cup for the best value! It makes the souvenir cup cost only $3 and will you save on future refills.
Angry Orchard Headless Pumpkin Cider – 20 oz. souvenir cup ($17.75), souvenir cup refill ($13.75), or 20 oz. single serve ($14.75) (Club Horror)
Maybe the best thing about the Headless Pumpkin Cider is the tap is a Jason mask – making it so fitting for HHN! The cider is pretty sweet but does remind us everything good about the fall season.
El Artista: A Spanish Haunting
Outside Cafe La Bamba
Grilled Gambas al Ajillo – garlic grilled shrimp on a crunchy baguette – $12.99
You’ll be lured in by the smell of the shrimp being freshly gilled and it tastes just as good as it smells. The three jumbo shrimp have the perfect smokiness from the grill which is made even better by an abundance of garlic butter. The price point is a little steep but we really did enjoy every bite!
Dolls: Let’s Play Dead
Near the Entrance to Springfield, U.S.A.
Temper Tantrum Tendies – chicken tenders with choice of mesquite BBQ ranch with bourbon BBQ dip or garlic parmesan with spicy marinara sauce – $10.99
The Temper Tantrum Tendies are hands-down the worst HHN food item we’ve had. We only tried the mesquite BBQ ranch tendies and couldn’t brave trying the garlic parmesan flavor too. They were chewy, soggy, and the sauce was just sad, regular ol’ BBQ sauce. They certainly put me in a tantrum.
The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane
Near Animal Actors on Location!
Flamin’ Hot Birria Ramen – tender birria beef on ramen noodles in a Flamin’ Hot birria consommé broth with shaved onions, scallions, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos – $15.99
If you know me, you know I love birria so I was so very excited to see it on the menu at HHN this year! The birria ramen is one of the better values and is such a substantial portion size. The consommé broth is full of spice and flavor and the beef is tender and plentiful. While the Cheetos are a fun garnish, they’re totally unnecessary and get soggy almost instantly. This ramen would have been great with an egg instead of the Cheetos.
Tostitos Birria Beef Walking Taco – birria beef with Tostitos Sabritas Salsa Verde, red onions, scallions, and consommé – $14.99
Walking tacos have become an HHN staple and this year has all-new versions including birria. Unfortunately, this option fell flat as it was hard to eat and was sort of a soggy mess. Since there was no cheese (and why wouldn’t there be?), there was no binding agent to help get a taste of all the ingredients with each bite. This could have been such a standout dish but instead felt like a cold bag of messy ingredients.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Inside Louie’s Italian Restaurant
Mike… Eggs Benedict – eggs Benedict sandwich with Canadian bacon, egg, American cheese, and hollandaise sauce – $9.99
To call this eggs Benedict is a crime to all other eggs Benedict – there’s no poached egg and no visible hollandaise sauce. It is however, a better version of an Egg McMuffin, and hits the spot if that’s what you’re looking for. For $9.99 just hit the drive-thru after HHN.
Why Not Have Both Pizza and Pasta – pepperoni pizza with baked spaghetti and meatballs and grated parmesan cheese – $14.99
I know it looks and sounds like a mess but do not miss out on this pizza! It just works. It’s literally 1/4 of a pizza and is meant to be shared. The meatballs are solid, the noodles stick to the pizza, and the garlic crust is oh-so good. Is it the best spaghetti you’ve ever had? Probably not. But is it the best spaghetti pizza you’ve ever had? Most definitely. Seriously, do not miss the Why Not Have Both Pizza and Pasta on your 2025 HHN visit. You can thank Hannah and Ryno when you do.
Cupcake – chocolate cupcake, raspberry insert, cannoli cream filling, and mascarpone buttercream icing – $12.99
Oh Mr. Cupcake… how we love you! If you’re visiting Louie’s for the pizza, it’s hard to pass-up this larger-than-life, doll-eyed cupcake. The only problem is the flavor is just okay. It’s too much, he flew too close to the sun. Chocolate, plus raspberry, plus cannoli, and a TON of frosting is just too much. The cannoli flavor was over-powered by everything else and could have done without it. Does this take away from it being adorable? No, it does not.
Jason Universe
Near the lagoon Bridge and Nightmare Fuel
Crystal Lake Coffee – Seagram’s 7 Whiskey. DeKuyper Creme de Cacao, cold brew concentrate, and toasted marshmallow syrup – $16
Ryno had the pleasure of trying this cold coffee beverage and said it was a delightful treat. The coffee comes with a thick foam topper that is best when mixed with the coffee and liquor. Ryno’s tip is to pour it over ice to both mix the drink and keep it cold.
There are still menu items we need to try and yet, it’s so hard to break away from our favorites! With less than a month left of Halloween Horror Nights, we’re finding every excuse to enjoy the Cram Tots & More, Pickle Bucket Baked Chicken, Why Not Have Both Pizza & Pasta, Birria Ramen, Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale, and Cursed Cranberry Vodka Spritz as much as we can!
