Universal Studios Japan Food Review

This blog post is a few months overdue but I wanted to post this soon as I see a couple of people I know making their way to Universal Studios Japan and I wanted to share my honest thoughts on the food I ate here. I went in April of this year, so remember that some of these items may have been limited and there might be more options during the holiday season. Nonetheless, these were cool food options I didn’t have at Universal Hollywood that might interest you, so read below! However, before you do, follow the blog on social media via Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for more food and travel content, especially in Japan! For a visual teaser and POV, watch the brief video below!

@chiplifestyle

Unfortunately #vegetarian options are limited but still cool exclusives, visit chiplifestyle.com for price & other info! #universalstudiosjapan #usjファン #nintendoworld #osakajapan #japantravel #supernintendoworld #osakatravel #visitjapan #japanthings #osaka #japantrip #ユニバーサルスタジオジャパン #kinopioscafe #doraemon #japanesecreampuff #minions #japanesefood

♬ RINGO – ITZY

Doraemon: Nobita’s Sky Utopia Hollywood Food Cart

As always, my food reviews are vegetarian. Unfortunately in Japan for the the most part we were limited in options and here, it was mainly snacks. Thankfully, these snacks didn’t disappoint starting with this one which we got early in our day. One of the first things we did was go on the Doraemon ride (which was awesome by the way) and we noticed a special food cart outside selling exclusive Doraemon food so we ended up getting the Doraemon Churritos for ¥650 and a melon soda for ¥350! A total of ¥1,000 might seem like a lot for two things but I wasn’t disappointed! The churro itself was not bad but it would have tasted better if it was warm. The icing and sprinkles matched Doraemon perfectly and loved the sweet bean taste. The soda itself was great and is a popular choice in Japan but ¥350 is overpriced.

Yoshi Snack Island

This was perfect for the rainy day we were experiencing, especially since we had to wait to get tickets for Kinopio’s Cafe. Therefore, while at Super NIntendo World, it felt right to check out Yoshi’s snack stand and I loved it! They offer a calzone in the shape of a turtle shell (Yoshi) filled with cheese and yakisoba for ¥800 which was so warm and perfect in cold weather. It felt like I was eating a fun and unique pizza pocket but the taste was way better and it looks incredible with the shell color and texture. It is cheesy and the noodles have flavour but best part is how warm it was. I really liked this a lot and I couldn’t resist trying Yoshi’s lassi for ¥700! The lassi is available in various flavours, but I went with the mango flavour that replicated a quality mango lassi. Make sure to stir a few times to enjoy all the sweet mango flavour and thickness of the shake. I would love to try both of these again and in my opinion, worth the price!

Kinopio’s Cafe

You may have seen this cafe all over social media at the beginning of the year or last year. This was a really busy part of the park, especially in Super Nintendo World. Who wouldn’t want to check out Kinopio (Toad)’s fine establishment!? For the cafe, there is an extremely long wait so I recommend you get your tickets first before going on any rides because that ticket will state what time you can join the line to get in and be seated. Even with your ticket you are in a big line that is really crowded which can be a little annoying, but the wait time once you are inside isn’t too bad. They have a process when it comes to eating as you get assigned your table. They are accommodating since we were initially placed at an awkward table and when I asked to move, the staff were more than happy to assist and even offered to take pictures of us.

In terms of taste, we tried a few things that interested us and that were vegetarian. Starting off, I tried the superstar lemon squash (¥600) which I will admit, was really strong as it has a sharp taste to it but I don’t mind it, especially with the little candies at the bottom which complements the drink. Since my sister and I were both feeling under the weather, we also got an oolong tea which tasted as you expect, but it is good to know that there are dependable hot drinks.

What I thought was so interesting about the mushroom soup is that the little toad characters that sit on top are actually crackers (which pairs well with the soup). Personally, I did enjoy eating this since there are many mushroom pieces inside and the soup wasn’t too thick and creamy which still gave a nice comforting feel with every bite. What I thought was the best thing I tried here was probably the “? Block Tiramisu” because of the unique flavour. The tiramisui came with crackers that had great texture and the cake itself was very soft. The decorative sauce, I think raspberry, tasted nice but the dessert as a whole doesn’t taste like the tiramisu I have had before.

Something that disappointed me was that the mushroom pizza bowl was not actually vegetarian. It was listed on the app I believe but once we actually opened the bowl, I tasted bacon and it was impossible to eat around it. I am not sure if this was a one off mistake or maybe it was intended to have those bacon pieces in there, either way I was disappointed. I am happy to have checked this out but in my opinion, for ¥4,200 and the wait time, it’s not worth it for me to go eat here again unless they introduce new items.

Happiness Cafe

This was the final thing I ate while at the park and I will say I have mixed reviews. This Minion cream puff looks great but the process to eat it didn’t make sense in my opinion. You had to make the purchase firs,t sit down in a different area and then you then give your ticket to the staff (like a cafeteria system) so they can give you your order and get your drink. What I thought was weird was that they said you couldn’t share the item so it has to be one per person. In terms of the cream puff taste, I thought it had a great banana flavour with a rich creaminess. However, these cream puffs are ￥950 each which is a bit expensive in my opinion.

BONUS: Honeydukes at Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I am including this as a bonus because I didn’t eat anything from here while at the park but I did try a few things when I got home. These items seems to be exclusive to Japan as they have special packaging on it that states its for Japan and I personally haven’t seen these items anywhere else. The frogs and the rice crackers taste great but I was the most surprised about the Butterbeer cookies since it seems to be the least sweet thing I ate that was of Butterbeer flavour. I would recommend these items again, and from what I remembered, these prices are decent.

Overall and Recommendations

To conclude I would say for the most part I did enjoy the food but there is room for improvement. I would recommend Universal Studios Japan to have much more vegetarian options in the near future and adjust the process to the happiness cafe! If you have tried this, let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on social media by following on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok so you can also stay tuned for more Japan content!