I have just returned from experiencing my first Universal Mardi Gras! It was such a blast. Mardi Gras season is apparently just as big of a deal at Universal as the holiday season, and the festivities run from February 5th to April 24th this year. I’m not usually a parade person, but am so glad we chose to check out the Mardi Gras parade. It’s so much fun- bright colors, lights, glitter, dancing, bold music, and beads everywhere! We tossed some onto the famous bead tree (if you know, you know) and took some home to eventually repurpose into some form of décor to adorn our shelf of Universal collectibles.
I knew though, that I’d be into Mardi Gras for the food. I love some spicy, wild, flavorful, and unique snacks, and loved getting to try a few!
First up is the beautiful mess pictured above. This Cajun Twisted Frank with Chorizo Queso was my fiancés snack choice. He’s a big fan of the spicy, bold, and flavorful. This is a cajun-seasoned potato twisted around a hot dog, deep fried, and topped with spicy chorizo queso. I’ve heard mixed reviews on this, but they seem mostly dependent on how fresh your particular dish is. We enjoyed this! It tastes like you’d imagine it, honestly, so if it sounds good, go for it!
My snack was the above-pictured mozzarella arepa. The team member at this food truck asked whether I’d like it “plain” or “all the way,” then clarified that “all the way” entails ketchup-mayo and cilantro. I love cilantro but wasn’t sure about the ketchup-mayo situation, so I asked for a smaller amount of that. It was good! The corn arepa was tasty and unique. I know Universal serves arepas at most of their festivals, and the mozzarella version is a satisfying vegetarian snack!
Next up is the prettiest- the King Cake macaron. The texture of the cookie was excellent, and it was about double the size of a traditional French macaron (and I believe, when it comes to theme park sweets, more is more). The flavor was interesting- typical Louisiana king cake has cinnamon flavors, and this was creamy and mildly fruity. I did enjoy it, but wasn’t fully expecting the fruit loop-like taste.
Also, cool note: This photo prompted me to figure out why the heck that stop sign is yellow. Apparently, from the 1920s to the 1950s most stop signs in America were actually yellow, as it was thought to be easier to see at night. We love you, Universal, for your thoughtfully detailed theming. ❤
Lastly, and perhaps the most interesting, is this chocolate-covered bacon (accented, of course, by Mardi Gras sprinkles). It’s a cool idea, for sure. This treat was… much less satisfying! The bacon was cold and had a jerky-like texture, and the chocolate was very dark and bitter. The sweet-and-salty vibe you’d expect to be center stage here was overshadowed by the chewy and bitter characteristics of the dish. Don’t really recommend this one.
I hope you enjoyed this run down of the specialty Mardi Gras snacks we tried on our most recent Universal trip! The first two of these were found at trucks in the New York area of the park, and the second two were found in the tribute store. If you have any questions, thoughts on these treats or other thoughts, please share them below!
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