The new Power-Up Cafe opens Feb. 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood
We were invited to Universal Studios Hollywood to try Power-Up Cafe, which opens Feb. 15, 2024, to celebrate the 1st anniversary of Super Nintendo World.
The brand-new, grab-and-go cafe is just one of many ways the park is celebrating the award-winning land’s first birthday. Guests can also purchase a commemorative, special release Golden Power-Up Band and pick up a limited-edition complimentary 1st Anniversary Button (both will be available starting Feb. 17, 2024).
However, the “Super Star” of the anniversary celebration (pun intended) is the new quick service restaurant on New York Street, on the park’s Upper Lot. Here, guests can “power up” with themed menu items that provide a taste of the Nintendo fun before they even enter the Mushroom Kingdom. The new location also offers flexibility to park guests, allowing them to order at the counter or via Universal Studio’s official mobile app.
All the famous Super Mario Bros power-ups are represented in the offerings at the Power Up Cafe, with the main items being the Super Mushroom Calzone (a calzone shaped like the ubiquitous mushroom from the game series filled with sausage, mushroom, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce) and the 1-Up Mushroom Calzone (a green version filled with spinach, green pepper, mozzarella cheese, and basil pesto. I preferred the 1-Up, but both were delicious. I especially liked the use of mozzarella cheese to create the “spots” on the head of each mushroom.
Other snacks at the cafe are the Fire Flower Pretzel with three dipping sauces and the Super Star Popcorn, which is topped with edible glitter.
If you’re looking to wet your whistle rather than fill your tummy, the Power Up Cafe also offers a variety of “Fizz” drinks that offer refreshing ways to “power up,” each with a dissolvable sugar shape that changes the color and flavor. We sampled both the Super Star Fizz (lemon-lime soda with lemon popping pearls and a mango pineapple Super Star power-up) and the Fire Flower Fizz (lemon-lime soda with orange popping pearls and a mango habanero Fire Flower power-up). Both were absolutely delightful and dropping in the sugar shape is a fun way to take the flavor to the next level – although, in the case of the Fire Flower Fizz, the heat from the habanero was a slow burn and didn’t hit until well after I put the drink down.
The Power Up Cafe is currently in “soft open,” which means days and times of operation may vary. The café will officially open to all guests on Feb. 15, 2024. Click here for details.
