It is hard to open a calendar anymore without it being some “National” or “International” day of whatever. However, October 28th is a day that should be celebrated (made up or not) because it is National Chocolate Day! Universal Orlando Resort is well known for a long list of things from amazing attractions to one of the best halloween events worldwide, but something they are overlooked for is the abundance of chocolate options around every corner. So let’s take a chocolate tour of Universal from some of its hotels and restaurants to the home of a certain wizard.
Universal Orlando Resort Hotels
Starting at The Kitchen at the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando, we have the Tuxedo Cheesecake. You can’t go wrong with anything from The Kitchen — my favorite restaurant at Universal Orlando Resort — but the Tuxedo Cheesecake is the perfect way to top off a great meal.
Taking a trip to the Strong Water Tavern in the beautiful Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, you not only have food and drink options from all around the world (no, really, just take a look at this menu), you have a classic Mexican Spice Chocolate Cake. As someone who grew up in Southern California, I can say that, if you have never tried Mexican spice chocolate cake, you have not lived!
Take the classic Florida beach resorts of the 1950s and 60s update it with all the modern conveniences of the 21st century and throw in a bowling alley and you have my favorite place to stay, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. The Galaxy Bowl Restaurant overlooks the ten-lane bowling alley and transports you right into those classic films and television shows of yesteryear. There is no better way to give you that feel you are in the ’50s than to mix the drink that helped define the decade and a great piece of cake in the Coca Cola Chocolate Cake.
Universal Citywalk
One of the newest and still most popular additions to Universal Citywalk is Voodoo Donuts. The Portland-based donut shop has become a worldwide sensation with items such as the iconic Voodoo Doll doughnut (which is filled with raspberry jelly and topped with chocolate frosting and a pretzel stake) and of course the Coffin of Doughnuts, featuring a handmade wooden coffin filled with three dozen doughnuts. With their first East Coast location added last year to Universal Citywalk, Voodoo has garnered lines to rival that of the attractions inside the park. But for National Chocolate Day, you have to go with the Dirt donut: a raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting and Oreo cookies. But a good tip is to find a BIG glass of milk to go with it.
The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen is one of the iconic locations on Universal Citywalk. With its smokestacks and 19th Century Steampunk look, guests can’t help but to venture in and see what Penelope and her trusty robot companion Jacques, the proprietors of The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium, have cooking up inside. With a plethora of shake options, such as the Jacque O-Lantern – Cinnamon and pumpkin flavored shake (seen above) and of course the Chocolate X5 Milkshake – Chocolate ice cream, chocolate chunks, strawberries, chocolate sauce, fresh whipped cream, chocolate spirals (center below), it is hard to go wrong celebrating National Chocolate Day here.
Universal Orlando Resort Theme Parks
As we take a swim over to Central Florida’s newest theme park Universal’s Volcano Bay, we have an opening day favorite at the Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club in the form of Chocolate Lava Cake. What better way to warm up after a long day playing in the waves than with the molten chocolate filling from this delectable treat?
Now, to finish this list, I saved my personal favorite for last: the Chocolate Frog! As a fan of the Harry Potter series, I always dreamt of visiting Honeydukes in Hogsmeade Village and being able to buy any of those sweets that J.K. Rowling described in such detail. But as with many great books and films, you never expect it to become real. Well, in June of 2010, that dream did become a reality when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in Universal’s Islands of Adventure — and one of the first things I did was go to Honeydukes and buy a Chocolate Frog! Of course, now you can find them at Universal theme parks across the world, but I will always remember that day when I had the most epic day and bought what my first.
I hope you enjoyed our look at some of the ways to celebrate National Chocolate Day when visiting Universal Orlando Resort, what are some of yours? And for more information on the Universal Orlando Resort and how to plan your own Epic Vacation visit their UniversalOrlando.com.