The Toadstool Cafe at Universal Studios Hollywood is an adorable part of the Super Nintendo World expansion at Universal Studios Hollywood and if you’re looking to level up your dining then this eatery has several options to help you conquer your hunger. We absolutely loved it.
Here’s what you can expect at Toadstool Cafe in Super Nintendo World. Letsa go!
EDITOR’S NOTE: This posting was updated 8/1/23 for adjusted pricing.
About the Location
Toadstool Cafe is setup inside of Toad’s home where he’s crafted some of the Mushroom Kingdom’s best dishes. Similar to what Disney guests might be familiar with at Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, you order your food first and are then seated. Universal takes it up a step further; once you have ordered, a host or hostess will take your party and seat you in the restaurant. This helps cut down on table hoarding ensuring a smoother process. You’re given a little numbered tracker so that staff are able to bring your food directly to your table.
The restaurant is over-the-top cute. All the windows are viewports into the goings on in the Mushroom Kingdom (be on the lookout for an attack from an ominous airship) and there’s even a window into the kitchen where all the food is being prepared. Providing both substance and style, everything about this location works in beautiful harmony. From the greeting by Toad at the entrance to the food presentation and flavors, it all comes together so very nicely.
Even more points get added on for the use of real silverware and adorable themed printed plates. Even the napkins are branded here and every single effort is not only noted but appreciated and frankly, needed. We sincerely hope that these amazing touches don’t get value engineered away from the land. It’s a top-notch experience.
For now, advance reservations are NOT available for Toadstool Cafe so you’ll have to join the single standby line to dine here. In the very early opening hours you can usually walk-up. However, if you plan to eat there later in the day, you’ll have to be quick and scan the location’s QR code (see below) to be directed to the website that will allow you to book a timed reservation. This availability is for day-of reservations only.
To give you a sense for how much the menu items cost, here’s a look at the total damage for our meal, $75!
The location is hyper-themed — from the restaurant interiors to the food itself.
Even the plates are stupid cute.
We all love a good themed trash can, right?
What We Tasted
Over the course of several visits, we tasted just about every single thing on the menu and are happy to provide our full honest reviews below! The gluten-free options are not terribly expansive which we wish Universal would address with more customizable options but overall the food really does set a high bar for theme park options!
Piranha Plant Caprese ($12.99) is described as tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, asparagus, and basil pesto served with mixed greens, shaved radish, and apple vinaigrette. The flavors here are really fantastic, your mileage will vary based on the freshness of your produce but ours was great and although the apple vinaigrette was VERY sweet, we found it to be a most excellent pairing with all the freshness in front of us. You won’t want to try to make a meal out of this though as it’s not terribly substantive. This dish is both gluten-free and vegetarian.
Super Star Chicken Salad ($14.99) with romaine, cabbage mix, grape tomatoes, & mushrooms with creamy mushroom truffle dressing, a parmesan Super Star, star croutons, & grilled chicken. This tasted a lot like a basic Caesar and we didn’t find much of a taste of truffle in the dressing. Overall, this is a straight forward choice with some swagger.
Yoshi’s Favorite Fruit and Veggie Salad ($13.99) is described as mixed greens, star fruit, strawberries, blueberries, radish, mushrooms, tomato, cucumber, Yoshi egg croutons and raspberry vinaigrette. The dressing is quite sweet but it combines well with fun ingredients that you don’t often find in a regular theme park salad. This dish is vegetarian.
Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots ($5.99) is described as mini mushroom-shaped knots brushed with garlic butter, parmesan cheese, parsley and a side of marinara sauce. These didn’t knock our socks off although the cheese and seasoning on top was a nice touch and it paired well with the warm marinara dipping sauce. This dish is vegetarian.
There are two soups and they are both served inside this adorable Power Mushroom bowl. They are not huge portions so you might want to consider an order of the Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots or a salad to balance out the meal. The price does include the cost of the bowl which you can take home with you!
Super Mushroom Soup ($19.99) is a creamy mushroom soup with three cute Super Mushroom crackers on top. It’s thick and hearty with a bit of texture and it’s heavy on the mushroom / truffle / umami flavor. Absolutely loved this but can see how others may find it too earthy. This dish is vegetarian.
Tomato Soup ($19.99) is a zesty option featuring a tomato-basil soup topped with micro basil, sliced mushroom, and truffle oil. We didn’t love this one as much although it’s very well seasoned — it was almost like a soupy marinara and made us want some cheesy breed. This dish is both gluten-free and vegan.
Mario Mini Burger Adventure Set ($14.99) is described as single-patty cheeseburger, French fries, corn on the cob, broccoli and a gold coin cookie. Color us shocked that our favorite overall meal would be for KIDS! There’s nothing complex here about the flavors but it’s just a perfect presentation. Aside from including both fires AND veg for a good balance, this meal also has a tasty cheeseburger plus cute little decoration pieces and a fun (although not very tasty) white chocolate covered cookie! A million points for presentation, this is a winner.
Mario Burger (Bacon, Mushroom & Cheese) ($16.99) is described as an all-beef patty with bacon, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and American cheese served on a brioche bun with a side of truffle French fries. You know exactly what you’re getting here. The burger is pretty straightforward as far as theme park sandwiches go and there’s nothing particularly remarkable about the patty itself but all the fixings (and those addicting crinkle cut fries) make this one very satisfying munch.
Luigi Burger (Pesto Grilled Chicken) ($16.99) is described as grilled chicken, basil pesto, Swiss cheese, and basil served on a brioche bun with a side of truffle French fries. This was quite delicious. We’re not big fans of green bell pepper so we were surprised to see two giant thick slices but, they were sauteed slightly which helped mellow out their flavor and they actually made a perfect addition paired with the zesty pesto. Plus those (lightly flavored) truffle fries? Winning!
Fire Flower Spaghetti & Meatballs ($16.99) is described as spaghetti with mushroom marinara sauce, meatballs, Fire Flower parmesan crisp, shaved parmesan, and chopped parsley. This is another straight forward dish, no surprises here. Good flavors in the sauce but nothing amazing. The meatballs were a little inconsistent — some were firm, others less so.
Chef Toad Short Rib Special ($24.99) is a braised short rib with creamy goat cheese polenta and a red wine reduction. The dish is pretty huge step above typical theme park fare but the biggest detractor here is the portion sizing, especially considering the price tag. After a day pounding question mark blocks, you might find yourself hungry for more so a starter or dessert may be prerequisite.
Bowser’s Fireball Challenge ($29.99) is not quite available yet but during a media preview we got to feast our eyes on the new dish that will feature a 1-POUND meatball with mozzarella cheese, mushroom marinara sauce, and parsley. The face of Bowser stares back from a puff pastry and its served with a side of hot sauce. You can keep the bowl!
? Block Tiramisu ($9.99) is described as tiramisu-flavored mystery block with a white chocolate Power-Up inside. It’s so effective in its simplicity. If you DON’T love coffee this is a great one as the coffee flavor is very subtle. The shortbread cookies that make up the sides are also perfection plus a little white chocolate Fire Flower Power-Up. The Fire Flower fireball raspberry sauce on the side was a fun touch. This dish is vegetarian.
Princess Peach Cupcake ($9.99) is a raspberry filled funfetti cupcake with bright pink buttercream frosting and a chocolate crown and dusted with edible glitter. If this looks like it’s a Bob-omb of sugar that’s because it definitely is — every last bite is a POW punch to the senses. You’ll want to share with a friend or three! This dish is vegetarian.
Mt. Beanpole Cake ($9.99) is described as multi layered Italian cookie cake with a matcha mousse. This is a delightful confection with different sweet flavors layered together to create a distinctly Neapolitan bite. Bonus points for presentation, it’s almost too cute to eat. Almost. This dish is vegetarian.
Super Star Lemon Squash ($8.00) is described as honey lemon soda with mango stars and assorted tropical bobas. This is exactly the fun, sugary, and tasty theme park silliness you expect from themed food and beverage options. We loved everything about it from the adorable printed disposable cup and tasty soda to the assorted little chopped jellies and exploding popping pearls that we slurped up with a big fat boba straw.
Even just the regular drink cups are branded and in case you are particular about your ice, here’s a closeup of the ice at the Toadstool Cafe!
Complete Menu
Here’s a look at the full menu for Toadstool Cafe at Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood as it appears ahead of its grand opening. The “VG” you will see listed below indicates items that are vegetarian; the “V” indicates items that are vegan, “GF” indicates items that are gluten-free.
Starters & Salads
- Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots (VG)- $5.99 – Mini mushroom shaped knots brushed with garlic butter, parmesan cheese, parsley and a side of marinara sauce
- Super Mushroom Soup (VG)- $19.99 – Creamy mushroom soup with Super Mushroom crackers. Comes with souvenir bowl.
- Tomato Soup in Super Mushroom Bowl (GF, V)- $19.99 – Vegan tomato basil soup topped with micro basil, sliced mushroom, and truffle oil. Comes with souvenir bowl.
- Piranha Plant Caprese (GF, VG)- $12.99 – Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, asparagus, and basil pesto served with mixed greens, shaved radish, and apple vinaigrette
- Yoshi’s Favorite Fruit and Veggie Salad (VG)- $13.99 – Mixed greens, star fruit, strawberries, blueberries, radish, mushrooms, tomato, cucumber, Yoshi egg croutons and raspberry vinaigrette
- Super Star Chicken Salad – $14.99 – Romaine and cabbage mix, grape tomatoes, and mushrooms tossed in creamy mushroom truffle dressing topped with parmesan Super Star, star croutons, and grilled chicken
Main Menu
- Chef Toad Short Rib Special – $24.99 – Braised short rib, creamy goat cheese polenta, and red wine reduction
- Bowser’s Fireball Challenge – $24.99 – 1 lb. meatball topped with mozzarella cheese served with mushroom marinara sauce, Bowser puff pastry, parsley, and hot sauce on the side. The bowl included with purchase. Souvenir bowl can be added for $10.
- Mario Burger (Bacon, Mushroom & Cheese) – $16.99 – All beef patty, bacon, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and American cheese served on a brioche bun with a side of truffle French fries Vegetarian option available +$2.00.
- Luigi Burger (Pesto Grilled Chicken) – $16.99 – Grilled chicken, basil pesto, Swiss cheese, and basil served on a brioche bun with a side of truffle French fries
- Fire Flower Spaghetti & Meatballs – $16.99 – Spaghetti with mushroom marinara sauce, meatballs, Fire Flower parmesan crisp, shaved parmesan, and chopped parsley
- Collectible Plateware Set – $20.00
Available for purchase at the register
Kids Meal
Recommended for guests ages 9 and under.
- Mario Mini Burger Adventure Set – $14.99 – Cheeseburger, French fries, corn on the cob, broccoli and a gold coin cookie
- Power-Up Spaghetti Marinara (VG)- $12.99 – Spaghetti with marinara sauce, Power-Up parmesan crisps, Toadstool cheesy garlic knot and a gold coin cookie
Desserts
- ? Block Tiramisu (VG)- $9.99 – Tiramisu-flavored mystery block with a white chocolate Power-Up inside
- Mt. Beanpole Cake (VG)- $9.99 – Multi layered Italian cookie cake with a matcha mousse
- Princess Peach Cupcake (VG)- $9.99 – Funfetti cupcake, buttercream frosting, glitter, and Princess Peach chocolate crown
Specialty Beverages and Novelties
- Super Star Lemon Squash – $8.00 – Honey lemon soda with mango stars and assorted tropical bobas
- Super Mushroom Collectible Drink Sipper- $20.00
- 1-Up Mushroom Collectible Drink Sipper- $20.00
Regular Beverages
- Fountain Soda – $4.25 – Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Sprite, Iced Tea
- Premium Water – $5.50
- Milk – $4.00 – Regular or Chocolate
- Bottled Juice – $4.00 – Apple or Orange
- Hot Tea – $3.75
- Fresh Brewed Coffee – $3.75
- Hot Chocolate – $4.00
Ready to Play?
We’ve got your in-depth gamer’s guide on everything there is to do at Super Nintendo World, check out our guide pages below.
Quick Links: Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge | Power-Up Band experience | Meet Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach | Toadstool Cafe | 1-Up Factory | AR Binoculars | Outdoor Vending | Virtual Line Reservations
See it for Yourself
Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood officially opened February 17, 2023 and is now open daily.
The new Super Nintendo World expansion is located inside of Universal Studios Hollywood park and access is included with regular park admission. Super Nintendo World is not a separate theme park.
MORE INFO: For tickets, visit store.universalstudioshollywood.com.
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