It’s funny that this story — served alongside a review of one of the city’s most spectacular new restaurants, a story featuring sous vide organic chicken and confited duck carnitas — will feature me tasting and ranking a bunch of what is essentially carnival food, but this is the beauty of food, folks.

From the imported stone counters of Orlando’s finest omakase eateries to theme park kiosks slinging sloppy joes, I — and really most people — am here for it. You can’t eat either of these things every day. And for budgetary reasons, and probably health-related ones, too, you shouldn’t. But they sure are fun.

And it is in this spirit, amid the gloriously evil ones soaring around the merry attendees of Halloween Horror Nights, that I present to you some of the best bites I had at this year’s premier horror carnival.

It’s the norm now for Universal’s crack F&B team to dig deep into the lore of both intellectual property and original content haunted houses. But, says the vice president and executive chef of culinary operations at Universal Orlando Resort, Jens Dahlmann, everyone involved in the process stepped it up this year.

This guy went all-in on the WWE fandom at the Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks booth, grabbing both the Huskus’ Muscle Man Slop sloppy joe and eerie blue Light The Way cocktail. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

“I mean, we just came out of opening Epic Universe!” he points out, and indeed, the food and beverage theming in places like How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World and the like, have truly been, well, epic.

“They’re still riding that wave,” he says. “And the IPs that were given to us have been so much fun to work with. We have a research and development team here, a select group of chefs and beverage professionals and many of them live the things we’re working with. They are gamers. They watch the movies. I am learning new things from them all the time. And they dig very deep to find the Easter eggs in each story, to give the fans a lot of fun things to enjoy that are also delicious.”

Fans of “Terrifier” will enjoy the shareable Abracadabra Sunflower Glasses dessert homage, two sugar cookies with chocolate and “blood” spatter. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

I do love the theming, from the Leatherface cherry pie of a couple years back to cute Halloween items that tick dietary boxes and taste good (that vegan Pumpkin Guts offering was a great one), but he’s not wrong: delicious is key. And so presented here, some of my top picks alongside some cuties that you might just get for the ‘Gram.

New this year and definitely one of my 2025 favorites, Twisted Tater Chips, sliced and fried fresh — they’re warm! — with a choice of spicy cheddar or ranch and vinegar seasoning. Great for a grab-and-go. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Top Snack: Twisted Taters Chips

New this year, and right at the front of the park, Twisted Tater Chips ($9.99) are a light take on the old classic Twisted Taters, the spiraled, deep-fried faves that fans in the online forum discussions are apparently missing this year, but Dahlmann calls them “a great change,” and personally, I agree.

“We’re shaking the tree a little bit this year with these,” he says, noting that the bulkier, whole-potato version was challenging to get as crisp as they wanted in a boothlike setting. “We are able to shave them fresh in the kiosk and they go right in the fryer, get crispy, golden and are handed to the guest warm in their paper cones.”

Dusted while hot with either ranch and vinegar or spicy cheddar seasoning (I went with the latter), I loved the freshness, not to mention the ease with which you can tote while tossing them, steadily, into your face. The smell of them frying is a serious hook, too, and I can’t imagine anything pairing better with a cold beer while you’re figuring out your next move.

Adorable and spot on “Cupcake” from “Five Nights at Freddy’s” features chocolate cake and a generous mound of frosting with a small raspberry/cannoli cream hit inside. Its eyes are edible, too, which is likely what Cupcake thinks about yours. (Courtesy Universal Orlando Resort)

Most conflicted dessert: Cupcake

Some find it creepy. Some find it cuddly. Maybe it’s a mashup of both, but this iconic snack from “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which got a promotion of sorts in the film, morphing into its own murderous little character, is an undeniably postable treat at this year’s Horror Nights. The blank, eerie white chocolate eyes adhere nicely to a heap of creamy, pink mascarpone buttercream frosting that hides a chocolate cupcake. Inside, a bit of gore where raspberry jam meets some cannoli cream filling ($12.99). You’ll find all the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” food inside Louie’s Restaurant.

The Fritos Vegan Walking Taco. Crush it before crushing it. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Top plant-based pick: Vegan Walking Taco

It’s brand-new this year, says Dahlmann, who thinks it’s the best version yet. I’d agree with him here, too, as it’s a plant-based chorizo take on al pastor, where the sausagey richness, along with the pineapple chutney, does a great job of tamping down the crazy salt bomb of those Fritos corn chips. It clocks in at $14.99.

“It’s a little sweet, a little spicy and it hits really well,” he opines.

For the best effect, crush it up with your hands and use a fork. Though there are tables and lots of seating space, not to mention adult beverage options, at The Cat Lady of Crooked Lane food booth, where you’ll find it, this is another great walk-and-eat option.

I get it. Heat triggers sweating and sweating cools you down. Even so, the steaming salt bomb of the Flamin’ Cheeto Birria Ramen seems like black magic when it hits this hard at 82 degrees and 90% humidity. Fun stuff. Definitely shareable. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Top Slurp: Flamin’ Hot Birria Ramen

Also available at The Cat Lady booth, we may as well pair them together, because they are seriously sodium-heavy. Now that I think about it, so are the chips. Maybe the heat of the day had me sweating it all out, but if so, the brothy birria only upped the ante, doing that marvelous magic trick that hot and spicy foods do: cooling me down. For $15.99, this is a decent theme park value. The bowl is seriously ample and packed with spongy, slurpable noods that’ll take you right back to your college hot pot days. Between the bright red Cheetos and the pop of the scallions, it’s a colorful one, too. Your camera will love it.

Wanna power up on some pub grub? Fallout’s Cram Tots will hit the spot with chili-glazed spam atop weighty cheddar tater tot kegs with scallions. This was a fun one. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Top Theming: Cram Tots

Fortifying the denizens of Fallout’s radioactive landscape (hit game and now Emmy-nominated streaming series), Cram Tots ($12.99) are a nod to this delicious, again, if salty, powerup, served in a rad-proof metal container and featuring spicy SPAM over cheddary tater tot cakes. It’s a nice pub food take and another creative way to work a popular IP into the expansive and fun Horror Nights menu.

Why Can’t We Have Both? No reason I can give you. This “Five Nights at Freddy’s”-inspired pizza-pasta carb party was the surprise hit of my night. It’s huge, too. Two slices wide. The slices you see here are two halves of one order. At $14.99, it’s a megavalue. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Favorite overall: Why Not Have Both Pizza & Pasta

Never in a zillion years did I think that spaghetti and meatball-topped theme park pizza would be my favorite item on the roster (mind you, I had not even been drinking, so this was an entirely balanced taste test), but here we are. First off, this is a doublewide slice, and at $14.99, it’s entirely shareable, which we did. Thin-crusted and foldable, it’s a nice feature here because the tacolike fold allows you to contain both pasta and meatball as you enjoy. Recommendation: Grab a knife and slice the meatballs for ease of eating and even distribution. The flavors here are really good, and in thinking about those of you who’ll be enjoying many a sweet, themed beverage, this is A-level food for mop-up duty. Or, if you’re a professional, pregaming so you don’t need to mop up.

If the Harvest After Dark is for straightforward pumpkin-spice aficionados, the Spicy Jack-O-Rita is for the rest of us. Surprisingly strong with a spicy-salty rim and definitely not too sweet. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

Best Cocktail (Off campus!): The Spicy Jack-O-Rita

No, you won’t find this one at Halloween Horror Nights, but if you want to pre-game and get in the spirit of the evening before heading over, all the Universal Orlando Resort properties are offering themed cocktails this year, ideal for a one-stop before heading to City Walk or even a bar crawl if you’re feeling energetic.

Much like the pizza, this was a complete upset for me, in the best possible way.

A beautiful, moody exterior belies the Harvest After Dark’s superpower: it is a curated pumpkin patch photoshoot and immaculate brown suede Uggs in a glass. Pumpkin-spice latte lovers, look no further. This is your Bailey’s-creamy Halloween heaven. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

The Spicy Jack-O-Rita ($14) is a pumpkin spice cocktail for people who generally avoid it. Why? It’s strong and spicy and, most importantly, not too sweet. Its pumpkin flavors are vegetal, raw and fresh, with a sweetish kick that comes courtesy of Ancho Reyes chili liqueur. In summary, this thing is way more sophisticated than it looks.

The Hallow-rita is a nice take for traditional marg fans with hits of bitter and sweet orange. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)

The menus, however, are varied and fun and will appeal to the traditional pumpkin spice fans (see the beautiful Harvest After Dark, $14), those seeking TikTok videos (look no further than the smoke-filled bubble atop the bourbon-based Into The Fog) and more standard, but delicious takes on classics, like the orange-infused Hallo-Rita, $16).

Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/17/halloween-horror-nights-food-drink-hotel-bar-crawl/