What to eat and drink at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort

When it comes to theme park hauntings, you can't beat Universal Orlando Resort. The theme park complex hosts one of the biggest and scariest Halloween events of the season: Halloween Horror Nights. And this year, the event runs for 48 select nights through November 3. The 33rd Halloween Horror Nights season brings 10 new haunted houses, five scary zones, a live show, and of course, amazing sweet and savory snacks exclusive to the event.

“Here at Universal Orlando Resort, we are fortunate to be able to work with some legendary franchises and IPs. When we came up with a concept for this year's Halloween Horror Nights, we took inspiration from the movies or shows to better convey the story through our food and beverage offerings. It's a fun event, so we can have fun with it and not take ourselves too seriously, while still being impressive in terms of presentation and taste,” says Chef Jens Dahlmann, Vice President and Executive Chef of Universal Orlando Resort.

With food options spread out throughout the park, it's difficult to try everything in one night. Luckily, Universal offers a Frequent Fear Pass that lets you see all of the houses over and over again, plus you can gorge yourself on some of the best treats created by Universal Orlando's food and beverage team. And don't worry, there are plenty of pop-up bars and drink stations where you can drink from a flashing cup too.

Who will you call?

“To go with our Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire haunted house, we were inspired by Slimer's love of Cheetos. From there, we developed a Korean corn dog, Slimer's Korean Corn Dog, which contains green sage derby cheese and a hot dog inside, breaded and dusted with Cheetos powder. When our guests bite into it, they get a gooey green cheese and the taste of Cheetos, creating a multi-sensory experience for them,” says Dahlmann.

A sweet twist on a Korean corn dog is the Frozen Death Chill with a mint cheesecake filling covered in bugles and edible glitter.

One of the most talked about treats this season is the Mini Stay-Puft S'more from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire near the Park Plaza Holiday Shop. The classic campfire treat is presented in a cinematic look as an open-faced s'more covered in chocolate and topped with a marshmallow that looks like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

“We make the marshmallows from scratch and have a whole team in our production kitchen and bakery that produces thousands of them every day to keep up with demand,” explains Dahlmann.

Before the marshmallow is served to guests, it is charred to perfection so that all the pretty details are still visible, but it is perfectly melted and crispy once you bite into it.

Drive-in snacks like at the cinema

The Slaughter Sinema 2 house-themed concession stand offers hearty bites for every taste based on summer camp meals and drive-in movie theater snacks. Here you can try the Summer Camp Hot Dog, a Nathan's hot dog that's deep-fried and then topped with nacho cheese, refried beans, red pepper relish and crumbled Doritos. There are also two walking tacos, a savory and spicy Ropa Vieja or a vegan chili-style. And don't miss the Sinema Popcorn, which tastes like Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

More savory snacks worth the hype

One of the scariest houses at Halloween Horror Nights is Insidious: The Further, which features an iconic red door. The park's food and beverage team has transformed this door into a snack called The Red Door, a red dough hand pie filled with potatoes and onions. The hearty, filling, and carb-packed snack will help keep you going from house to house into the late hours of the evening.

If you want something more filling, try the Bloody Goody Bag from the Triplets of Terror booth. The bag is filled with a mixture of crispy chicken pieces, fries, onions, peppers, and a creamy sauce that ties it all together.

Sweet snacks to defy the “Scare Zones”

The bridal cake from the Twilight Tavern near the Minion Cafe is a sweet treat you don't want to miss. The small three-tiered cake is made of vanilla cake covered in raspberry jam and covered in chocolate. If you love chocolate and fruit flavors together, this cake is not to be missed.

Another spooky chocolate dessert that really knocked Horror Nights out of the park is the Wooden Board Eclair, which is themed after A Quiet Place in the New York section of the park. The pastry is filled with a sweet and spicy chocolate cream and dipped in chocolate ganache. The eclair is then topped with a wood grain chocolate board and an edible knife surrounded by a dollop of jelly in the center.

In the San Francisco area of ​​the park, you'll find the Major Sweets Candy Factory booth. Grab the Cyclops Cup, a frozen peanut butter cup with a sweet eyeball on top. It'll cool you down and give you a sugar rush on those warm Florida evenings.

It's not Halloween Horror Nights without these snacks

One of the most iconic Halloween Horror Nights snacks is the Twisted Tater. This year, you can find it in Gramercy Park. The spiral-shaped and then deep-fried potato on a skewer can be topped with your choice of condiments: seasoned salt, garlic parmesan, or sour cream and chives. And let's be honest: everything tastes better when it's deep-fried on a skewer.

The other snack that's back and everyone's raving about is Pizza Fries, which are exactly what they sound like: golden French fries with cheese and other pizza toppings like pepperoni. This year, DreamWorks Imagination Cafe is offering classic Pizza Fries and vegan Pizza Fries.

It sounds like Halloween Horror Nights isn't just about jump scares anymore. It's a true culinary feast for ghouls and goblins alike.