Dining At Toadstool Cafe In Super Nintendo World

Toadstool Cafe is currently the only dining location inside of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood. This incredibly themed restaurant is fun, affordable, and incredibly popular. As such we highly recommend making reservations as soon as you arrive at Super Nintendo World to avoid disappointment.

Toadstool Cafe Menu

Toadstool Cafe serves a predominantly Italian, American menu with a range of well-themed burgers, salads and desserts.

All things considered, I think the cost of eating at Toadstool Cafe is relatively reasonable and I would highly recommend using some of your Universal Studios food budget on a meal here.

Eligible Universal Studios Hollywood Annual & Season Pass Members also will be pleased to note that while their discounts do not work on Super Nintendo World merchandise, they do work on food and drink served at Toadstool Cafe.

How To Eat At Toadstool Cafe

The dining process at Toadstool Cafe is unusual when compared to other similar restaurants both inside Universal Studios Hollywood and other theme parks around the world. It’s not quite a quick-service meal, but it’s also not quite a table-service meal either.

Toadstool Cafe Reservations

To eat at Toadstool Cafe you first need a reservation. Unless the world is particularly quiet (very unlikely) in which case you may be able to walk up.

Reservations can currently only be obtained once inside Super Nintendo World and require you to check in with a staff member at the restaurant’s entrance.

The staff member will take your name, the number of people dining and a phone number to text you once your reservation becomes available.

Staff members will be able to provide an estimate of how long you may be waiting to be called back, however, this is vague compared to the reality.

That’s not the fault of the staff members and instead more that it’s impossible to know from the outside and in advance.

Callback, Queue & Placing Your Order

Once you receive the text message saying that your reservation is available you’ll be able to head back to the entrance of the Toadstool Cafe.

While you are expected to check in at the cafe within 15 minutes of receiving the message, staff are generally very accommodating if you happen to be in line for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge etc.

Once you’ve checked in with the staff member at the entrance you’ll be able to enter Toadstool Cafe.

Depending on the length of the queue at your call-back time you may find yourself in one of three locations. The first is at the entrance, where the interactive presents for collecting the PowerUp Band stickers are.

The second is in the queueing area where you’ll be able to watch Chef Toad on the screens and check out the range of food available at the restaurant on the question blocks.

The third, and final waiting area is at the checkout desks.

At the entrance to this area, a staff member will provide you with a physical menu should you require one (although the menu is also available on the digital screens) and tell you which of the four lines to join.

At the check-out desk, you will order and pay for your meal. At this time you’ll be given any drinks you’ve ordered but no food. Instead, you’ll be provided with a tray, cutlery and a buzzer which you’ll take across to the server to the left of the check-out desks.

Waiting For A Table

Waiting for a table is perhaps one of the most awkward things at Toadstool Cafe. There’s no queue system here, and it’s relatively close to the check-out desk so it can become relatively crowded if people aren’t seated quickly.

A staff member at a small desk at the entrance of the seating area will work together with a number of servers to seat guests at eligible tables.

During my first visit to Toadstool Cafe (Passholder preview event), I waited awkwardly with other guests in this location for roughly 10 minutes.

However, during my second visit, I waited under 3 minutes to be seated – which I was grateful for since I chose to hold my drink in one hand and the tray in the other rather than placing the drink on the tray at the risk of it being knocked over.

Once at the front of the ‘line’ the server will carry your tray for you, and place your buzzer in the correct location at the end of your table.

Note that the buzzer will not go off. Instead, it works as a tracking location device to help the servers find your table and deliver your food efficiently.

Seating Inside Toadstool Cafe

We never referenced where we wanted to sit at Toadstool Cafe and instead were more than happy with wherever was available.

On our first visit as a family of three, we were seated in a booth on the right-hand side. Our table met a number of the screens on the right-hand wall and also provided a great view of the additional screens on the back wall too.

On my second, solo visit, I (Cora) was seated in the centre, slightly to the right on a table designed for two.

This table was directly across from some booths, but still provided a great view of the digital screens situated around the restaurant.

The noise and lighting seem to gradually adjust within Toadstool Cafe depending on what’s shown on the screens on the right and left-hand sides of the restaurant.

During my second, solo visit I only noticed this as it was significantly quieter and I was on my own (without a hungry one-year-old) and therefore able to really take in some of the finer details.

Is The Food At Toadstool Cafe Good?

The food at Toadstool Cafe is in our opinion some of the best you’ll find at Universal Studios Hollywood.

During our first visit, we indulged in the delicious Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots with marinara sauce. This sauce is the same as on the Fire Flower Spaghetti & Meatballs and is therefore a little spicy.

Helen then tried the Luigi Burger which contains grilled chicken, swiss cheese and pesto in a brioche bun with a portion of fries on the side.

The portion of fries was plentiful, and the ratio of pesto to the rest of the burger was perfect!

I (Cora) opted for the Fire Flower Spaghetti & Meatballs on a whim, and I wish I’d thought more of the name because the marinara sauce was much spicer than I had anticipated.

That’s not to say it didn’t taste great, but more a word of warning for those looking to order this who might not expect the added zing!

While we managed to finish our main courses, we had no room for the ? Block Tirramasu. Luckily, the staff were able to provide a take-out box so we could take it back to the hotel with us and have it as a midnight snack.

Neither of us are huge fans of tiramisu but knowing that this was the most anticipated desert on the Toadstool Cafe menu, we had to try it and I’m so glad we did as it was light, fluffy and flavourful.

I (Cora) then revisited Super Nintendo World on my own over lunchtime during the unadvertised technical rehearsals and ordered the Pirhana Plant Caprese with the Super Star Lemon Squash.

The Super Star Lemon Squash isn’t cheap at $8, but it is very refreshing.

The drink comes with star mango pieces and tropical boba balls, and while the straw is large enough to accommodate for this I did find a few pieces getting stuck and making it difficult to drink, especially as the amount of drink to boba and mango ratio reduced.

Meanwhile, the Piranha Plant Caprese salad is significantly smaller than the main menu items, despite only being $4 cheaper.

That being said it was the perfect lunch option on an unexpectedly warm February afternoon and the combination of different vegetables alongside the pesto and mozzarella meant that the dish didn’t get boring.