The Solo Scale:

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Epic Universe, being as new as it is, has a lot of restaurants that no one’s tried before. If you’re headed there, it means you have a lot of options and limited time to try them all. For myself, my visit to Epic was a lot of snacks, because I wanted to try the most visually appealing. That still left a need for an actual meal.

Looking at my options, I loved the idea of Oak and Star Tavern. It’s central (though the park in general isn’t too big). Because it’s not one of the more popular themed venues, it had plenty of space open for dining. My friend travelling with me had a gluten-intolerance. Luckily, Oak and Star had enough vegetarian and gluten-free options that she felt safe. Even better than that, after she ordered, the chef came out to speak to her about the specific items on her tray.

It was a lot better than the experience we had in Dark Universe. There, instead of offering options or the chef giving solutions, they just directed us to another part of the park.

Oak and Star is similar to other Universal restaurants. You can wait in line, but the most efficient option is to find a table and then use the QR code to open the menu. Once you’re ready, you can place your mobile order directly from the app. The food is brought to your table. You have to fill your drink from the Coke machines. However, seeing as they bring everything else to you, it’s a small ask.

At this point in my park day, I was absolutely starving and so I ordered a fairly carbohydrate heavy lunch. There are platters of meat options and I selected the chicken sandwich with mac and cheese, as well as some cheese biscuits. These biscuits are more like tea biscuits than the buttery type, so you need the butter to add moisture.

That said, the chicken sandwich has plenty of moistness to spare. Not only was the chicken absolutely fantastically moist, but they also buttered the outside of the bun with butter. However, the dark meat was so tender, the crunch was delicious, and the macaroni and cheese on the side was amazing quality to go with it. I know that when you’re hungry, everything can taste delicious, but this went above and beyond that.

Overall, there were a lot of items on the Oak and Star menu that I could have gone back for. I had originally intended to get a salad (before the hunger kicked in), and I’d love to try more of the sides and the meat platters. It was a great location so that we could move on and do more rides in any of the specific themed areas of the park without too much of a walk, and the food being great with awesome service on top was a huge perk.

Headed to Epic Universe? I highly recommend Oak and Star Tavern for your lunch stop.

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