So Epic Universe has been open for a little while now, and we’ve had a chance to try all of the amazing restaurants you’ll find throughout its five lands.

However, there are still some things we HAVEN’T tried, and well, if you’ve been following us for a while, we’re completionists — we want to eat and drink EVERYTHING on the menu. So we recently returned to Burning Blade Tavern in Dark Universe to grab some new-to-us food and drinks. So what did we think? Well, we’ll tell you!

So Dark Universe is dedicated to all the classic Universal monsters, and Burning Blade Tavern pays homage to the 1931 Universal classic film Frankenstein. The concept is that the restaurant is an old mill where Darkmoor’s village monster hunters hang out. Yep, this is a place for monster hunters. So we put our monster hunting cap on and re-visited the restaurant!

The Burning Blade Tavern

We decided to grab some food, so ordered the Staked Grilled Chicken for $11.49. It’s a char-crusted chicken skewer with garlic naan, garlic tzatziki sauce, shaved cabbage, and salsa roja. All we can say is that Dark Universe does chicken right. This is basically the same chicken skewer at Das Steakhouse, but it’s got a little less seasoning. But it’s still got a great flavor. We also love how it goes with the naan plus it’s a handheld snack.

Staked Grilled Chicken

The tzatziki sauce is a little tangy, while the salsa roja adds a bit of freshness and zest. However, if you’re worried that this is spicy, it IS NOT. All the ingredients come together nicely. It’s also a light enough meal that it won’t weigh you down on a hot park day. It’s a good portion size for lunch, though, and this might just be our lunch again someday!

Chicken done right

Okay, let’s talk about some drinks. We needed to try more DRINKS at Burning Blade Tavern, and that’s just what we did. First, the Hyde’s Reagent for $15, which we promise won’t turn you into a monster. It’s made with Cazadores Añejo Cristalino tequila, Gran Gala, DeKuyper Crème de Cassis, Sūpāsawā, simple syrup,  and chipotle essence. It’s served in a test tube, which is SO fun. There’s just one problem…it tastes like cough syrup. Just YUCK. It’s an overtly sweet heavy liquor drink that just doesn’t work for us.

Hyde’s Reagent

Staying on brand, we also tried Jekyll’s Remedy for $15 made with New Amsterdam vodka, Bols peach schnapps, Sūpāsawā, cardamom, and clove tinctures. Although this, too, is on brand with Dark Universe, it just tastes like a different flavored cough syrup. I guess the idea is that they’re supposed to taste medicinal? Like these drinks look fun so might be worth it for the presentation, but we wouldn’t drink it again. But then again, we often drink shots that don’t taste good, so…

Jekyll’s Remedy

Okay, on to the next drink. The Lagoon’ita for $16.25 is made with BACARDI Superior, Pallini limoncello, lime, blackberry purée, blackberries, and a mint sprig. This one surprised us. It does NOT taste like Black Lagoon water it’s name suggests. Instead, it’s a nice, light drink with a not-so-sweet blackberry flavor. It’s very balanced, and the liquor isn’t overpowering. But really, LOOK at this presentation. Like this is SO cool with the moss and the greenish-black color. Very on theme.

It looks like a swampy lagoon

Okay, one more drink to go. It’s the My Only Weakness made with Hayman’s London Dry gin, Aperol, Bols cherry brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup, Angostura aromatic bitters, Angostura orange bitters, soda water, lemon wheel, and a cherry for $16.25. It’s got a whole Aperol spritz kind of vibe. It’s not quite as bitter as an Aperol spritz, but there’s a touch of bitterness at the end of each sip. It’s got nice fruity and citrus flavors, though, on the first sip.

My Only Weakness

It’s another well-balanced drink, but you do get hit with that bitterness at the end, so if that’s not your thing, you’ll want to pass. The presentation with the lemon wheel and cherry makes it look like a monster eye, so it’s got some fun theming, too.

We’ll be back soon with even MORE reviews, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

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Have you been to Burning Blade Tavern? What did you try? Share your thoughts in the comments!