When I was making my list of snacks to try at Epic Universe, I was immediately drawn to The Burning Blade Tavern, tucked away in the back of Darkmoor Village.
Spooky monster-lore décor, themed drinks and snacks, a garlic stake pretzel, and a literal burning blade? Sign me up.
But did this little tavern live up to the hype? In this review, I'll go over my full thoughts and everything you need to know before giving this place a try yourself.
Atmosphere & Location:
To find The Burning Blade Tavern, head into Darkmoor Village in Epic Universe's Dark Universe and take the path between Frankenstein's Castle and the Curse of the Werewolf roller coaster. Just around the corner, you'll spot a large spinning windmill, which marks that you've arrived.
Labeled as a hangout for Darkmoor Village's monster hunters, this cozy little hideaway sits beneath the rickety windmill and is accessed through two heavy wooden doors set into a stone wall. The tavern gets its name from the windmill itself, every so often, the blades ignite with fire, creating a dramatic "burning blade" effect. (Unfortunately, this effect wasn't working during our visit.)
The interior of the bar is fairly small, with a few wooden tables tucked into each front corner and a large communal standing table in the center. Dim, candle-like lighting, stone walls, and monster heads and weapons mounted as trophies behind the bar make it feel like stepping into a haunted medieval pub.
If you walk to the right, you'll find a door that leads to an exterior patio area, along with a walk-up snack window if you're interested in grabbing food.
But be warned, this place fills up quickly.
Menu Overview:
Inside, above the bar, you'll find the alcohol menu featuring four monster-themed cocktails and five spooky beers, such as the Reaper's Reserve and Darkthorne Mead.
Pro Tip: If you enjoy a little extra theming and drama, ordering the Pure of Heart cocktail comes with a fun lil' presentation.
Outside, you'll find the snack menu, which offers five monster-hunter-themed bites, including the infamous Garlic Stake Pretzel.
The menu is small, but fun and very on-theme.
(Find the full & current Burning Blade Tavern menu here.)
What We Ordered:
After browsing the drink menu, I went with the Darkthorne Mead - a blackcurrant, boysenberry, vanilla, and pink peppercorn infusion ($14 as of our last visit).
The bartender was super friendly and let us know that if we wanted food, we could exit through the door on the right side of the building and order from the outdoor pickup window. That's exactly what we did.
Outside, there's a small alcove with a few more tables, chairs, and trash cans, a nice little hideout tucked away from the main path of the land. We were informed that ordering needed to be done through the Universal app, so I placed an order for two snacks:
Hunter's Garlic Stake: crispy garlic butter pretzel with garlic dipping sauce ($11.99)
Burning Cheddar Bites: crispy fried jalapeño bites with sriracha ranch ($11.99)
Total: $25.54
We waited about 10 minutes for our order to be ready. During that time, we searched for a table, with no luck. Most of the outdoor seating consisted of long communal tables, and every one already had several people already sitting at them.
When I asked a team member if there was more seating in the land, they said not really, unless you purchase something from Das Stakehaus and use their seating area.
So we ended up asking to borrow a chair instead.
Our Thoughts:
Darkthorne Mead
I loved this. It reminded me of Welch's grape juice with warming notes of cinnamon and a kick of alcohol. It was fruity, slightly spiced, and very easy to drink.
Rating: 8/10 - I'd definitely order this again.
Hunter's Garlic Stake
This was the item I was most excited for… and unfortunately, the most disappointing.
It looked amazing, perfectly golden and covered in garlic butter, but..... it was tough and stale, almost too hard to bite through. It honestly hurt my teeth.
Flavor-wise, it was solid. Think garlic knot with melted butter. But the texture made it really hard to enjoy. I've heard other people rave about this pretzel, so maybe we just got a bad batch.
Rating: 2.5/10 (I'd give it one more try in the future.)
Burning Cheddar Bites
I had zero expectations for these, but I actually really enjoyed them!
These little black fried balls are filled with jalapeño pimento cheese, spooky, melty, savory, and just the right amount of spice (and I'm a total spice wimp). They weren't super crispy, but the gooey cheese center more than made up for it.
They are rich though… so maybe don't ride anything intense immediately afterward.
Rating: 6/10
Know Before You Go:
- Ordering Drinks: Can be done directly at the bar.
- Ordering Food: As with most Universal quick-service restaurants, mobile ordering through the app is recommended and encouraged. If you don't have the app or are unable to use it, let a Team Member know.
- Allergies: This location is not allergy-friendly. It's very small, with a single fryer and prep area.
- Reservations & Crowds: No reservations are needed, but this location is usually fairly crowded. There are only a few tables, so allow yourself ample time to find seating and place your order.
- Pricing: Similar to other quick-service spots in the park: $15-$20 for alcoholic beverages and $12-$13 for snack items.
- Burning Blade Effect: The windmill is supposed to ignite every 15-20 minutes, but it has not worked on our last several visits.
- Who Will Love This Place: Adults who enjoy cocktails and spooky, immersive décor.
So, did The Burning Blade Tavern live up to the hype? In some ways, yes-and in some ways, no. Even though the burning blade effect wasn't working and the Garlic Stake Pretzel was underwhelming, I absolutely loved the theming, the Darkthorne Mead, and the Burning Cheddar Bites.
Have you tried it? Which snack or drink would you try first?
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