As of Wednesday November 27th, west coast minion fans finally get to enjoy delicious minion tots at Minion Cafe at Universal Studios Hollywood. These character specific tots have been an integral but exclusive part of Minion Cafe at Universal Studios Florida since it opened last year. And, well folks, this may have been a bigger deal for me than Super Nintendo World opening last year. You see, east coast minion fans and Universal Studios Florida park-goers have been singing the praises of minion tots since Minion Cafe opened in the new Minions Land last year.
Before today, Minion Cafe at Universal Hollywood served generic (but still solid) tater tots. Now I love Minion Cafe. It is one of the most underrated restaurants at Universal Hollywood. There is never a line, always a place to sit (either in the courtyard or across the street in tables around Super Silly Funland), and the food is plentiful and reasonably priced. They also have seasonal offerings that bring guests back to sample new things – like the menu at “Monster Minion Cafe” which the restaurant transforms into during Universal Studios Hollywood’s annual Halloween Horror Nights event (you can read that review by CLICKING HERE). Sure Universal Studios Hollywood has some legendary restaurants. There is Three Broomsticks in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Toadstool Cafe in Super Nintendo World. But both are more expensive, take longer, and (on crowded days) its harder to find a table – or a reservation in the case of Toadstool Cafe.
Minion Cafe is also a true quick service in that you walk in and quickly get your food. You don’t order and have to wait – it is basically ready to roll when you walk up. Seating is outdoor only but it helps create a quicker and more expedited experience. Plus this is LA, we don’t have that Florida rain so that outdoor only dining is rarely a problem. And it really feels like a true informal but dependable cafe – and not a sit-down restaurant (which the Florida version basically is despite sharing the name).
Oh yes, and last, but definitely not least, the Minion Cafe is themed around Minions, and if you’re a minions fan like me there’s nothing better than eating in the shadow of all the minion artwork and vibes in that area.
But for a long Minion Cafe at Universal Studios Hollywood was missing one thing: Minion Tots. Minion tots were introduced on day 1 of Minion Cafe at Universal Studios Florida and were basically a combination of a tater tot, steak fry, and french toast stick. And they were RAVED about by pretty much everyone who visited the restaurant. And I was seriously jealous. As a fan of the west coast Minion Cafe, I had almost lost hope of every having the chance to try these delicious tots. But today, that all changed.
Because Minion Tots have arrived in Hollywood. I strolled into Minion Cafe looking to possibly order lunch. I had heard through the theme park grapevine that they were potentially getting a revamped menu after this year’s Horror Nights but so far in November, nothing had really changed. But walking in today, the menu had some new spins, and most importantly those delicious Minion Tots. And after trying them, I can confirm that they are DELICIOUS and absolutely unique in taste and substance. The hype was real. You have got to try them.
The other new items on the menu include Chicken Stuart’s Chicken Roast, Dave’s Brisket Melt (which replaced the grilled cheese and meatball sandwich – which I am kind of bummed about because I loved it), El Macho’s Nachos. and Kevin’s Chopa Chopa Salad. Also the Mac and Cheese has been repurposed into the Freedonia Festival of Mac and Cheese (based on Gru’s twin Dru’s island – that’s a DESPICABLE ME 3 reference), which is a dish that also shares a name with the east coast version of Minion Cafe.
I decided on Dave’s Brisket Melt (because I had to see what replaced my beloved meatball sandwich). I was also interested in eating the new branded bread – which turned out to be the exact same taste as the old bread but did have a nice minion on it. The brisket melt was, honestly, a bit heavy. Now I should have mixed some hot sauce in there to maybe spice it up, and maybe I just was not that hungry but it is a LARGE sandwich. There is a lot of meat – so that is nothing to complain about but it did feel heavy and a bit on the greasy side. Still I might return to it in the future, if I was really hungry – and after I try the chicken roast and the chicken tenders, which I have had before but I think will really go up a notch when paired with the tots.
And it is just so fun to carry that box around – which is refillable!
Speaking of the Minion Tots, they were everything that the east coast Universal fans had hyped them up to be. They were crisp on the outside and nice and soft and warm on the inside. They tasted of potato but also had just a touch of sweetness to the batter that delivered an unexpected twist to the usual potato flavor. I sampled them with both BBQ sauce (from the brisket sandwich) and ketchup – both were great toppings. Alicia Stella, THE authority on Universal Orlando Resort and all things on all theme parks on the east coast, actually retweeted me (or re-x’d me) today and told me to try them with ranch next time – something I will definitely be doing.
All in all this was a great day and honestly, I cannot wait to make it back to Minion Cafe at Universal Studios Hollywood again in a few days – maybe even before this long weekend is over, and get to taste those delicious Minion Tots again. What do you think? Are you as excited as I am about Minion Tots finally arriving at Universal Hollywood?
No Scoops Club 