An overlooked place to enjoy limited-time Mardi Gras treats is the TODAY Café in Universal Studios Florida. Over recent years, the TODAY Café debuts new seasonal treats for every new festival event, like Halloween Horror Nights and the winter holiday celebration. The Mardi Gras season started on Feb. 4 at Universal Orlando. So, the TODAY Café unveiled five new Mardi Gras treats in their bakery case. Yes, we tried them all, so you do not have to.
The five treats for 2023 Mardi Gras at TODAY Café are:
Cheesecake Pop ($5.49)
Cookies and Cream Mini Cake (5.49)
King Cake Brioche ($4.99)
King Cake Brioche ($5.99)
Mardi Gras Pop Tart ($4.29)
All these options fall under the price point of $6 before discounts. That fact alone should cause one to doubt the quality of these treats. The year-round treats at TODAY Café cost about the same price as these Mardi Gras ones. When entering a quick service location like TODAY Café, you may view a different color card indicating the item name, which shows you that this menu item is seasonal. For Mardi Gras, the cards are green this year.
All the current seasonal treats bring a decent flavor. For the record, seasonal treats sometimes change. Since Mardi Gras lasts until April 16, we may see one or two of these options rotated out.
In terms of flavor, our group found the Mardi Gras Pop Tart (Praline filling) and the Cheesecake Pop to be average. The flavors were good but just ordinary. With a Mardi Gras event featuring many food options, you need to conserve stomach space. Based on polling our group, those would be the last choices here.
The trifle-style cake usually brings solid flavor at Universal Orlando dining locations. We were surprised that the cookies and cream flavor failed to blow us away. The components tasted fine, but something seemed missing.
However, if this were a contest, the big winners would be the King Cake Brioche and the Rum Cake. One member of our group has purchased at least four King Cake Brioches. He loves it. Both options display a simple method of culinary emphasis. If you take something simple and do it very well, then people will love it. In the case of these two options, we loved them.
Based on the holiday season version of the cake, this version makes a strong comeback for Mardi Gras. The flavors of the frosting and cake portions match very well. The cake overall provides a solid sweet treat without being overly sugar-filled.
As mentioned, the Brioche King Cake found a fan with one group member. This simple treat consists of well-prepared brioche bread topped with Mardi Gras-style icing and decorations. The sum of the parts should not equal the quality of this bakery case creation. However, our group found this to be good value and an excellent snack to ensure your feet do not fail you now. Still, no matter your sweet style preference, TODAY Café offers plenty of choices.
Which one of these treats appeals to you the most based on seeing them? What do you think of the TODAY Café? Will you be visiting Universal Orlando Resort for Mardi Gras?
Please let us know in the comments below.
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