By: Arely Garcia
A nice sit down meal can be a great way to take a break in the middle of a hot and busy park day or to cap off the end of one. Universal Orlando Resort has a lot of dining options both inside the parks and just outside within City Walk. During our most recent visit in June, we had the chance to try three different locations. We’re here to tell you all about reservations, menus, and the overall atmosphere. Today’s report will be about our experience at Mytho’s. Let’s dive in!
We had initially done some extremely light research ahead of our trip to try and narrow down good options for our group. Unfortunately, we started off with some setbacks in that everyone in the group weren’t the same kind of eaters. When making choices we had to consider our group’s varied diets/preferences. The group consisted of two pescatarian/vegetarians, one flexitarian (me – mostly a vegetarian/pescatarian, but I do enjoy a good terf choice when the former are weak or non-existent on a menu), two picky eaters(kids), and one cocktail enthusiast. We are also fairly indecisive, which as you can guess, is a pain when it comes to making dining decisions. The only place we’d all been collectively interested in leading up to the trip was Mythos Restaurant.
Mythos Restaurant is located within The Lost Continent area of Islands of Adventure. Mythos doesn’t require a reservation, but they can be made ahead of time to ensure yourself a spot or specified time. We went without a reservation right at lunchtime and luckily only waited about ten minutes for an available table. The menu was primarily Mediterranean inspired, but did have some Asian inspired dishes, and a few casual American dishes as well. The variety was great in order for everyone in our group to find at least two good options to choose from. The actual size of the restaurant is pretty big, several large sections. The decor looks much the same as the outside, designed to look like you’re in a rocky and cavernous space. There’s a bar in the center and some fountains separating the different sections. We went in early June so it was already in the 90s with high humidity by lunchtime so it was a relief to enter to feel and know we were going to enjoy a strong air conditioner during our meal.
Drinks
Now let’s get to the good part – what we ordered! We started off with drinks and an appetizer. The three alcoholic drinks chosen were a Naoussa Iced Tea(Old Forester bourbon, agave, peach nectar, unsweetened iced tea, mint and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice), a Mythos Potion of the Gods(Malibu Coconut rum, Captain Morgan Spiced rum, black raspberry liqueur, orange, cranberry, pineapple juices with a float of Cruzan 137 rum), and an Immortal Old Fashioned(Four Roses bourbon, crème de framboise, Cointreau liqueur finished with Peychaud’s and orange bitters). The first thing we noticed when they were brought to the table was their size. They were all in giant matching goblet-like glasses, extremely generous portions for their price tags(all were $14 or $15). The Naoussa Iced Tea had the unmistakable flavor of the bourbon in it, but the other accented flavors were inconsistently balanced, while it did have hints of lemon, the mint was not at all distinguishable; it wasn’t a bad drink by any means, but it could’ve been better. The Mythos Potion of the Gods was better balanced, the rums all paired well together as well as all of the fruitier flavors and despite the fruit forward profile, it was still pretty refreshing. The Immortal Old Fashioned(chosen by our cocktail enthusiast) was a tasty variation of a regular old fashioned. The combination of the two types of bitters and the addition of Cointreau made for an excellent citrus forward version of the classic cocktail. All in all, everyone was pleased with their drinks.
Apps
We ordered just one appetizer, the Spanakopita Dip(a savory blend of spinach, feta cheese, lemon and fresh herbs, served hot with fresh pita chips seasoned with za’atar spice, with fresh cucumber, tomato and olives). Our group absolutely LOVED this dip. We inhaled it. It was gone in minutes. It was perfectly creamy and just the right temperature. No burned mouths or impatiently blowing to cool it down was necessary. The pita chips it was served with were also great. Picture actual pita that was lightly grilled, still a little bready in consistency, but they weren’t greasy or salty and they held up well when scooping up the dip. We strongly considered ordering a second, but decided to keep our appetites in control for the rest of the meal.
Entrees
Now, for the entrees. Two of us, myself and one of the stricter pescatarian/vegetarians, went with the Souvlaki Couscous Bowl(za’atar spiced couscous, fresh cucumbers, marinated artichoke, Kalamata olives, spiced chickpeas, feta cheese, tzatziki, tahini dressing with protein choices of tofu, Soulvaki chicken kabob, and Moroccan beef kabob).
The other pescatarian/vegetarian chose the Spinach and Garlic Ravioli(Davina tomatoes, sweet peas, herb whipped ricotta, basil pesto cream sauce). The cocktail enthusiast chose the Balsamic Grilled Chicken Sandwich(marinated grilled chicken breast, roasted garlic lime cilantro aioli, bacon, grilled red onion, lettuce, tomato, mozzarella cheese, served with French fries). Picky eater 1 chose the Beef Loin Medallions(served with a Yukon potato puree, sautéed haricot verts, radish, watercress, red wine reduction), while picky eater 2 went with a cheeseburger(served with French fries and choice of one side – side chose was grapes) from the kid’s menu.
I’m going to review all of the meat based meals we chose first. The Beef Loin Medallions came out last. The server had warned us the delay was due to the first plate having come out overdone and felt they could do a better cook on them. We appreciated the honesty and care for quality control and were happy to wait a few minutes longer. When they finally came out they looked perfect. There were three “medallions” half laying on top of the potato puree and just to the side of the puree were the veggies. The red wine reduction was primarily under the medallions but loose enough to scrape the veggie across it. The medallions were perfectly tender and easy to cut through. The potatoes and veggies were delicious as well. It was a very filling and flavorful meal. Next up – the Balsamic Grilled Chicken Sandwich. The sandwich was built on what looked to be regular burger buns. The fixings were all layered on the first piece of bread, then the chicken, then the bacon, then the mozzarella, while the garlic lime cilantro aioli was on the top bun. The combination of fresh veggies and the aioli were a great pairing with the chicken that was beautifully grilled. Last, but not least, the kid’s cheeseburger was a pretty solid version of this kid’s menu staple. It’s a pretty generous portion of both burger and fries with a small cup of grapes. We didn’t order any adult burgers to compare but we have a feeling it’s the same size with just no adventurous toppings. The fries that came with the burger and the chicken sandwich were basic thick cut fries, nothing to write home about.
Plant Based Options
Now, onto our plant based meals. Starting with the Spinach and Garlic Ravioli. This was also a really good portion, easily eight or more ravioli on the plate. The pasta was perfectly cooked while the stuffing within thankfully wasn’t slipping out anywhere as can happen with ravioli sometimes when the pasta is overcooked. The combination of the sauce with the dollop of whipped ricotta was excellent. They did not skimp when pouring the basil pesto cream sauce, but they weren’t drowning either. It was the perfect amount to compliment the ravioli. The menu didn’t list protein options to add on, but our server did ask when taking the order, so if you’re looking for a side of protein, it was completely doable. Our next veggie friendly option was the Souvlaki Couscous Bowl, which happened to be my meal, so I’m happy to report that I loved it! It was the tastier of the two vegetarian meals we’d ordered. I chose tofu as my protein and it did not disappoint. It was expertly cooked with tasty seasoning. The combination of all the fresh veggies on the couscous with the feta, tzatziki, tahini dressing made for both a flavorful but still light meal. I felt completely satiated and ready to take on more walking and (tolerating) the heat.
The stars of the meal were the Spanakopita Dip, Beef Loin Medallions, and the Souvlaki Couscous Bowl. I’d happily order any of these three items again. That said everything was so tasty, I’m more curious to try different menu items next time. Overall this was a great sit down experience for our party. We had very attentive and kind service, delicious food, and a relatively calm setting to enjoy it all in before heading back outside to the chaos of a park day. Our only suggestion would be not to chance it like we did. Make a reservation to be sure you can visit Mythos Restaurant on your next Universal Islands of Adventure trip!
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