Universal Orlando has reopened Mel’s Drive-In at Universal Studios Florida with a completely new look and a new menu.
Located in the Hollywood section of the park, the restaurant is a throwback to those hipster days of a 1950s drive-in diner – featuring classic diner dishes like burgers, hot dogs, and chicken fingers.
The restaurant saw a complete overhaul during its renovation – with new floors, new booths, new decor, and new uniforms for team members. The color palette is fitting for a 50s-era theme – reds and blacks with blue serving as an accent color; with the table tops featuring an atomic boomerang pattern. The Coca-Cola Freestyle Machines also are era-appropriate, as they sport a vintage look like the old vending machines from that time.
The new digital menu has a neat effect, where it transitions from the black & white 50s look to popping with color. Some Universal attraction easter eggs appear on the TV menu when it enters “Standby Mode”, but you have to keep a sharp eye as they make very quick appearances.
Like many other changes at Universal restaurants, guests will now use the Universal Orlando app to mobile order. Guests who do not have the app, or are not “tech-savvy”, do have the option to order at a counter. Once your order is ready, you can pick up your tray at the mobile pick-up counter.
The menu is pretty straightforward, which isn’t a knock, as you’d expect these dishes at a classic diner – so if you’re looking for a quick & simple, no-frills menu during your Universal visit, Mel’s is the spot for you. During our visit, we opted for the Big Bopper Burger, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and the Chili Cheese Hot Dog.
To put it plainly – we enjoyed all 3 meals. If we had one nitpick, it would be that the sandwiches didn’t have enough sauce. This likely could’ve been solved if we had gone up to the counter and asked for a side of the sauce, but we didn’t want to be a bother.
For dessert, we opted for the Cookies and Cream Pie; and you can never go wrong with Cookies and Cream Pie. The pie was delicious, decadent, and creamy.
Here’s a look at the new menu below:
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