Epic Universe is officially OPEN for business, allowing fans to enter the portals into new worlds. Epic Universe has so much to offer, including attractions (duh), shows, merchandise, and lots and lots of food!

Dark Universe Portal

One world we keep finding ourselves running back to is Dark Universe, which has got to be a contender for our favorite land! It’s where visitors will “encounter everything from the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein to the shadowy landscape where monsters roam in a world of myth and mystery”. No wonder we keep coming back here!

Dark Universe has its fair share of places to eat, one of them being The Burning Blade Tavern. The Burning Blade Tavern is a quick-service restaurant inspired by the iconic windmill from Universal’s 1931 classic, Frankenstein! The old mill was given an awesome backstory, as it’s been transformed into a diner by Darkmoor Village’s monster hunters. We love a re-purposed building!

Burning Blade Tavern

We recently visited the quick-service restaurant for a secret (shh!) drink. It’s a drink you won’t find anywhere on the menu, making it literally a secret menu item! We grabbed it for fun thanks to the bartender’s recommendation — and we won’t lie, we had to get another one.

The Burning Blade Tavern

The drink is called “The Crossbow,” and it was available for $14.25. This drink is Darkthorne Mead and Strongbow Gold Apple Cider. Fair warning — it’s pretty sweet, but that combination of the Cider and the Mead helps cut through some of the sweetness of the cider and the tartness of the mead.

Introducing The Crossbow

It’s honestly the perfect balance (in our opinion), and it offers a nice option for people who don’t want sugary, syrupy drinks or beer. In terms of alcohol, it’s semi-strong, so you might get a little kick. The drink cuts the ABV of the mead, so this is a great way to try the mead without the high ABV.

Burning Blade Tavern Menu

Don’t worry about running into monsters when you go; this is for monster hunters only! When you enter, you can order from the bartenders or Epic Universe Team Members stationed at the counters. There are a lot of options for drinks at the tavern, but like we said, you won’t find this one on the menu. So when you go to The Burning Blade Tavern, just go up to the counter and ask for “The Crossbow”. Mobile order is available here, but you won’t find the secret menu item on there either!

A look inside Dark Universe

Once you get your secret drink, go explore Darkmoor Village! Dark Universe is home to SO MANY cool attractions and experiences — experiences we’ve never seen anywhere before. After all, this is the only place where you will literally meet monsters! The world has several meet-and-greets, giving fans the opportunity to interact with characters like the Bride of Frankenstein, Victoria Frankenstein’s servant, Ygor, and The Invisible Man!

It’s The Invisible Man!

If you’re feeling a connection to the monsters, you can just become one yourself! The Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience will transform you into the monster of your choosing.

Darkmoor Monster Makeup Experience

Then there are the attractions — Dark Universe has two of them! One of them is a roller coaster called Curse of the Werewolf, a spinning family-friendly coaster themed after the Wolf Man. However, the experience everyone is running to the land for is Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment! A massive, thrilling E-Ticket level ride featuring thrills, motion, and insane animatronics. This is a MUST-DO at Epic Universe!

Monsters Unchained

We love looking for secret menu items; you never know what you’ll get, and where you can get them from. We’re always looking out for that next big secret we can reveal to you! So make sure to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for more of them.

Are you going to try the secret menu item? Let us know in the comments!