FULL REVIEW: Das Stakehaus at Dark Universe in Epic Universe

Epic Universe is the newest theme park in Orlando, and we’ve been exploring every corner of the park to bring you the best information for planning your first trip to Epic Universe.

We’ve headed to Das Stakehaus inside Dark Universe to bring you a FULL review on this spooky and ghoulish restaurant. Come with us as we try the menu and decide if this is a must-visit or a skip when you enter Epic Universe.

Background

Like everything inside Dark Universe, this restaurant is inspired by the monsters or monster hunters of the area.

Dak Stakehaus is for monster types, specifically home to the local vampires.

It’s an old inn and dining hall that was built over the ruins of ancient catacombs. Dak Stakehouse is run by vampires’ “familiars,” or servants. You might be warned not to venture down to the catacombs, or “you might find yourself on the vampires’ menu.”

Let’s talk about what you need to know to dine here.

Atmosphere

This is a quick-service restaurant where you can order through Mobile Order. You order right on the app and sit down in the restaurant. Once you place your order, you can scan the QR code on the table, and the servers will bring the food right to you. We love how easy it feels to order! Even if you order an alcoholic beverage, they’ll bring it to your table and check your ID once they deliver the drink.

Be aware that this space is dark and filled with lots of vampire artwork and artifacts. Many of the paintings show the world of vampires from their perspective and showcase Darkmoor’s history. Some of the creepier elements on the wall might not be the favorite of little ones or those easily frightened.

Enough about the space — let’s eat!

Food & Drinks

First, we had the Carved Staked Steak for $23.99.

This is a carved strip steak with charred green onion mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, acorn squash, and crispy maitake mushrooms, served with a bloody jus.

The steak came out very red, which added to the dish’s “bloody” theme. The mashed potatoes were classic and traditional, which is great if you’re looking for a familiar comfort food. The vegetables were a bit overcooked, but we did like the variety of veggies on the plate.

We thought it paired really nicely with the Reaper’s Reserve drink, which we’ll talk about a little later.

We also had the Darkmoor Black Wings for $15.99.

These are Darkmoor spicy chili-dusted fried wings with smoked cheddar, charred scallions, served with a pimento cornbread skull, a soy chili garlic sauce, and a familiar slaw. If you love the crispy, fried skin of wings, you’re going to love these!

The soy chili garlic sauce was a great addition, but we wish we had more on the plate. The wings were a bit fatty, with tougher meat on the bone, but it made us feel like we had stepped back in time to medieval days.

The cornbread had an interesting take with the pimento inside it, and we liked that it switched up on the classic idea of cornbread. The slaw added a bright freshness to the plate as well.

Another dish we had to try was Our Favorite Vegan Familiar’s Stuffed Cabbage for $16.99.

This is an Impossible stuffed cabbage, beet bucatini, in a bell pepper tomato sauce. The cabbage is like an envelope stuffed with Impossible meat, wild rice, and herbs. The beef bucatini is not beet forward, but brings a great color to it. The pasta tasted fresh and homemade, and the tomato sauce added a great balance.

We loved the big bites of mushrooms in it, which really made the dish. The sauce made it look like a bowl of blood and brains, which might sound gross to some, but really helped us enter the world of Dark Universe and the vampires of the land.

For dessert, we had the Red Velvet Death for $6.99.

The Red Velvet Death is a red velvet heart “beet” coffin cake with chocolate crumbs and puffed rice maggots.

This reminds us of a red velvet cake from the store that really hits the spot when you’re craving cake. It was very moist and had a cream cheese frosting.

The Rice Krispies “maggots” had a texture that didn’t really match the dish, so we might try another dessert option next time we go.

For a drink, we had the Reaper’s Reserve for $13. We loved this drink with the Carved Staked Steak.

The cinnamon and clove are strong in the drink, and after taking a sip and following it up with the steak, the steak is beautifully seasoned, bringing the whole dish together.

Our last item we had was the Monocane Mocktail for $7.

Monocane is a made-up chemical from the 1933 film The Invisible Man. The chemical makes you go mad, but after this drink, we just wanted another. We loved this custom soda, made with lemon-lime soda, and it reminded us of a Baja Blast from Taco Bell. What’s not to love?

Magic or Tragic?

You should head to Das Stakehaus if you…

• • Love a themed restaurant and are into Universal Monsters and creepy artifacts
  • Want a dining location with lots of options and the ability to Mobile Order easily
  • Are willing to try something that might not look human-like but actually tastes great

You might want to skip this restaurant if you…

• • Do not like creepy and dark environments or food that might look like blood and bugs
  • Are looking for classic dishes that you are familiar with
  • Want a slow and quiet dining experience

Overall, we think Dak Stakehaus might be ironing out some of the kinks of being brand new to Epic Universe. While all of our dishes were solid and enjoyable, we’re excited to see them taken to the next level with additional seasonings and better-cooked items. With all the new restaurants coming to Epic Universe, we might head to other restaurants to try first before returning to Dak Stakehause, but we’ll keep an eye on it to see how it changes.

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Have you tried Das Stakehaus yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.