Cool themed food, but food isn't that great. Staff was friendly, eating area was kinda messy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Calvin Xu
Cool themed foods, calzones and drinks were pretty good!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
M-L Outdoors
This is a super cool little cafe in Universal Studios that did well with showing the Super Mario theme. These have some cool themed drinks and souvenirs inside of the shop too.
Atmosphere: 5
Adnan Karim
During our recent trip to Universal Studios Hollywood on July 18, 2025, we decided to check out Power Up Cafe, the charming Super Mario-themed spot that’s been getting quite a bit of buzz. The decor is absolutely delightful, with vibrant colors and fun Mario motifs that really set the mood for a whimsical dining experience.
We ordered the 1-Up Mushroom Calzone, which is a cute mushroom-shaped calzone filled with spinach, green pepper, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and basil pesto. I have to say, the service was impressively fast! We received our food almost immediately, which is always a plus when you’re in a theme park and eager to get back to the fun.
However, while the presentation was spot on and the theme was undeniably fun, the calzone itself was a bit of a letdown. It was decent but didn’t quite live up to the excitement of its appearance. For $13.99, I expected a bit more in terms of flavor and uniqueness. It felt like something you could easily find at a regular cafe, rather than a special treat in a theme park.
Overall, Power Up Cafe is a fun stop for the atmosphere and quick service, especially if you’re a Super Mario fan. Just don’t go in expecting gourmet food. It’s a great place to grab a bite and snap some photos, but I’d recommend keeping your expectations in check when it comes to the taste. Happy gaming and dining!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Megan Williams
This is a very fun and cutely themed quick stop for food and drinks. As with most park food, it is overpriced but a fun experience. We enjoyed the drinks so much we stopped a couple of times on our visit to Universal. We got the super mushroom fizz and the super star fizz both were delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Kristen Wheeler
I got the red mushroom calzone, it was really good. Hot and fresh, one of my favorite things I ate in the park. Our son got the pretzel, which he liked as well. I liked that it came with all 3 sauces to try. Really fast service, too, we ordered and they immediately handed them to us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
ZiHan
Food was alright, but really expensive. The food did not taste the best, but the place looks cool! I recommend other food options within the park rather than this, but a great place to view
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Luis Duckworth
Food is fine for a quick meal (yes, expensive). Calzones aren't always made fresh, so won't look like the ads. The Mario theme will make up for most of the downsides.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Super Mushroom Calzone
Munchica
The theming is just perfect! Every food item is so aesthetically pleasing that you just got to have it! The replication of everything like the super mushroom calzone looks like it just hopped out of the video game into your hand and you can actually eat it. The super mushroom calzone did look amazing but taste wise was just okay, they can improve the recipe of the calzone to taste more like it’s from a pizza shop but other than that, it was nicely filling. Can’t wait to try the other products like the power up drinks and the fire flower pretzel :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Super Mushroom Calzone
Christina Gray
Got the strawberry power up drink which was decent but not anything special. It was also very expensive for a flavored soda with boba. It was a cool experience with the power up though! I wouldn’t necessarily try again.
Small little cafe with no tables inside. Wanted to try out their fizzy drinks so we quickly placed an order at the counter. Waited for about 25 minutes and saw numerous people get their orders even though they made their orders after us. Turns out they skipped our order when I asked and had to wait an extra 5 minutes for them to get started on our order. Would probably do a mobile order next time if we go here again since many people just walked in to pickup their orders instead of waiting like us. The drink tasted like how you'd expect - Sprite with flavored sugar lol
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Naomi P
The perfect “power-up.” We couldn’t get tickets to the other Mario theme cafe but this was very cute too! It was a walk up cafe and the calzones were hot and ready to go. Such cute designs! No dedicated seating but it’s okay- the food comes in a box so you can eat it in the go! We got one of each mushroom shaped calzone for $14 each. They come in a little yellow mystery cardboard box which is so cute.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jay L
My fiance and I tried the pretzel, popcorn, and the peach fizzy drink. The pretzel was warm, soft in the inside but a little hard on the outside. He liked the white dip while I liked the red dip for the pretzel. If you aren't a fan of spice be aware the red dip is spicy but it's a slow build after you keep eating it.
The popcorn was really cute because it comes with glitter in it. As cute as it was the popcorn was stale.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Honest Reviews
Atmosphere- 4 stars- very cool Mario Brothers spot for snacks and drinks when visiting Universal Studios Hollywood.
Service- 3 stars- your basic counter service.
Food- 4 stars- kinda hard to rank this because we only got popcorn however if was very good. They have snacks ranging from pretzels to calzones. Worth a stop to get a quick snack.
Cool themed food, but food isn't that great. Staff was friendly, eating area was kinda messy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Cool themed foods, calzones and drinks were pretty good!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a super cool little cafe in Universal Studios that did well with showing the Super Mario theme. These have some cool themed drinks and souvenirs inside of the shop too.
Atmosphere: 5
During our recent trip to Universal Studios Hollywood on July 18, 2025, we decided to check out Power Up Cafe, the charming Super Mario-themed spot that’s been getting quite a bit of buzz. The decor is absolutely delightful, with vibrant colors and fun Mario motifs that really set the mood for a whimsical dining experience.
We ordered the 1-Up Mushroom Calzone, which is a cute mushroom-shaped calzone filled with spinach, green pepper, mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and basil pesto. I have to say, the service was impressively fast! We received our food almost immediately, which is always a plus when you’re in a theme park and eager to get back to the fun.
However, while the presentation was spot on and the theme was undeniably fun, the calzone itself was a bit of a letdown. It was decent but didn’t quite live up to the excitement of its appearance. For $13.99, I expected a bit more in terms of flavor and uniqueness. It felt like something you could easily find at a regular cafe, rather than a special treat in a theme park.
Overall, Power Up Cafe is a fun stop for the atmosphere and quick service, especially if you’re a Super Mario fan. Just don’t go in expecting gourmet food. It’s a great place to grab a bite and snap some photos, but I’d recommend keeping your expectations in check when it comes to the taste. Happy gaming and dining!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
This is a very fun and cutely themed quick stop for food and drinks. As with most park food, it is overpriced but a fun experience. We enjoyed the drinks so much we stopped a couple of times on our visit to Universal. We got the super mushroom fizz and the super star fizz both were delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
I got the red mushroom calzone, it was really good. Hot and fresh, one of my favorite things I ate in the park. Our son got the pretzel, which he liked as well. I liked that it came with all 3 sauces to try. Really fast service, too, we ordered and they immediately handed them to us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was alright, but really expensive. The food did not taste the best, but the place looks cool! I recommend other food options within the park rather than this, but a great place to view
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Food is fine for a quick meal (yes, expensive). Calzones aren't always made fresh, so won't look like the ads. The Mario theme will make up for most of the downsides.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Super Mushroom Calzone
The theming is just perfect! Every food item is so aesthetically pleasing that you just got to have it! The replication of everything like the super mushroom calzone looks like it just hopped out of the video game into your hand and you can actually eat it. The super mushroom calzone did look amazing but taste wise was just okay, they can improve the recipe of the calzone to taste more like it’s from a pizza shop but other than that, it was nicely filling. Can’t wait to try the other products like the power up drinks and the fire flower pretzel :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Super Mushroom Calzone
Got the strawberry power up drink which was decent but not anything special. It was also very expensive for a flavored soda with boba. It was a cool experience with the power up though! I wouldn’t necessarily try again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Really cute concept love it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Super Mushroom Calzone
Small little cafe with no tables inside. Wanted to try out their fizzy drinks so we quickly placed an order at the counter. Waited for about 25 minutes and saw numerous people get their orders even though they made their orders after us. Turns out they skipped our order when I asked and had to wait an extra 5 minutes for them to get started on our order. Would probably do a mobile order next time if we go here again since many people just walked in to pickup their orders instead of waiting like us. The drink tasted like how you'd expect - Sprite with flavored sugar lol
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
The perfect “power-up.” We couldn’t get tickets to the other Mario theme cafe but this was very cute too! It was a walk up cafe and the calzones were hot and ready to go. Such cute designs! No dedicated seating but it’s okay- the food comes in a box so you can eat it in the go! We got one of each mushroom shaped calzone for $14 each. They come in a little yellow mystery cardboard box which is so cute.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My fiance and I tried the pretzel, popcorn, and the peach fizzy drink. The pretzel was warm, soft in the inside but a little hard on the outside. He liked the white dip while I liked the red dip for the pretzel. If you aren't a fan of spice be aware the red dip is spicy but it's a slow build after you keep eating it.
The popcorn was really cute because it comes with glitter in it. As cute as it was the popcorn was stale.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere- 4 stars- very cool Mario Brothers spot for snacks and drinks when visiting Universal Studios Hollywood.
Service- 3 stars- your basic counter service.
Food- 4 stars- kinda hard to rank this because we only got popcorn however if was very good. They have snacks ranging from pretzels to calzones. Worth a stop to get a quick snack.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Loading...