“The world’s greatest theme park restaurant,” “10 time winner,” and “#1 Theme Park Restaurant in the World” are proudly displayed at the front entrance. With or without the banner, this is our favorite restaurant in a theme park and probably, for me, my favorite restaurant in the United States.
But this visit felt different, because this was not just another meal at Mythos. It felt like the beginning of saying goodbye.
What is there not to love about this place? I am a huge fan of the décor and the mythology surrounding it. Every time you step inside, you are transported to ancient Greece, to the time of Hercules and his legendary journeys.
Islands of Adventure is still my favorite of the Universal parks, and I love The Lost Continent the most. From an early age, I remember looking over maps in my elementary school library, searching for Atlantis. I wanted to be a famous adventurer and archaeologist like Dr. Jones.
I was late in coming to Universal, having been caught under the spell of Disney for too long. Because of that, I missed the real heyday of this land. I was lucky enough to get on Poseidon’s Fury once or twice before it closed, but I never had the chance to see the Sinbad stage show. Now the entire section is draped in “Pardon Our Appearance” wooden walls. The land is changing, and with it, we are losing our favorite restaurant.
We have eaten at Mythos 15 times or more, and I still enjoy it every time. The cuisine is Mediterranean, and while they slightly vary the appetizers and dishes, the core of the menu remains the same.
The lobby and waiting area are tight and cramped, but the generous air conditioning feels glorious on these hot May days. We check in at the front desk and make our reservation for four, but the wait times are really never that long. I do have one request, though, and that is to sit in our favorite server Madison’s section.
Upon entering the main dining hall, you feel like you have stepped into another world, with an endless discovery of hidden features in the décor and artwork that surrounds the room. You definitely want to sit in the main hall if possible. There is a side section with some nice views of the park, and an outside area that may be nice in the fall, but the main hall is where the real immersion is. I usually end up sitting and looking toward the open kitchen, watching the army of servers and runners waiting at the pass.
Since we eat here so often, we usually end up trying many of the different appetizers on the menu. Our favorite from this trip was the warm and savory spanakopita dip with freshly baked pita chips and za’atar spices. This was our third and best visit during our trip this week.
We normally argue about the dip to bread ratio. My son and I are masters of making it work and making sure each pita has the appropriate amount of dip. My brother, who came along this time, was admonished the day before for disrespecting the ratios and taking a crazy spoonful out. However, on this trip, the pita to dip ratio was on point with the last cooking crew of the night.
There are many excellent entrées, and I have tried my family’s dishes when they have ordered them. My son’s favorite is the beef loin medallions, which are always cooked correctly and come with a tasty mashed potato puree and red wine reduction sauce.
For me, it is always the same entrée, as much as I try to deviate. I always get the souvlaki couscous bowl with pan fried tofu and a side of sriracha. It is just an excellent bowl of Greek goodness with za’atar spiced couscous, fresh cucumbers, marinated artichoke, Kalamata olives, spiced chickpeas, feta cheese, tzatziki, and tahini dressing. I just never get tired of eating it.
Luckily, this trip we were able to have Madison again as our server. She is exemplary and everything you want when enjoying a meal. She is friendly, kind, caring, and goes above and beyond in her work. After all these trips, she has now become our friend, and having a friend makes all the food taste better.
The portions on this night were beyond generous and also the best we have had to date. We had to give everyone kudos, so we called over the manager to let him know how much we enjoyed the place.
Unfortunately, Mythos will be closing down next year, and we are beyond disappointed. We did find out that they hope to keep the staff together and move them over to another location in the park. I am hopeful, but there are so many little things here that make this place special, and those things will be hard to replicate.
I wish they could just airlift the entire restaurant and place it somewhere else, untouched. The stone walls, the cavernous room, the mythology, the food, the memories, and the people all work together in a way that makes Mythos more than just a theme park restaurant. It became part of our family’s Universal story.
We are sad to see it go, but grateful we had the time, the meals, and the experiences. Mythos gave us more than good food. It gave us a place we looked forward to returning to, trip after trip.
And maybe that is the most fitting ending for a place like this. With a name like Mythos, it was never meant to be just another restaurant. It was meant to become part of the story. For us, and for so many others who loved it, Mythos will go down in legend.
Restaurant Score: 9.9 out of 10
Rating: Mythical
Life with Chicken and Broccoli 
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