Back in November 2021. Comic Strip Café revamped most of their menu. This news brought rejoicing from theme park fans since most of the previous menus rated below average. The key surprise involved a dismantling of previous Asian food options. Yes, Comic Strip Café in Toon Lagoon area of Islands of Adventure serves Asian food. The Asian portion of the menu converted to more of a ramen style menu with a few rice dishes.

The ramen comes in three varieties such as beef, tofu, and pork belly. The pork belly version goes by the name of “Char Sui Ramen.” Guests purchase this for $13.99. They make this a combo by adding an egg roll for an additional $3. The menu description for this ramen bowl reads Char Siu pork belly ramen with tonkatsu broth, tare egg, bean sprouts, scallions, and cilantro.

First before a more detailed review, I should confess to comparing the bowl at Comic Strip Café to the ones at Urban Pantry at Aventura. That comparison seems unfair since Urban Pantry ranks as a far better food court than Comic Strip Café. No matter how you feel about my review of this dish, this new menu rates far better than the previous one.

So how was this ramen bowl?

Overall, the ramen bowl tasted pretty good compared to the normal fare offered in Toon Lagoon area. The portion size creates a positive start. The tonkatsu style broth adds a reasonable amount of flavor for a ramen bowl. If you are comparing this broth to the numerous ramen places within a quick drive from Universal Orlando, this broth fails. If you are comparing it to standard expectations at a theme park food court, this broth tastes great. Some guests voiced that the broth contained too much salt. I suggest that potential salty flavor balances well with rest of the ramen bowl.

Now, the rest of ramen bowl creates more division among diners. Like most pork belly at Universal Orlando, the portion size shines. However, the taste consistency across property fails to meet a good standard. The eggs included add to overall flavor but are nothing special. If you are visualizing ramen with some actual spicy kick, this ramen will disappoint significantly. Some guests suggested hot sauce needs to be available. When I was there, the only sauces were duck, soy, and mustard.

Overall, this ramen bowl could become a favorite theme park dish for many. I suggest you look for ramen off-property first though. Still, if you find yourself desiring non-traditional theme park food, this ramen bowl meets that need to avoiding burgers, fries, and pizza.

Finally, I offer one last strong suggestion. Do not spend $3 more for an inconsistent egg roll. Sometime, this egg roll tastes decent. However, most of the time, it tastes terrible. Either way, egg rolls are not worth $3.

As always, eat like you mean it!