A certain Chinese Sichuan noodle style dish has grown in popularity in Orlando area theme parks. These Dan Dan Noodles have appeared on the menu at “Skipper’s Canteen” at Walt Disney World. They also have been created for two different passholder perks seasons at Confisco Grille at Universal Orlando. For this article, we will pit these two against each other in a food battle to determine which place offers the better Dan Dan noodles.

Over at Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen restaurant at Magic Kingdom, these style noodles were added this summer. In a fitting theme for this place, they call them Skipper Dan’s Dan Dan Noodles. The menu description reads “thin noodles tossed in a savory spicy chili sauce topped with crispy pork, pickled mustard greens, radish, and cucumbers.” These cost $26. For a theme park meal, these provide a nice level of spice. However, the spice does not take away from the solid flavor. The pork comes well prepared with good flavor. Some guests find the texture of this noodle dish to be less than desirable. For a $26 entrée, I think the portion size should be larger. Yet, the execution of combining these ingredients works well.

Okay, Universal Orlando, what about your Dan Dan Noodles? I wrote a review back in May when these first appeared at Confisco Grille for a mini-passholder days event. In terms of price point, these noodles win being $21.95. Some passholders get a 15% discount beating the standard 10% so Universal Orlando version wins in terms of price. The Dan Dan Noodles’ menu description reads spicy Sichuan noodles, hot pepper shaved beef, preserved vegetables, toasted peanuts, scallions. This description shows some changes from the May 2022 version. Yet, the flavors of these noodles lack the consistency of the Magic Kingdom version. The beef in Universal version lacks some quality of flavor compared to the pork in Disney version. The Universal version offers more broth compared to the Disney version though.

So, who wins in this food battle?

This battle appears to follow a consistent pattern of food between Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World. Universal food generally costs less compared directly. The portion sizes tend to be larger at Universal. Yet, the portion size advantage in this case appears smaller than usual since I think the portion size at Confisco Grill should be larger. As mentioned earlier, the pork flavor beats the beef flavor. Though these are different types of proteins, Disney table service preparation tends to be better when compared directly to Universal preparation. The age-old question revolves around whether the Disney version of noodles is worth at least $5 more.

In my opinion, this time, Disney wins even with a $5 higher price point. The flavor and quality of the Skipper Dan’s Dan Dan Noodles earns a higher price point. You do get what you pay for in this case. Normally, the price difference makes comparable food at Walt Disney World lose these battles. Yet today, in the rivalry of theme park cuisine, the Disney version wins.

As always, eat like you mean it!