Universal Orlando’s land-based theme parks each offer two full-service dining options. In Universal Studios Florida, guests can dine at Lombard’s Seafood Grille or Finnegan’s Bar and Grille. The more popular one of those two would be Finnegan’s. This Irish-themed restaurant provides many of the standard food items you might expect. Most days, starting around 3 or 4 pm, live music will also be played at Finnegan’s. I ordered the Irish Cobb Salad at Finnegan’s during a recent visit to the Orlando area.

I have eaten here many times. In addition, I have written several reviews of Finnegan’s menu items, with a few more in the writing queue. With the vegan shepherd’s pie returned here, I suspect I will visit again soon. On this day, I ordered something I had never bought here before, the “Irish Cobb Salad.”

We had to scan a QR code for the menu at Finnegan’s. I dislike that since Universal Orlando tends to be very slow in updating the online menus. I often order things using their online menus that no longer exist using this pattern. This adds needless frustration for team members and guests alike. Fortunately, this salad has been a menu staple for some time.

Before discussing my entrée, I feel the need to give a quick reminder about dining here. You should be able to get some complimentary soda bread with your meal. It would be best if you now asked for it, like at Mythos Restaurant at Islands of Adventure. When you ask, your server will state the company line of “I will have to check with the kitchen if we have any.” I call that the company line since three different servers have said the same exact words when I ask. Since my dining companion ordered something with soda bread pudding within it, we joked that they had soda bread for sure.

So, How Was the Irish Cobb Salad at Finnegan’s?

The Irish Cobb Salad at Finnegan’s costs $18.95. For the record, the price of this salad has increased by one dollar since the time I ordered it. The menu description told me to expect “Diced corned beef, turkey, bacon, diced tomatoes, apple beet salad, blue cheese crumbles, Finnegan’s Scotch Eggs served over mixed baby greens.” The presentation matches the standard one with entrée salads here. Each component starts in its own area on top of the lettuce underneath. The entrée salad bowls are large here. This pattern matches the Celtic-style salad also served here. This salad came with a vinaigrette dressing which I did not use much of it.

The scotch egg and beet portion make this salad unique. I prefer a more authentic style of scotch egg, but I knew what to expect here. The type of scotch egg fits this salad well, though. Overall, nothing tastes amazing with this salad. Yet, it makes a great break from standard theme park food. The ingredients taste and look fresh. In fact, the prepared chicken, ironically, offered the freshest flavors on this day.

Since I knew about a potential issue with salads here, I applied very little dressing. When you reach the bottom of the large bowl, you will find a small pool of liquid from the vegetables. This issue looks understandable. However, if you add the full dressing container, this issue will be far worse.

This salad provides a wide variety of flavors. Yet, guests should not expect to be dazzled by a fantastic salad. Still, they should expect a good table service salad providing at least some actual nutrition for their theme park day. As always, eat like you mean it!