As you may have detected from other theme park food articles written by me, I avoid standard theme park food. I would define standard theme park food as burgers, fries, pizza, and chicken tenders for example. Personally, I love those type of fast foods way too much as my current body weight reflects. Still, a theme park experience deserves more than just a basic formerly frozen burger patty or average pizza.
If one is going to pay theme park prices for food, you should enjoy something beyond the ordinary. For this reason, I am drawn to Natural Selection food kiosk in Jurassic Park area of Islands of Adventure.
Natural Selections offers several non-traditional snacks. One of the sweet treats offers there is the Guava Pastelito. Also, one of my favorite snacks served in Universal Orlando are the beef empanadas here. Currently, one of these cost under $7. When the Universal Orlando quick service dining plan functioned, the empanadas made good use of that plan.
So, are they worth your food budget money?
The filling is surprisingly high class. Also, the pastry shell surrounding the filling earns high marks. The golden-like appearance of these toasted items adds to the anticipation of this snack. These usually are served in small brown bags making them easy to carry until you find a nice place to enjoy. You can select to even eat these on the go. The beef, peppers, and onion filling create a satisfying taste. The soft texture of the pastry shell enhances this snack. These empanadas will not compete with true homemade ones but deserve admiration.
The portion size functions reasonably based on theme park pricing. I would prefer slightly larger at this price point though. However, the portion size compared to price point rates fair. This item works primarily as a snack until you have a sit-down meal. By no means will this function as a meal for most people though.
If you find yourself feeling hungry near the Jurassic Park River Adventure, the empanadas at Natural Selections will fill that hunger. As you can tell, I suggest this place for a quality snack on your next visit.
Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.