Springfield is coming to Universal Orlando Resort! An all-new Simpsons-themed area will open at Universal Studios Florida this summer – allowing guests to step into the world of The Simpsons like never before.

It will be the only place in the world where you can walk the streets of Springfield, grab a Krusty-certified meat sandwich at Krusty Burger, go nuts for donuts at Lard Lad, imbibe at Moe’s Tavern and more! Plus there will be Duff Beer – brewed exclusively for Universal Orlando - and a new attraction called Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl that will take you “foolish humans” on an intergalactic spin designed to send you into orbit! 

--From Universal Orlando 

Coming Summer 2013!
We'll have another spot to stop for a cold one at Universal Studios - and they'll even have (brewed just for Universal) Duff Beer.

While no official date has been announced, by the looks of the construction we expect Moe's to be open sooner rather than later this summer. In the meantime, read the details, including a new ride, for the new Springfield area below and check out the amazingly detailed concept art. (And no matter what the bartender's name is, we're calling him Moe)

Click on the image below for a large, full resolution.

Springfield is coming to Universal Orlando Resort! An all-new Simpsons-themed area will open at Universal Studios Florida this summer – allowing guests to step into the world of The Simpsons like never before.

It will be the only place in the world where you can walk the streets of Springfield, grab a Krusty-certified meat sandwich at Krusty Burger, go nuts for donuts at Lard Lad, imbibe at Moe’s Tavern and more! Plus there will be Duff Beer – brewed exclusively for Universal Orlando - and a new attraction called Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl that will take you “foolish humans” on an intergalactic spin designed to send you into orbit! 

--From Universal Orlando 

A great stop for breakfast, lunch or a mid-day beer! Located at the front of the park, just after the turnstiles, next to the main giftshop.

Beer
Domestic - $6
Import - $6.50
Miller Lite, Coors Light, Heineken, Smirnoff Ice

Food 
Pastries, sandwiches, salads, fruit, coffee and some excellent pies and cheesecakes!

Atmosphere 
A little quick stop place with a few tables inside, but more umbrella tables outside. A nice spot to sit and watch the parade in the afternoon. 

Drinks: Budweiser & Bud Light on tap & Bud Light Lime in alumabottles are regulars and occasionally Heineken, Fosters, or Corona make an appearance.

Food: Pretzels, Churros, Popcorn &, wait for it, . . . CRICKETS!

For the people that refuse to eat crickets and skipped past that whole paragraph, here's something worth reading.  MIB is a great ride and often has a line that's about 45-60min.  I'll give you two MAJOR secrets about this ride, seriously, these are so big that if anyone finds out my identity, I could be in danger.  First off, hold the trigger down the entire time.  It'll auto-repeat and you get points just for shooting.  Secondarily, forget about that 45-60 min line, go single rider.  You'll rarely wait more than 5-10 min in the quick moving line and you'll usually be on the same car as your other partner, occasionally ending up sitting right next to them because of the 3+3 cars that force big parties into strange configurations.  One more thing, just for something to "shoot" for, there are some very high scoring items to hit in MIB and it's possible to max out your score at 999,999.

Now that I saved you 50 min of standing in line and upped your score by a few thousand points, how about trying those crickets on the way out? Come on, you're on vacation!

********** Update ************

They now have crickets and mealworms available at both MIB and Jurassic Park - no need to make that tough decision for which park to go to based on which bug you want to snack on.

Specialty - $8.25
Frozen Slush Drinks - Strawberry, Blue Raspberry, Pina Colada, Margarita & Raspberry Lemonade

Beer
Coors Light & Heineken

Pour Quality 
Poor 

Food 
Pretzels, chips

Atmosphere 
None really, just a walk-up counter bar with giant monsters on top. Enjoy your beer bum style and wander over to the nearby ‘central park’ and have a seat on a park bench (paper bag not included - panhandling optional) or head over to the Monster's Cafe and get some AC while you check out the authentic monster movie memorabilia.

2012 Update 
This location used to be a limited full-service bar that would pour mixed drinks as well. No more. The only way to get hard liquor here is in the Slush drinks, which we don't recommend. We lost another bar option. Not too happy about this.

Updated 8/12

Chez Alcatraz has been updated with an all-new specialty drink menu and tasty new appetizers! Yes, that kitchen in the middle of the bar is once again fully functional and serving up some delicious small bites.

You can also look forward to meeting their new permanent resident - Bruce the Shark from the Jaws attraction! What's that you say? You've already met? Great, buy him a drink! We're thrilled to see what has always been one of our favorite bars getting some much deserved new attention.
 

Specialty Drinks 
The Alcatraz- $8.50
Pinnacle vodka, Chambord, sour mix, triple sec.

The Rock- $8.50
Jim Beam Bourbon, sour mix, Sprite and fresh mint.

San Francisco Bay Breeze - $8.50
Malibu coconut rum, cranberry and pineapple juice.

Lynchburg Lemonade - $7.50
Jack Daniels Bourbon, sour mix, triple sec, and a splash of Sprite.

Escape - $9
Crown Royal, Captain Morgan, peach schnapps, splash of sour mix and Coke.

Frozen Mojito - $8
Bacardi Limon, key lime juice, cane sugar and fresh mint.

Shark Attack - $8.50
Malibu coconut rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice and a dash of grenadine.

Bruce - $10
Jose Cuervo Gold tequila, Grand Marnier, sour mix and a splash of orange juice. Served in a souvenir pilsner.


Bottled Beer
Smirnoff Ice, Foster's, Corona Extra, Corona Light, Sam Adams, Heineken, Coors Light


Draft Beer
Yuengling, Blue Moon, Miller Lite


Appetizers
The Wharf - $8.99
Shaved turkey, Jack cheese, fresh avocado, tomato, alfalfa sprouts and seasoned mayo. Served on a triple oat wheat roll.

Red & Blue Chips - $4.99
House made potato chips, blue cheese crumble and buffalo style sauce.

Bucket of Chips - $3.99
Seasoned house made potato chips and chipotle ketchup.

California Sliders - $5.99
Home made chicken salad, crunchy slaw, potato roll and a pickle.

Margherita Flatbread - $6.99
Mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes and basil on an artisan crust.

Shrimp Cocktail - $5.99
Seasoned bay shrimp on top of shredded lettuce and cocktail sauce.
 

Pour Quality 
Average

Beverage Service Hours 
Noon - 9pm

Food Service Hours 
Noon - around 6pm (depends on crowd)

Atmosphere 
This is a fun "beach style" open-air bar with belly-up stools and a few tables and high-tops overlooking the San Francisco harbor. You'll now find ample seating and, in the near future, a cocktail waitress to alleve you of all that troublesome walking for a cocktail. The 2 big screen TVs have finally been installed behind the bar. Bringing Bruce (the Jaws shark) over to the bar has already proven to be an excellent move. The excited crowd streaming into this once quiet hideaway to get their pictures taken with Bruce reinvigorates the bar with a new sense of energy. Now it's an even better place for people watching or daydreaming about taking that big yellow Donzi for a spin. Along with these updates, they plan on having longer, regular operating hours.

Happy Hour 
For the time being, Happy Hour has been temporarily suspended while Universal tests out the new upgrades. But don't fret - we were told (promised even) that it will return at a later date. As of 1/2013 it still has not returned. (Previous Happy Hour specials: Well drinks $3.50/$5.50 doubles, Domestic 20oz. drafts $3.50, Import 20oz. drafts $4.50. Hours vary by the day, though no earlier than 2pm and lasts for usually 2 hours.)



Review 
We stopped by on 3/31/12 and had the fortune of stumbling onto Che'z Alcatraz' opening weekend of the revamp. Excited that one of our favorite stops at Universal is getting new life, we had to try a few drinks - all in the name of research, of course!

Left - Alcatraz, Right - BruceBruce
For our first drink, it only seemed appropriate to order-up the one named after the bar's new resident - Bruce the Shark. Bruce is a margarita with the added splash of some orange juice. Tasty, and the splash of OJ gives it a nice freshly squeezed fruit flavor. You can order Bruce without the souvenir cup to save a few bucks.

The Alcatraz
We wouldn't mind being stuck in jail if they served these! Vodka with Chambord and some sour makes a unique sweet yet sour concoction. Chambord is soooo good, how can you ever go wrong with it?

Escape
The mix of Crown, Captain, peach schnapps, sour and Coke makes for one interesting, savory yet sweet drink. The mellow flavors of Crown Royal always play nicely with a spiced rum and the peach schnapps add to the complexity and sweetness of this smooth cocktail.



Frozen Mojito
This one sounded a little strange but after seeing several pouring out of the blender for other guests we thought "Now just what kind of researcher are you if you don't try this?" Che'z' take on the traditional mojito is prepared with fresh mint leaves just like the original but they're thrown in the blender with a mix of juices (supplied by Bacardi) that make the final product similar to a margarita. The drink is garnished with a healthy sprig of fresh mint. The tart lime margarita flavor is spiked with little chopped up bits of mint leaves to continually provide a great smooth mint flavor to your icey cold blended drink.













Red & Blue Chips
While enjoying our cocktails, we decided a little bar grub was in order and picked up the Red & Blue Chips to munch on. Presented in a metal pail, these thick and crunchy kettle-style chips are tossed in a moderately hot buffalo sauce and then sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles. Aside from the fact that it could've had a few more crumbles, it's a fun snack that is worth a stop. In all fairness we're stinky cheese lovers so even if it was a pound of bleu we'd still be asking for more. And for a theme park, you get a pretty good value for your buck on this snack with chips piled all the way from the bottom of the bucket up to the top.




Updated 7/12. Any items or prices subject to change while they are in their trial period.

Located directly across from Revenge of the Mummy. Full-service bar with Happy Hour and a sit-down restaurant, if it wasn't for the prices, it'd be easy to forget you're still at a theme park.

Drinks 
Full-service bar, beer & wine

Premium Drafts
Guinness, Smithwick's, Yuengling, Palm Ale, Sam Adams, Blue Moon, Sam Adams Seasonal, Miller Lite, Magner's Cider

Bottled Beers
Amstel Lights, Coors Light, Corona, Heineken, Heineken Light, Miller Lite, Budweiser, Bud Light, Smirnoff Ice, Newcastle

Beer Cocktails
Black & Tan - Guinness & Yuengling
Irish Shandy - Smithwick's & Sprite
Blacksmith - Guinness & Smithwick's
Black & Blue - Guinness & Blue Moon
Black Velvet - Guinness & Cider

Flight of Beer Sampler - $8.95
Sample 5 four ounce beer cocktails and take home one of the Finnegan's Souvenir flight glasses.

Premium Draft Sampler - $8.95
A sample of 5 four ounce import draft beers - Guinness, Smithwick's, Blue Moon, Yuengling, Seasonal Selection.

The Classic Whiskeys of Ireland
Jameson, Bushmills Malt 10, Midleton, Bushmills Malt 16, Redbreast, Michael Collins

Specialty Drinks
Jumbo 40oz. souvenir glass for sharing & you keep the glass - $17.95
A 14oz. non-souvenir - $7.50

Shark Attack - Be careful of what lurks in these deep blue waters. Coconut rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice and a splash of Sprite.

Mummy's Revenge - After drinking one of these you'll be crying for your mummy. Absolut vodka, Chambord, sweet & sour and triple sec.

Earthquake - Try measuring this one on the Richter scale. Jose Cuervo, Grand Marnier and sour mix.

Twister - Too many of these and you'll be looking for Toto. Smirnoff Raspberry and Orange twist vodkas, triple sec and orange juice.

Rum Neuralyzer - No flash of light will make you forget this fruity blend of Bacardi light rum, Myers's dark rum, blackberry and banana liqueur, all mixed together in a variety of juices.

Coffee Specialty Drinks
Irish Coffee - Jameson's Irish Whiskey and fresh brewed coffee topped with whipped cream and creme de menthe.

Bailey's n' Coffee - Ireland's Bailey's Irish Cream and coffee topped with whipped cream.

Pot of Gold - Grand Mariner, Kahlua and Bailey's with fresh brewed coffee topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with gold cinnamon.

Blarney Stone - Bailey's Irish cream and nutty Frangelico with fresh brewed coffee topped with whipped cream.

Pour Quality 
Average

Food 
Order from the restaurant menu & eat at the bar is welcomed.

Atmosphere 
Cross between an Irish pub and your ol' college frat bar. We've never been here without it being packed. Any time after early afternoon you can expect it to be pretty tough to get the bartenders' attention to get served. The bar is large, with about 20 seats along with a couple leather chairs & tables and it's generally filled with a loud, energy-filled atmosphere as the crowd watches the ‘game du jour’ on one of the TVs behind the bar.

And, for better or worse, there’s often live entertainment performing, usually a sole singer (not soul singer) with a guitar singing classic rock but it varies from day to day. The performance is always cranked up to 11 so it can be difficult to have a conversation during the show but they take frequent breaks so just tough it out. This restaurant/bar is open on a regular basis. There is a restroom in the bar but it's small & gets crowded quickly. You'll often be better off using the restrooms across the street by the arcade.
 
Happy Hour 
Well drinks $4/$6 doubles, Domestic 20oz.drafts $3.50, Import 20oz.drafts $4.50. Happy hours vary by the day, though no earlier than 2pm and usually lasts for 2 hours.

Review 
We used to say stay away from their mixed drinks because they were poured poorly with a closely-watched sure shot. We are happy to report that lately (as of spring/summer 2011) the quality of the pour has greatly improved.

Appetizer Review 
After finding a few rare seats at the bar, we decided to make use of it and order a few appetizers while we were there. We decided to share the Scotch Eggs - Hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage, dusted with bread crumbs and fried. Served with apple beet salad and mustard sauce for $5.99. and the Cornish Pasti - Bite-size pastry pies stuffed with ground beef, potatoes and carrots also for $5.99.

The Scotch Eggs are excellent - soft, perfectly boiled egg with a lightly spicy sausage around the outside. The fried batter is just the right consistency, any thicker and it wouldn't have been as good. The mustard sauce gave it the perfect amount of spice it needed. It could only have been better if it had been wrapped in bacon. What a perfect drinking snack and we will be ordering these again.

The Cornish Pasti arrived with the bartender's recommendation of throwing on a little A1 sauce, so of course we listened. Very similar to a Chinese potsticker, but with beef, veggies and potatoes. Unfortunately, we couldn't tell that those 3 ingredients were in there, it was mashed up mix of the ingredients that didn't produce any stand-out flavor on their own. Rather bland and plain, and over "cooked" - too long in the microwave maybe? It definitely needed the A1. Probably better for that non-adventurous eater in your group. Not going to order these again as long as the Scotch Eggs are available!

After a ride on one of our favorite coasters, The Mummy, we decided it was only appropriate to finally try the drink named after it - Mummy's Revenge. Our best advice with these specialty drinks is to go for the 14oz. non-souvenir $7.50 version - do you really want to be lugging around that giant fishbowl-style glass around the park? Anyway, this drink can be best described as "Chambordy goodness". Nice pours on the vodka & chambord with just a hint of the sweet & sour, this is one excellent cocktail. Considering Chambord is a rather expensive liquor, you definitely get your money's worth with this one.











Can't remember what you drank the night before? Blame it on the Rum Neuralyzer - this potent mix of light and dark rum with some fruit juices thrown in the mix make for one no-nonsense concoction. The blackberry & banana liqueur give it a fun "what's that" flavor to the typical fruit juices. Nothing too unique here, kinda your typical tropical drink, but it's good. Now if it only came with some cool black Ray Bans as a garnish...













Sink your teeth into a Shark Attack in rememberance of Jaws. This sweet concoction of coconut rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice topped off with a splash of Sprite is a rather typical tropical drink - but it's a nice even mix of ingredients. It could use a tiny drop of grenadine to simulate blood, but apparently the cherry is supposed to play that roll. Go ahead and order up this coconut specialty and remember Bruce the shark loved coconut drinks. He did. Seriously. (Photo taken on Jaws' last day of operation.)












Too bad real tornados aren't made up of raspberry vodka, orange vodka, triple sec and oj. This refreshing orange juice Twister cocktail is just what you need on a hot Florida day in the park. This is a PTTP favorite.















We spied this photo on the wall last time we were in here. You know what's on this soldier's mind.

Updated 8/12