Tasty brisket and cosmic vibes at The Oak & Star Tavern. Get the scoop on the menu, mobile ordering, and what to expect in our review of the Smoked Brisket Sandwich.
The Oak & Star Tavern is in the Celestial Park area of Universal Epic Universe. It resides between the Super Nintendo World and Dark Universe portals. This place serves barbecue-style quick service meals.
The restaurant’s exterior invites guests to look inside. The Oak & Star Tavern promises a cosmic barbecue experience in the heart of Celestial Park. This quick service eatery invites guests to gather around a starlit oak tree and indulge in smoky, mouthwatering dishes.
The Oak & Star Tavern Restaurant serves breakfast and lunch. We went for lunch during the preview days at Universal Epic Universe. The lunch menu focuses on platters, handhelds, and salads.
The menu boasts a variety of options, including a customizable BBQ platter featuring smoked brisket, St. Louis ribs, pulled pork, cheddar jalapeño sausage, or spit-roasted citrus herb chicken. Each platter or handheld has a side like braised greens, BBQ Crinkle Fries, mac and cheese, and Smoked Harissa Cauliflower. Guests can also purchase desserts like the Warm Sticky Cake with pecan ice cream
Table Delivery
Most of the quick service or fast casual restaurants at Universal Epic Universe offer mobile order and table delivery. The Oak & Star Tavern follows this pattern. Guests find a table and use the Universal Orlando Resort mobile app to place their order. Afterward, a team member brings food and beverages to their table. Guests can also visit a counter to speak with a team member to place their order.
Though we had some unexpected issues with the mobile app, the process went reasonably well. Our food arrived at our table very soon after we ordered it on the app.
Slow Smoked Brisket Handheld at The Oak & Star Tavern- $18.99
We ordered the brisket sandwich. The menu description reads, “14-hour smoked brisket, sweet BBQ sauce, homemade pickles on a pan sobao bun. We decided to try a BBQ place staple and go with the mac and cheese or our side.
Pan Sobao Bun
The most unique aspect of our sandwich was the pan sobao bun. It offered a different texture and flavor than a standard bun at a barbecue place. A pan sobao bun is a Puerto Rican bread roll known for its soft, chewy texture and slightly sweet flavor. “Sobao” comes from the Spanish word sobar, meaning “to knead,” reflecting the dough’s careful preparation. This bread is made with lard or shortening, which gives it its signature fluffy, moist interior and a glossy, golden-brown crust. While traditionally eaten on its own or with butter, it can also be used to make sandwiches filled with meats, cheeses, or even scrambled eggs.
We found the bun to be a nice change. However, we did not taste any significant advantage over another bun style. The barbecue preparation style will work well for guests. The proteins are barbecued with the assumption that guests will add sauce. Each table has four sauces on it. We preferred the sweeter sauce with this brisket.
Regarding portion size, we felt the sandwich contained a better-than-average amount of meat. This counts as better quality meat than the Pulled Pork Sandwich at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We think most guests will be satisfied with the sandwich here. Personally, we enjoyed the sandwich.
Side Portion Issue at The Oak & Star Tavern
However, on the less positive side, each handheld comes with a side. We ordered mac and cheese, which tasted fine. However, the portion size was about three and a half bites. For an entrée costing almost $20, that made a bad impression. All the sides ordered among our group were small, not leading to a reasonable value regarding those.
Overall, the service at a quick service level restaurant exceeded expectations. Our food arrived at our table soon after we ordered it. Despite that, we have concerns about the value with such a small side portion. The sandwich was filling. However, we found ourselves hungry again well before we left the park around 7:00 p.m.
For more dining reviews, visit MSM News for a new one every weekday at noon Eastern Time (Florida Time). As always, eat like you mean it!
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