Finnegan's Bar & Grill; Universal Studios, Orlando, FL

That'll Do Pub; That'll Do.

All the times over the years that Jay and I have been to Universal Studios we somehow never managed to eat in one of the park's restaurants. I'm not really sure why ... poor planning on my part or bad press about Universal's food options, but either way we were determined to try something new on this visit. We've been big fans of Raglan Road since it opened in Downtown Disney back in 2006 and are equally fond of The Rose and Crown Pub over at Epcot, so Finnegan's seemed like a good place for us to grab some mid-day grub while conducting an informal, boozy comparison.

The pub is located in the New York section of the studios - very close to the Mummy Returns ride. We wandered in around noon on a Friday afternoon and decided to sit at the bar for our meal, rather than in the dining room. Finnegan's wasn't busy when we arrived, although activity seemed to pick up as the afternoon wore on. Jay and I had the bar to ourselves for the most part and were fortunate to land a terrific bartender as well - she took great care of us and was a lot of fun.

What's that? You want us to drink you?


Wheel of Fortune a la Irish Pub


Dining Room


I decided to order the flight of beer samplers, which included five, 4-ounce beer cocktails and a souvenir shot glass to boot! From left to right in the picture below I received a Black & Tan (Guinness and Bass), Irish Shandy (Bass and Sprite), Golden (Harp and Bass), Black Velvet (Guinness and Cider), and a Snakebite (Harp and Cider). These were all quite good but I enjoyed the Black Velvet the best - the Guinness and the cider complemented each other really well. Jay contented himself with a Black and Tan and multiple sips from my sampler.

Beer sampler


Black and Tan


We had to try Finnegan's Scotch Eggs, so we split that as an appetizer, and we also shared an order of Cornish Pastis. Scotch Eggs, which are hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and then deep fried, are something we don't eat often thanks to their artery-clogging properties. These were acceptable but we have had better at Rose and Crown and at a local Scottish place here in Stinktown. They were served with an apple-beet salad that was surprisingly tasty. The Cornish Pasty appetizer included four small pastries stuffed with seasoned ground beef, potatoes, and carrots - they were flaky and flavorful and we liked them a lot. If I could only choose one to order on our next visit I would definitely pick the Cornish Pasty.

Scotch Eggs


Cornish Pasty


My lunch entree had to be the fish and chips and I was pleasantly surprised, not only by the taste but by the portion size. As much as I like the food at Raglan Road, their version of fish and chips is usually one piece of fish and a smattering of fries. This was priced much more reasonably and included more delicious, crispy fish nuggets than I could hope to eat on my own.

Fish and Chips


Jason opted for Finnegan's Bangers and Mash - country pork and beef sausage served on garlic mashed potatoes with root vegetables. This is one of Jay's favorite pub dishes to order and while he liked it, he said that he would still give the edge to the Bangers and Mash over at Rose and Crown.

Bangers and Mash


All in all we enjoyed our lunch at Finnegan's and thought the experience good enough that we would visit again on a future trip. Of the three establishments, we still place Raglan Road at the top of the list due to the high quality of their menu and the fact that Kevin Dundon is their celebrity chef poster-boy. The man can cook ... and he's cute, too! Finnegan's and Rose and Crown are more evenly matched in our opinion; there are far more menu options to choose from at Finnegan's than there are at Rose and Crown, but food quality and presentation at Rose and Crown may have a slight edge, depending on the day.

Don't rely on our opinion in this battle of the theme park pubs ... get out there and do your own research and have some fun while you're at it. Just remember to have something other than a Disney Visa on hand when you try to pay your bill at Finnegan's, or your bartender may threaten you with kitchen duty for the remainder of the day!