Walk-up dining reservation times for Universal Orlando’s full service restaurants are more common than at Walt Disney World, but we still recommend making them before your trip. In this article, we’ll cover how to book dining reservations at Universal Orlando and how far out you should book each restaurant.

(Article was updated on April 13, 2024)

How To Book a Dining Reservation at Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando restaurant reservations can be booked over the phone by calling 407-224-FOOD (3663). But I’m a millennial in 2024 and I’d rather use an app than interact with a human. For those plugged into the information superhighway, head to Universal Orlando’s dining reservations website portal to book dining. Each restaurant that accepts reservations is listed with a short description, phone number, and a Reserve Now button.

The next page is a login screen for a Universal Orlando account. We suggest creating a Universal Orlando account and logging in before booking a reservation, but you can book without one. Once you are logged in pick your party size, reservation date, and reservation time. On the confirmation page confirm the booking details, if there are any special occasions or requests, and agree to the terms and conditions before booking.

How Far Ahead Should I Book Dining at Universal Orlando?

Good news: you will not have to book reservations 60 days out.

To find out when guests should book restaurant reservations, we did some research on reservation availability for the theme parks and CityWalk. We looked at Saturdays (crowd calendar level of 6 to 10) for a family of four during the popular dining hours of 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. We then found the first available day where reservations for those times had several options available to choose from.

For some restaurants day of or a day prior reservations are still available while some popular restaurants require reservations a month or more out:

24-Hours Out or Less

• Lombards: Lunch & Dinner
• Finnegan’s: Lunch & Dinner
• Confisco Grille: Lunch & Dinner
• Antojitos: Dinner
• NBC Grill & Brew: Lunch & Dinner
• Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville: Lunch

One Week Out

• Mythos: Lunch & Dinner
• Bigfire: Dinner
• Cowfish: Lunch
• Vivo: Dinner
• Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville: Dinner
• Hard Rock Cafe Orlando: Lunch

Two Weeks Out

• Toothsome: Lunch

Three Weeks Out

• Cowfish: Dinner
• Hard Rock Cafe Orlando: Dinner

Over Four Weeks Out

• Toothsome: Dinner

These suggestions will vary depending on the time of year of your visit, party size, and flexibility of dining times. A party of 7 who wants to dine at Toothsome during Christmas week should book as far out as possible. Don’t stress if you forgot reservations and cannot find any. Here are some tips for finding a full service meal:

• Bar seating is available for parties without children – especially helpful at Toothsome’s second-floor bar.
• Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Hotel are good for a meal in a pinch. Both hotels are within walking distance of CityWalk and the theme parks and have two full service restaurants each.
• Check for reservations during off-hours, such as between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
• Have your eye set on one restaurant in particular and cannot find a reservation? Choose a less crowded day for dining, such as Tuesdays and Wednesdays

A Note on Walk-Ups at Universal Orlando

For many years it was easy to walk up to a restaurant in CityWalk during lunch or a theme park during dinner and only wait a short time for a table. Today demand outstrips supply at full service restaurants due to an increase in attendance at Universal Orlando and the effects of a strained service industry market in Orlando. Universal now prioritizes reservations so even if you decide on a restaurant a few hours before you want to eat we suggest booking a reservation to prevent a lengthy wait.

(Article was updated on April 13, 2024)

Do you have any tips for Universal Orlando table service dining? Leave them in the comments below!