Disney4me Posted April 17 Report Share Posted April 17 We are at Universal Orlando’s newest hotel, Universal Helios Grand Hotel! Universal Helios Grand Hotel This new resort, along with Universal Stella Nova Resort and Universal Terra Luna Resort, was specially built and designed for the opening of Epic Universe. While Helios Grand was planned to open on May 22nd, 2025, alongside Epic Universe, the hotel ended up opening early on April 16th, and we are taking you along for a trip to the hotel’s rooftop bar, Bar Helios! There is no shortage of dining options at this Mediterranean-inspired hotel, which offers stunning views of Epic Universe. If you are looking to grab a drink, you can head up to Bar Helios, a “comfortable and stylish” bar with three distinct areas: a circular bar with 360-degree views, a dining area, and an al fresco area with views of Epic Universe. Bar Helios Atmosphere As we mentioned, this bar offers impressive views of Epic Universe; however, the outdoor terrace is not covered, so it’s essential to consider the weather conditions before dining outside. Views Unfortunately, since we ate outside, we were getting bitten by no-see-ums. Nonetheless, the atmosphere is breathtaking, especially as the sun starts to set. The bar Menu The menu here offers a variety of tapas, as well as desserts and a full-service bar. The Menu You will find shareables that pair great with their specialty cocktails. The Menu Drinks Of course, we had to start our meal off with some drinks! We ordered the Athenian Milk Punch for $26. This drink is mixed with Angel’s Envy Helios Barrel Selection, Metaxa Ouzo, mint tea, lemon juice, cane syrup, and Greek yogurt syrup. Athenian Milk Cocktail This is the most expensive cocktail on the menu, as it is time-intensive and a bit laborious. It included a special barrel that they chode at the Angel’s Envy Bourbon Distillery in Louisville that was bottle just for the resort! Made just for Helios Grand! This drink was really well balanced and reminded us of mint ice cream, but not as sweet. Athenian Milk Cocktail Next up, we tried the Greek God, which was $22. This drink featured dill and olive oil-infused Grey Goose, as well as caper-infused dry vermouth. Greek God Cocktail This is essentially a vodka martini with infused flavors. It comes with Greek olives on top, and the taste was very caper-forward. If you prefer less vermouth and more vodka, this might not be for you. This drink was unlike anything we had ever experienced before, thanks to the infusion of flavors. Greek God Cocktail Lastly, we ordered the Mount Olympus at $19. In this drink, you’ll find Hendrick’s Gin, St-German, lemon and lavender cordial, lime juice, mint, and Ferrari Brut. Mount Olympus Cocktail Our server recommended this drink, which had a strong lemon flavor while maintaining a floral profile. This was the sweetest of the three cocktails we tried; it wasn’t overly sweet, but still well-balanced with plenty of acidity. We wish it were a bit bigger, but out of the cocktails we tried, we would come back here for the Mount Olympus! We loved this! Overall, we were extremely impressed with the cocktail menu here, and it’s clear that a great deal of work went into its creation. Many of the syrups are made in-house, like their cinnamon and cherry syrup, honey syrup, and fig syrup. Everyone should be able to find a drink that they like, as there are a lot of flavor profiles, and honestly, whatever cocktail you order just might turn out to be one of the most creative cocktails that you’ve ever had! Eats To pair with our drinks, we ordered the Spreads and Mezze, which was $23. This dish came with marinated Mediterranean olives, Taramosalata, Za’atar, Labneh, hummus, and grilled pita. Spread and Mezze This was shareable and super unique. Our reporters agreed that they had never tasted anything like this dish before. It has a bit of a fishy taste, but not in a negative way, just more of a seafood-forward taste. We liked that we could use the grilled pita to enjoy the spreads on. We also really liked the marinated olives, and the yogurt dip was delicious, with a tart and creamy bite. If you’re looking to grab a cocktail and a bite to eat, this is a great dish to order and share. This makes for a great shareable! We also got the Farmer’s Cheese, which came with whipped farmer’s cheese, honeycomb, citrus, local seasonal fruit, pistachio, and grilled focaccia for $25. Farmer’s Cheese This is just a cheese plate, but it’s far from average, as it’s the prettiest dish on the menu, which enticed us to order it. It is one of those dishes that if you were to see it on another table, you would be asking your server, “What is that?” and “We would like to order one.” We used the grilled focaccia to scoop the cheese, which was creamy and rich. We also appreciated the acidity from the citrus, which gave it a nice balance. Our favorite part was the honeycomb. The Farmer’s Cheese is a must-order when visiting Bar Helios. SO Pretty! Next up is the Confit Pork Belly, priced at $22. This dish consisted of pork belly, corn puree, finger lime, and chili. Pork Belly This was the meatiest of the dishes that we ordered. It came with three pieces of pork belly, but each piece was a few bites. It was served over corn puree. The corn puree had a lime taste and was nice and sweet. The pork needed just a bit more seasoning, like salt. We could tell the pork was seasoned, but once we cut it, it felt like it had lost its seasoning. Nonetheless, this did not stop us from enjoying the pork belly! Pork Belly Finally, we tried the Ora King Salmon priced at $27. The salmon was paired with a serrano citrus sauce and crispy leek. This dish is gluten-free. Ora King Salmon This was yet another standout dish, as it was beautifully presented. We found the sauce to be heavy on basil, and it was bright green, really packing a punch with flavor. We kept sticking our forks in it to steal another taste. Even if you’re not a salmon fan, you won’t regret ordering this, as the sauce really makes this dish stand out. Such bright colors! We could not end a review without dessert! To end our meal, we ordered The Shattered Rose for $32. This is an interactive dessert experience that came with Babka bread pudding and Cardamom gelato. The Shattered Rose This dessert is all about the show, and our server at Flora Taverna was the one who told us that we just had to try it! It arrives on a cart with a liquid nitrogen-infused red rose, which our server invites us to crumble and let it shatter over our dessert. This dessert was decadent and had a distinctive Mediterranean flavor. We initially thought our scoop of gelato was a bit small for a bread pudding dessert, but then we learned that you want to drag a bite of the pudding through the gelato rather than eating bites of it. Shattering the rose Now you may be wondering what ‘chocolate soil’ is. It is essentially a crumbled cookie cake that resembles dirt, and it was delicious! This dessert might be a one-and-done, but you won’t regret experiencing it! It is a fun experience! Lastly, we tried the Under Smoke, which consists of chocolate mousse, chocolate soil, and caramel, for $17. Under Smoke Now this is a dessert that you might regret trying. This has a very neat presentation as it comes under a cloche, and once our server lifted it, smoke poured out. This dessert reminded us of many desserts you might find at Animal Kingdom, such as a chocolate mousse with a cake or cookie topped with ganache. That is essentially what this was: a dome with shortbread cookie, chocolate mousse, and dark chocolate on top. This dessert also came with chocolate soil. Under Smoke If you like smoke and we mean A LOT of smoke, then you will love this dessert, but it was a bit too much smoke for us. The chocolate soil absorbed a significant amount of the smoke, and for this reason, we do not recommend it. We probably would not order this again Overall We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Bar Helios and think it’s the perfect way to end your day. While the main draw is the rooftop views of Epic Universe, the limited coverage and bugs added a bit of stress and worry to our time here. Regardless, the food and drinks were unique, and we are looking forward to the next time we can visit! Full Spread Nosh or Not Head to Bar Helios if… You want spectacular views of Epic Universe. The rooftop views offer a completely new perspective on the park, and it was great to enjoy a drink while taking in the scenery of Celestial Park. You want a cocktail with light appetizers. A majority of the menu features light bites, such as tapas, which pair perfectly with the cocktails. Maybe pick another restaurant if… You want a larger meal. If you are looking for less of a lounge-like meal, try Flora Taverna instead! The weather is bad. The main draw is the views of Epic Universe, and while you can see them from inside, the best view is on the terrace. Bar Helios We will be checking out everything at this brand-new hotel, so make sure to stay tuned with us here at the Disney Food Blog! FULL LOOK INSIDE the How To Train Your Dragon Kids Suite at Universal’s Helios Grand Hotel Read more: DFB's complete guide to Universal’s Epic Universe >> Do you have a vacation planned to visit Universal Orlando this year? Let us know in the comments!The post REVIEW: We Tried the NEW Bar Helios at Universal's Helios Grand Hotel first appeared on the disney food blog.View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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