Last Updated on January 4, 2023 by Suzy McCullough
Hands up! Who loves Forrest Gump as much as we do? It was an absolute must for us to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. when we were holidaying in Florida this year. It’s actually a chain of restaurants across the USA (there’s even one in London) all themed on the great movie from 1994 based on Forrest Gump’s life from 1944 up until 1982.
If you’ve never seen the film I highly recommend that you watch it. It’s such a feel-good movie. We ate at the Bubba Gumps in Universal’s City Walk – here’s my review.
One of the great things about the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. at Universal city walk is its location. It’s the closest restaurant to the parking and also where the buses drop off their hotel customers. Once you have gone through bag check and security it’s located on the left at the end of the moving walkways.
We often saw activities outside this restaurant. One day there was a shrimp that you could meet and pose for photos with, another day they had a ball toss and another the kids could pick up some chalk and draw on the sidewalk.
Do you remember the bench where Forrest sits and waits for his bus? They have a similar one outside their restaurant where you can pose with his shoes and pretend to be Forrest Gump.
Can you reserve a table at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Universal?
Currently, the answer is no you can’t reserve in advance. The restaurant is absolutely massive inside and so long as you arrive early you shouldn’t struggle to get a table. If you pass by earlier on in the day you may be able to reserve a table for later on that day however it’s not always possible and there’s not always someone there waiting to take your reservation.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Inside
The walls, ceilings and tables are brimming with Forrest Gump paraphernalia. Wherever you look there’s something connected with the film. We especially loved the Run Forrest Run/Stop Forrest sign that each table has. If you want service you turn the sign over to ‘Stop Forrest’ and you know what it worked.
We also had a table tennis bat for a drinks menu. Someone has put a lot of thought and effort into this chain of restaurants.
For an extra bit of fun, our waiter came up to us at one point and asked if we’d seen the film before. Yeah, about 30 times haha! He then asked the table next to us and as they’d also seen the film we were given quiz questions to compete against each other. I’m still not entirely sure if we won but it was a laugh and it’s funny some of the things you remember and some of the things that you forget.
The Children’s Menu at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Our son loves shrimp and we were expecting him to order some. He wasn’t feeling very adventurous that evening though and opted for pizza. He did, however, get some colouring which he was thrilled about and it turned about to be something of a rarity for our stay at Universal.
The loveliest thing about the kid’s menu was the Bubba Gump cup that his drink came in – which he was allowed to keep. Plus the Jenny boat that some of his food was served in. He loved his Jenny boat so much that he cried when he got a small rip in it!
When we visited kids’ meals were $8.49. For this, you got a main meal with a choice of side, a drink and Jello for dessert. Other choices were a burger, grilled cheese, ribs, corn dog, pasta, mac and cheese, popcorn shrimp and fish sticks. The side options were fries, veg, salad or fruit.
Adult Menu at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Co Universal
The adult menu was very extensive and it took a lot of time to choose from it. We weren’t especially hungry so we tried to eat lightly. My husband and I also managed to choose the same thing so there’s not a huge amount to review from the adult menu.
We both chose the Muma Gump’s garlic bread basket at $5.49 and the Shrimp Shack Mac and Cheese at $11.49 (appetizer/starter). Both dishes were served hot and relatively quickly. We were both pleased with what we had chosen but it was a lot more filling than we were expecting.
Mind you if we would order carbs and carbs then what should we expect? The garlic bread was much bigger than we expected and I’m pretty sure that we could have shared one.
Other appetizers/starters were priced from $9.00-14.00 and included things like onion rings, calamari, shrimp cocktail and dips.
They had a range of salads plus mains for around $19.00-24.00. These included steamed crab legs, lobster, shrimps done many different ways, burgers, fish and grilled meat. Desserts were mostly priced at just under $10.00.
We were very tempted to eat at Bubba Gumps again during our visit as the drinks were fairly priced and the food was good. Sadly we never managed it though. We would not hesitate to eat at Bubba Gumps again. We spent most of the rest of our time in Florida wishing that we had returned.
Find a Great Family-Friendly Hotel at Universal Orlando
For other reviews of restaurants at Universal and Universal City Walk please see –
The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium at Universal’s City Walk | A Review
Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar at Universal’s City Walk Florida | A Review
Lombard’s Seafood Grille Universal Florida | A Review
Mythos at Islands of Adventure | Universal Florida | A Review
