Helios Bar, Universal Helios Grand Hotel, May 2025

During our last minute trip to Florida, it was Jo’s birthday, and to celebrate, we booked a table at the new Helios Bar at the top of Universals’ Helios Grand Hotel overlooking Epic Universe.

We got our reservation online 2 weeks in advance of or stay to make sure we could get in, and we had no problems doing so. We were staying over at Stella Nova and the quickest way to get there was by Uber/Lyft/Ride Share. We did enquire about the bus, but staff informed us that the buses weren’t regular and could take a while, and then you’d have to go into CityWalk to get the bus back. You can walk to Epic from Stella Nova, but then you’d have to walk around the entire park to get to Helios, so Lyft seemed like the better option.

The Hotel itself looks tremendous. We walked in the giant reception area which is very bright and open, with large columns and Greek looking white brick walls around, tall windows looking out onto the patio with the Helios statue and the view into Epic Universe.

We headed for the lift. At the end of the corridor is an arched wall with a screen depicting the sky, that moves and changes depending on the time of day. It was the evening, so we were shown a night sky with the lunar cycles. We got in the lift and headed for floor 10: Bar Helios.

After waiting a few minutes and taking a few pics, we were shown to our table. Wow, the bar room itself looks amazing.

The bar itself is in the centre of the room with tables all around. Windows at the front give views across Orlando – you could see Icon Park and other coasters in the distance, whilst the back windows look out over Epic Universe.

The top of the bar has an illuminated column pointing towards the ceiling, a large dome covered in illuminated constellations with Greek sounding names (that I believe are just the names of the people who designed the bar or the park… something like that). The dimmed lighting, white rock effect walls and dark furnishings make the room feel luxurious.

We were there with the kids. We’d made sure they’d already been fed as there was nothing there they’d even contemplate trying, and there’s no kids menu. Drinks though, we thought they might have some basics like a fruit juice or something similar, but we were offered alcohol free cocktails that they had no interest in. So, unless they’re happy with a water, bring some juice or something if you have fussy kids.

As you’d expect, it’s not cheap here. Draught beers were around $14, Cocktails ranged from $18-$25, and wines from $14 per glass. Food started at around $21, fresh fish was priced at market value and if you were feeling flash, the seafood tower is $225 and the tomahawk steak was $195!

Here’s what we tried:

This was great. A large platter of Marinated Olives, Baba Ghanoush, Za’atar Labneh, Hummus and Grilled Pita. A great selection of dips and breads to share, and they didn’t skimp on the portions either. All tasted great.

3 small croquettes served with a summer citrus ricotta. These were a bit of a disappointment. They weren’t great and there certainly wasn’t $21 worth. Wouldn’t have these again.

Crispy Calamari served with pickled Turkish pepper, herbs and a rich tomato garlic sauce. This was a lovely dish and plenty for us to share. Tasted great and not too chewy either. Would definitely have this again.

A decent enough IPA. This had a tropical flavour which was nice. Not too strong on the fruitiness and a nice flavour.

A cocktail of white Rum, mint, lime oleo, cucumber, lime juice and club soda. It was like a fancy ‘deconstructed’ Mojito. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. (This one isn’t currently showing on the online Helios Bar menu, but may be available in the bar itself).

We spent the rest of our time on the balcony. Finally it had stopped raining so we could go get some good views of Epic Universe. Disappointingly the balcony area is all surrounded by large, high, glass panels, that were clouded due to the rain, so our glimpses were through the gaps between or some dryer patches.

Epic Universe does look amazing from here though. This was our first real look at the park as we hadn’t been in yet. You could see Stardust Racers illuminated as it flew around the track and the multicoloured lights of Super Nintendo World. Constellation Carousel and the central hub looked great at night and the fountains looked amazing too. A great view from here!

After heading back downstairs, we popped outside to the courtyard area at the back of the Helios Grand to see the Helios statue that overlooks the park, with it’s illuminated text in the arch above and lights all around, it really looks stunning out there.

Generally everything about Helios Bar was nice. It has a lovely atmosphere and feels very posh for a theme park hotel bar, but not uncomfortably so. The staff were friendly, helpful and polite, so couldn’t fault that. Food was generally good, I’d like to go again and try a few more options and I’m sure Jo would love to try some of the other cocktails. Hopefully it wont be raining next time we go so we can get better views outside or even sit out, though apparently the balcony seats can be like sitting in a wind tunnel.

Here’s a few more pictures from around the hotel, bar and outside.

Universal’s website has more information on Bar Helios, and to reserve a table, visit Resy.