Three Hidden Gems in CityWalk Orlando

1 The Upstairs Bar at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen is a massively popular, multi-level dining experience. It is often described as a Willy Wonka-esque dream fused with a spectacular 19th-century Steampunk aesthetic, complete with 97-foot billowing smokestacks, moving gears, and metallic accents.

While it's famous for its over-the-top desserts, the establishment features a fantastic, fully dedicated bar upstairs alongside its restaurant and confectionery.

🍸 The Bar Experience

Located on the second floor, the main bar features a striking, large marble bar top and illuminated glass shelves. It offers a slightly more sophisticated, lounge-like escape from the bustling restaurant floor below, while still maintaining the rich Steampunk vibe.

The drink menu is highly inventive, heavily featuring—you guessed it—chocolate and cocoa infusions, alongside traditional spirits and craft beers.

🍹 Signature Libations & Flights

The cocktail menu leans into "culinary alchemy" with sweet, savory, and smoky flavor profiles. Some standout favorites include:

• Chocolate Old Fashioned: Made with chocolate whiskey, cherry liqueur, sugar, and both chocolate and orange bitters.

• Cacao Nut Margarita: A unique twist using coconut tequila, white chocolate liqueur, lime, and orange juice.

• PB Cup Fashioned: A dessert in a glass featuring chocolate whiskey, peanut butter whiskey, and chocolate/orange bitters.

• Spresso 'Tini & Cocoa Clouds: Rich, velvety martinis layered with dark and white chocolate liqueurs, espresso, Kahlúa, or Baileys.

• Whiskey & Bourbon Flights: They offer curated flights ranging from sweet profiles (like Skrewball Peanut Butter and WhiskeySmith Chocolate) to bold, classic heavy-hitters (like Buffalo Trace and Knob Creek).

• Too Chocolate Stout: A custom, dark ebony draft beer brewed specifically for Toothsome that leaves a rich chocolate finish.

🍽️ More Than Just Drinks: The Rest of the Emporium

If you are planning a full visit, the bar is only one piece of the puzzle:

• The Story & Characters: The restaurant is themed around the fictional lore of Professor Doctor Penelope Tibeaux-Tinker Toothsome and her robot companion, Jacques. You will often see them walking around the floor interacting with guests in full character.

• The Savory Kitchen: The food menu is surprisingly vast, blending American classics with French influences. They serve everything from steak and flatbreads to unique appetizers like Chocolate Almond Bread served with salted caramel butter, and Coffee and Chocolate Stout Wings.

• The Dessert Foundry: Famous for monstrous, Instagram-worthy Artisanal Milkshakes served in souvenir jars, topped with entire slices of cake, brownies, or whole cookies.

• The Confectionery: A retail candy shop on the ground floor where you can buy gourmet truffles, specialty chocolate bars, and Steampunk merchandise to take home.

Whether you're stopping by just to grab a chocolate-infused cocktail at the bar or sitting down for a full three-course meal, it’s an incredibly immersive experience.

#2 Pat O’Briens Speakeasy – 600 Block

If you’re looking for a hidden gem away from the usual theme park crowds, you’ve found it. 600 Block is an exclusive, 1920s Prohibition-style speakeasy hidden on the second level of Pat O’Brien’s at Universal CityWalk Orlando.

Named after the original street block where Pat O'Brien's first opened in New Orleans, this limited-time, adults-only (21+) lounge offers a moody, immersive nightlife experience.

🕵️‍♂️ How to Get In (The Password & Ritual)

True to speakeasy fashion, you can't just walk up and ask for a table. Universal turned getting inside into a fun, interactive game:

1. Find the Clues: Guests can pick up special "membership cards" scattered around select locations in CityWalk (including Pat O'Brien's).

2. Decode the Password: The card contains hidden clues that reveal a changing secret password.

3. The Hidden Door: You'll follow subtle green signs to find a disguised, unassuming door. Knock on it, give the password to the doorman, and you're in.

🎷 The Atmosphere

Located in the venue's upper Briar Suite, the space has been meticulously transformed into a luxury 1920s warehouse hiding contraband from the authorities.

• The Vibe: It’s incredibly intimate and laid-back compared to the rest of CityWalk. Think dim lighting, lavish velvet furniture, chandeliers, and vintage decor featuring period-accurate Easter eggs (like bottles labeled "Giggle Water").

• Live Music: On Thursday through Saturday nights, the lounge features live jazz musicians.

• The Seating Choice: Indoor seating gives you a quiet, deeply immersive escape. However, if you sit out on the balcony, you get a cool hybrid experience—you can enjoy your exclusive speakeasy drinks while hearing the energetic dueling pianos echoing from the main courtyard below.

🍸 The Menu

The food and drink menus are completely unique to 600 Block and lean heavily into elevated, New Orleans-inspired flavor profiles.

Signature Cocktails:

• Sirloin Sazerac: A heavy hitter made with sirloin-infused rye whiskey. (Reviewers note that these are legitimate, strong craft cocktails—not watered-down theme park drinks).

• Gilded Old Fashioned: A smooth, balanced classic with an upscale twist.

• Rosé 75 & Water Lily: Lighter, botanical, and refreshing options.

• Note: They also offer the Yuzu Smash Mocktail for non-alcoholic options and usually have an exclusive cocktail specifically for Universal Annual Passholders.

Small Plates:

• Savory Bites: Deviled eggs, Millionaire Bacon, Caprese skewers, pinwheel sandwiches, and dirty rice.

• Sweet Bites: A bag of classic New Orleans Beignets or a decadent Cookies & Cream version.

🗓️ Is It Open Right Now?

Because this takes over a private event space, Universal runs it as a seasonal popup. The 2026 season officially opened on April 9 and runs through August 23, 2026. It primarily operates Thursday through Sunday during the evening hours.

If you are visiting CityWalk this summer and want a sophisticated, relaxing, and slightly secret way to end your night, it is absolutely worth hunting down a membership card.

And finally, here’s a hint: Storm Brewin’

#3 The Outdoor Balcony at Red Coconut Club

The Red Coconut Club at Universal CityWalk Orlando is a vibrant, two-story nightlife hotspot that perfectly blends vintage Cuban flair with tiki chic.

While it spent many years operating as a traditional nightclub, Universal has completely reinvented the space. It now operates primarily as a seasonal pop-up lounge, transforming multiple times a year with massive, highly detailed overlays that match whatever event is happening at the resort.

🌴 The Standard Vibe & Layout

When it isn't transformed for a holiday, the Red Coconut Club features a lush, moonlit island vibe with a touch of Old Hollywood glamour.

• First Floor: Features a lively dance floor, a massive main bar, and plenty of energy.

• Second Floor: A more intimate, upscale lounge area with plush seating that is perfect for conversation.

• The Balcony: One of the best hidden gems of the venue is its outdoor patio seating, which offers a stunning, elevated view of the CityWalk waterways and the neon lights below.

🎭 The Seasonal Transformations (The Shape-Shifter Club)

The real draw of the Red Coconut Club is how it entirely morphs throughout the year. Universal’s entertainment and culinary teams go all-out with custom menus, props, photo-ops, and live actors.

• The Dead Coconut Club (September – November): A massive hit during Halloween Horror Nights. The club transforms into a spooky, monster-themed tiki lounge, often heavily featuring the Universal Classic Monsters (like Dracula, the Wolf Man, or the Mummy) alongside incredibly creative, creepy cocktails.

• The Green & Red Coconut Club (November – January): For the Holidays at Universal, the venue gets decked out in tacky-chic Christmas decor, tinsel, and strings of lights, serving up festive, holiday-themed drinks (and sometimes even holding "Ugly Sweater" nights).

• The Cursed Coconut Club (February – April): During Universal’s Mardi Gras, it takes on an eerie, supernatural New Orleans bayou/swamp aesthetic downstairs, while flipping into a neon-lit, laid-back Louisiana dive bar upstairs.

• Re(d)tro Nights & Love Is Universal (Summer): In the summer months, the club travels back in time with an '80s and '90s retro overlay, featuring nostalgic throwback tracks, neon decor, and classic arcade games. During June, it simultaneously hosts Love Is Universal Nights to celebrate Pride Month, featuring DJs, themed Pride cocktails, and stilt-walkers dressed in the colors of the Progress Pride Flag.

🗓️ Know Before You Go

• Admission: Generally free to enter!

• Age Limit: While it can occasionally vary depending on the specific event, the seasonal overlays typically require guests to be 21+ with a valid ID to enter in the evenings.

• Operating Schedule: Because it functions as a seasonal venue, it isn't open 7 days a week. It typically runs Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday, starting around 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM and closing between midnight and 1:00 AM.

Universal typically pours strong drinks; as aways drink responsibly. 

This article is reprinted with permission from Universal Drinkers