Parks Magic
Universal Will Close the Award-Winning Mythos for Good and Reimagine Thunder Falls Terrace as a New Signature Restaurant
News

Universal Will Close the Award-Winning Mythos for Good and Reimagine Thunder Falls Terrace as a New Signature Restaurant

Michael Travels
·
Published

Some bittersweet news for Universal fans who love a proper sit-down meal at the parks. As Universal gets ready to redevelop The Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure, the beloved Mythos Restaurant, a ten-time winner of Theme Park Insider's Best Restaurant award, is closing for good. Stepping into its shoes as the park's fine dining flagship is Thunder Falls Terrace, the Jurassic Park barbecue spot, which closes this summer to be reborn in 2027 as an all new full-service restaurant.

Mythos Restaurant at Universal Islands of Adventure, overlooking the lagoonMythos Restaurant at Islands of Adventure is set to close permanently by 2027. Photo: Orlando Informer

Mythos, a genuine theme park legend, is closing

If you have eaten at Islands of Adventure, you probably know Mythos. Tucked into a cave-like grotto in The Lost Continent with waterfalls and lagoon views, it has served contemporary American food with an international twist for more than two decades, and it built a reputation as arguably the best restaurant in any theme park anywhere. Theme Park Insider readers voted it Best Restaurant so many times, a run that reached ten wins, that the site eventually retired it into its Hall of Fame so other restaurants could get a look in.

Universal announced on Thursday, May 7, 2026 that The Lost Continent will close in phases to make way for a new, still unannounced themed land, and Mythos is going with it. The restaurant is set to close permanently by 2027. No specific final date has been announced yet, so if it is on your list, do not wait too long.

Thunder Falls Terrace becomes the new flagship

Rather than leave Islands of Adventure without a marquee sit-down restaurant, Universal is promoting from within. In that same May 7 announcement, the resort said Thunder Falls Terrace, currently a quick-service spot in Jurassic Park known for rotisserie chicken, BBQ ribs, and roasted pernil, will close this summer and reopen in 2027 as an all new full-service restaurant. Universal's announcement, as relayed by outlets including ClickOrlando, described it as the park's new signature dining destination. One important distinction: Thunder Falls is being reimagined and will reopen, so only Mythos is closing for good.

Thunder Falls Terrace in Jurassic Park at Universal Islands of AdventureThunder Falls Terrace in Jurassic Park closes this summer and reopens in 2027 as a full-service restaurant. Photo: Orlando Informer

A $6 million permit shows the work is real

This is not just talk. Back in late April, before the land announcement even dropped, a building permit surfaced in the City of Orlando's public records tied to the project. Permit BLD2026-13610 lists a Universal-owned parcel, a $6 million construction value, and a filing date of April 27, 2026. WDW News Today, citing the tracker Universally Addicted, reported that the permit is for interior renovations at Thunder Falls Terrace, that it had passed review, and that it carries an expiration date of October 26, 2026. A $6 million interior job is a serious investment, which is about what you would expect for a jump from counter service to a full-service flagship.

What it means for your next visit

If Mythos has been sitting on your Universal bucket list, treat this as your notice to book it before it is gone. And if you are visiting in the back half of 2026, plan on Thunder Falls Terrace being behind construction walls. The payoff is a brand new signature restaurant waiting on the other side in 2027, along with whatever Universal has planned for the land that replaces The Lost Continent.

Sources

Image credits: Orlando Informer.

Mentioned in this story

Check out our guides for more on each place in this story:

Islands of Adventure Mythos Restaurant

Related News

Disney Named Monstropolis' Main Street Dark Avenue, and Imagineers Say Piston Peak Buildings Were Shortened After a Balloon Test Came Back Too High

Disney Named Monstropolis' Main Street Dark Avenue, and Imagineers Say Piston Peak Buildings Were Shortened After a Balloon Test Came Back Too High

Walt Disney Imagineering put out a new We Call It Imagineering episode on Friday, a 24-minute architecture tour that stops in on four Walt Disney World projects. The headline is a name nobody had heard before: Dark Avenue, the main street running through Monstropolis to the Monsters, Inc. factory that will house the suspended door coaster. The same episode explains what balloons like the one we wrote about on August 12 are for. Imagineers say the first Piston Peak sightline test showed some elevations were a little too high, and structures were shortened before a second test came back right on the money.

August 28, 2026 News
SeaWorld's Howl-O-Scream Menu Has a Cricket Tres Leches and a Card That Spells It Pizza Roles, While Its Own Food Page Says Coming Soon

SeaWorld's Howl-O-Scream Menu Has a Cricket Tres Leches and a Card That Spells It Pizza Roles, While Its Own Food Page Says Coming Soon

SeaWorld named the Howl-O-Scream 2026 food and drink lineup on August 26, including a Tripleta Sandwich, the Eggo Massacre, a Highway Havoc Bacon Mac and Cheese Dog, beef birria ramen and seven specialty cocktails. Tasting cards photographed at the August 20 media preview name six more dishes no outlet has named in prose, among them a Cricket Tres Leches, an Intestine Cinnamon Roll, and a card SeaWorld printed as Pizza Roles. Meanwhile the park's own Taste the Terror page still reads Information Coming Soon, and its menu page is still serving 2024.

August 28, 2026 News
Rain Kept Jack and Dr. Oddfellow Off the Street for Most of Universal's $415 Premium Scream Night, and Two Houses Were Listed as Delayed

Rain Kept Jack and Dr. Oddfellow Off the Street for Most of Universal's $415 Premium Scream Night, and Two Houses Were Listed as Delayed

Halloween Horror Nights 35 met its first paying guests on Thursday at Premium Scream Night, the preview that starts at $415 a head. Rain arrived around 6:45 p.m., ponchos went out, and the two icons fronting the whole event were not reported in the entrance scare zone until 10:55 p.m. By 11:10 p.m. the open houses were down to five minute waits, but MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals and Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness were listed as delayed. The first public night is tonight.

August 28, 2026 News
Vekoma Says It Installed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's New Track and Trains, and Ties the Work to the Lowered 38 Inch Height Requirement

Vekoma Says It Installed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's New Track and Trains, and Ties the Work to the Lowered 38 Inch Height Requirement

Dutch coaster manufacturer Vekoma went public on Thursday with its role in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's 16 month refurbishment, saying it installed a new track and passenger trains at Magic Kingdom. Disney described the same work in May without naming a manufacturer. Vekoma ties the lowered 38 inch height requirement to the new hardware plus a comprehensive safety review, and closes with an argument for revitalizing old rides instead of replacing them.

August 28, 2026 News