The Perfect End to Your Epic Universe Day
Universal's Epic Universe is the most anticipated theme park opening Orlando has seen in years. Massive new lands, groundbreaking rides, and crowds to match. After spending eight or ten hours on your feet, the last thing you want is another chain restaurant with a forty-five-minute wait. What you want is a quiet, elegant bar with a cold drink in your hand and real Italian food on the way. That is exactly what Vincenzo Cucina Italiana delivers.
Located on International Drive, Vincenzo is a short drive from Epic Universe. The restaurant has been family-owned since 1991 and has earned its reputation as Orlando's number one Italian since 2014, backed by more than 4,000 reviews. The bar features craft cocktails, a curated Italian wine list, and draft beer, all at happy hour prices during the week.
Drinks After Epic Universe
When you leave Epic Universe in the evening, the I-Drive corridor is right there. Vincenzo sits on International Drive, making it one of the easiest upscale options to reach after a park day. While the restaurants immediately outside the park gates will be packed with thousands of visitors, Vincenzo offers a calmer, more refined atmosphere where you can actually hear your friends talk.
The bar opens at 5 PM every evening. If you leave Epic Universe around that time, you can walk into one of the best happy hours on International Drive:
- ✦ Monday: Happy hour specials ALL NIGHT from open until close
- ✦ Tuesday: Martini Night with specialty martini specials at the bar
- ✦ Wednesday: Wine Down Wednesday with half-price bottles of wine all evening
- ✦ Thursday & Friday: Happy hour at the bar, 5–7 PM
- ✦ Sunday: Wine Night specials
Why Vincenzo Over the Tourist Restaurants
The area around Epic Universe and International Drive is going to be flooded with new chain restaurants and quick-service spots designed to capture theme park traffic. Vincenzo is not that. This is a family-owned restaurant that has been doing things the right way for over three decades. The pasta is handmade. The steaks are USDA Prime. The seafood is fresh. And the cocktails are crafted by bartenders who care about what goes in your glass.
You can taste the difference between a mass-produced Aperol Spritz from a theme park bar and one made properly at Vincenzo. The Negroni is stirred with intention. The espresso martini uses real Italian espresso. The wine list is not a random assortment, it is curated with Italian varietals from Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily, and the Veneto.
Turn Drinks Into Dinner
One of the best moves after Epic Universe is to start with happy hour drinks and let the evening evolve into dinner. At Vincenzo, the full menu is available during happy hour. Begin with a cocktail and some bruschetta or calamari at the bar. Once you have caught your breath from the park, move to a table for handmade pappardelle, veal osso buco, or a perfectly seared filet mignon. Many of the restaurant's best evenings start exactly this way.
Wine Down Wednesday After the Park
If your Epic Universe visit falls on a Wednesday, you are in for a treat. Wine Down Wednesday means every bottle on Vincenzo's Italian wine list is half price all evening. After a full day of rides and attractions, sitting down with a half-price bottle of Chianti or Brunello and a plate of fresh pasta is about as good as an Orlando evening gets.
Groups and Private Events
Visiting Epic Universe with a large group? Vincenzo's Amalfi Room seats 15 to 50 guests and is ideal for post-park celebrations, corporate outings, or family gatherings. All-inclusive packages with cocktail service and passed appetizers are available. Call ahead to reserve the space for your group.
Near Epic Universe
I-Drive on International Drive
Happy Hour
Tue–Fri, 5–7 PM
Monday
All Night Until Close
Parking
Complimentary Valet