Food Fight: Crab Beignets

Welcome to our second Versus Battle. If you haven't had the chance to experience our first Food Fight be sure to listen in. In the podcast, we put Voodoo Doughnuts against Everglazed Donuts & Coldbrew. You can listen now by Clicking Here. In today's food fight as we put crab beignet against crab beignet. We will place the beignets from the Fusion: Machine Planet(Fear Factor Food Tent) against Pat O' Briens’ version. Let's get started!

First up is Machine Planet's Crab Beignets. These beignets are filled with creamy crab dip, then sprinkled with a cajun/creole(Old Bay) seasoning. For $9.99, you can indulge in three crab beignets the size of an Airpods Pro charging case. If you haven't tried these, you will be surprised to know that these are served slightly warm or at room temperature. In addition, they are usually inconsistent in cream cheese to crab ratios per beignet. The menu mentions they are topped with brown sugar, but writer Jon Self said he didn't get that taste. Either way, for these to be a temporary option, they are a great contender to the permanent version you can find in CityWalk. ​

Speaking of CityWalk, that's where we're headed for our next contender. You're probably wondering what Pat O' Briens is. Well, it's definitely not an Irish Pub. A man named Pat O'Brien ran a speakeasy in the 600 block of St. Peter street in New Orleans' French Quarter until the repeal of Prohibition. That's when he officially opened the bar on December 3, 1933. Pat O'Brien and his friend, Charlie Cantrell, then purchased the building home to Pat O'Brien's Bar at 718 St Peter Street. Over time Pat O' Briens introduced the Hurricane and dueling pianos. In 1978, George Oechsner and his son Sonny purchased Pat O'Brien's Bar. Pat O'Brien's Courtyard Restaurant opened as a full-service dining experience in 1996. In 1999, Pat O'Brien's Orlando in Universal CityWalk opened its doors to the theme park crowds.

Pat O' Briens serves our next You can find mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and tarragon aioli with these beignets. Get ready to fork over $13.95 for four or five beignets the size of a small dinner roll. Unlike their competitor, these are served hot. We're not a hundred percent in love with their filling for the beignets, maybe not even eighty, but when put with the aioli, it creates an appetizer worth trying. I will say the powdered sugar does not work with these, and we recommend you ask them not to top them with it. ​

So now you are wondering who won this battle, right? Both competitors put up a good fight, but only one can win. You've probably guessed it by now, but if not, Machine Planet won. The beignets are a delicious treat that is similar to Crab Rangoon. However, you may miss out on one less beignet. Still, this option is cheaper and seems to be a more popular item with visitors of Universal Orlando. You may have to wait in a queue for these babies, but it is totally worth it. Not to mention you can grab yourself(and me) an Ube Ice Cream Waffle. Have you had both? Let us know; tell us who you think won.

Xavier.H. 

​I'm Xavier- a food enthusiast and full-time blogger, theme park lover(especially Universal), and Halloween Horror Nights fan. I do happen to also lead the Universal Food Blog team on our trek to find the best dishes around Universal Orlando Resort to report to you!