We tried the buzzy menu at Toadstool Cafe in Super Nintendo World, and found it looks much better than it tastes

The first Super Nintendo World opened in Japan in 2021 and the California version of the attraction officially opened in Universal Studios on Friday.

It's home to the new augmented-reality ride Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, interactive games, a store, and the sit-down restaurant Toadstool Cafe.

As members of Insider's audience and distribution team, we got the chance to visit Toadstool Cafe and try its food before it opened to the public as part of a media day. Because we tried the food before it was officially released, our $70 meal was covered by Super Nintendo World.

The park does a wonderful job with the theming and Toadstool Cafe is no exception.

Located just steps from the new Mario Kart ride in the heart of Super Nintendo World, the full-service restaurant made us feel fully immersed in the world of Mario.

Though we were there on a media day with limited crowds, the restaurant's setup looked prepped for line control.

Workers were stationed at the entrance of the ordering area to help direct customers to different lines to keep things moving.

Little details, like the portrait of chef Toad in the ordering area, made us feel like we were still in the world of Super Mario.

Throughout Super Nintendo World, we saw our favorite characters and symbols and Toadstool Cafe was no different. Super Mushroom and Power Flower, along with other iconic symbols, adorned the order area.

The menu had a few Italian-American-style dishes, like spaghetti and meatballs and garlic knots plus American food, like burgers. There were photos of some dishes, like the Mario burger and the Mt. Beanpole cake. 

Once we ordered and received our drinks, we went to a host stand and were seated at a table by a staff member. From there, our food would be brought to us. 

The dining area had a mix of booths and tables with chairs. There were pink columns, pink and white decorations, and Super Mushrooms on the ceiling. Everything felt cartoony and vibrant.

Our meal normally would've cost about $70 — each entree was $17, the desserts were $10 each, and the drinks were $8 each.

All of the foods were made to be playful and photogenic. 

One of the special drinks on the menu is the Super Star Lemon Squash, a honey lemon soda with mango stars and tropical bobas.

We were initially timid about ordering a drink with squash in the name, but it looked fun.

The drink was topped with star-shaped mango pieces and it had red, green, and white bobas at the bottom. 

It initially felt like too many flavors were at play, but this became one of our favorite menu items because it was refreshing and fun to drink. It tasted like a sweeter, more fizzy version of a Sprite.

The Mario burger is an all-beef burger with bacon, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, American cheese, and a side of truffle fries. Visually, the burger is one of the quirkiest menu items you can order. 

The burger tasted pretty average to us, though. The brioche bun was a bit too big for the patty and the beef was on the dry side.

Similar to the Mario burger, the bun had a charred-on mustache and little hat. 

The chicken breast was thick and delicious. Although the green bell pepper on the sandwich did add Luigi vibes, it was a bit overpowering. We'd never had that much raw bell pepper on a sandwich like this and the taste was strong in each bite.

The flavorful pesto made up for the pepper, though, and we liked that the dish came with an extra side of pesto for our fries, too.  

Although the staches and hats were adorable, the burgers weren't anything special. 

The Mario burger will hit the spot if you want something simple, and the Luigi burger might be better (but less photogenic) if you remove the bell pepper.

Luckily, the burger meals came with the real star of the day: delicious french fries with truffle seasoning. They were so crispy and had the perfect amount of seasoning.

The Mt. Beanpole cake was the most complex menu item we tried. The cake is topped with a matcha mouse and has layers of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate cake.

The strawberry flavor was the most dominant and it lingered after we finished the dessert. 

Just like in Mario, the ? Block tiramisu was a toss-up of what we'd find.

The dessert was one of the coolest visually, but we thought the tiramisu left something to be desired. It was pretty light on the espresso flavoring and the box it came in was made of shortbread cookies that didn't quite hit the spot.

The star (no pun intended) of the day was the Super Star Lemon Squash. Its bright and fruity flavor mixed with the fun add-ins made for an enjoyable, refreshing drink.

The decor, staff, and interactive elements made our visit to Toadstool Cafe enjoyable.  

The dishes weren't the best we ever had, but they looked amazing. The portion sizes also seemed pretty fair — the burger meals included a decent amount of food for the $17 price tag.

Presentation is really where the Toadstool Cafe shines and it's definitely worth stopping by if you want some Instagram-worthy dishes.