Hollywood Ride Guide Independent & unofficial

Universal's Islands of Adventure

The Lost Continent

What is left of the park's mythology island after Hogsmeade took half of it - one restaurant, one talking fountain, two dark theaters.

  • Opened1999
  • Attractions1
  • Places to eat3
  • HeadlinerThe Mystic Fountain

The Lost Continent was originally the park's largest island, a sprawl of Greek, Arabian and Arthurian mythology. In 2010 the Merlinwood section of it was demolished to build Hogsmeade, and what remains is a narrow strip between the Wizarding World and Seuss Landing. It is quiet, it is heavily shaded, and it contains the best restaurant in the park.

Both of its show attractions have closed. The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad Stunt Show, a pyrotechnic stunt spectacular in an open-air theater, ran from 1999 until September 2018. Poseidon's Fury, a walkthrough effects show with a water vortex tunnel, closed permanently in 2023 after years of intermittent operation. Universal has not announced a replacement for either space, and the buildings stand behind fencing.

That leaves Mythos Restaurant - a cave-like sit-down room over the lagoon that repeatedly won best-themed-restaurant awards, and which still serves the most ambitious food at Islands of Adventure - along with Fire-Eater's Grill, Doc Sugrue's kebab window, and The Mystic Fountain. The Mystic Fountain is a talking fountain operated by a live off-stage performer who insults passing children and squirts them with water. It is free, it is genuinely funny, and it has held its own against nine-figure attractions for twenty-seven years.

Do not miss

  • Mythos Restaurant, the best food in the park
  • The Mystic Fountain, free and better than it has any right to be
  • Real shade and low crowds between two of the busiest islands
  • Fire-Eater's Grill and Doc Sugrue's for a cheap, fast lunch

The Lost Continent tips

  • Book Mythos for lunch rather than dinner. The room is quieter, the menu is nearly identical, and you are not giving up evening ride time.
  • This is the shadiest walkable stretch in the park. If you need to sit down between Hogsmeade and Seuss Landing, sit down here.
  • Stop at The Mystic Fountain for five minutes with children in tow. It responds to what they say, which almost nothing else in the park does.
  • Do not plan around Poseidon's Fury or Sindbad. Both are permanently closed and both still appear on old maps and blog posts.

Attractions in The Lost Continent

The Mystic Fountain

Any height

Interactive game · 10 min

A talking stone fountain operated by a live performer who argues with passing children and squirts them - free, and better than it sounds.

The Mystic Fountain is a carved stone face in a small plaza in The Lost Continent, voiced live by a performer watching from off-stage. It talks to passing guests, asks questions, insults children affectionately, tells bad jokes, and fires a jet of water at anyone who gets too confident. It has been doing this since 1999.

Tips for The Mystic Fountain
  • Stop for five minutes with children in tow. It is the only thing at Islands of Adventure that responds to what they say.
  • It will squirt you. That is the deal, and standing at the front while heckling is asking for it.
  • The performer works in shifts and the fountain goes quiet between them. If it is silent, come back in twenty minutes rather than assuming it is broken.
  • This plaza is one of the shadiest spots in the park, which makes it a good place to stand still in the middle of the afternoon anyway.

Eating in The Lost Continent

Table service · The Lost Continent

Mythos Restaurant

The best restaurant at Islands of Adventure - a carved cave dining room over the lagoon with cooking that outclasses everything else in the park.

$$$

  • CuisineMediterranean-influenced modern American
  • ReservationsReservations recommended

Quick service · The Lost Continent

Fire-Eater's Grill

A small counter in The Lost Continent doing gyros and chicken fingers, with shaded seating and almost no queue.

$Mobile order

  • CuisineGyros, chicken and hot dogs
  • ReservationsNo reservations

Snack cart · The Lost Continent

Doc Sugrue's Desert Kebab House

A grilled skewer window in The Lost Continent selling chicken and beef kebabs, and one of the few portable hot meals in the park.

$

  • CuisineGrilled skewers and snacks
  • ReservationsNo reservations

Snacks worth stopping for

Braised Short Rib

Mythos Restaurant

$28.99

Slow-braised beef short rib with a potato puree and a reduced braising jus, the long-standing signature main at Mythos.

Our take: The best plate of food inside Islands of Adventure and cheaper than the equivalent at any Walt Disney World signature. This is the dish that justifies booking a table at all.

Do not leave without it Savory

$21.99

Rice noodles with tamarind, peanuts, egg and vegetables, available with chicken, shrimp or as a vegetarian plate, and a fixture on the Mythos menu for years.

Our take: An odd dish to find in a Greek-themed cave and one of the most reliably good things on the menu. The vegetarian version is the best meat-free main in the park.

Near the top of the list Savory Vegetarian

Crab Cake Sandwich

Mythos Restaurant

$23.99

A lump crab cake on a brioche bun with slaw and a remoulade, served with fries at lunch.

Our take: More crab than filler, which is not a given at this price point in a theme park. The lighter lunch order if the short rib is too much at midday.

Savory

Gyro

Fire-Eater's Grill

$13.99

Seasoned gyro meat in pita with tzatziki, tomato and onion, served with fries from the small window in The Lost Continent.

Our take: Better than the price and the location suggest, with no queue sixty seconds from the worst queues in the park. The smartest cheap lunch at Islands of Adventure.

Savory Walkable

Chicken Skewer

Doc Sugrue's Desert Kebab House

$12.99

A grilled marinated chicken skewer cooked to order at the outdoor kebab window in The Lost Continent.

Our take: One of the only hot meals in this park you can eat while walking, and naturally gluten-free. Not exciting, and exactly right when you do not want to lose an hour to lunch.

Savory Gluten-friendly Walkable

Nearby

Universal's Islands of Adventure map See where this land sits All attractions Every ride in Universal's Islands of Adventure Port of Entry The entry bazaar and the park's only crossroads - no attractions at all, and most of the useful services. Marvel Super Hero Island Primary-colored comic architecture wrapped around the park's two most physically aggressive rides and its best dark ride.