Bubba Gump Shrimp Company - Hollywood

Review of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Hollywood

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
100 Universal City Plaza, Suite 114
Universal City, CA 91608
Phone: 818-753-4867
Fax: 818-753-7509
Hours: Open daily at 11:00am
Prices: $$
Metro: Red Line to Universal City, free shuttle to Universal City Walk
Website: www.bubbagump.com

If you've just spent the day at Universal Studios Hollywood, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. on Universal City Walk is a fun place to continue the movie mania. The drinks menu is on a ping pong paddle. You can get the attention of the nearest server by flipping the metal "Run Forest Run" plaque to "Stop Forest Stop." And the enthusiastic wait staff drills you with Forest Gump trivia questions between courses.

The décor is typical of this chain (and other Southern BBQ restaurants), with wood plank walls plastered with license plates and quirky signs. One wall is open to the patio area on Universal City Plaza, which is great for people watching. On a summer evening, it was quite chilly even inside the restaurant due to the open wall. There is also a bar and a gift shop where you can buy T-shirts, souvenir glasses, and of course the DVD of Forest Gump.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is all about seafood with southern and Cajun embellishments, but there are also a few meat items and salads on the menu.

Bubba Gump has two other Southern California locations in Long Beach and Anaheim.

If anyone asks, Lt. Dan's last name in the movie was Taylor.

My friend Lisa and I decided to go for Mamma Gump's Shrimper's Net Catch, a bucket of peel and eat shrimp, steamed in beer and seasoned with either garlic or Cajun spices. We went for half and half, which worked out well, since I liked the garlic better and Lisa preferred the Cajun. Fortunately, there is a roll of paper towels and packets of wet wipes right on the table, because we made quite a mess of ourselves finishing off the bucket.

For a main dish, Lisa ordered the Accidental Fish and Shrimp, a mahi mahi filet on a bed of jasmine rice surrounded by shrimp with a lemony sauce, which she found quite delectable. I ordered the Salmon Veggie Skillet and had them put the sauce on the side. I was glad I did because the sauce was a little sour for me, but the fish was delicious and the asparagus and carrots were nice and crisp. Considering that it is served in a skillet, it was a little cooler than it should have been, but that could have been because I took the time to take a photo of it.

Despite being stuffed to the gills, we couldn't resist a dessert called That Chocolate Thing, a warm, non-baked chocolate torte with raspberry sauce, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. We were just going to have a taste, but there wasn't anything left when we were through.

Note: This story was accurate when it was published. All prices and menu items are subject to change without notice.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with a complimentary meal for the purpose of this review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.