I Went To The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy Bar At Universal’s HHN
Out of time? Here’s an honest review of everything on the menu.
The nightmare continues at Halloween Horror Nights. After his successful After Hours haunted house in 2022, The Weeknd has returned to Universal Studios Hollywood for its annual Halloween event.
In addition to an all-new maze inspired by the singer’s nightmare trilogy — After Hours, Dawn FM, and the upcoming Hurry Up Tomorrow album — California’s Halloween Horror Nights also has a The Weeknd bar with themed drinks and saw blade pizzas. Working with Universal Studios, Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) helped curate his new haunted house, which references many of his singles like “Blinding Lights,” “Heartless,” and “Out of Time.”
Even the menu at The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy bar takes inspo from After Hours and Dawn FM. As a foodie and fan of HHN, I tried everything on The Weeknd’s menu to see what’s worth ordering and what you can skip to “save your tears for another day.”
The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy House Features Tons Of Easter Eggs
Even if you’re not a huge fan of The Weeknd, you can appreciate how well both the house and bar are themed together. The cocktails and flatbreads even pay homage to moments from the haunted maze, like the gummy eyeball garnish inspired by the eyeball hallway from “Is There Someone Else?”
The saw blades that inspired the shape of the pizzas on the menu also come from the “Heartless” room, while the chocolate butterfly on top of the How Do I Make You Love Me? drink can be seen right before you enter the “afterlife” section. John Murdy, Executive Producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, revealed to Forbes that The Weeknd house loosely follows Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.
You enter the maze through a “Paparazzi Parasites” scene as you make your way to a backstage “Green Room” covered in money before heading to “Club Death.” Along the way, monster versions of The Weeknd and creatures from his music videos pop out to scare you. Unlike some houses that are just meant to frighten, The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy has fun with its scares and makes you scream, laugh, and dance at the same time.
An Honest Review The Weeknd’s Nightmarish Drinks
After going through the maze, I tried all the drinks on The Weeknd’s menu so you don’t have to — but it really wasn’t a challenge at all. All the cocktails at the Nightmare Trilogy bar were delicious and Insta-worthy, though some were better than others.
How Do I Make You Love Me? ($18)
My fave! It’s made with rum, passion fruit puree, peach syrup, and lemonade, so naturally it tasted like a tropical, well... lemonade. On such a warm day in Los Angeles, it was extra delightful and refreshing. All the drinks are pre-made, which can lend to them either being a bit too sweet or strong, but this was the perfect mix.
It also came with an edible chocolate butterfly on top and a souvenir glow cube, which I thought was the best garnish of the three.
Is There Someone Else? ($18)
Made with vodka, blue curaçao, lime juice, and Sprite, this beverage was also tasty, and reminded me of a carbonated blue Gatorade. My only issue was the gummy eyeball, which had a sour watermelon jelly inside that tasted like flavored lip balm.
Too Late ($18)
My least favorite was the cocktail with tequila, peach, lime juice, raspberry puree, and a grenadine-filled syringe on top. This just was too sweet with the added grenadine and stronger than the other two. You really need to mix it well, so use the syringe to give it a good stir before sipping.
Out Of Time ($15)
There’s also a non-alcoholic drink on the menu, with Coca-Cola and both raspberry and ginger syrup.
Overall, this tasted like a super sweet cherry coke and wasn’t unique enough for $15. However, the strawberry heart jellies on top were surprisingly good, and had a more natural flavor than I was expecting.
The Best Thing On The Weeknd Menu
As much as I enjoyed the drinks at the Nightmare Trilogy bar, the most delicious item was the short rib Saw Blade Flatbread.
The $15 saw-shaped pizza comes with braised short rib, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, spicy tomato sauce, and a ranch drizzle. This was a savory white pizza that anyone who loves to dip their slices into ranch will love. My only issue was the crust got a little soggy from all the sauce after sitting for a while, so this is definitely something you want to eat right away.
The $13 mushroom Saw Blade Flatbread was a great option for vegetarians, and came with mushrooms, roasted tomato, mozzarella cheese, green pepper, crispy onion, and spicy tomato sauce.
These snack options are a major improvement from the last time The Weeknd was at Halloween Horror Nights. In 2022, the space only offered pizza and seasoned fries — which had zero ties to the theme. This time around, Universal and The Weeknd really nailed it with taste and presentation, so if you’re going to HHN, make sure to stop by in between all the scare zones and houses.
