Universal Orlando Is Permanently Closing Islands of Adventure's The Lost Continent, Including Mythos Restaurant
One of Universal Orlando's most beloved corners is coming down, and it's taking the most award-winning restaurant in theme park history with it.
Universal Orlando Resort confirmed Thursday that the Lost Continent at Islands of Adventure will permanently close to make way for a major new themed area. The announcement ends more than 25 years of history for one of the park's original opening-day lands, and signals the end for Mythos Restaurant, which will shutter in 2027.
For theme park fans, the Mythos closure may sting more than anything else. The restaurant has won Theme Park Insider's Best Restaurant award 10 times - more than any other restaurant in the award's 21-year history - and became the first inductee into Theme Park Insider's Awards Hall of Fame in 2022. The sign outside the restaurant advertising its status as the world's best theme park restaurant isn't a marketing claim. It's a documented record of achievement that no other dining experience in the industry has matched.
What Made Universal Studios' Mythos So Special
Mythos was never a typical theme park restaurant. The exterior alone (towering rock formations, cascading waterfalls and ancient figures carved into the facade) stopped guests in their tracks before they ever sat down. Inside, the space opened into a cavernous grotto with rock walls and interior waterfalls that made visitors feel transported somewhere far removed from Central Florida. Outdoor seating offered a view across the park's inland lagoon that ranked among the genuinely beautiful views available at any theme park anywhere.
The food matched the setting. A Mediterranean, Asian, and American menu executed consistently and seriously, in a building that treated dining as something worth designing around. For 27 years, guests planned entire park days around a meal at Mythos.
The End of Islands of Adventure's Lost Continent
Lost Continent opened alongside Islands of Adventure in 1999, built around original mythology and adventure stories at a time when Universal was trying to create immersive environments that didn't depend on recognizable film franchises. That vision has been steadily replaced over the decades - Harry Potter took over large portions of the park, Jurassic Park became Jurassic World, Poseidon's Fury closed permanently in 2023, and the Dueling Dragons coasters were absorbed into the Wizarding World years ago.
Mythos outlasted all of it. It became the last major surviving piece of the original 1999 park - the version of Islands of Adventure that prioritized atmosphere and original world-building above franchise recognition. Its closure marks the end of that era entirely.
What is Coming Next at Universal Orlando?
Universal has not announced what will replace Lost Continent. The rest of the land will close in phases over the coming months and years, with Mythos remaining open through 2027. Fan speculation has centered on a Pokémon-themed area as the most likely successor, with a Legend of Zelda land also frequently mentioned, though Universal has confirmed nothing.
Elsewhere at the resort, Universal also announced that the Horror Make-Up Show at Universal Studios Florida will temporarily close May 12 for a reimagined version, and that Thunder Falls Terrace near Jurassic Park River Adventure will close this summer before reopening in 2027 as a new signature full-service restaurant - the dining experience that will inherit the mantle Mythos carried for nearly three decades.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 4:00 AM.