One if my favourite places to eat. On par with The Drake, they take their time to cook the food properly and when the dishes arrive I'm never disappointed. I've had pretty much everything they serve except for seafood; I am allergic to shellfish.
I like the spicy hummus they serve at the beginning of the meal.
Universal is the best place to visit if you're a fan of roasted chicken. The skin is seared to perfection and topped with a tasty duxelle of mushrooms and onions in red wine and served with scalloped potatoes and green veggies, usually rapini.
I always order a side of home-made onion rings with my food; it's a delightfully crispy dish I enjoy sharing with a dinner companion.
Universal Grill is good at bringing in seasonal foods too and keeping the frequent attendees informed of specials by email. Hint: get on their email list. A friend ordered a side of fried fiddleheads and they were sublime.
I've enjoyed nearly every dessert they make (not all at once). They're not store bought nor brought in from a franchise bakery (Dufflet Pastries). Everything is made on premises.
The staff act like they care for their patrons. Universal Grill has a decent selection of wine on hand and the servers are good at pairing them with the food the kitchen sends out.
One of my top ten restaurants in the city. It's not my neighbourhood so I drive to it, but parking is easy to find.