Restaurant Review: Woody’s Lunch Box
One of the longest-standing complaints regarding Disney’s Hollywood Studios involves its Quick Service dining options.
While some places like Fairfax Fare enjoy sterling reputations, most fall along the lines of Backlot Express, a place I like more than most.
However, one relative newcomer has quickly turned into one of the most popular places to eat at the park.
Here’s my review of Woody’s Lunch Box, a meal that never disappoints.
Photo Credit: Steven Diaz, photographer
About Woody’s Lunch Box
You’ll find Woody’s Lunch Box at Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios. Due to its theming, it may prove easy to miss, though.
Disney positioned this restaurant midway between Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania!, across from the walking path to Slinky Dog Dash.
Photo: thecoasterkings.com
So, those of you who fixate on the attractions could walk right by it. The genius of Toy Story Land is that everything looks similar.
You’ve entered the fever dream of a young child, one whose imagination brings wonders to life.
Still, as long as you’re paying attention, you’ll notice the tell-tale signs that you’re near a Disney restaurant.
If you enter Toy Story Land from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the restaurant will be on your right past the bathrooms.
If you ever visit Toy Story Land from the other side, you’ll know you’re close when you notice the entrance area for Slinky Dog Dash. The restaurant is across from you.
Photo: Richard Harbaugh
Of course, the simplest way to find Woody’s Lunch Box stems from a specific circumstance.
After you ride Toy Story Mania!, you’ll exit through its gift shop. The path here will take you right by the restaurant.
Check-In Process and Getting Seated
I don’t want to sound dismissive about anything pandemic-related. What I’ll say is that ripple effects from social distancing helped the dining experience here.
Anyone who has ever dined at Woody’s Lunch Box knows that finding a table here is akin to finding a mall parking space on Black Friday. It’s a battle.
Photo: Matt Stroshane
Toy Story Land always maintains a steady flow of traffic varying from significant to overpopulated.
You can generally eyeball the situation by checking the Wait Time for Slinky Dog Dash. If it’s 65 minutes or more, the area comes with a crowd.
Disney requires Mobile Ordering at its most popular restaurants during the pandemic, even ones like Woody’s Lunch Box that didn’t open immediately.
This restaurant didn’t reopen until last November, but it still follows the Mobile Ordering rules.
As such, you cannot sit down at a table here until you can show a cast member that your order is ready.
This policy remains in place at the time of publication, and it’s actually something I hope stays this way forever.
The last two times I’ve eaten at Woody’s Lunch Box, I haven’t shivved or gotten shivved by anyone while looking for a table.
Instead, we ordered lunch at the first opportunity and then showed our phone to the kindly cast member.
At that point, we picked up our food and sat down at a table. This experience is a 10 out of 10.
The “getting a table” process at previous times here was maybe a three out of 10.
If Disney does restore pre-pandemic policies here, you must act assertively to get a table. Otherwise, you’re eating standing up.
The Dining Experience
Woody’s Lunch Box serves arguably the best comfort food at Walt Disney World.
You can tell this by looking at the menu, which is stripped down.
You’ll notice six entrees and four sides. Really, the options are even more straightforward, as the two vegetarian options mirror the meat ones.
Basically, you’re ordering a grilled cheese sandwich, a turkey sandwich, a BBQ sandwich, or Totchos. I’ll come back to that last thing.
The Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich is the star here, as it’s the meal that your parental figure would make you as a child.
While all grilled cheese sandwiches taste great, the people working in Disney’s culinary labs have unearthed the most flavorful one at any theme park in the world.
Really, the only place in Orlando that rivals it is The Edison at Disney Springs, and you’ll pay twice as much for that one.
Similarly, the Smoked Turkey Sandwich will remind you of why you love turkey in the first place.
The BBQ Brisket Melt somehow seems like the outlier of the bunch, but it makes sense as food that parents and adults alike adore.
Your mind will experience confusion as you recognize that you’re eating the same meals that you’ll have at lunch at work. Somehow, they taste better at Disney, though.
Of course, there’s also that weird option, the Totchos, which are tater tots Potato Barrels dropped into melted cheese and chili.
They’re gross-looking and messy to eat and just absolutely divine. They’ve developed such a cult following that Disney has posted an instructional video:
While I love BBQ, I ordered the grilled cheese while my wife got the Plant-based Totchos.
Our entrees cost $9.99 and $8.99, respectively, which is comically low for Disney. And we loved every bite.
Image Credit: Disney
The Best Dessert at Disney?
Best Disney dessert embodies my favorite kind of debate. Everybody’s at least somewhat correct, as culinary joys abound.
Still, Disney marketed Woody’s Lunch Box in a specific way. In fact, the promotion of Toy Story Land in its entirety included references to something here.
Some brilliant Disney chefs decided to perfect the Pop-Tart, creating a pastry masterpiece for the ages.
I’m referencing the Lunch Box Tart, which looks like a Pop-Tart with bacon bits thrown on top.
The passion for this dessert has caused Woody’s Lunch Box to serve a daily Lunch Box Tart, a different kind of pastry for each day of the week.
Currently, Disney lists two permanent types of this dessert. They’re Chocolate-Hazelnut Lunch Box Tart and Raspberry Lunch Box Tart.
The non-permanent one on the menu right now is the Lemon-Blueberry Lunch Box Tart, which might be my favorite as a lemon lover.
During our meal, my wife and I ordered the raspberry and lemon options, the latter of which includes a tiny yellow Pixar ball as a kind of frosting.
We could live off these desserts. Our palates rarely line up, but Woody’s Lunch Box serves sweets that please both of us.
Final Thoughts
You’ll fight for a table at Woody’s Lunch Box for a reason. The word is out that this restaurant provides some of the best value at Walt Disney World.
Our meal cost under $45, and that’s factoring in that we both ordered dessert.
When we eat on a Disney vacation, we rarely dine at the same place twice. Really, we usually don’t even pick the same restaurant on consecutive trips.
However, we make an exception for Woody’s Lunch Box due to its convenient location and ridiculously low pricing.
(Steven Diaz, photographer)
Oh, and we’re also partial to the delicious comfort food that defines Woody’s Lunch Box.
Our meal here was an A+ this time, last time, and the time before that. In my opinion, it’s unquestionably the best Quick Service meal at Hollywood Studios.
