Should You Eat at These Hollywood Studios Restaurants?

Critics maintain that Disney’s Hollywood Studios operates the worst park restaurants at Walt Disney World.

To be fair, that’s not necessarily a harsh critique. For example, the cuisine at EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom is exquisite.

Meanwhile, Magic Kingdom hosts places like Be Our Guest and Cinderella’s Royal Table, destination dining experiences.

Can Hollywood Studios keep up? Let’s decide whether you should eat at these fine dining restaurants.

50s Prime Time Café

The conceit at this restaurant is that you’re eating at a family get-together, albeit thankfully without fear of any political discussion.

When you enter the restaurant, you’ll meet your server, who is some form of an aunt, uncle, cousin, or the like.

As such, they’ll be quietly (and not so quietly) judging your behavior throughout the meal. Mind your manners!

Also, this restaurant involves something of a WandaVision element. You’re trapped in the 1950s, watching black and white television while you eat.

Remember when TV trays were a thing? Your answer is no unless you remember a time before cellphones.

Anyway, the setting establishes a tone that you’ll eat a heavy meal and possibly do the dishes afterward….sometimes literally. It’s that kind of place!

Pros

50s Prime Time Café features two undeniable strengths.

The immersive theming guarantees a fun time for all. Usually, the server picks on one member of your family, the person who seems like the best sport.

This individual will incur the wrath of the cast member, receiving several reminders about sitting up straight and finishing their vegetables. It’s all great fun.

Also, the cuisine here highlights the joys of comfort food. I mean, when you eat a family dinner, you expect to have your favorites, right?

Cons

This place isn’t for everyone. Specifically, when you are park-cranky and hangry, you may not want dinner and a show.

Instead, you’d prefer to brood in silence while you check your phone and catch your second wind.

Most servers understand that and leave you alone. But, sometimes, you’ll get one who insists on trying to brighten your day by picking at you.

I wouldn’t worry about such situations, though. They’re quite rare. Still, 50s Prime Time Café is a mood more than most Disney restaurants.

More importantly, the food here is quite heavy. We’re talking lasagna and pot roast and fried chicken.

That’s a lot when you’re walking around a crowded park like Hollywood Studios.

Verdict

You absolutely MUST try this place at least once. Many people include 50s Prime Time Café in their regular rotations.

Still, I’d offer a suggestion. It’s a better place to dine when you’re about to leave the park or wind down your visit.

The heavy food makes walking around the park afterward a bit of a slog. Of course, you could also solve this problem by heading to a show afterward.

Under no circumstance should you do Star Tours or any other bouncy ride, though!

The Hollywood Brown Derby

While Hollywood Studios features a more open-ended theme now, it initially highlighted classic Hollywood.

Back then, all the stars and producers hobnobbed at restaurants that the hoi polloi couldn’t enter.

Arguably the most recognizable of them was The Brown Derby, the place that invented the Cobb Salad.

This theme park restaurant mimics the long-defunct original…and even offers a Cobb Salad!

Pros

As the most elegant eatery at Hollywood Studios, Hollywood Brown Derby fills a niche. When you want to eat here on a special occasion, it’s the only viable choice.

Also, the cuisine reflects the upscale nature of the restaurant. Disney lists this place as a Signature Dining experience, meaning it costs quite a bit more.

For that price, you receive some of the most sumptuous dishes at Walt Disney World.

Oh, and the theming is excellent, too! Well, I say that as a movie superfan. To non-fans, it’s really just a bunch of tables at a generic restaurant. I love it, though.

Cons

I’ve already mentioned them in the pros. But, unfortunately, the restaurant appears generic if you’re unfamiliar with Hollywood power lunches.

Then, there’s the price. One of the appetizers costs $21 (!), and most entrees are $40+. Even the Cobb Salad, a salad famously made for cheap, is $20.

You also might wonder about the indoor palm trees.

Verdict

This place isn’t my favorite, and it’s legitimately my fourth choice among fine dining options. Hollywood & Vine, which I didn’t even discuss here, ranks ahead of it.

Still, I respect the opinions of those who maintain it’s one of the best restaurants overall at Walt Disney World.

For that reason alone, you should give it a shot and decide for yourself.

Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

You can figure this one out by the name. It’s a generic Italian restaurant located near the Muppets section of the park.

Pros

When I discussed Yak & Yeti at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I got cute with the cons and stated, “This space intentionally left blank.”

I’m sorely tempted to do the same here. At the risk of alienating whatever fans Mama Melrose’s has, I just don’t care for it.

I believe that any Italian grandmother on the East Coast can serve dishes just as good as the ones here.

In fact, I rank this place under Tony’s Town Square, which many assail for having mediocre Italian cuisine.

So, the closest pro that I can list honestly is that it’s a cool building.

Cons

If you’ve read any of my work, you know that I try hard to find silver linings whenever possible. It’s a challenge here, as even the steaks I’ve had were tough.

So, without piling on, I’ll add that this Italian cuisine doesn’t just disappoint. It’s overpriced to boot. Even the spaghetti dish is $22, and the daily fish item is usually $25 or more.

That tough steak costs $33. So, it’s like I’m burning money.

Verdict

Hard pass. I mean HARD pass.

Leave the park and go to Trattoria al Forno at Disney’s BoardWalk instead. On the Disney Skyliner, you can be there in 15 minutes.

Sci-Fi Dine-In

You enter a restaurant themed as a nighttime drive-in movie theater.

Your table is (most likely) a convertible vehicle stylized to look like a 1950s hot rod.

While you eat, a digital projector exhibits a 45-minute video loop of classic (bad) sci-fi trailers, cartoon shorts, and Walt Disney clips.

Pros

I’ll just say it right now. I’m the wrong person to ask.

Sci-Fi Dine-In is my favorite restaurant on the planet, no hyperbole.

I’ve dined at the fanciest restaurants in France and Belgium. They couldn’t compare.

As a film lover, Sci-Fi Dine-In is like my own personal visit to The Good Place. It’s everything I want from a restaurant, straight down to the burgers and shakes.

If I could eat anywhere on the planet for my next meal, I’d pick this place. And I wouldn’t hesitate when answering.

The theming is absolutely perfect for me, and I’ll never get tired of watching that secretary whoop alien butt while her clueless boss doesn’t notice.

Cons

Maybe you can’t have nice things? You don’t like making yourself happy? Sci-fi movies killed your family?

Whenever I see negative comments about Sci-Fi Dine-In, I cannot help but wonder what went wrong in those people’s lives.

Verdict

Sci-Fi Dine-In is perfect. Eat here every visit, preferably more than once. It’s what I’ve done for years now.

Also, if you ever see me here, know that I’m very, very happy at that moment.

Feature Image: Fine Art America

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