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Best Restaurants in Hollywood Studios [Updated 2024] – Which One Should You Choose?

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Which are the Best Restaurants in Hollywood Studios? When you think about a visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios the potential dining experiences are probably not high up on your list of things to think about.

Although Disney’s Hollywood Studios has relatively few full-service restaurants compared to the other parks you should certainly consider taking some time to visit at least one of the restaurants.

If you are just wanting a quick bite I have written a review of all the Quick Service restaurants in the guide:

Best and Worst Disney Hollywood Studios Counter Service Food.

Which are the Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants?

However, if you want to spend a little more time enjoying a meal at Disney Hollywood Studios here is my guide to the Best Restaurants in Hollywood Studios.

And which are the worst.

All prices are correct for December 2022.

This guide was first written in July 2021 and I updated it for 2024. I did notice some changes to the restaurant menus at Disney Hollywood Studios.

Some items are no longer available, and there have been some price increases of up to $2 for an appetizer or entree. Most prices remain the same though from 2021 to 2022.

Hollywood and Vine Restaurant

Hollywood and Vine is usually a Disney Character Dining buffet location.

However, like all character restaurants and buffet restaurants, they had to adapt since the shutdown.

For a while Hollywood and Vine restaurant adapted and meals were served family-style with a choice of entree and dessert.

However, the great news is that the Hollywood and Vine buffet is back on August 28, 2022!

The breakfast is Disney Junior Play n’ Dine for $42 per adult and $27 per child aged 3 to 9. This does not include tax and gratuity.

Hollywood and Vine Lunch and Dinner pricing is $59 for adults and $38 for childre, not including tax and gratuity.

The characters do appear at Hollywood and Vine.

At breakfast and lunch Goofy, Vampirina, Sofia the First and Doc Mcstuffins appear.

You will usually see Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Daisy Duck for dinner.

One of the big attractions of Hollywood and Vine is the interaction with the characters.

It is also unusual as there is seasonal dining at Hollywood and Vine.

One great thing about this is that the costumes of the characters change.

If you are a Minnie Mouse fan it is a good chance to see her in lots of different themed outfits.

Best Restaurants in Hollywood Studios Hollywood and Vine.
Disney Hollywood and Vine

Photo Credit Disney

Here is the current schedule for 2023 of the themed dining at Hollywood and Vine.

Silver Screen Dine
January 4 – February 28


Springtime Dine
March 1 to May 30th

Summertime Dine
Starts on May 1 and runs for the summer.

Celebrating the glamor of Hollywood and the golden age of the movies.

Springtime Dine
Check Back for Dates


Mark the start of Springtime with a character experience at Hollywood and Vine.

Summertime Dine
May to August 11

It’s time to head to the beach with this summertime celebration.

Is this one of the Best Restaurants in Hollywood Studios?
Minnie Mouse welcomes you to Hollywood and Vine

The decor of Hollywood and Vine is light and bright, with, of course, a Hollywood theme. The tables are a combination of conventional tables and booths.

A large part of the space is taken up with the buffet lines.

Minnie Mouse at Hollywood & Vine

The family-style menu means that the Appetizers are brought to the table. The selection is Plant-Based Chopped Salad and Farmhouse Tossed Bowl Salad.

Each person then has a choice of entree. The menu does change seasonally but right now there is a choice of one of six entrees.

  • Macaroni and Cheese with Shrimp
  • Pork Osso Bucco
  • Garlic and Cracked Black Pepper Prime Rib of Beef
  • Seared Fresh Salmon with Grain Mustard Buerre Blanc
  • Carved Herbed Roasted Turkey Breast
  • Plant-Based King Roasted Trumpet Mushrooms

You also have a choice of one of these desserts.

  • Vanilla Creme Brulee
  • Apple Blueberry Pie
  • Banana Cream Pie
  • Chocolate S’Mores Pie
  • Plant-Based Cherry Lemon Pie

The price of the Hollywood and Vine lunch and dinner is $55 for adults and $36 for children aged 3 to 9. This does not include tax and gratuity.

The Hollywood and Vine restaurant does accept the Disney Dining Plan (when it is operating). It also takes the Tables in Wonderland discount card.

This definitely deserves to be on the list of Best Restaurants in Hollywood Studios.

Related Post: Best Day to Visit Disney Hollywood Studios

Mama Melrose Ristorante Italiano Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios, October 2015

Mama Melrose is the only full-service Italian Restaurant in Disney Hollywood Studios. I first dined here over 20 years ago. Way back when the park was still called Disney MGM Studios. I have revisited it a number of times in the last couple of decades.

However, I have to say I am not exactly lining up to do it again.

My experience has always been pretty much the same. Disappointing. This wins my vote as the Worst Restaurant in Hollywood Studios. I just wish that it was better than it actually is. It really should be.

Mama Melrose

At least the backstory of Mama Melrose is interesting. The restaurant is located close to Muppet Vision 3D. When in the planning stage the restaurant in that location was supposed to be called Great Gonzo’s Pizza Pandemonium Parlor.

This Muppet-themed restaurant was planned to have a strong Muppet theme.

However, plans for this were shelved and Disney needed a new idea. They stuck with the original Italian cuisine idea but changed the backstory. And it is a slightly confusing backstory.

The idea is that a young girl came to Hollywood in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a movie star. No confusion there, but stick with it and you will see.

Disney World: Disney's Hollywood

Anyway, the young Italian woman was a talented chef who delighted in bringing her wonderful home-inspired creations to her fellow studio hopefuls. She was soon known as Mama Melrose (after the shockingly expensive and exclusive avenue where many stars live in Beverly Hills).

Her cooking became so popular the Hollywood studio owners encouraged and backed her to open an Italian Restaurant.

She opened the restaurant in a location on the backlot where movies were made to look as though they were being filmed in Little Italy in New York.

So the slightly confusing story is that it is a restaurant located in Los Angeles California. Which is located in reality in Orlando, but it is made to look as though it is New York’s Little Italy. And it serves Californian-influenced Italian food.

Disney World: Disney's Hollywood

This is why it says on the outside of the building “where Italy meets California in the heart of the Backlot.”

The confusing backstory explains the decor of the interior of Mama Melrose. New York-style brick walls with Los Angeles street signs.

mama melrose 4

Twinkling fairy lights and pictures of movie stars. Italian cherubs and vinyl records on the wall. Let’s just say it’s all a bit eclectic and it works fine without ever knowing the backstory.

If you can, ask to be seated in one of the cozy booths that line the walls.

I’ve spent so much time talking about the themed decor it’s almost as if I don’t really want to talk about the food. To be honest, its because I am way more of a fan of the decor and ambiance than I am of the food at Mama Melrose.

Disney World: Disney's Hollywood

Generic Italian fare which is incredibly average best describes it for me. I know Mama Melrose has its fans out there, but really this Disney restaurant should be making a better job with the food.

One of the best parts of the meal is actually the free bread which is brought to every table. It is served with olive oil and herbs.

Appetizers range in price from $9 for Minestrone Soup to $16 for Margarita Flatbread. The flatbread is actually one of the best things on the menu, but for $16 it seems a bit overpriced.

Walt Disney World theme park dining Hollywood Studios Mama Melrose mushroom flatbread

Entree prices range from $23 to $36. The Polenta Cake, Mushroom, and Herb Cauliflower is the vegetarian option for $23. I really wouldn’t recommend it.

mama melrose 5

Traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs are $26, Charred Strip Steak is $36.

Dessert choices are the inevitable Tiramisu, Cannoli, Gelato, Colors of Italy Cheesecake, and Cherry Cake.

Mama Melrose, like all of the Disney Hollywood Studios Restaurants, is part of the Disney Dining Plan.

It isn’t great to use the Plan here as the prices are relatively low for a Disney restaurant.

However, this really seems academic now as there is no indication at all that the Disney Dining Plan is coming back any time soon or indeed at all.

This one really doesn’t make the cut to be on the list of Best Restaurants in Hollywood Studios.

Hollywood Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Brown Derby and Fantasia Brooms

Hollywood Studios has its very own Signature fine dining restaurant. This means that when the Disney Dining Plan is used it requires two credits.

We are still talking about the Disney Dining Plan, although it seems unlikely that this will come back.

This restaurant, like all of the Disney Hollywood Studios full-service restaurants, also takes the Tables in Wonderland discount card.

The Brown Derby has some of the best food at Disney Hollywood Studios and is one of the best table service restaurants in Disney World.

The design of the restaurant really is something worth seeing.

The theme is meant to evoke the Golden Age of Hollywood and it does an amazing job of creating an upscale ambiance in the midst of a theme part – not an easy thing to do.

The restaurant is modeled in the style of the original restaurant located in Hollywood Los Angeles which catered to the famous and the glamorous in the Golden Age of the movies.

If you want some classic movie nostalgia and glamor you can at least pretend for a while before you return to Rock N Roller Coaster and Galaxy’s Edge.

Hollywood Brown Derby is definitely a Disney World restaurant that needs to be on your bucket list. You should visit here at least once and when you have you will most likely want to return.

However, be prepared for your wallet to take a bit of a beating here. This can be an expensive out-of-pocket experience, but if you are going to use 2 credits on the dining plan, it can be a good bet.

Take the chance to look around the restaurant and really take in the experience. I would say don’t plan this if you are trying to cram in as many Disney Hollywood Studios rides as possible. This is an experience in itself and you should allow yourself a decent amount of time to actually experience it.

It isn’t just the decor that follows the original Brown Derby experience. The menu pays homage to the original as well.

Ever wondered who created the Cobb Salad? Reputedly it was Bob Cobb of the original Brown Derby. The salad here follows the original recipe as closely as possible.

Want an original recipe but the salad is not your thing.? If you prefer a dessert then try the iconic Brown Derby grapefruit cake. Created in the original restaurant you can now experience it in this Disney Hollywood Studios Restaurant.

Hollywood Brown Derby Menu

Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Prices are correct in December 2022. Tax and gratuity are not included.

  • Roasted Squash and Apple Soup $15
  • Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad $13
  • Shrimp Cocktail $17
  • Roasted Bone Marrow $17
  • Crab Louie $17
  • Escargot Casino $19
  • Charcuterie Board $21

Entrees

  • Sustainable Salmon Coulibiac $38
  • Our Famous Cobb Salad $22
Brown Derby Cobb Salad
  • Filet Mignon with Walt Disney’s Corned Beef Hash $49
  • Our Famous Cobb Salad $20
  • Seafood Cioppino $48
  • Tomato Risotto $31
  • Duck a l’Orange $38
  • Free-Range Chicken Coq au Vin $35
  • Braised Short Rib $41

Enhancements

  • Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese $16
  • Grilled Asparagus $9
  • Spoon Bread $8

Hollywood Brown Derby Desserts

Hollywood Brown Derby
  • Grapefruit Cake $13
  • Decadent Chocolate Cake $13
  • Creme Brulee $13
  • Chocolate Coconut Cake $12
  • 50th Celebration Bananas Foster $12
  • WInter Signature Dessert $13

The Hollywood Brown Derby is most certainly worth a visit and is one of the Best Restaurants in Hollywood Studios.

Make sure that you budget time, as well as money, for this Disney World dining experience. It is something that you will want to take some time over,

Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge

Best Restaurants in Hollywood Studios Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge
Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge

Image Disney Parks

If you still want to sample some of the menu delights of the Hollywood Brown Derby but can’t get an Advanced Dining Reservation a great alternative is the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge.

This is one of those Hollywood Studios dining options that not everyone knows about.

This is located at the front of the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant. Mostly it is patio seating, but there is also some inside seating.

The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge gives you a sample of some of the great food offered in the lounge, but on small plates. There is also an extensive cocktail and bar menu.

best food in Hollywood Studios Orlando

Image Disney Parks

Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge Food Menu

  • Tuna Carpaccio Salad $16
  • Artisanal Cheeses and Charcuterie Board $21
  • Famous Cobb Salad $22
  • BLT Sliders $18
  • Shrimp cocktail $17

These desserts are offered at the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge:

  • Grapefruit Cake
  • Espresso Cheesecake
  • Chocolate Mousse Cake
  • Mango Passion Fruit Mousse
  • Chocolate Coconut Cake

Artisanal Cheeses and Charcuterie Board

Image Disney Parks

The Lounge really is a good place to spend some downtime if you are in Hollywood Studios. It is popular though, so it may be that you have to wait in line. The patio is a very good place to spend some time relaxing and people-watching in the park.

50’s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios

Best Disney Hollywood Studios Restaurant for Kids
50’s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios

The 50s Prime Time Cafe is certainly one of the most entertaining restaurants in Walt Disney World.

Step inside this Hollywood Studios Restaurant and you step back in time to the 1950s. And you going right back to your family of the 50s living room!

The decor is brilliantly themed.

The food is classic comfort food.

And the Cast Members play a brilliant role in bringing the nostalgic homely theme to life.

For theme, this really wins the title of Best Restaurant in Hollywood Studios. This is the classic Hollywood Studios diner.

The 50’s Prime Time Cafe really is Disney at its best. It is an immersive dining experience like no other.

Don’t come here for exceptional food (although a lot of it is pretty good).

Come here for the experience, bring your sense of humor, and you won’t be disappointed.

The Cast Member servers will make you very welcome in their “living room”.

Everyone here is an Aunt, Uncle, or Cousin. If you don’t finish your meal you may very well be chastised, in the nicest possible way, for not cleaning your plate.

Sit there on your phone?

Your friendly “Aunty” may very well ask you to put it away.

The best seats in the restaurant are the ones by the television. You can ask for one of these at check-in and the Cast Members will do what they can to accommodate your request.

50’s Prime Time Cafe Menu

The emphasis here is very much on comfort food.

50's Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios food

Picture from Disney

Appetizers at 50’s Prime Time Cafe

  • Beer-Battered Onion Rings $12
  • Devilled Eggs $11
  • Beer Battered Onion Rings $12
  • Cousin Amy’s Iceberg Lettuce Wedge $11
  • Roasted Tomato Soup $9
  • Fried Herb and Garlic Cheese $10

50’s Prime Time Cafe Entrees

  • Aunt Liz’s Golden Fried Chicken $26
  • A Sampling of Mom’s Favorite Recipes $28
  • Cousin Megan’s Traditional Meatloaf $23
  • Mum’s Old Fashioned Pot Roast $25
  • Caesar Salad with Chicken $17
  • Caesar Salad with Salmon $19
  • Cousin Harold’s Vegetable Garden (Market Price)
  • Sustainable Verlasso Salmon $27
  • 50s Prime Time Cafe Blue Plate Special (Market Price)

50’s Prime Time Cafe Desserts

  • Traditional Warm Apple Crisp $7.50
  • Traditional Warm Apple Crisp A la Mode $10
  • Dad’s Favorite Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cake $8
  • Dad’s Favorite Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cake A la Mode $10
  • Grasshopper Bar $8
  • Pineapple Upside Down Cake $9.50
  • Lemon Meringue Pie $9
50's Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios menu
50’s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios Spectacular Milkshakes

Picture from Disney

There is a full drinks menu including milkshakes.

This is what the 50’s Prime Time Cafe is known for – if you love milkshakes you will love these. They are handcrafted just like they were in the old days!

If you want to try something different then ask for the Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake. It’s delicious!

The 50’s Prime Time Cafe is definitely one of the most entertaining Disney World Restaurants. Make sure you bring your sense of humor with you.

If you want a quiet meal this is definitely not the place for you. But if you want some good old-fashioned pretty well-done comfort food, this is the Hollywood Studios restaurant for you.

Sci-Fi Dine in Theater Restaurant

One of the best Hollywood Studios restaurants
Watch a movie at Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater Restaurant at Hollywood Studios

Photo by Disney

The Sci-Fi Dine in Theater is another wonderfully themed restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

This, just like the 50s Prime Time Cafe, is a wonderfully immersive experience – and the food is pretty good too.

It is certainly one of the coolest places to eat in Disney Hollywood Studios.

The restaurant is themed to be a drive-in movie theater showing sci-fi movies. Once again we are transported back to the 1950’s glory days of America and the movie drive-in.

The cuisine is classic all-American fare.

Disney Hollywood Studios best restaurant

Photo by Disney

When you walk into the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater you will immediately see the huge screens on the walls – all showing 1950s sci-fi movies. The next thing you will see is the classic convertible 1950s car-shaped booths.

There are some ordinary tables at the back – make sure that you request one of the cars when you check-in.

There is one downside to the car design. They seat up to 6 which can be a little cramped.

But the unusual thing is that you are seated in rows that all face the screens.

This is great for watching the movies, but not so great for encouraging conversation during the meal.

It also means that if you are just in a couple you may very well be seated with another couple in front of you and you will then have to look over their heads to see the screen!

Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater Restaurant Menu

which is the best hollywood studios restaurant

Photo by Disney

The Sci-Fi- Dine is known for its traditional American diner food.

Sci-Fi Dine in Theater Appetizers

  • Crispy Onion Rings $11
  • Spinach and Artichoke Dip $13
  • Fried Dill Pickels $12
  • Sci-Fi Smoked Wings $15
  • Black Garlic Caesar Salad $11

Sci-Fi Dine in Theater Entrees

  • Drive-in BBQ Burger $23
  • Grilled Chicken Citrus Salad $19
  • Chicken Salad Sandwich $19
  • Classic American Burger $21
  • Pan-seared Chicken Pasta $24
  • Pan-seared Salmon Pasta $27
  • Pork on Pork Burger $23
  • Sci-Fi Seasonal Specialty Burger $22
  • The Feature Film Burger $25
  • Flying Saucer Impossible Burger $22

The entree menu is very heavily burger-based. It is great to see the Impossible Burger being available in more and more places in Walt Disney World.

Sci-Fi Dine in Theater Desserts

  • The Red Planet $9
  • Out of this World $10
  • The Red Planet $9
  • Hot Fudge Sundae $8
  • Cookie Shake $7
  • Fresh Fruit Salad $7

Just like the 50’s Prime Time Cafe, they have excellent milkshakes here. Try Oreo Cookie, Chocolate, or Vanilla.

Just like all of the other Disney Hollywood Restaurants, the Sci-Fi Diner is part of the Disney Dining Plan and the Tables of Wonderland discount program.

Which is the Best Disney Hollywood Studios Restaurant?

Which is the Best Disney Hollywood Studios Restaurant?

This is a tough one. We think that if you are looking for an amazingly fun experience and good food, you can’t go wrong with the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater or the 50’s Prime Time Cafe.

If you are looking for an excellent fine dining experience then choose Hollywood Brown Derby. The decor and ambiance are excellent, and the food is of high quality.

If the prices are giving you sticker shock, opt for the Cobb Salad, and skip the entree, or go to the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge.

If a fun character dining experience is on your list then the Hollywood and Vine restaurant is a good bet. Particularly if you are a Minnie and Mickey fan.

One to skip? Mama Melrose. The decor is fine, but the food really is mediocre, particularly for the prices.

Which of the Disney Hollywood Studios is your favorite?

Disney World Dining

Want to know more about Dining in Disney World? Which are the best restaurants? If you are visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth you can start with this guide to Best Places to Dine in Magic Kingdom.

There is an incredible diversity of restaurants available in Disney World and you will definitely enjoy these Epcot Restaurants.

Disney World Hotels are also great places to dine. Check out this guide to Animal Kingdom Resort Restaurants and Best Wilderness Lodge Dining.

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