Best Table Service Restaurants at Hollywood Studios
Today we’re going to go over the Table Service Restaurants available to choose from at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and rank them from worst to best. Keep in mind that even the worst Restaurant on our list is one we’d be happy to eat at any day.
If you’ve never been to Disney World before you’ll want to make sure to choose the best Table Service restaurants at Hollywood Studios and at all the other parks, and get reservations well in advance to make your trip hassle free and delicious.
Let me begin by saying that Disney Dining can be an adventure, and there’s a lot more that goes into rating a restaurant at Disney than the food alone. For example, how does Character Dining sound to you? Buffets? 2 Table Service credits per meal? The point is, we’re not comparing apples to apples here.
Our rating system is a combination of what we think most Disney guests are looking for and our personal experiences at these restaurants. Now, without further ado… This is how we rank to the Table Service restaurants at Hollywood Studios.
5) Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano (menu)
Coming in 5th out of 5 is the famed Italian eatery Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano.
Not many people know that Mama Melrose was initially intended to become a Muppets themed Italian Restaurant in the 1980s when Jim Henson was in talks with Disney to sell them the rights to The Muppets. In 1990 when Henson passed away, and the sale was not consummated, Disney had an idea for an Italian restaurant but needed a theme, and so they created Mama Melrose.
As the story goes, Mama Melrose was an Italian girl from a Sicilian Village who dreamed of Hollywood, so one day she left her family, traveled to America, and while struggling to become an actress used her family recipes to open her own Italian Restaurant.
Ok, enough History. So how is the food?
Well, it’s average, and for us that’s places it 5th out of 5.
You’ll find traditional Italian fare such as Calamari, Chicken alla Parmagiana, and Saltimbocca, as well as classic desserts like Tiramisu & Cannoli.
For us, they are tasty, but unremarkable. At the end of the day, we are seeking a meal to remember, not just to fill our bellies adequately, and this just isn’t it for us.
Many will eat here because of the Fantasmic package, and that really ups the value proposition, as getting good seating at Fantasmic is really worth it. If Fantasmic is a priority for you then we would actually recommend eating here because you’re getting value out of your meal price later on in the evening, and who doesn’t love Fantasmic?
If you have a hankering for an Italian dinner and aren’t keen on seeing Fantasmic, we’d recommend waiting for the day you’re at Epcot.
4) Hollywood & Vine (Character Dining, Buffet) (menu)
Coming in 4th, and checking off the Character Dining box, is Hollywood & Vine.
Next door to the 50’s Prime Time Café you’ll find the art deco Hollywood & Vine Restaurant. It is well known for its character meals since it is the only restaurant in the parks that offers characters in unique seasonal attire. They’ve even offered Star Wars themed character meals on Star Wars weekends.
Mickey in a Vampire outfit? Donald Duck in an Astronaut suit? How about Goofy dressed as Santa? These are sights you won’t see anywhere else, so if you want a truly unique Disney experience, Hollywood & Vine may be worth a look.
How is the food… you ask?
Unsurprisingly, it’s fairly comparable to what you’d find at other character buffets like Chef Mickey at the Contemporary Resort.
Some of our favorites include the Lobster & Shrimp Macaroni & Cheese, the Herbed Crusted Salmon, the pretzel rolls. Oh, and the desserts are pretty great to. This is not what we would call fine dining, but it’s about the experience. It’s about the characters.
Buffets often get a bad name from poor experiences at chains like Old Country Buffet. Often the food has been out for too long, isn’t hot, and is often dried out and just doesn’t taste fresh. Because Disney’s buffets are so popular, they don’t suffer from many of these same issues. Typically the food is refreshed fairly frequently. Still, we recommend staying away from the items that seem to not be popular as they’ve likely been sitting out the longest. I always love to try whatever item has been most recently replenished. Freshness can be a bit hard to come by at buffets, even Disney buffets.
Hollywood & Vine also offers a Fantasmic package, so if you’re planning on seeing Fantasmic and Character Dining is up your alley, then Hollywood and Vine may just be the perfect fit for you.
3) The Hollywood Brown Derby (2 Table Service Credits) (menu)
The Hollywood Brown Derby is often found at the top of many “best restaurants at Hollywood Studios” Lists, so why… you ask… is it only 3rd on ours? For us, it’s the 2 Table Service dining credits cost, plain and simple.
We agree the food is great, although a bit overrated, but when it really comes down to it, you’d better knock our socks off for 2 table service credits per person. Disney sets the bar pretty high here, and we don’t think they quite get there, from a value for money standpoint.
If this were purely a “best food at Hollywood studios list”, ignoring value, The Hollywood Brown Derby would be #1 or at worst #2, easily.
If you’re looking for the fine dining experience at Hollywood Studios, The Hollywood Brown Derby is your place. Read no further.
So, let’s talk about the food… shall we?
If you’re a fan of seafood, the Black Grouper and Lobster Cioppino are hard to match anywhere else we’ve seen, and for those looking for something a little meatier, the charred Filet of Beef is quite excellent. If you’re a poultry lover, the Bell & Evans Chicken Breast is classically delicious, and on the lighter side the Vegetarian Pho is a remarkably tasty option that won’t make you feel like you need a nap after your meal.
* It’s also worth noting that the Dine with an Imagineer experience is one of the most amazing and valuable experiences we think you can have at any Disney park. This unique opportunity allows you to book lunch with one of a variety of Disney Imagineers. Imagine all the questions that they could finally answer for you. Last we checked, the cost was around $60 and I have to say, it’s well worth it. We suggest you book this the full 180 days in advance as it does sell out very quickly. If you’re able to book this experience consider this #1 on our list.
A Note About our Top 2 Hollywood Studios Table Service Restaurants
Choosing between Sci-fi Dine-in and 50’s Prime Time Café was very tough indeed., but in the end… decisions must be made…
Walt Disney World is primarily known for being a Themed Amusement Park. People don’t spend thousands of dollars for some roller coasters and funnel cakes. They can visit 6-flags for that. People travel to Disney World for the immersive themed experience and both our #2 Sci-fi Dine-in and #1 50’s Prime Time Café execute that immersive themed experience impeccably. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they do it better than just about any other restaurants in all of Walt Disney World.
2) Sci-Fi Dine-In (menu)
To fully understand Sci-fi Dine-in you have to take yourself back to the 1950’s. Imagine yourself going on a first date with the boy or girl you had a crush on. You drive together to the drive-in movie theater that’s playing that Sci-fi movie that’s all the rage, but isn’t all that good. The waitress rolls up and you order a burger and shake. The food arrives and it’s everything you expected and more.
Now, take that experience and move it 70 years into the future and indoors at Hollywood Studios and you understand just what Disney has created with the Sci-fi Dine-in.
When you first walk in you’re taken by the fact that most of the tables are, in fact, modeled after 50’s automobiles with 2 rows of seats wide enough for 2 passengers each. That’s right, you don’t face the other couple in the car, you face the movie screen.
So what about the movies? Well, let’s just say you don’t go to Sci-fi Dine-in for the movies. It wouldn’t work if the movies were great, then you’d miss the beginning and want to sit in your seat an extra half hour to see then ending. No, it’s classic bad sci-fi at its best. And it works… it really works…
How is the food you ask?
Let’s just put it this way, if you were looking for the fine dining experience, you were supposed to stop reading at #3. You’re not here for the white tablecloth experience, you’re here to be transported to the 1950’s, and the do it so very well.
We really enjoy the Drive-in BBQ Burger and the St. Louis Pork Ribs. Well, honestly, we like just about everything here. But, whatever you do, pace yourself, because the desserts here are to be missed at your own peril. The Hot Fudge Sundae is fantastic, the Out-of-This-World Turtle Cheesecake is absolutely fantastic, but the House-made Sci-Fi Candy Bar is the perfect way to cap off this magical lunch/dinner experience.
Sci-fi Dine-in will never be the best restaurant in Hollywood Studios for any food aficionado, but for those that want the most memorable dining experiences in the parks, Sci-fi Dine-in should be on your list.
1) 50’s Prime Time Café (menu)
You’re probably wondering… If Sci-fi Dine-in was the fully immersive 1950’s dinner experience, how could 50’s Prime Time Café be better?
That’s a great question… Here’s how…
Take Sci-fi Dine-in, subtract the drive-in, take the food up a notch, and add a wait staff that is over-the-top good at making you feel like you went over your friend Billy’s house after school in 1950, and Billy’s Mom is a bit on the persnickety side…
This is as immersive an experience as you can get without wearing VR goggles. The tables are straight out of the 50’s. The menu is straight out of the 50’s, and, the wait staff seems to be lifted from the 1950’s by aliens and transplanted to today. It’s so fantastically executed.
Allow us to warn you though… Do not take your cell phone out of your pocket while you’re here, except to take a picture, and even then do it quickly. The wait staff will scold you relentlessly.
You’ll love watching other tables getting picked on by their waiter or waitress, and you will feel right at home eating Aunt Liz’s Golden Fried Chicken or Grandma’s Chicken Pot Pie.
Oh, and remember what I said about fine dining in #3? Well, forget I said it, because Dad’s Stuffed Pork Chop is fit to be served at any of the area’s finest restaurants. Oh, and the desserts are fantastic too!
We simply cannot recommend eating at Hollywood Studios and not having 50’s Prime Time Café high on your list
Final Thoughts
Choosing the best Table Service Restaurants at Hollywood Studios is an incredibly subjective task. Your experiences at these restaurants may differ from ours, and, perhaps more importantly, you may not be able to get a reservation at the restaurant of your choice. The best way to enjoy your Magical Disney Vacation is to go with the flow. Do you best to get the right reservations for yourself and your fellow travelers, but then enjoy whichever restaurant you’ll be experiencing that particular meal in. Each of these restaurants can be a piece of that memorable experience puzzle that you’re building. Enjoy it and then come back again and try one of the others.
Above all, don’t let it stress you out.
Planning Your Next Disney Vacation?
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