Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants for Your Next Walt Disney World Vacation

Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park at Walt Disney World offers various restaurant options. What are the best Hollywood Studios restaurants for your group during your next Walt Disney World vacation?

We have visited all of them many times. We have consulted with theme park dining experts. In addition, we have checked with many guests about their recent experiences at Disney’s Hollywood Studios restaurants. This resource will break down the best restaurants for your group.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios looks very different than when it first opened in 1989. Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened as the third theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. This theme park does things differently than Magic Kingdom and Epcot. With the original design of taking guests into a world of movie-making magic, the layout for this theme park provided different perspectives. That previous idea has been replaced with more significant intellectual properties like “Star Wars” and “Toy Story.”

One constant complaint in the past about Disney’s Hollywood Studios revolved around the lower quality of dining options guests could choose from within the theme park. Though some of the dining options at Disney’s Hollywood Studios still provide below-average menu items, the overall dining options have improved in quality compared to the early years of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This remarkable improvement in terms of food quality can be seen most prominently in the quick service (counter service) options. In fairness, those used to be very poor not long ago.

However, based on its design, Disney’s Hollywood Studios can become busy and feel crowded. Thus, it makes an excellent place to take a break and enjoy some food. So, which Hollywood Studios restaurants provide the best food and experience? How do visitors to Walt Disney World determine the best Hollywood Studios restaurants for their dining pleasure during the theme park day?

This resource strives to break down the best options for most groups as you plan your day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We will start with the table service dining options. Those will require an advanced dining reservation. Reservations can be made via the My Disney Experience mobile application. After that, we will move to quick service dining options.

Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants: Table Service

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has six table-service restaurants. We have bad news about the table service options for “Star Wars” fans. The Galaxy’s Edge area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios contains solid, quick service options. However, no table service dining exists with a “Star Wars” theme.

 

Nevertheless, some decent table service options exist at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This theme park presents guests with incredible headliner attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and Slinky Dog Dash. However, all these big attractions create long queues. After waiting an hour or more in a queue for those rides, guests might need a sit-down meal out of the Florida sun.

We have some suggestions for you. Still, these will most likely require making advance dining reservations to enjoy these options. Guests use the My Disney Experience system to book advance dining reservations. This can be done by most visitors as early as 60 days in advance. The two most complex reservations currently to acquire at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are Roundup Rodeo BBQ and Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre. For this resource, we will rank these table-service dining options based on what is best for most groups. We will start with our lowest recommended option and finish with our top choice regarding table service.

Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants: Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

The lowest-rated table service option resides near one of the lowest-rated quick service options, PIzzeRizzo, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This area near Muppet*Vision 3D houses Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano in the Grand Avenue area of the theme park.

Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano offers basic Italian food options. This will appeal to many groups. The picky eaters in your group will be able to find something to fit their palate. However, this will not be the most impressive Italian cuisine you have ever enjoyed. Still, we have reports over the last few months that the quality appears to have improved compared to previous years. Any improvement to theme park dining is a win for all.

The atmosphere of Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano creates a pleasant environment. Guests comment on the ceiling of twinkling lights. Another bonus of this place revolves around advance dining reservations being more accessible to get here.

The menu will not dazzle you with anything unique. Nevertheless, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano offers numerous allergy-friendly menu items.

Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants: Hollywood and Vine

In contrast to a “safe” choice of Mama Melrose, our next table service option looks very different. The following table service option, in terms of our ranking, takes us to a buffet option. Hollywood & Vine, the character buffet Disney’s Hollywood Studios restaurant, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The breakfast buffet costs $47, with lunch and dinner costing $63. The characters at breakfast time come from the Disney Junior franchises. Lunch and dinner use the theme of Minnie Mouse having a dinner party. The lunch and dinner theme changes slightly depending on the time of year you visit.

The two main advantages of Hollywood and Vine are the all-you-care-to-eat aspect and the Disney Junior characters. If you have younger ones who will engage with the Disney Junior characters, the breakfast option at Hollywood and Vine makes a great option. Still, most guests will not be dazzled by the menu items at this price point. Also, if characters are not your thing, the additional $15-$25 charge for this meal based on characters will not appear worth it.

Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants: 50’s Prime Time Café

Selecting the previous two table service options lower on the ranking requires no real stress as a writer. At this point, any of the following four could be ranked in any order. Thus, the procedure of ranking Disney’s Hollywood Studios restaurants escalates in difficulty at this point. Depending on the people being asked, you will find various opinions about the remaining four table service restaurant options at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The ranking of these involved significant time and much consultation with others.

Despite personally dining here very recently, 50’s Prime Time Café falls in the number four spot at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. 50’s Prime Time Café takes guests back in time. Many people will be taken back to their grandparents’ house based on the décor. The retro counters and television screens will force you to think of days many decades ago.

Most guests speak very highly of the southern comfort food here. The menu includes classic favorites like fried chicken, pot roast, and meatloaf. Entrées come with sides such as mashed potatoes, green beans, and mac & cheese.

50’s Prime Time Café creates the idea of a family meal with your “relatives” serving you. This means guests must be on their best behavior, or momma will be upset. Cast members will request your best table manners, such as no elbows on the table, putting your phones away, and eating ALL your vegetables. Parents, if you have ever wanted someone else to make your kid behave at the table, then 50s Prime Time Café is for you.

The theming and cast member interaction make this table-service dining experience magical. The biggest knock on this place revolves around the food that tastes good but not great. Guests expected the food to taste better for the Disney price point. Also, some guests expressed dislike for the themed interaction with the cast members. If you do not want to play along with the theme here, this table service restaurant should be skipped during your visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, many experienced Walt Disney World visitors visit this table service restaurant on every trip to the Orlando area.

Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants: Hollywood Brown Derby

The most upscale dining at Disney’s Hollywood Studios ranks next on our list. The Hollywood Brown Derby provides the highest level of dining at Hollywood Studios. Also, frequent visitors to Disney’s Hollywood Studios disagree about the quality and value of this place. Some find it one of the better borderline signature dining options at Walt Disney World. Others find it overpriced and provide lower quality than in the past. The truth lies somewhere in the middle of those two perspectives.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios version of this restaurant utilizes décor of a bygone era in Hollywood. The inside of the restaurant reproduces many aspects of the original Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant in California. For example, many caricatures adorn the walls here. Guests should take their time to gaze at these during their time at the Hollywood Brown Derby.

The highest quality of food one can find at Disney’s Hollywood Studios resides at Hollywood Brown Derby. For example, the Filet Mignon here earns high marks from food critics. The “Our Famous Cobb Salad” continues to impress guests even though the portion size is smaller than in 2020.

However, after 2020, many things changed at Hollywood Brown Derby. We suggest many of those changes were not the best for guests. For example, many popular items no longer exist on the menu. The famous Hollywood Brown Derby Burger is nowhere to be found on the menu. Cast members say it is not coming back either. A few other former favorites have disappeared from the menu.

Based on price increases and a more limited menu, Hollywood Brown Derby fits into this spot on our list of best Disney’s Hollywood Studios restaurants. Once again, do not let these negatives hold you back since the food quality will impress. If you are looking for upscale dining at Hollywood Studios, this table service option would be the choice.

Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants: Roundup Rodeo BBQ

Roundup Rodeo BBQ is the newest table service restaurant lineup addition at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This distinctive all-you-care-to-enjoy restaurant invites guests to pretend to be toys in Andy’s backyard from the “Toy Story” movie franchise. Creative Andy designed a BBQ restaurant out of everyday items like blocks, game pieces, and school supplies, to name a few. Since guests are “toy-sized,” the scenery places you in that unique environment.

Roundup Rodeo BBQ adds a nice touch for fans of the “Toy Story” movies. If Sarge announces that Andy is coming, you will be instructed to freeze. Since you are a toy, you should not move when Andy is around, right? All the cast members in the building will start yelling, “Oh no, Andy’s coming! Freeze!” so you will be encouraged to play along. Andy’s voice will play over the speaker. After that, Sarge will give the all-clear before everyone resumes movement.

The BBQ family-style meal provides plenty of choices. You will not leave this place hungry. The $45 per adult price for all you care to enjoy dining inside a theme park offers reasonable value. Also, despite being a BBQ place, plant-based diners have many options.

Roundup Rodeo BBQ serves as a well-needed upgrade in terms of dining at Hollywood Studios. Though better BBQ options exist on Walt Disney World property, such as The Polite Pig at Disney Springs, the food quality meets the guests’ needs nicely. Of course, it is hard to beat all-you-care-to-eat dining.

On the negative side, the service is considered slow here, and guests often arrive for their reservation only to be seated much later than expected. Guests should plan for two hours of dining here based on our experience. We enjoyed our visit here, but if two hours out of your theme park day sounds too much, other table service options should be considered at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants: Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre Restaurant

Our top choice for table service style dining at Disney’s Hollywood Studios takes us to Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre Restaurant. This place offers just a little bit more than the other options. Still, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre Restaurant fails to be without flaws for theme park guests.  In fact, we visited this place last week, seeing many of those flaws up close. Still, we love dining here when visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Like 50s Prime Time Café, this place returns you to a bygone era. Most of the seats are shaped like classic cars. Also, a large “drive-in” style screen plays a constant loop of classic sci-fi movie ads or trailers, cartoons, and other videos used at drive-ins in that period.

The menu provides standard drive-in menu options like burgers, fries, and shakes. Some pasta dishes have been added to expand the menu, though. The most significant weakness of this restaurant involves the limited menu. However, this place works well for picky eaters. Also, more straightforward menu items would work better here based on the low lighting needed for the drive-in theatre setting.

Though the menu options qualify as standard, the burgers are some of the best ones inside a Walt Disney World theme park. The milkshakes earn high marks, too.

One of the biggest strengths of this place also serves as a more prominent weakness. Guests dine-in tables themed as cars. This can be awkward for groups of two. You will most likely be seated in a “car” with other guests in front and/or behind you. As long as you know this going in, you should appreciate your experience.

Overall, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre provides the best balance of value and quality. Still, any of the top four table service restaurants make solid choices for table service dining. Since Hollywood Studios can feel very busy, enjoying an air-conditioned, relaxing sit-down meal helps recharge your batteries for the rest of the theme park day.

Best Hollywood Studios Restaurant: Quick Service Options

Disney’s Hollywood Studios offers numerous quick-service dining options. These counter service style dining options provide full meals. Unlike table service restaurants, you can use the mobile order system to pick up your food and beverages or visit a counter to place your order. This list will include the four quick service options we see as the best choices at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Backlot Express

Backlot Express sits near the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular show. In fact, some of the outdoor seating here resides so close that you can hear the entire show. However, guests should not fear. This quick service location offers plenty of indoor seating so your group can relax indoors or outdoors. In addition, Backlot Express provides guests with a fountain soda refill station to use during their meals. This can save some money on beverages during your day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

This one ranks the lowest among our four suggestions for the best quick service at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Still, we find it far better than many Disney’s Hollywood Studios quick service options not making our list.

Backlot Express presents guests with a typical theme park menu focusing on burgers and fries. Once again, this place offers better quick service options in that category than other options at this theme park.

Also, the popular Star Wars-themed cookie, the Wookiee Cookie, served here provides enough sweetness and portion size to be shared. The Wookiee Cookie consists of two large oatmeal cookies with vanilla cream filling garnished with a milk chocolate sash on top. As you might imagine, the sash causes one to think of the popular Star Wars Wookiee, Chewie. This cookie makes a great snack to hold you over until you sit down for a full meal.

Woody’s Lunch Box

The Toy Story area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios features a quality quick service option. Woody’s Lunch Box, a popular quick service dining location, plays into the idea of dining as a toy in Andy’s backyard, like at Roundup Rodeo BBQ. However, this dining option involves a walk-up counter and outdoor seating. In addition, you can and should make a mobile order if you want to dine here.

The food quality here counts as above average quick service dining. The menu ranges from covered potato barrels (tater tots), grilled cheese sandwiches, barbecue brisket sandwiches, and versions of “pop-tarts.” They also have a breakfast tater tots dish with eggs, which receives high marks. Overall, the food served here makes a decent value for theme park cuisine. The popularity of this dining location shows that people enjoy it.

Speaking of its popularity, that and some other issues led to the most significant negatives of this quick-service dining location. For example, the seating option at this location fails to be ideal. Woody’s Lunch Box has limited seating. Also, much of the seating is not shaded very well at this outdoor location.

Nonetheless, this Hollywood Studios restaurant presents another logistical problem. Depending on the crowd level, you may have to mobile order food hours in advance. You may regret that decision if you wait until you are hungry to order food at Woody’s Lunch Box.

Despite all of that, this place provides guests with comfort-style food. We feel confident suggesting this option. We wish you luck with seating. Still, we rarely hear anyone speak poorly of the food served here.

ABC Commissary

This place has come a long way since a decade ago. ABC Commissary used to be one of the worst dining options at Walt Disney World Resort. However, this place offers some of the most consistent and tastiest dining options at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

This place offers a very basic theme. Guests are dining in the cafeteria of an ABC television production studio.

Still, the primarily indoor air-conditioned environment offers a significant positive compared to Woody’s Lunch Box and Backlot Express. This place can be busy during lunchtime due to the air conditioning. Nevertheless, ample seating can be found indoors at ABC Commissary.

The menu offers non-traditional items with quality flavors that can be recommended for guests with all types of diets and preferences. We suggest the Shrimp or Pork Carnitas Tacos, the Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich, and the plant-based California Burger. They also have more standard menu options for those looking for just a burger.

Though we would enjoy a better theme for this quick service location, this place offers one more advantage, especially over Woody’s Lunch Box. ABC Commissary has a drink station. Guests may refill their soft drinks while dining at ABC Commissary. Refilling your soda cup right before you leave ABC Commissary should save you some money on beverages as your day continues.

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo – The Clear Winner!

Regarding quick service at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the best options reside in the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.  Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo provides a dining experience for all guests to enjoy. Still, of course, Star Wars fans will appreciate all the nuances of this quick service location.

In fairness, many Star Wars fans have some criticisms about this place needing more theming. However, the Galaxy’s Edge experience provides a lovely backdrop for this quick-service dining option.

The only obvious weakness of Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo relates to it not being open for breakfast. Of course, Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests can enjoy Star Wars theming at Ronto Roasters nearby for breakfast and lunch.

Ronto Roaster serves a Star Wars idea of street food from Batuu. However, that dining option offers limited seating and closes at 3:00 p.m. each day. The popular Ronto Wraps sold at Ronto Roasters can be purchased at Docking Bay 7 after 3:00 p.m. each day.

Dining Theming

Docking Bay 7 presents a well-themed quick service restaurant that takes guests into a working hangar bar in the Star Wars universe. The backstory of Docking Bay 7 presents The Chef, Strono “Cookie Tuggs, who runs a food freighter. The Disney backstory reveals that this chef serves menu items based on all the chef’s travels in the galaxy.

Though Docking Bay 7’s menu has experienced some issues with names used for the cuisine, the food is quite suitable for quick service. For example, the Fried Endorian Chicken Tip Yip receives rave guest reviews. This crispy chicken entrée comes with mac & cheese and roasted vegetables.

Also, Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo offers one of the best vegetarian options at Walt Disney World. The Felucian Kefta and Hummus Garden Spread consists of plant-based “meatballs,” herb hummus, and tomato-cucumber relish, with a reasonably well-flavored piece of pita bread.

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo makes a rare combination of worthy theming and quality food. Very few places allow you to enjoy decent quick service pork ribs in a theme park with this theming style.

Conclusion

We understand that many people frown when they think of theme park cuisine. Still, we feel that if guests dine at the previously listed best Hollywood Studios restaurants, then that common opinion will change. Walt Disney World has improved the overall dining at Disney’s Hollywood Studios restaurants. This can be seen clearly in terms of the quick service options there.

Your PixieVacation travel advisor can help you plan for your theme park dining at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as well as all over Walt Disney World Resort. Since dining serves as a vital part of the theme park vacation, these best Hollywood Studios restaurants should help with that part of the experience. As always, eat like you mean it!

Check this out next

Looking for the best places to eat at EPCOT

Check out these Disney After Hours Special Events