Brown Derby vs. 50's Prime Time for lunch

[LibrarianBecky]

I'd like to do a TS lunch on our Hollywood Studios day. We aren't planning any other TS meals during our trip. Our HS days seems like a good day to do it, since we will be at the park all day (rope drop for TSM and closing it down for Osborne Lights). Generally speaking, it seems like the counter service places in HS don't receive great reviews....so I decided to see what ADRs I could get.

Hollywood Brown Derby and 50's Prime Time both have spots available. I reserved the Brown Derby, since it has less availability, but am second guessing myself a little. I'd love to do their Cobb Salad and Grapefruit cake--sounds like a yummy meal, some of their signature dishes--and not much more $$ than a counter service meal. After reviewing the menu again, I know my son won't have any trouble finding something he likes to eat...but my husband is another story. I know he would probably be more comfortable with the menu at 50s Prime Time.

Opinions on which is better?

 

[LadyLaLa]

I've only eaten at the 50's Prime Time so I can't give you a comparison. I thought the 50's PT had a fun environment with mediocre food. I've been wanting to try the Broen Derby but wasn't sure if it was worth the 2 TS credits.

 

[kwdw]

They are VERY different so it's hard to compare. Prime Time is a casual TS restaurant with moderate prices (for Disney) - and a quirky atmosphere. The food is fine - but its not "to die for." Food quality - its like going to your favorite US chain - Applebee's, Ruby Tuesdays, TGIF - etc. Pot roast, fried chicken, meatloaf, pot pie (not my favorite), everyday family food. Brown Derby, on the other hand, is a signature dining restaurant. Much high prices, up-scale atmosphere, higher end food choices. I've only eaten there twice, but our food was well-prepared and one of the two items I've ordered I LOVED. The other one - I did not like the flavor profile (sounded good, but not me) - so even though it was prepared fine and served appropriately, I can't say it was an awesome meal. I'm sure other folks think the dish I didn't like is awesome.

I don't go to Brown Derby more because despite my love of fine dining, I don't love their menu choices. Not many dishes on their menu appeal to me. And well, I'm in the minority and don't like their grapefruit cake - just a sugary cake without much flavor (and I LOVE grapefruit). I've had great service there, and that meant it was a really nice break from the park atmosphere. Prime Time is a bit chaotic - it's not a retreat from the park, IMO. At both places - I have waited well-past my ADR time to be seated - like - I think no less than 15 minutes every time. But that seems to be a pretty normal problem across Disney unless you are at the beginning of a meal sitting.

If I'm spending a FULL day at HS - I tend to hit Prime Time, Sci-FI, or Mama's. There are other signature restaurants I prefer elsewhere on property - with more interesting atmospheres and more choices I like on the menu. So - Brown Derby ends up not getting selected. NOT because it's bad - but because it's "not worth" the extra cost and time for me.

 

[Masonmj84]

These restaurants are so different that it's impossible to make an apples to apples comparison.

Brown Derby, as others have noted, is a fine dining, signature restaurant. Darker. Quieter. More adult. Food quality is much higher than 50's Prime Time. It's also much more expensive.

50's Prime Time is basically a fun, 50's themed diner that serves "comfort food" (think Cracker Barrel or Bob Evans). More family oriented. Portion sizes are generally larger (and much more filling) than Brown Derby.

That being said, I think 50's Prime Time provides better bang for the buck (or dining credit) not just for food quantity for the money but also for the experience. It's just more fun and unique. Brown Derby, on the other hand, is somewhat less unique (although the old Hollywood theming is kind of cool), and, along those lines, there are many other signature restaurants on property that we think are better (including almost all of the resort signatures).

One thing Brown Derby has over 50's Prime Time is that it can be used for the Fantasmic Package. We like it for that.

 

[figment_jii]

I agree that they are two very different experiences. For my family, we would choose to go to HBD without any hesitation over 50PT. For us, the food at 50PT is okay, but it's the atmosphere that is really not our thing. My family prefers low-key relaxing meals, not a meal where we have to worry about the server pretending to be an over-bearing parent. I have to say, my one meal at 50PT was the most stressful meal I've had at WDW. HBD, on the other hand, has very good food and good service. I really like the Cobb Salad!

 

[Alexsandra]

Honestly we dined at Brown Derby once and we were really disappointed with the meal. We were 3 adults and 2 kids and all our meals were not that great. The meats were all overcooked and the food was over salted. It was not terrible but not great either. Definetly not worth the high prices we paid! The only thing that was good was their sangria and their Grapefruit cake. The restaurant itself is beautiful and is a lot more fancy than Prime Time if that matters to you.
It could have just been bad luck and I often try a restaurant a second time after having a bad experience, because you never know, maybe the chef was having a bad day in the kitchen.
That being said, I never found enough reason to go back.

I much prefer 50's Prime Time. The food there is always good and their milkshakes are amazing! The 1950's atmosphere is really fun with the old TV sets playing black and white reruns. It is a must do for us every trip. Plus it is much easier on the wallet. Most of the time the interaction with the waiter is light hearted so we never had a bad experience. The waiters usually get a feel for what type of family you are. We are not big on the role playing thing so our waiters have never pushed that on us. I have been to 50's PT 7 times and had a bad experience only once when the service was really slow but the restaurant was packed. The food however was still really good.

Hope that helps

 

[LibrarianBecky]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I had my DH look at the menu, to see if there is something that caught his interest. As I thought, he didn't think any of it sounded like something he would eat. He's a good husband and told me to not worry about him and book it anyway, if that is where I want to eat. I did book the ADR, but after reading the responses, I think that either 50PT or Sci-Fi might be a better fit for our needs for the day.

 

[Celtics33]

This is an easy one for me. HBD is a great lunch choice and very relaxing especially given the Orlando hunidity. Also, my kids like eating there as well.

 

[PracticallyPerfect2015]

I love 50PT! It's hilarious and the food was good, too.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We really like HBD. It's quite relaxing and the food and service is very good. I'm not a big fan of 50's Prime Time. The food was quite bad and I don't particularly like the schtick. The food at Sci-Fi isn't very good either, but the atmosphere is pretty cool. If I couldn't do HBD, my second choice would be Mama Melrose.