Eating on Holllywood Studios Day

[kraftml25]

Looking for a place to eat on our Hollywood Studios day. Our first visit--3 kids---need dinner option. Staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. Where should we eat dinner? What resorts are close to Hollywood--or easy to get to. We have a 9 month old, 4 year old and 7 year old so we need ease is traveling to dinner.

 

[Christy1964]

Epcot is just a boat ride away. I'd eat at Chefs de France, Le Cellier, or Tutto. I have only had good meals at Sci Fi if you want to stay in the park. The Boardwalk is walking distance also. There are both casual and more high end restaurants there.

 

[r&kmommy]

I'm not a huge fan of any eating in the Studios. If you want to stay in the park I'd recommend Prime Time Cafe. It's got a fun atmosphere and food is good. You're just a boat ride away from the Boardwalk area - Yacht & Beach Club and Boardwalk resorts. The ESPN club is a fun place to eat! We made ressies for the Cape May Cafe at the Yacht Club for our next trip, my kids are 8 and 3.5... I've never eaten there but I'm anticipating a yummy meal

 

[2kids2luv]

When my DD was 4 and DS 7 we ate at Sci-Fi and they really liked it. It was fun to eat in a car under the stars watching a corny movie plus the milkshakes are great. The Boardwalk is close and Epcot too if you have park hoppers.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Sci Fi or Cape May Cafe. The Epcot suggestion will work only if you have park hopping.

 

[Mamu]

Another one who's not a fan of DHS. You children are small so they will be ordering from the childrens menu, all the restaurants offer children's meals, so it will depend on what you would like.

 

[love4wdw]

For good food (and possible Fantasmic package), my family heads to Mama Melrose's. If that doesn't sound good, we head out of the park for our meal, usually to the Boardwalk or to BC/YC. This year we have planned to head out and go to Captain's Grille, but debated upon Kouzinna's or Cape May Cafe. (Although, growing up with WDW, Sci Fi is very cool for little ones, but the food is kinda of over priced for a generic meal IMO) Good luck!

 

[goofy4prez]

You didn't say if you wanted to do dinner with a CS or TS restaurant. If you are looking for a CS dinner restaurant I can't recommend a single one for dinner at Hollywood Studios. If you need one for lunch I still am not crazy about any of the choices however, IMHO, Starring Rolls is the "least of the evils" to eat at. At all cost I would absolutely avoid ABC Commissary, there are a few who will say it was good, but the "overwelming" majority of DIS'ers will tell you this is the worst location in all of WDW.

If you are looking for a 1TS location then DHS does have a couple of options that are average to good; 50's PT and the Sci-Fi are fun and something the kids will like.However, some parents have said their younger children were scared by the movie's playing onscreen at Sci-Fi. With that said, Epcot is not far away with so many decent places to eat it's hard to recommend one over the other. If you go there, I'd look at the themes and menus and base your decision on your own taste's as opposed to recommendations.

As far as resort restaurants you also have a few decent options as well. Over at the BC Resort, Cape May is only minutes away; Cape May is a good (again, not great) buffet with a clam bake. While it has some seafood on the table, there are other options for those who don't like clams. Lastly, next door is the YC and I love the well kept secret of the Captains Grill. This place is not overly themed; in fact some on here will say it's like any restaurant found in any city. This is true, but that is what I like about it. It has good food, excellent service, and it is a relaxing atmosphere when you want to just slow down for a bit.

I intentionally didn't mention any of the Signature restaurants around the area. If you are interested in them then it's a whole different story with some very nice options as well. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[jdisnut]

The dining situation at Disney's Hollywood Studios is embarrassingly bad and needs to be rectified. I suppose the entire park needs a general face-lift, but that's a conversation for another thread.

Besides The Hollywood Brown Derby, which is typically quite good, none of the other table service options offer particularly good food. 50's Prime Time Cafe and Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater provides a wonderful atmosphere and entertainment. All Disney fans should experiences theses two places at least once, because the settings are so unique. Children usually love these two, and if you stick to basic food, the meal will be decent.

I have always been pleasantly surprised by Mama Melrose's, but it consistently receives mediocre reviews on these boards. Maybe I have been lucky.

The counter service landscape is even more barren. There isn't a single location my family enjoys, making a quick lunch considerably more difficult than it should be. I have read that Starring Rolls serves a few sandwiches that are tasty, but I haven't tried them yet.

The best suggestion I have is to leave the park. As others have said, Epcot and its surrounding resorts are just a boat ride or walk away. The BoardWalk, Beach Club and Yacht Club all have lovely restaurants, including Kouzzina, Cape May Cafe and Captain's Grille.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

Since you are a first-timer, you may not be aware of the menus you can find on-line, so here you go....

http://www.allears.net/menu/menu_bwd.htm

Honestly, with the ages of your children, I think I would either 1. Choose a restaurant at DHS 2. Just eat counter-service at DHS, or 3. Eat at your resort before/after touring.

I personally wouldn't want to transport three children that age to a non-DHS location. True, the Boardwalk and EPCOT aren't that far away, but just the logistics can be daunting for a first-timer (especially with the heat, tired-ness of the children added in) But that's just me...I'm an "older" DISer, so I don't have the energy of a person young enough to have three small children

 

[#1hoosierfan]

We just ate at Sci-Fi this week, and we REALLY liked it. The cheeseburgers were awesome. My 3 year old loved eating in a car, and it was a nice break from the heat. Our server was also wonderful.

 

[Christy1964]

I took my daughter and her best friend to Sci-Fi when they were 9, and they loved it. The atmosphere is great for kids. I love their ribs, and my daughter likes the pasta. The BLT soup is great also.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I recommend Prime Time or Sci Fi, esp for kids! The atmosphere is great and they have some good options, while not the best food in the World. Stick to burgers at Sci Fi, but both the fried chicken and the pot roast at PT are really good.

If you don't mind venturing out of the parks, I would recommend something at the Yacht & Beach Club or Boardwalk, it is only a boat ride away, you don't need park tickets and there won't be a crowd to get through turnstiles. The Cape May Cafe has a nice buffet and the Yachtsman Steakhouse is great (depending on the children's tastes) although your kids are sort of young, so they might not want a meal that is at a leisurely pace. How about Beaches and Cream? Hot dogs, grilled chicken, burgers and fabulous sundaes.

I would probably do Prime Time or Beaches and Cream with a baby, JMO. Sci Fi is a little dark and IDK if the pricier places would be worth it and a buffet might be too much food if you're going back into the parks. So, I would stick with one of those two- fun places with decent food that appeals to kids.

 

[DISNEYNV]

Mamma Melrose, Sci Fi, or Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine (character meal with Playhouse Characters)!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

My favorite table service restaurant in Hollywood Studios is 50's Prime Time Cafe and I would highly recommend it.

 

[Big Daddy Incredible]

When my family and I stayed at Port Orleans, we would eat our table service meals at Downtown Disney. The options at DD are far better than at the Studios. It also gives you the opportunity to take the boat from Downtown Disney to Port Orleans or vice versa.

 

[theguda]

I second the idea of leaving the park for dinner to find a better place to eat. As for a quick service option....my wife and I really like the Backlot Express. They have a panini-type sandwich that is VERY good. Plus...they have self-serve fountain drinks!!! When you're done eating....get a refill before you head back out to the park.

 

[DonaldTDuck]

Mamma Melrose, Sci Fi, or Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine (character meal with Playhouse Characters)!

The characters are there for breakfast and lunch, but not for dinner.
50s Prime Time Cafe is my favorite restaurant in the World. Shakes for drinks, incredible pot roast, fried chicken my momma would like and a dessert menu that'll knock your eyes out with servers as nutty as Dad's Sundae add up to a great and fun meal.
For cs, Studio Catering is pretty good, but with kids I think I'd go to Pizza Planet. As pp said, avoid ABC at all costs.

 

[Tommy_B]

Opinions are like..... well never mind.... I like the dining at DHS, the Brown Derby is one of my favorite places in WDW, although I don't know that I'd do it with young kids, but I love 50's Prime Time too.

I think part of the problem is that not enough people here grew up eating meatloaf, tuna casserole and pot roast as kids.... staples of the 50's and 60's, most are a generation raised on fast food and take out, not Mom's home cooking.

Failing that... walk or boat to the resorts or Epcot that rim the lake and choose any ind of food you want, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, etc.

 

[mfd25wife]

I do think the kids would like 50's. They have great milkshakes and malts. I got fried chicken, which wasvery good. I only like dark meat for fried chicken and they did honor that request. Actually, I ended up with 8 pieces of chicken because another cm was trying to help our server and gave me the wrong thing. I just asked if she could replace the two pieces that were white. Nope, she got me all new chicken. The chocolate shake was wonderful and I got it as a drink on the DP. And, they gave me dessert also.

We like Mama Melrose a lot, but I think kids would like 50's better since they play with everyone and make them mind their manners, including the adults.