4 Disney’s Hollywood Studios Restaurants the Experts Refuse to Book

I’m a Disney World food expert, and there are places in the parks where I REFUSE to eat.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Now, because it’s our mission here at Disney Food Blog to eat at every restaurant in Disney World frequently, we don’t truly avoid any locations when it comes to dining reviews. But when we’re booking our own personal vacations, there are definitely some spots that we skip, simply based on preference. And today, we’re sharing the list of restaurants that we often refuse to book at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant

Starting things out with Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, we often find that this is a one-and-done for people. The atmosphere is super cool, with a drive-in movie theme where you dine at tables sitting in cars and watch old movie clips on the large screen at the front, but the menu typically leaves a bit to be desired.

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre Restaurant

Here, you’ll find classic American fare that’s generally pretty mediocre. The burgers are fairly average, and after you’ve sat through a meal where you’ve seen all the movie clips on the big screen three times through, you’ll likely not feel the need to return here again.

Click Here for Our Last Review of Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant!

The Hollywood Brown Derby

This next one is a little tricky, because we do LOVE The Hollywood Brown Derby. But given the choice, we typically decide to visit The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge instead of making a reservation at the main restaurant. Why is that? Well, the vibes and the ease, of course!

The Cobb Salad at The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge

The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge has lovely views of the park, which is perfect for people watching. It often offers most (if not all) of the same menu items that The Hollywood Brown Derby does. It’s a great choice if there aren’t reservations available for the main restaurant, or if you just want that relaxed atmosphere. However, we will say that you may want to choose the restaurant over the lounge if it’s a particularly hot or rainy day — the lounge is entirely outdoors. 

The Most Expensive Hollywood Studios Restaurant You Should Skip and the One You Gotta Try — Click Here!

Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

Located in the back of Muppets Courtyard is Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, an Italian restaurant with a relaxed vibe and a controversial menu. Some people love this place, and some people really hate it. Here at DFB, we’ve had pretty mixed experiences over the years, so it tends to not be one of those locations that we heavily recommend or visit often for fun.

Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

If you’re looking for Italian fare, we’re more likely to recommend Trattoria al Forno at the BoardWalk or Tony’s Town Square Restaurant at Magic Kingdom (which has had a serious glow-up in the past few years). But Mama Melrose’s isn’t long for this world anyway — it’s closing May 11th, 2025, to make way for the new Monsters, Inc.-themed land coming to Hollywood Studios.

Hollywood & Vine

Last but not least, we’ve got to mention Hollywood & Vine. This character meal is located in the Echo Lake area of the park, and it features a breakfast with Disney Junior pals followed by lunch and dinner with Minnie Mouse and friends. It’s a unique character meal because it’s the only option in Disney World currently that changes theme with the seasons (they even have special meal theming for the holiday and Halloween seasons).

Disney Junior Play ‘n Dine

Despite the cool theme, we don’t often suggest this spot as a good character meal choice. The food is served buffet-style, and it has never really impressed us. Since you can meet Minnie and friends at other character meals (with better menus), there’s not much reason to come here unless you’re looking for the Disney Junior characters specifically…and even so, you can meet them in Animation Courtyard during the daytime.

Doc McStuffins

That’s a wrap on our list of Hollywood Studios reservations that Disney experts don’t usually book. If you’re heading to Hollywood Studios soon, make sure to check out our YouTube video on the BEST things to eat in that park!

Stay tuned to DFB for more dining updates from around Disney World!

Click Here for the Ultimate Guide to Disney’s Hollywood Studios Restaurants!

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WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

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