5 Table-Service Restaurants At Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios And Why We Love Them

Disney’s Hollywood Studios may be all about entertainment, but that doesn’t mean the park is lacking in its dining offerings. Hollywood Studios is home to five table-service restaurants that combine great food with interactive fun and entertainment, from themed character meals to 1950s sitcoms. Here are the five table-service restaurants in the park and why we love them so much:

5. 50’s Prime Time Café

If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to experience the 1950s, this is the Hollywood Studios eatery for you. The 50’s Prime Time Cafe serves up American comfort food just like your mom used to make…which is perfect, because the restaurant’s theme is Mom’s Kitchen (think Formica tables and vinyl chairs). It’s a restaurant that offers hearty favorites like chicken pot pie along with a bit of interactive fun; don’t be surprised if you’re scolded by “Mom” herself if she catches you with your elbows on the table. Diners love it because they can enjoy comfort food from meatloaf to milkshakes while watching black-and-white clips from popular 1950s shows on old-fashioned television sets. But you just better be sure to mind your manners!

4. Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater

If you (or your kids) are too young to remember the days of drive-in movie theaters, the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater gives park-goers an opportunity to watch science-fiction clips and vintage commercials from your very own classic car-shaped booth or table. You’ll find favorites ranging from sandwiches to ribs on the menu, but even more exciting is having a carhop guide you to your very own car under the stars, where you’ll enjoy your meal (and some of Walt Disney World’s best milkshakes!) amidst kitschy memorabilia and even an old-fashioned, drive-in-style concession stand.

3. Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

Mama Melrose’s is the perfect restaurant for a relaxed meal of home-style Italian fare, with its checkered curtains, overhead string lights, and walls adorned with Mama’s mementos. The former backlot warehouse is now a cozy and inviting dining room serving up Italian classics like chicken parmesan as well as the restaurant’s popular flatbread pizzas. You can (and should!) top off your Italian feast with Mama’s tiramisu or desserts like a Ghirardelli chocolate and cherry tort. The wine list boasts an assortment of Italian and Californian wines as well as specialty cocktails, so it’s a great place to unwind after a long day of touring the park.

2. Hollywood & Vine

An all-you-can-eat buffet, Hollywood & Vine is the ideal place to fill up before catching an evening viewing of Fantasmic. It also offers the only character dining opportunity at Hollywood Studios; your kids can join their favorite Disney Junior friends for breakfast. For lunch and dinner Minnie and her friends are ready to dine with you! The restaurant hosts seasonal themed lunch and dinner events, so depending upon when you’re visiting, you’ll have an opportunity to savor seasonal meals, music, and decor while celebrate holidays like Halloween and Christmas with Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy decked out in their festive garb.

1. Hollywood Brown Derby

For a more upscale dining experience, the Hollywood Brown Derby is an authentic replica of the famous Tinseltown landmark of the same name. The walls are decorated with caricatures of famous faces, and the food and ambiance is designed to capture the glamour and glitz of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Among the restaurant’s signature dishes is the famous Brown Derby Cobb salad—the recipe was created by Bob Cobb, owner of the actual California Brown Derby—and the legendary grapefruit cake for dessert.