Another seasonal celebration has now arrived at Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

It’s no secret that Hollywood & Vine doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to food quality. In the past, this restaurant served up buffet-style meals that were generally passable, but nothing to write home about. But when we ate at the recently reopened Hollywood & Vine earlier this year, we were blown away by how incredible both the food AND character interactions were! So, now that Minnie’s Holiday Dine has returned for the Christmas season, will the experience still stack up? Let’s take a look!

Atmosphere

Just like the last time we dined at Hollywood & Vine, the restaurant is adhering to the health and safety guidelines being practiced around Disney World. Safety measures include plexiglass dividers throughout the restaurant, increased hand santizer availability, and guests are encouraged to check-in via Mobile Dine Check-In on the My Disney Experience app, as opposed to in-person.

When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted with an adorable Christmas backdrop. There were no characters available to pose for a photo here like we’ve seen at past Hollywood & Vine holiday events, but guests are still welcome to stop for a photo themselves! Just keep in mind, Cast Members can’t take guests’ phones at the moment, so you might have to stick with a selfie!

Here’s a closer look at the adorable presents positioned at the bottom of the holiday backdrop!

We also spotted holiday decor throughout the restaurant as well, including a shiny, silver Christmas tree, and festive wraps on the columns.

And the restaurant itself wasn’t the only thing decked out in its holiday best. Let’s take a look at how the characters are dressed for the occassion!

Characters

During our visit, we spotted Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto all dressed in their holiday attire! Here’s a look at the main mouse, dressed to impress!

As with the other character meals that have returned in Disney World, the characters can’t stop to sign autographs or take photos with guests. But they will pose throughout the restaurant for guests to snap a pic or a socially distanced selfie!

During our meal, the characters made their way around the restaurant pretty quickly, especially Mickey and Minnie. We were able to interact a bit more with Pluto since the adorable reindeer pup make the rounds a bit more slowly!

Goofy was all decked out in his Santa gear, so it looks like he’s definitely ready to spread some Christmas cheer!

Since the characters can’t stop to sign autographs, guests who dine at Hollywood & Vine receive an autograph card instead. It’s pre-signed by the characters on one side, and has some cute artwork on the other side!

In order to ensure everyone’s health and safety, guests are asked to remain in their seats while the characters make their rounds.

Eats

Now for the FOOD! While Hollywood & Vine was previously a buffet meal, it has transitioned to a Prix-Fixe experience that includes salad and bread (both are unlimited!), your choice of entree, dessert, and non-specialty beverage. The meal will run you $55.00 per adult and $36.00 per child.

We opted for the Farmhouse Tossed Salad, made with mixed greens, tomatoes, red onion, cornbread croutons, and homemade smokehouse ranch dressing. The cornbread croutons added a nice sweetness and texture to the salad. And we LOVED the ranch dressing, which was super creamy, fresh, and full of flavor!

The bread wasn’t anything groundbreaking or unique, but it was buttery and fresh. Which is sometimes all you really need, right??

For our entree, we ordered the Garlic and Cracked Black Pepper Prime Rib of Beef, which comes with Sour Cream-Chive Whipped Potatoes, Fried Brussels Sprouts, and Pearl Onions with Red Wine Jus.

This dish was recommended by our host, who said it was one of the most popular items on the menu. And we’re grateful for the recommendation! The prime rib was delicious and it was a generous portion size. It was cooked perfectly — we asked for medium rare. The mashed potatoes were also incredible and super garlicy, which we loved! And the brussel sprouts and pearl onions tied the dish together nicely.

And for dessert, we opted for the Plant-Based Cherry Lemon Pie, which is a deconstructed pie made with cherries and a lemon drizzle.

We were a little thrown off by the dessert at first, mostly due to the deconstructed approach. But once we got past that, the flavors were wonderful! The lemon flavor was strong and tart, which balanced out the sweetness of the other ingredients.

So, in our experience, it looks like Hollywood & Vine continues its streak of food-related redemption!

Nosh or Not?

You Might Enjoy Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine if:

• You want to experience one of the few character dining experiences available in Disney World right now.
• You’re looking for a table service restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that offers entertainment for the little ones.
• You want to experience a differernt dining experience (meaning, non-buffet!) at Hollywood & Vine.

You Might Skip Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine if:

• Seeing the characters isn’t one of your top priorities on your Disney World trip.
• You’re not a big fan of the Christmas aesthetic.
• You want a fancy atmosphere. Try the Hollywood Brown Derby instead!

Overall

Once again, we were pleasantly surprised by how delicious all of our food was at Hollywood & Vine! We would order any one of the items we tried again, which wasn’t always something we could say about this restaurant.

While the characters didn’t stop by for long, we still had more of an opportunity to interact with them than some of the other meals that currently have character visits, like Cinderella’s Royal Table. Plus, seeing the classic characters in their holiday attire is a cute touch. With the impressive food and solid, if not extensive, character interactions, we’d say Hollywood & Vine was a winner in our books yet again!

Click here to check out our last review from Hollywood & Vine!

What is your favorite character meal in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!