Not all that glitters is gold, especially when it comes to expensive dining at Disney World.
We have our list of favorite restaurants and we often revisit these places to see if the quality holds up. Disney World restaurants change all the time, and sometimes that means a dip in quality. Unfortunately, this might be the case at one such restaurant in Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and that’s extra disappointing given its price tag.
Before we list some cons about this restaurant, we must preface this argument by saying the feelings aren’t quite universal. In fact, we’ve had our fair share of pleasant experiences here. In fact, we left with a positive impression during our most recent review. With that said, other guest reception is mixed at best and some members of the DFB team feel food quality isn’t living up to the price tag or standard this restaurant used to have. But enough beating around the bush — next time you visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you might want to consider skipping Hollywood & Vine Restaurant.
Hollywood & Vine offers a full Buffet for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner and is especially notable since it features the presence of Disney characters.
Meet Playhouse Disney Characters such as Fancy Nancy, Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, and Roadster Goofy during the a la carte Disney Junior Play ‘n Dine Breakfast, or say “hi” to Mickey Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto during the Minnie’s Seasonal Dine dinner party for Lunch and Dinner. These dining experiences change theming throughout the year to keep things fresh, but that doesn’t mean dining here is all sunshine and rainbows.
Some of our staff and readers feel like the buffet style has dragged down quality since it returned. Some readers don’t like the sanitary practices of a buffet, especially when you’re paying around $50-60+ per adult and $33-42+ per child based on the time of service.
On Yelp, the restaurant holds a humble 3.3 stars with nearly 400 reviews. On the review website, some guests wrote that the food is average at best and overpriced.
With that said, the majority of folks feel the character portion of this character dining experience is a standout. If meeting characters has a higher priority than great food for you and your family, Hollywood & Vine does an excellent job delivering. However, if you’re basing things on the price of food alone, there are better options.
If you’re ready to drop a pretty penny for a quality dining experience, Hollywood Brown Derby is the way to go at Hollywood Studios.
This is one of our favorite restaurants and Disney World and it consistently meets expectations. This Signature Restaurant is a replica of the famous Hollywood landmark restaurant, but we’re not kidding when we say the food and service might be just as good.
The menu offerings are higher in price than the average theme park food by a considerable amount, but the quality is also significantly better. Serving Lunch and Dinner, Hollywood Brown Derby offers contemporary American cuisine such as Faroe Island salmon, char-grilled filet of beef, and their famous Cobb salad that follows the recipe created by Bob Cobb, owner of the California Brown Derby.
You’ll also find plenty of enticing cocktails and delicious cakes, such as the Grapefruit Cake.
As for the atmosphere, the walls boast caricatures of famous faces and an overall upscale theming that calls back to the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Hollywood Brown Derby can be in demand, so advanced dining reservations are highly recommended. Feel free to stop by the connected Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge, which is located outside and welcomes walk-up guests.
What are your opinions of these two Hollywood Studios restaurants? Let us know in the comments below and continue to follow us here at the Disney Food Blog for more Disney World updates, tips, reviews, and more!
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Which expensive Disney World restaurants do you always avoid and which ones are on your must-visit list? Let us know in the comments!
Food at the Brown Derby is good, not great. And the prices they charge are too high relative to the food they offer. But, yes, for Disney restaurants, Brown Derby is near the top. However, the bar is not set too high so this is not saying much.
The Cobb salad is horrible compared to past versions and to what a true Cobb salad should be. And the quality at the Brown Derby is certainly not to the standard it has been in the past. We now skip all the restaurants in HS and head to Disney Springs or the Swan and Dolphin after a day there. We keep hoping for something new.
We used to love the food at H&V, but it has been a long time since we had even a satisfactory meal there. We mainly go for a Fantasmic package or when we need a table service meal and we’ve already visited all the other HS table service restaurants in a trip. The characters here are fantastic. In our expereince, they make multiple trips past your table, interact a lot, even establish running jokes with you during your meal. There is a nice photo op spot, and often all the characters on the floor will come over to join you. But we’re not picky eaters, and we have struggled our past few visits (every 1-2 years) just to be okay with the dining experience. With Mama Melrose’s vanishing, the table service game at HS will need a lot of improvement.
Our must-do dining splurges are mainly character meals. They aren’t the most expensive meals, but we also love Coral Reef and Tony’s, as much for our nostalgia as anything (although we are usually pretty satisfied with the food at these locations also).
I had an amazing meal at Hollywood Brown Derby a few years ago, but the menu has changed a couple of times since then and I haven’t been back. If the dish I got the first time were still available, I would go back for it in a heartbeat. I feel the same about Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant – I love the theming and atmosphere, but the menu is disappointing. But I’m always up for a trip to 50’s Prime Time Cafe, even as an introvert because despite what you hear (or read) the cast members there are very good at reading people and have never once made me feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.