When you visit Hollywood Studios, you’re definitely going to work up an appetite riding the Tower of Terror, Rock N’ Rollercoaster, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Deciding on food venues in the parks can be challenging, especially when you’ve got fussy little ones or a jam-packed schedule. Luckily for you, I’ve done all the hard work and narrowed down the best restaurants in Hollywood Studios for families, so you can head out to the park and enjoy your trip without the added stress of what and where to eat that day.
Table Service and Quick Service Restaurants at Hollywood Studios
As with all the parks, Hollywood Studios has both table service and quick service restaurants.
Quick service restaurants are the best option if you don’t have time to have a proper sit-down meal. You can order and collect a wide selection of foods at a kiosk window and find adequate seating in a canteen-style seating area for you and your family.
Some quick service meals can also be taken with you on the go and they make the perfect waiting in line snack.
Table service restaurants are normal-style restaurants that are dotted around the park. A server will seat you, take your order and deliver your food like they would in a normal restaurant outside of the parks.
Table service restaurants need to be booked in advance and Disney now allows you to do this 60 days before your trip. It’s important to note that dining reservations get booked up fast, so it’s best to set an alarm and book all the restaurants you want ASAP to avoid disappointment.
Kid Friendly Facilities at Disney
Disney is obviously designed with little ones in mind and high chairs are conveniently placed at all restaurants throughout all the parks. If you have trouble finding a high chair, you can ask a crew member who will be more than happy to assist you.
Quick service restaurants allow pushchairs inside the canteen area so if needs be, your child can remain in their stroller while you’re having your meal. Table service restaurants don’t normally allow this, but if your child is asleep, there is no harm in asking.
Cutlery in the parks is all adult-sized, so I’ve found it’s best to pack an extra set of kids’ cutlery so they can have their independence and eat like they would at home.
Disney does a good job of catering to different dietary requirements. Most quick service restaurants allow you to substitute items in the meal and adapt them to your specific needs.
Table service restaurants have a separate dietary menu that can be requested when you’re seated. Specially trained dietary cast members can be found in restaurants and can answer any questions or queries you may have regarding your meal.
The baby care center can be found in the Guest Relations at the main entrance of the park. Here you can find a space to nurse and care for your children and should they get lost, your child will be escorted here and cared for until you collect them.
Unfortunately, Disney Dining plans are currently unavailable throughout all the Disney Parks due to the pandemic. Changes happen regularly, so it’s best to check the Walt Disney World website to keep up to date with how these measures will affect your trip.
So, without further ado, let’s get into the best restaurants in Hollywood Studios that you and your family will love.
Best Quick Service Hollywood Studio Restaurants for Families
ABC Commissary
ABC Commissary is located just off of Commissary Lane and gives you all the feels of an art deco film studio. There is plenty of indoor air-conditioned seating that’ll give you the perfect break from the Florida heat.
The lunch and dinner menu has a wide selection of mains for adults, such as a chicken club sandwich, shrimp tacos, and a Mediterranean salad.
A plant-based California burger and a menu for dietary requirements are also available at ABC Commissary, meaning there is something on the menu for everyone!
The kids’ menu features pork tacos with Mexican rice and black beans or a grilled ham and cheese sandwich accompanied by carrot and apple slices. Both meals come with a choice of water or low-fat milk.
The full ABC Commissary menu can be found here.
Backlot Express
Backlot Express in Echo Lake has a menu full of all American eats that the whole family will love.
Conveniently placed near Star Tours, the Backlot Express has both indoor and outdoor seating that is covered and less crowded than other restaurants in the park.
If you like burgers, you’ve come to the right place! Backlot Express’ adult’s menu has cheese, bacon, or plain burgers, as well as chicken strips and salads.
This restaurant is an easy option for fussy kids as the menu consists of chicken strips, mac & cheese, or an uncrustables sandwich. All kids’ meals come with a side of carrot sticks, a choice of low-fat milk or water, and a Danimals Smoothie.
The full Backlot Express menu can be found here.
Catalina Eddie’s
Catalina Eddies can be found in Sunset Boulevard and shares seating with a couple of other small quick service venues.
If you’re looking for a quick bite before heading on Tower of Terror or Rock N’ Rollercoaster, you should definitely stop by Catalina Eddie’s. The prime location means this restaurant gets extremely busy throughout the day and seating may be hard to come by.
Quick and easy pizzas with different toppings are available for both adults and kids. The pizzas can also be adapted to meet specific dietary requirements and they make a great lunch option if you’re stumped on what to choose. I mean, who doesn’t love pizza?
The full Catalina Eddie’s menu can be found here.
Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo
An incredible themed quick service restaurant found in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is the Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo.
The working hangar bay is a must for all Star Wars fans with both indoor and outdoor seating.
The menu has a space twist to make it fun and fitting for the surrounding restaurant design. Batuuan beef and crispy topato stir-fry, Fried endorian chicken tip yip, and roasted endorian chicken salad are on the menu for adults.
Fried Chicken tip yip, Ithorian pasta rings, and Takodana veggie dippers are the choices for kids and although they have space-themed names, they’re essentially crispy chicken, meat marinara pasta, and vegetables with hummus. The full Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo menu can be found here.
Dockside Diner
The Dockside Diner on the edge of Echo Lake is a quick service venue that looks like a giant boat! It has a large outdoor seating area and is a great choice if you want a restaurant that has a shorter ordering line.
The Dockside Diner menu is small and slightly basic so you may want to opt for a different food venue if you want a wider food selection, but if you like shrimp or chicken salad rolls, or smoked fish dip, then Dockside Diner would be right up your alley.
Macaroni & cheese and a PB&J uncrustable sandwiches are easy choice options for kids with a large selection of drinks on the menu too.
The full Dockside Diner menu can be found here.
Epic Eats
The menu at Epic Eats is strictly snacks, but it’s worth a mention if you just want a little pick me up as you’re walking around the park.
Funnel cakes, root beer, and ice cream will give you the sugar rush you need for your busy day at Hollywood Studios.
The full Epic Eats menu can be found here.
Fairfax Fare
This one is for hot dog lovers! Fairfax Fare on Sunset Boulevard shares the seating area with Catalina Eddie’s and Rosie’s All-American Cafe. This food court setup means your entire family can order from different restaurants, and all sit down at the same table and enjoy your meal together.
There is no specific kids’ menu at Fairfax Fare, but both kids and adults can enjoy a selection of toppings on their all-beef quarter-pound hot dogs.
The full Fairfax Fare menu can be found here.
PizzeRizzo
The closest restaurant to the Muppets 3D show and themed around Rizzo the Rat is PizzeRizzo.
The kids’ will be easily satisfied with the choice of pizzas, pasta, and mini-subs, which also come in adult-sized portions.
There is plenty of indoor air-conditioned seating and the short wait times are another reason why this is a perfect stop if you have small children and are in need of a quick bite before heading to the show.
Ronto Roasters
Another quick service restaurant in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is Ronto Roasters, where you can enjoy a selection of wraps in their outdoor seating area or as an on-the-go snack.
The theming throughout Ronto Roasters makes it another fantastic place to visit if you’re a Star Wars fan.
There are only full-sized wraps on the menu, but they’re all a huge hit in the park. There are four filling options of pork and sausage, pork rinds, zucchini, and fruit.
The full Ronto Roasters menu can be found here.
Rosie’s All-American Café
The third installment in the Sunset Boulevard food court is Rosie’s All-American and is stocked with burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and salads.
Thanks to the food court-style seating area, food can be ordered from any of the kiosks and enjoyed at one table as a family.
Chicken nuggets, a turkey sandwich, or a power pack are on the Rosie’s All-American Cafe’s kids’ menu, but if none of these options appeal to them, they can order from a different kiosk!
The full Rosie’s All-American Cafe menu can be found here.
The Trolley Car Café
Did you know that each of the Disney parks has a themed Starbucks? The Trolley Car Cafe on Hollywood Boulevard is Hollywood Studio’s Starbucks and inside you can find all of your most loved coffees as well as a selection of sandwiches and snacks.
Simple sandwiches like sausage and egg, bacon and egg, and ham and egg are amazing small meals to walk around the park with.
The full Trolley Car Cafe menu can be found here.
Best Table Service Hollywood Studio Restaurants for Families
50s Prime Time Café
The 50s Prime Time Cafe is near Echo Lake and is themed to look like your mum’s kitchen in the 50s. The food selection is made up of meals that you’d most likely associate a mum cooking at home.
The adults can enjoy mains of fried chicken, meatloaf, and pot roast, as well as starters of onion rings, noodle soup, and crab cakes.
The little ones get a choice of noodle soup, vegetable platters, or salads for starters and the mains include grilled chicken, chicken strips, and macaroni & cheese.
The dessert menu is also a huge hit with favourites of chocolate-peanut butter cake, apple crisps, and brownies.
If you decide to dine at 50s Prime Time Cafe, be sure to request a table with a TV. They play old black and white clips from popular prime-time shows from the 1950s!
The full 50s Prime Time Cafe menu can be found here.
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Found just behind the Muppet Square in Grand Avenue is Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, and you’ve guessed it, they serve up Italian food.
The theming inside Mama Melrose’s accurately represents an Italian restaurant with fairy lights, checkered curtains, and food that doesn’t disappoint either.
A large selection of pasta, chicken, and steak are on the menu for adults, and the kids’ also get the choice between pasta, pizza, and chicken.
The showstopper that all kids are bound to love (I know mine do!) is the spaghetti and meatball cupcake dessert. A vanilla cupcake decorated to look like spaghetti and meatballs, it’s so fun and makes a great end to a yummy meal at Mama Melrose’s.
The full Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano menu can be found here.
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
Probably one of the best themed and most fun restaurants in Disney is Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater on Commissary Lane.
When you enter the restaurant, you’re assigned a booth, and what makes it so fun is that the booth… is actually a car!
The restaurant is set up to look like a proper drive-in movie with the car booths facing a big screen playing old sci-fi hits.
The menu features all American classics of burgers, pasta, and salads for both adults and kids, so it’s a great place to head for a simple bite that the family is guaranteed to love.
The full Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant can be found here.
Hollywood & Vine
Character dining in Hollywood Studios can only be found at Hollywood & Vine, right near 50s Prime Time Cafe, at Echo Lake. it’s also the only sit down Hollywood Studios restaurant for breakfast, with pancakes, Mickey waffles, omelet and more on the menu.
At the start of the year, they revamped their menu, and it now features beef tenderloin, salmon, and pork loin.
Kids can build their own plate by choosing an entrée of salmon, turkey, beef, or macaroni & cheese as well as 2 sides and a dessert.
Minnie and her friends, who are perfectly dressed for each season, join you for both the lunch and dinner reservations, keeping your little ones entertained and happy throughout the entire meal.
The full Hollywood & Vine menu can be found here.
The Hollywood Brown Derby
Hollywood Studios’ signature dining experience is found at the Hollywood Brown Derby in Hollywood Boulevard next to the Animation Courtyard.
The restaurant is themed after Brown Derby Restaurants from back in the day and if you’re after a quiet gourmet meal, you’ve come to the right place.
The Hollywood Brown Derby is without a doubt the most expensive dining experience at Hollywood Studios, but the food quality and service are a true reflection of this.
Finer ingredients are used to make filet mignon, trout, and risotto, as well as a famous cobb salad and incredible desserts.
The kids’ menu is slightly more basic with chicken, beef, and hot dogs and a choice of 2 sides to accompany their meals.
The grapefruit cake dessert is highly raved about and is a must if you’re visiting Hollywood Brown Derby.
The full Hollywood Brown Derby menu can be found here.
Best Snacks at Hollywood Studios
If you go to Disney and you don’t indulge in all the Disney snacks, then I’m sorry, but you’re doing it wrong!
Hollywood Studios has some fantastic snacks that you can’t find anywhere else, and I thought it was important to give them a special mention.
Neighborhood Bakery – Jack-Jack Num Num Cookie and Key Lime Pie on a Stick
The Num Num Cookie is a cookie big enough to share and is warm and gooey on the inside and crunchy on the outside. It’s everything you could want in a cookie and more!
The Key Lime Pie on a stick is essentially a slice of key lime pie, coated in blue icing and placed on a stick like an ice cream. It’s incredibly refreshing and a fun way to enjoy a dessert in the parks.
Epic Eats – Funnel Cakes
Funnel cakes can be found all over the Disney parks and Epic Eats has a good selection of toppings that the whole family will enjoy. The thing I love most about funnel cakes is they are big enough for a family of 4 to share, so you won’t be breaking the bank on snacks!
Trolley Car Cafe – Carrot Cake Cookie and Butterfinger Cupcake
The Trolley Car Cafe is Hollywood Studios Starbucks and has a huge selection of snacks to choose from, there are two, however, that stand out above the rest.
The Carrot Cake Cookie has become a huge favourite amongst Disney goers and it’s best to get there early before they sell out. It is a large carrot cake cookie stuffed with cream cheese and, like most snacks at Disney, is big enough to share.
The Butterfinger Cupcake is a large chocolate and peanut butter cupcake with a gooey inside filling and a coated peanut top.
Backlot Express – Wookie Cookie
Another huge stuffed cookie for all those Star Wars fans out there is the Wookie Cookie. The oatmeal cookie is filled with vanilla cream filling and topped with the iconic Wookie’s sash made out of chocolate.
50s Prime Time Cafe – PB & J Milkshake
A slightly different snack in the form of a milkshake is the thick and creamy PB & J Milkshake that’ll keep you cool on those extra hot days in the park!
See also the best restaurants for families in:
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