Where should we eat (ts) on our Hollywood Studios day?

[disneymomma2010]

We love HS and make a full day of it taking advantage of as much as we can of it. I'm one of those who is not a fan of HS's dining. We have ate at hollywood and vine and I have ate at 50's cafe. Im Not interested in Sci fi so that only leaves mama melroses (I do not want to use 2 table credits on brown derby). So, with us not having park hoppers and wanting to spend most of the day at hs would you eat at mama's or take a boat to one of the epcot resorts for our meal? Last year we ate breakfast at Ohana before going to HS and that also worked out well.
I need some options! Any advice would be helpful! I'm wanting something for either breakfast, which could be at any resort, or for lunch, which would need to be close. Thanks!:thumbsup:

[CuteAsMinnie]

I've been hearing great things about Starring Rolls Bakery. Their sandwiches are said to be awesome and huge... enough to share. Somehow we've always seem to have missed this but we will try it next trip for sure.


:mickey:

[Epcyclopedia]

Last time I was at HS I ate at Brown Derby and Mama Melrose within a few hours of each other with a stop at 50's for drinks between and even a detour to Starring Rolls for a cupcake too, and after Mama's we swung by SciFi for a cocktail.

All that said - to heck with Brown Derby. Going in, I hadn't been there in years but remembered not being too thrilled.. looked over the menu.. and booked Mama for like 4 hours later like just 3 days out as a "just in case."

So we all pretty much just ate lightly when we were there and we were glad we did. We weren't thrilled and from the sound of things you wouldn't be either so it's good you're skipping it.

So, on to Mama Melrose. I liked it. I have a gluten-free friend - she liked her pasta but thought her chicken parm was overcooked, and my other friend thought her pasta whatever it was was perfect. I enjoyed it overall. I don't recall being thrilled, but a few weeks later I went to Tonys Town Square at Magic Kingdom and was certainly better italian food than Tonys.

As for 50's and ScifFi since we popped into both of those - crowded, loud, and just bleh... drinks were ok though. Both seemed so crammed full of people compared to Mama Melrose and Brown Derby.

As for Starring Rolls... om nom nom nom. Seriously, get you a cupcake if everything else goes south. It'll perk ya up.

[mgmnut]

We've eaten a Mama Melroses a few times. The first couple times I really liked it, I remember the Osso Bucco over rizotto was really good.

Last time not as good, really strong wood smell from the wood stoves over powered everything. I am hoping that was just a 1 time thing, I would like to try again some day I think.

I like the idea of taking the Boat to an Epcot Resort for dinner, especially the Board Walk.

I would take the Boat to BW, maybe try Kouzzina, Cat Kora's Mediterranean family restaurant.

[disneymomma2010]

How long would it take to go to AKL to Sanaa for lunch?

I was looking at reviews of the Epcot resort restaurants and while the food looks good the experience seems kind of plain. And mama melrose's kind of looks like a decorated pizza hut. We are a little spoiled because we like places like Ohana, whispering cannon, coral reef,1900 park fare, etc. We like good food And atmosphere. And I have two little boys so I like to go somewhere that they would like. I have even thought about just eating two counter services that day and saving the ts credit to double up on our mk day to eat at cinderella's royal table. I realize our options are more limited than most peoples because we will not be park hopping.

[LandFan]

Sanaa is great! It's beautiful there and it would maybe take 15 minutes by bus or so to get there from DHS...

We also love BOMA at AKL as well!:thumbsup:

[LudwigVonDrake]

I've eaten at Mama Melrose a couple of times and it was pretty good. I don't think you can go wrong eating there :mickey:

[DizneyRox]

Captain's Grill is a pretty good meal actually. If you're not going to park hop, the epcot reorts off a bunch of choices. Yacht and Beach Clubs would be where I head.

We like 50's Prime Time, but it's gone downhill in recent years. Still fun at times, and the food has never been their problem. MGM though in general doesn't appeal much to us, and the dining doesn't help keep us there either.

[SBETigg]

You're going to lose a lot of park time to leave the park for a meal. If you're all about staying in the park and maximizing your time, I would make it a cs day or risk Mama Melrose (which I have actually seen good reviews for lately). That said, Sanaa is worth the trip and really good. Depending on buses, it would actually probably take you just as long or a little longer to go there then boating over to Kouzzina (also really good). So if you're in the mood to break up your DHS day with a little adventure, go for it. But if not, just try Mama Melrose or Starring Rolls.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Our favorite place so far is Starring Rolls for sandwiches and pastries...we aren't impressed with the TS restaurants here, even Brown Derby didn't make the cut for us.

[Tigerinvestigator]

Mama Melrose is great. We don't eat there every time we go to WDW but every few trips we do. We've never had a bad meal there. We like how it is kinda out of the hustle and bustle of the heart of the park. I can remember a few times there were streetmosphere characters eating there like they were gangsters. The food is always good. If I have a complaint it would be we have waited past our ADR time on two occasions. Not a big deal for us though. :thumbsup:

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

I'd do double counter service and save the extra TS for another park. Starring Rolls is the place to go for sure, but the Commissary and Backlot Express are ok in a pinch.

But we have 2 local authentic Italian places (we know both owners and where they immigrated from), so I won't eat Italian anywhere else.

[mudpuppysmom]

We have eaten at several places in DHS and while we have "sat down" (TS) we prefer to grab a burger or salad or wrap at Backlot Express OR and sandwich at Starring Rolls.

Last year we ate at Brown Derby and DH was extremely unhappy with the food and the service was just OK. We have a DS who has a lot of food issues and while they were accommodating they served him food that had butter in it.......when you say NO: meat, dairy or soy products......that means butter too!! Anyway, no harm no foul b/c I caught it, but really that is something that should have been caught in the kitchen.

That said -- it's nice to grab something at Backlot and find a corner and relax.......same goes for Starring Rolls -- it's tight inside, but plenty of patio space outside to sit and relax and take in the atmosphere.

One other place that a friend of mine has suggested is Hollywood and Vine -- it's a buffet but she and another friend both said it was a VERY good meal/buffet.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

I would also avoid the Brown Derby. I was not that impressed. Food was just okay, not great for the price and staff seemed confused and uninterested.

We have been to 50s Prime Time and we ate at the bar so I can't speak to the experience, but I did enjoy the food. I've read about bad experiences, but DBF and I enjoyed it. We're going back in May. The theme is fun!

[spoiledraf]

Personally, I'm a big fan of the ESPN Club at the Boardwalk. Huge portions and pretty good food, in my opinion. And actually resonably priced enough to not use a credit and maybe pay OOP. But they don't take ADRs. There is seldom much of a wait if any anyless a big game is going on.

[disneymomma2010]

We have eaten at several places in DHS and while we have "sat down" (TS) we prefer to grab a burger or salad or wrap at Backlot Express OR and sandwich at Starring Rolls.

Last year we ate at Brown Derby and DH was extremely unhappy with the food and the service was just OK. We have a DS who has a lot of food issues and while they were accommodating they served him food that had butter in it.......when you say NO: meat, dairy or soy products......that means butter too!! Anyway, no harm no foul b/c I caught it, but really that is something that should have been caught in the kitchen.

That said -- it's nice to grab something at Backlot and find a corner and relax.......same goes for Starring Rolls -- it's tight inside, but plenty of patio space outside to sit and relax and take in the atmosphere.

One other place that a friend of mine has suggested is Hollywood and Vine -- it's a buffet but she and another friend both said it was a VERY good meal/buffet.

We have done the hollywood and vine two years in a row, not a favorite of ours, and we wouldnt like to eat there again.

[disneymomma2010]

Thanks everyone! I have decided to just do two cs that day and save my ts to eat cinderella's royal table on our mk day. My boys love castles and really wanted to eat there. Im also going to try Sanaa on one of the other days. Thanks!:thumbsup:

[mariak]

I realize that you have made a decision but I saw your post earlier and started to compose my response and just now finished so I'm sending it anyway. Maybe it will be useful in the future....or for someone else. Here it is:

I have also heard great things about Starring Rolls! It’s on our list to try. We’ve eaten at Mama Melrose’s 3 times. The first time it seemed to take forever to get seated, get our food, and get out. However, the last two times we had much better service although they no longer have the bruschetta on the appetizer menu and that was one of our main reasons for returning!

Having said that, MM is where I would recommend if you don’t want to spend a lot of time in transit. But remember, it you are interested in seeing Fantasmic, that you can book the Fantasmic package so that you don’t have to stand in line to wait for the show (if there are any slots still available). It’s no additional cost and I think they still give everyone an appetizer (we generally do the dining plan so not sure if that makes a difference on getting the appetizer or not?) when you book the Fantasmic dinner package.

If you really are open to heading to an Epcot resort for dinner, I would highly recommend Cape May at the Beach Club. While the buffet is mostly seafood (including crab legs), there are other things on there as well. It’s now one of our favorite, “can’t miss” restaurants. If you go, don’t miss their signature dessert, Oreo BonBons,….they’re a little bit of heaven! Sorry, I think you said breakfast or lunch (they don’t offer lunch) but breakfast is good there as well…plus you get characters (at breakfast) dressed in beachwear.

For counter service, if you haven’t eaten at Pizza Planet, it’s pretty good pizza. On the dining plan, you get a personal sized pizza, a side salad, a drink, and a dessert….the cappuccino cupcake is unbelievable with Heath Bar pieces on top!

Hope you have a magical Trip! :mickey:

Maria

[MrPeetrie]

I'm surprised I didn't read many posts for 50s Prime Time Cafe. For us, it's a must-do each trip.

Good food. Fun atmosphere. We try to eat there once each trip.

[mydisneygirls]

When we went therne last year we ate at 50s Prime Time. I was very bad. It was supost to be a funny restarunt and it was not.:unsure: the food was bad and dry. Don't eat there.:unsure:

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Haven't eaten at Mama's since 2003 but have been hearing good things about them lately. If I wasn't interested in the Fantasmic Package I think I would do a resort restaurant instead.:) If you are interested in CS instead of TS, Starring Rolls sandwiches and pastries are very good.

[Gator]

I've been to Mama's Melrose 3 times. Two times it was great. Once it was good. I've never had a meriocre meal there. I'd go with Mama's!

[DisneyDawgette]

Apparently 50's Prime Time and Hollywood & Vine are really hit or miss now. I remember that Hollywood &Vine was my favorite when I was younger! I'm hoping for our sakes it's a hit 14 days front now... Because I made an ADR for the fantasmic Dinner Package at H&V!