Disney’s Hollywood Studios dining isn’t our favorite of the parks, but that saves us a lot of time because we rarely bother with a sit-down meal while there. Even if we’re planning a Disney date night at Hollywood Studios, we may opt for a faster dinner instead of a restaurant.

As you may know, food at Disney World can be a little hit or miss. A quick-service location may have better food than one of the fancier restaurants, or something that sounds unappetizing could be delicious (looking at you, Oga’s charcuterie plate thing).

We have not been to every eatery at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and this article includes a list of the places we’ve never tried (recommendations welcome!). But we’ve most definitely experienced enough to offer our recommendations. Here’s where we drift to and the places we typically avoid.

The Best Choices for Disney’s Hollywood Studios Dining

Quick-service gems, drinky drinks, refreshing salads… We’ve been happy more than once at these Disney’s Hollywood Studios dining spots.

ABC Commissary (quick service)

I think the ABC Commissary is supremely underrated. We eat here at least once every time we’re in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here’s why:

• Good food! I almost always get the Chicken Club Sandwich, but I’ve also had the Shrimp Tacos and Mediterranean Salad, and I’ve never been disappointed
• Lots of seating; we’ve never had a hard time getting a table
• Several booths (my preferred seating choice)
• Bathroom toward the back that never has a wait

Out of all of the parks in Walt Disney World, not just HS, the ABC Commissary is one of my top quick-service choices.

BaseLine Tap House (quick service)

We consider the BaseLine Tap House to be Disney Hollywood Studios’ best-kept secret, even though it’s right there, on a corner you probably walk around quite a bit. It’s diagonally across from the Muppets section of the park, as you round the corner on your way to Galaxy’s Edge.

This quick-service spot is a little different from the others because you don’t pre-order. Here’s what to do instead:

• Walk up to the counter (don’t be put off by a line, it moves fast) and place your order.
• Wait at the counter for your drinks and food.
• Find a seat either inside or outside.

There’s bar-style seating here, like high tables and chairs and slim counter space. If nothing’s available, just hang around for a minute. BaseLine only has drinks and tapas, so tables open up fast.

🥨 The Bavarian pretzel here is way better than the Mickey pretzels you’ll get everywhere else in Disney World. We’ve also had the California Cheese and Charcuterie Plate, which we loved.

Word of warning: We didn’t like our California Sunset cocktails. But this is a tap house, so we really should’ve followed suit and ordered a beer. There are a bunch of craft beers and ciders on tap, plus wine and spirits. Stick with those.

Hollywood Brown Derby (table service)

I love the Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; it’s one of the table service restaurants I daydream about when I’m back home in New York. It’s a nod to the Brown Derby restaurant chain in Los Angeles, complete with caricatures lining the walls and a Cobb Salad on the menu.

Note: I’m not including the Brown Derby Lounge in this section. I have a very different opinion about that part of the restaurant. 🫤

KRNR The Rock Station (quick service)

Back by Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is a little snack stand that has unexpectedly cool drinks. We’ve been known to order a spiked frozen lemonade or Jack and Coke when the wait for the Coaster is extra long. Or afterward, when our throats are sore from screaming. Or both.

Oga’s Cantina (table service, kinda)

We love, love Oga’s Cantina. I’m pretty sure that one of our Disney trips was booked mainly because we wanted to go back there.

🍹 It’s absolutely at the top of our Disney’s Hollywood Studios dining list, even if the menu is mainly beverages.

There’s nothing we don’t totally and completely adore about Oga’s.

(Okay, the “seating” — as in, never sitting and always standing while crammed next to other guests — isn’t the best.)

The Cantina scene is one of my favorites in any Star Wars movie, and while this place isn’t quite that, it’s close enough.

The aesthetics are great, the bartenders and wait staff stay in character the whole time, the drinks are delicious, and we even like the Happabore Sampler — a polarizing choice, but we stand by it.

When it comes to cocktails, we’re Jet Juice fans, but be careful. This stuff is strong, and it creeps up on you despite it being the smallest drink on the menu. I usually stick to one and then have an Outer Rim, which is tame in comparison.

Just Meh Choices for Dining at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

We’re not into these Disney’s Hollywood Studios dining locations. Maybe we had one bad experience or several, or we think an eatery is fine but not worth the money.

Whatever the case, we pass on these restaurants at Hollywood Studios during our trips.

Backlot Express (quick service)

I’m not a big Backlot Express fan. We did get chicken fingers there after leaving Oga’s once, but I wouldn’t say our culinary palates were reliable by that point.

Sometimes, this quick-service spot has great desserts for whatever Disney’s promoting at the time, but otherwise, we skip it.

I’m also not a fan of the super industrial setting. It’s a holdover from when Hollywood Studios was MGM (😢) and had the whole backlot section, which today is a shadow of its former self.

Now, Backlot Express just feels uninviting and dark to me instead of edgy and on-theme.

50’s Prime Time Café (table service)

This is one of the Walt Disney World table service restaurants that I have a love-hate relationship with. I hadn’t been to the 50’s Prime Time Café since I was a kid, but I finally went again during our family vacation in November 2023.

📺 The theme of the eatery is that you’re at Mom’s circa the 1950s, complete with elbows-off-the-table rules, old-fashioned furniture, and a fictional family member who’s not too thrilled about having to serve you.

The your-server-hates-you schtick can be funny. Our waitress threw straws at my brother, and as a little sister, I completely approve.

But the faux meanness can also put you on the spot whenever you want a soda refill or extra napkins, and that wasn’t something we all loved throughout the entire meal.

Plus, the seating, and the restaurant in general, was super cramped. Like, “someone may have a claustrophobia attack” cramped.

It also took us a long time to get our check and get out of there, which isn’t something we generally like when (1) the restaurant isn’t cozy and (2) there are rides to be ridden.

Epic Eats (quick service)

Epic Eats is a snack bar over by the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular show. I couldn’t care less about funnel cakes, which is what they mostly serve, but they do have soft-serve ice cream and waffle cones if you’re in the mood. It’s fine, tastes like soft-serve. The end.

The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge (table service)

As much as I like the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant proper, the outdoor Lounge is a different story. Here’s why we weren’t impressed:

• There may still be a wait for a table, even though it’s easier than getting into the restaurant at the last minute.
• The lounge area is narrow, and the seating feels cramped and uncomfortable.
• It’s hot! Even in the evening, dining outside is…awful.
• Inexplicably, the food and drinks didn’t taste nearly as good as in the restaurant. I assume they use the same cooks and bartenders, so I have no clue why nothing we were served at the lounge tasted good.

Hollywood Scoops (quick service)

I’m an ice cream fangirl, but I found Hollywood Scoops to be nothing more than so-so. They have hard ice cream instead of soft-serve, which is why I waited so long for it (the line took forever and it wasn’t even that long), but it ended up barely being worth it.

Rosie’s All-American Cafe (quick service)

We had the world’s worst hot dogs at Rosie’s. Plus, we waited far too long to get our meals. That was during the pandemic, but still — it was enough of a crummy experience to never bother with it again.

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (table service)

The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater isn’t exactly known for having excellent food, but that’s not why you go there anyway — you go for the setting. It’s undeniably clever, but what I remember most about eating here is how uncomfortable the seats were.

Adorable? Yes.

But they were also tight, and you feel crammed into your vehicle table. Plus, I have a hard time eating if anything gross or scary is on-screen, and sci-fi movies are playing the whole time.

More Investigation Needed Into These Dining Spots in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

🥣 Fairfax Fare is the quick-service place with the bowls, like the Barbecued Beef Brisket Bowl and things like that. They sound delicious. There’s also a Toffee and Coconut Blondie on the menu, so I honestly don’t know why I’ve never been here, but I plan on fixing that during my next trip.

🌭 While we haven’t been to the Ronto Roasters in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we have been to the one in Disneyland, and I’m pretty sure they’re almost exactly the same.

The food was good, but I had a bad reaction to it because this was before I knew about my gluten-dairy hybrid allergy. So…eat at your own risk, but the taste itself, at least in Disneyland, was enjoyable.

❓ We’ve also never eaten at these Disney’s Hollywood Studios dining locations:

• Catalina Eddie’s (quick service)
• Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo (quick service)
• Dockside Diner (quick service)
• Hollywood and Vine (table service)
• Kat Saka’s Kettle (quick service)
• Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano (table service)
• Market (quick service)
• Milk Stand (quick service)
• PizzeRizzo (quick service)
• Roundup Rodeo BBQ (table service)
• Trolley Car Cafe (quick service)
• Tune-In Lounge (table service)
• Woody’s Lunch Box (quick service)

I’m afraid to try anything from the Milk Stand, and I’ve only heard bad reviews of PizzeRizzo (though I’m all about the Muppets theme). Roundup Rodeo wasn’t open the last time I was at Disney, but I’m a huge Toy Story Land fan, so I’ll be making my way there at some point.

FYI, the Trolley Car Cafe is the park’s Starbucks. Also, the Tune-In Lounge looks like the cutest, and I didn’t know about this place until someone mentioned it on Reddit, so it’s on my Disney to-do list.

Lastly, if you want a quick snack, especially something healthy, go to the Anaheim Produce stand on Sunset Boulevard (that’s the street you walk down to get to the Tower of Terror).

Final Thoughts About Disney’s Hollywood Studios Dining

That’s it for our Disney’s Hollywood Studios food recommendations. I’m officially hungry and thirsty.

I’m also totally interested in hearing your HS food opinions — what you agree with, what you don’t, what you’ve tried that we haven’t, how many Jet Juices you’re able to drink, etc.

Missing your Walt Disney World vacation and want to bring some of the magic home when you can’t experience Disney’s Hollywood Studios dining in person?

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