Disney’s Hollywood Studios Theme Park Restaurants for Teens and Older Children

Fun Disney Restaurants for your Family Vacation with Teens and Older Kids

• '50's Primetime Café ~ Classic comfort food served in a 1950's style diner setting where TV's play 1950's television shows. The food is okay but fun comes from the waitresses who can best be described as bossy! If you go to the restroom, your server might just quiz you on the color of the soap just to "be sure you washed your hands". You might get spoon-fed your veggies. The experience will be affected by the enthusiasm of your server but, in general, you're bound to have a good time
• Lunch with an Imagineer ~ "Imagineers" are the men and women who innovate and invent all the wonders you see around you at Walt Disney World. This is an expensive experience that is easily worth every penny; especially if you have a youth that is interested in the how the theme parks were designed and created. You'll dine at the Hollywood Brown Derby and receive a special souvenir to commemorate the experience. This is only available on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11:30 am and can be booked 60 days prior to the desired reservation. $60.99 Ages 10 & Up / $34.99 for ages 3 - 9. Gratuity & tax are extra. This dining experience is not included in the Disney Dining Plan.
• Mama Melrose ~ This restaurant doesn't feature an amazing theme, it is just a nice choice for a good Italian-inspired meal. This is the restaurant we prefer for the Fantasmic! Dining Package, which is a plan that provides a voucher for guaranteed seating at the evening Fantasmic! show - the other two restaurants in this program are Hollywood & Vine (buffet) and The Brown Derby (upscale dining). The setting at Mama Melrose is fairly quiet and is a nice spot for a restful meal. Warning:The Fantasmic Dinner Package reservations became be increasingly difficult to acquire beginning in January 2009 when Fantasmic! began being offered only two or three evenings per week.
• Sci-Fi Dine In ~ This is another restaurant with okay food but a super theme! Your table is shaped like a classic car and the tables all face a giant screen. The whole restaurant resembles a Drive-In Movie theater. The screen shows clips and previews from classic B-Movies: old, hokey Science Fiction films and "creature features" like "Plan 9 from Outer Space". There's nothing scary - it is just great fun. Some people are surprised that the restaurant is so dark and by the fact that all seats (2 people to a row) sit facing forward. This is a very popular choice with kids.
• Hollywood & Vine - I want to warn you right away that breakfast and lunch at this restaurant are character meals called "Play & Dine at Hollywood & Vine" that features Playhouse Disney characters. Breakfast and lunch will be filled with toddlers and young children so this is probably someplace your older kids will want to avoid. Dinner, however, is not a character meal and may be a good choice for families booking a Fantasmic Dinner Package. The food is tasty and It is a buffet so there should be something for everyone. The restaurant is a big open space and I find it a bit noisy but this is a good choice dinner, especially if you want to eat quickly because you need to get going to catch Fantasmic! or one of the other late afternoon / evening shows.
• Hollywood Brown Derby - This is an upscale restaurant with table cloths and a more grown-up menu. I don't think it is necessarily an obvious restaurant for teens but did want to include it because it is one of the three restaurants that offer Fantasmic! Dinner Packages. It is a "Signature Dining Experience" meaning that it will require two table service meal credits per person for those on a Disney Dining Plan.
• Starring Rolls - I know I said that I wasn't going to talk about quick service restaurants but, frankly, it is hard to find good counter-service food in this park. Starring Rolls is one notable exception however. This is a tiny little restaurant but the sandwiches are fresh and tasty and the desserts are really good. This restaurant doesn't serve dinner. This is a great choice for anyone on the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan - it is certainly better than a hot dog or pizza.