This is going to be a little bit different from the other Disney Park restaurant guides that I've written. Out of all four parks, Hollywood Studios is the park that I have probably been to the least and have experienced the least amount of food and restaurants from. Instead of talking about the park's quick service, sit down, and snack spots that I would recommend I have three destinations in Studios that are great options for grabbing food.
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
Sci-Fi has a mixed bag of reviews but overall I really like this place as a sit-down restaurant option. I've been here twice, once years ago with my family and then another time before my program ended in January. My favorite thing about this spot is the theming. Sci-Fi's drive-in movie concept has to be one of the most immersive restaurant theming in Hollywood Studios. You walk into the restaurant and the check-in area makes it feel like you're backstage on a movie set. When your name is called, you are escorted into the main dining area which is filled with tables that are in the shape of old timey cars with a large projector in the front that is playing old movie clips. The lighting and setup make for a truly immersive dining experience which would definitely be a big hit with any younger diners. As for the food, pictured above is the pan-seared shrimp pasta. This dish is penne pasta tossed in a smoked tomato four-cheese cream sauce with baby kale, fennel, zucchini, and red bell peppers. Other than that dish, Sci-Fi serves other burgers and sandwiches. Don't forget about dessert either, there are options such as the house-made Sci-Fi candy bar or different types of milkshakes including a vegan milkshake option.
Backlot Express
When you're on a time crunch, stop by this quick service spot nestled in between Star Tours and Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. As Epcot has Electric Umbrella, Magic Kingdom has Cosmic Ray's, and Animal Kingdom has Restaurantosaurus, Studios has Backlot Express. All of these spots in each park offer typical American cuisine on the menu. This means that there are several burger and sandwich options to pick from such as the backlot burger or the chicken garlic-ranch club. When I went here I ordered the kids meal macaroni and cheese (I order off of the kids menu too) which comes with a side of yogurt or carrot sticks and a drink. There are some vegetarian options for the non-meat eaters in your party like the caprese sandwich or the southwest salad. Plus save room for dessert at this spot, there are two different 30th anniversary celebration themed options. The first one is the mickey celebration cake, which is a chocolate sponge cake with chocolate cream, vanilla marshmallow and crispy pearls. Next is the celebration key lime pie verrine, which is layers of key lime custard and graham crackers garnished with whipped cream and white chocolate. I always say calories don't count while you're on vacation.
Woody's Lunch Box
Full disclosure, this is one hundred percent my favorite quick service spot in Disney World. Located in Toy Story Land, I heard of the menu before I got to Orlando for my college program and I was always interested in going here because of the distinctive and different options on the menu. I might be gassing this place up but I think that it's different from Backlot Express or any of the other typical burger serving quick service spots around the parks. The theming is very aligned with the rest of Toy Story Land that it is all toy themed and you feel as if you're one of the toys or you're dining in Andy's toy box. This spot has either a breakfast menu or a lunch/dinner menu but I have only tried the lunch/dinner menu. From the lunch/dinner menu, my all time favorite is (pictured on the side below) the grilled three-cheese sandwich that is served with a side. Sides can be tomato-basil soup, potato barrels, or vegetable macaroni salad. Together the grilled cheese and the tomato soup is like a match made in comfort food heaven. I also like to get the potato barrels which are just tater tots and a side of cheese sauce as well. The cheese sauce is a more liquid consistency but it has a slight kick to it that makes it super delicious. For dessert pastries here they have two different options, the chocolate-hazelnut lunch box tart (pictured on the side on the top) or the seasonal lemon-blueberry lunch box tart. I've ordered the chocolate-hazelnut tart, which is a chocolate-hazelnut stuffed pastry coated in maple fondant and candied bacon. It may look pretty cute but the tart honestly wasn't too memorable. I mean the pastry wasn't bad but it also wasn't worth $4.29. I have also ordered one of the four specialty beverages, which was the ice cream float with Barq's root beer. This is just a root beer float with vanilla ice cream but makes for a perfect sweet and cold treat in the humid Florida weather. If you want to stop by for their breakfast, the one thing that I would totally want to try is the s'mores french toast sandwich. This sandwich is marshmallow and chocolate ganache stuffed in grilled custard soaked brioche encrusted with graham cracker crumbs. Another notable breakfast item from the menu is the banana split yogurt parfait. This is pineapple, strawberries and bananas between layers of vanilla yogurt and honey topped with granola and dark chocolate chips.
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