Picture this: you’re planning your day at Hollywood Studios. You know which Star Wars attraction you’re starting with in the morning and which Fantasmic showing you’re going to see. Lightning Lanes are booked, and you even know which popcorn bucket is coming home with you. It’s all set, except… where are you eating?

Sometimes the sit-down restaurants in Hollywood Studios can feel limited, but there are some real hidden gems out there that are worthy of an Advanced Dining Reservation. We’re heading to 50’s Prime Time Cafe, located by Echo Lake in Hollywood Studios, to see if this should be added to your Disney World itinerary. Ready to eat?

Atmosphere

Located by Echo Lake, this spot will transport you back to the 1950s. The entire restaurant is adorned with wallpaper, TVs, retro couches, and shelves filled with knick-knacks. There are multiple dining areas, and some even feature small TVs at the table, playing old cartoons. It’s a fun place with a lot of characters, and if you’re looking for a themed dining experience at Disney, this is a great option.

Even the servers get into it! They say they’re your cousins and that we’re all family at 50’s Prime Time. They’re known for cracking jokes, teasing you for not eating your vegetables, and to keep your elbows off the table. Especially in the past, servers might have had you do a little song and dance for not eating your veggies. While we don’t see the extremes too often nowadays, you can always tell your server that you prefer a calmer dining experience, and they’ll be happy to accommodate.

While Advanced Dining Reservations are preferred, you can check on walk-up availability. This restaurant can get busy, but we’ve found that more often than not, we can book a reservation a few days out or easily join the waiting list. There’s also an attached lounge, the Tune-In Lounge, to grab a few drinks and quick bites.

Ready to get into the menu?

Menu

The menu is full of classic American comfort food that reminds us of the 1950s. There are traditional dishes like Deviled Eggs, Onion Rings, and Wedge Salads. For main courses, there is Fried Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie, Caesar Salads, and Pot Roasts. Seriously, if you’re bringing the whole family here, this can be a great spot where there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Our favorite desserts here are their milkshakes! They have some iconic shakes like the Peanut Butter and Jelly Shake, which we usually don’t leave without. They also have Lemon Meringue Pie, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and a few items à la mode for that true retro feeling.

Of course, there’s a kids’ menu with items like Chick Strips and Sloppy Joes. You can also try the Kids’ Create-Your-Own Selections, where you can choose two items, such as Mashed Potatoes or Grandma’s Macaroni & Cheese, which is perfect for the pickiest eaters in the group.

Don’t forget about the drinks that are from “Dad’s Liquor Cabinet.” There are specialty drinks, as well as craft and draft beers, and various types of wines.

We’re SO ready to eat now!

Eats

We started with the Cornbread Skillet for $10, served with butter and honey. We definitely recommend sharing this because it is a lot!

The cornbread was moist, fluffy, and sweet. It was served with some slabs of butter that were drizzled with honey. It is a great portion of cornbread, especially for the price. It isn’t a unique cornbread, but it was very tasty and really hit the spot for a thing of cornbread!

For our main dish, we just had to get A Sampling of Mom’s Favorite Recipes for $32. It came with Golden-fried Chicken, Fork Tender Pot Roast, and Traditional Meatloaf with all the fixin’s. This is a sampler of some of the most popular dishes at Prime Time. Starting with the meatloaf, it was juicy and flavorful. It had great seasoning and some ketchup flavor to it. It was a fairly small piece, but you get a lot of food with this dish.

Next up, the pot roast. This was probably our favorite on the sampler. It was very tender and juicy. It had a decent amount of fat to it, and it was served with some veggies. The carrots in the veggies were pretty crisp, which was a bit surprising to us. However, the meat really sold us — it was delicious with a great seasoning blend (probably pepper, onion, and some herbs).

Finally, the fried chicken had a great crispy coating on the outside, and the chicken was wonderfully moist on the inside. We kind of wish there was a sauce served with it, but you could dip it in the sauce from the green beans or mashed potatoes. Overall, just a solid piece of fried chicken.

For dessert, we had the Neapolitan Bar for $8.50. It was two layers of Mousse, Vanilla and Strawberry, layered over a Chocolate Cake Brownie served with Raspberry Sauce and Whipped Cream.

This dessert has a base of a chocolate cake and then two layers of mousse that are almost a cheesecake consistency on top. It almost tastes like a strawberry milk cheesecake on top of a chocolate cake. It looks very appealing, but it wasn’t our favorite dessert. That being said, it was still yummy. It was much larger than we anticipated, and we think it is a pretty good deal for the price.

Drinks

For our drink, we got the Peanut Butter & Jelly Milkshake for $9.25. We love this shake! It has a nice peanut butter and jelly flavor — almost like you’re actually drinking one from a cup. It was fairly thick, but we could drink it from the straw no problem.

It isn’t an overpowering PB&J flavor, but you can definitely taste it. I really enjoyed it, and it was a great alternative to the normal chocolate or vanilla shakes.

Nosh or Not

You need to go to 50’s Prime Time if…

• You are looking for a sit-down dining option for your Hollywood Studios day
• You have picky eaters who prefer dishes they’re comfortable with
• You like a themed atmosphere and are ready to joke with the servers

This spot might be a skip if…

• Classic American dishes aren’t quite your style
• You want something quick and easy, rather than sitting down and using up time in your day

Overall

This place may pleasantly surprise you — we really enjoyed our meal! They mess with you and other guests a bit, but it was always light-hearted, and it never made us feel uncomfortable. Kept a list of some of their shenanigans so you’re prepared for it:

• Throwing straws
• Elbow on the table (this was a big one, and she would stare people down while she was talking to another table)
• One waiter sat down with someone and chatted for a bit
• If you told her your food was good/tasty/etc. she would yell back to the kitchen, “Mom, they said they liked your food.”
• Clean Plate Club stickers
• What color was the soap when you washed your hands? (It was the white foam soap)
• “Set the table, I can’t do it all for you”
• At one point, she came through the windows beside me to ask if I wanted dessert
• Your check is the “grocery bill”
• Excuses you from the table so you can go play outside

Some of the waiters were a bit more up in your business, but it also seems they tend to go more towards larger groups. And again, it was all very lighthearted, and everyone was laughing along.

While we’re already planning our next visit, be sure to keep following the Disney Food Blog for more updates. We’re dropping all the best reviews, tips, and tricks so your next trip can be the best one yet.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS RESTAURANTS

Have you ever eaten at 50’s Prime Time Cafe? Tell us about your experience in the comments.