When it comes to dining options in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we’ll be honest — it’s more limited than we would like.
Time to eat!
Sure, there are lots of table service and quick service restaurants all over, but when we’re talking about QUALITY meals, it’s a little hard to come by. The Hollywood Brown Derby is the most upscale restaurant in the park, which means it costs a pretty penny. We recently noticed they got some new menu items in, including one of them that replaced an old favorite of ours, so are they worth the visit? We found out for you!
We started off with an appetizer, and we grabbed the Hamachi à la Newburg to try for $17. This is Citrus-cured Hamachi, Creamy Newburg Sauce, Fruit Tartare.
Hamachi à la Newburg
This type of dish has a habit of being overly acidic, but we were very pleased to find that wasn’t the case with ours! It does have acidity, which you’ll notice right on the tip of your tongue, but the flavors here are incredibly balanced. We could have ordered this over and over again and not gotten tired of it! The textures here overall were fantastic — the fish was so thin that it melted in our mouths, the radishes on top had a bit of a grainy taste like they’re supposed to, and the sauce was perfectly creamy. We know this won’t be for everyone due to the flavor profile, but if you’re feeling a bit adventurous, or you know it’s something you’ll enjoy, we don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
We were big fans!
We also tried the Beet and Kale Salad appetizer for $13, which is Spinach, Warm Bacon Vinaigrette, Goat Cheese Cream, Beet Purée, and Candied Walnuts.
Beet and Kale Salad
This has a pretty intense earthy taste to it, so you’ve gotta be into that if you’re going to appreciate the flavors here. Beets are the main flavor, as they’re all over the dish, but the vinaigrette dressing is a little sweet, along with the walnuts, which counteract that earthy flavor a bit. Our biggest complaint here was that everything was REALLY big — too large to easily put into our mouths in one bite. This dish also has a lot of different textures to it, between the bite of the kale, the smooth and creamy cheese, and the softness of the puree. We’re not sure we’d get it again, but we’re sure it has fans out there!
Everything was a little too big!
We also grabbed the new Glazed Carrots enhancement for $10, which is served with Mint Yogurt, Pickled Onion, and Dukkah Spice.
Glazed Carrots
The carrots are baked fully through and have a bit of sweetness to them, but it wasn’t overwhelming. We think this is a good option, especially if you want to get a vegetable in on your trip (which is easier said than done). We would have liked to have a little more of the yogurt, as well as taste a bit more of the pickled onions on top. We do feel these are good to share, as you can put a few on each plate, and that’s extra nice considering the price. We don’t think they beat the Crispy Green Beans, but it’s a decent substitute!
We could have used a little more!
Finally, for our main dish, we tried the new Seafood Fregola for $51, which is Steamed Clam and Mussel, Poached Scallop, Fregola Pasta, Spring Greens, Crab-Saffron Cream.
Seafood Fregola
We were given a tiny fork to get the meat out of the clams, which was very helpful, but then you’ll actually want to use a spoon for the pasta, so we had to get the hang of switching back and forth. The sauce here was a dark sauce, which surprised us at first, but we were big fans of it, as it went beautifully with everything. The dish leans salty, but not overly so, and it’s certainly rich, so that’s something to keep in mind. We do wish it was acceptable to share a dish at a table service restaurant (but alas, that’s usually frowned upon), because this is a MASSIVE dish. We’ll also say that we don’t recommend eating this on a hot day in the parks, especially if you’re going to dine here for lunch, then go back out into the heat — your stomach likely won’t be happy with you.
This dish is HUGE
Overall, we’ll admit that while this is the fanciest spot to eat in the park, we do feel that some of the restaurant’s better options aren’t on the menu right now, and that disappoints us a little. We recommend looking at the menu very carefully before you make a reservation, and be sure you’ll enjoy what’s on the menu and be okay with the price range.
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We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest Disney World dining news, so stay tuned to DFB!
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I disagree. It is perfectly acceptable to share a table service meal