Food

Disney’s Hollywood Studios [1] is home to several excellent restaurants, including the two best in-park dining experiences within the entire resort. The Hollywood Brown Derby (lunch 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m., dinner 3:30–10:30 p.m., main courses from $14) is a little pricey but well worth the expense.

Emulating the Golden Age of Hollywood elegance of its namesake, this Brown Derby serves an appropriately classic selection of dishes—strip steak, pork rib chops, grilled salmon—along with more contemporary plates like ahi tuna and a coconut-tofu noodle bowl. And yes, they make a mean Cobb salad here.

The atmosphere is upscale but also decidedly relaxed. In comparison to many other in-park restaurants, there’s never a sense that you’re being rushed to make room for the next wave of diners, and the dining room, though large, is expertly partitioned to create a unique sense of spacious intimacy.

Even more intimate—homey, even—is the ’50s Prime Time Cafe. You’ll be served by matronly waitresses who admonish diners to finish their veggies and keep their elbows off the table, while an array of black-and-white television sets shows clips from Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, and, of course, The Mickey Mouse Club.

Small dining rooms have Formica tables set out with blue plate specials like fried chicken, meat loaf, pot roast, and an absolutely mind-blowing chicken pot pie. In a not-so-subtle dig at the halcyon imagery of the decade, there’s also a full bar adjacent to the dining room, serving everything from classic cocktails and bottled beer to selections from “Dad’s Liquor Cabinet.”