Eating Overachieving at Hollywood Studios

On our first full day we went straight to Hollywood Studios to secure a spot on the Twilight Tower of Terror. I reluctantly plodded behind.

Nothing about dropping 13 stories down an elevator shaft sounded like fun to me. It was an inevitable rite of passage (if not, ridicule would ensue), but that doesn’t mean I was happy about it.

I rode, I screamed, and will never ride again. Mission accomplished.

On the bright side, we nailed all three spots on my list and had a bonus snack.

Rib and Chicken combo lunch

Note: Click the name of the quick service restaurant to view their menu.

We overachieved and crossed off:

• Fairfax Fare for lunch
• Toy Story Pizza Planet for lunch
• Starring Rolls Cafe for a snack
• and a Mickey Bar

Fairfax Fare
A short distance before the dreaded Tower of Terror is a cluster of restaurants with outdoor seating. Fairfax Fare is part of that group, situated on the main thoroughfare. They mainly serve barbecue and we split a combo meal with chicken, ribs, baked beans, coleslaw, and chocolate cake. Brisket has disappeared from the menu and a pulled pork sandwich has been added.

The meat was surprisingly good for lacking sauce; small cups of Heinz BBQ sauce came on the side. Both the chicken and ribs were tender and flavorful. The beans and cole slaw were good in an average way. I’m guessing that this is the same barbecue people rave about from Flame Tree BBQ in Animal Kingdom. Another pleasant surprise was the moist chocolate cake and carrot cake.

It was a satisfying sticky finger meal sitting at a shaded picnic table, on a sunny day.

Toy Story Pizza Planet
Stumbling into Pizza Planet we were desperate for anything resembling food. Just prior we were in Animal Kingdom ready to eat lunch, but the line at Pizzafari was depressingly long. We hopped on a bus to Hollywood in hopes of missing the lunch crowd by the time we arrived.

Thankfully we guessed correctly and walked right up to the cashiers. They serve personal sized pizzas, a few hot sub sandwiches and an entree salad or two. I ordered a vegetarian pizza, Ben got a pepperoni, and they all come with a side Caesar salad. We also got the option of getting a Mickey Rice Krispie bar for dessert which was a nice change.

The pizzas were pretty good, nothing bad to report, just not anything special. It’s about what you would expect. The side salad was a treat because most combo meals lack fresh vegetables; usually I wanted more than an entree salad. Pizza was a welcome option other than sandwiches and they give you a complete meal.

Butterfinger cupcake

Starring Rolls Cafe
Mentioned online almost as frequently as Dole Whip, the Butterfinger cupcake has quite a reputation. When the group headed to the Tower for the umpteenth time, I went directly to Starring Rolls Cafe for this cupcake. (boooo Tower!)

We didn’t eat a meal at the Starring Rolls Cafe, but they do serve two sandwiches piled high with deli turkey or ham, sad looking sushi, and a selection of desserts. Consider dining here because you get the sandwich or sushi, chips, drink and your choice of nearly any dessert in the case.

Like men lifting weights at the gym, the tiramisu, fruit tart, and chocolate peanut butter cupcake beckoned for attention, but I was not deterred from the Butterfinger cupcake. Envious stares ensued sauntering down the street carrying this beauty.

Breaking through the outer candy coated chocolate shell I found delicious cake filled with ganache, topped with white cream icing. Beware because it’s massive and rich, I only ate half.

Mickey, you're all mine

Bonus
Stationed nearly every twenty feet, at any park, is a stand or cart serving soft drinks, popcorn, pretzels, fruit bars and most importantly, Mickey bars. This cool treat is a Disney staple; a chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar, in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head of course.

Maybe it’s the magic of Disney, maybe it’s the crunch of biting into the chocolate shell, or maybe it’s the smooth ice cream, but your day gets a little brighter with one of these in your hand.

Disney World Posts

• Gidget’s Disney World Food List (view the spreadsheet)
• Gidget Eats Does Disney World
• Disney’s Quick Service Dining Plan and My Food List
• The Magic Kingdom
• Hollywood Studios
• Animal Kingdom
• Epcot
• Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk