REVIEW: The Most Popular Spot to Grab a Quick Bite to Eat in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Planning a trip to Disney World and not sure where you should eat while you’re there? Luckily, you’ve come to the right place!

Here at AllEars, we know all the ins and outs of Disney World restaurants — including where you should definitely eat, and where you should skip. We recently went to the Backlot Express at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and we’re bringing you our FULL review!

The Backlot Express is a very popular place to eat — but it seems like people are divided on it. It really gives you that Hollywood “backlot” feel, hence the name of the place. To put it bluntly, Backlot Express has never failed us.

So without further ado, here is our FULL review of the Backlot Express!

Background

The restaurant has a cool theme, as the place is supposed to be a movie production warehouse. Movie buffs will like all the little details splattered all around the place!

It’s a quick service restaurant located in Hollywood Studios. You can get your basic quick service meals, or some unique offerings as well.

One thing that isn’t talked about enough with this quick service place is the location within the park. Hollywood Studios can be very busy in specific areas, especially when it’s average eating hours. The Backlot Express is tucked right between Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and Star Tours. So even though it’s a popular eating spot, you’re not having to fight through crowds as much.

Speaking of location, having this right beside the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular makes it a great lunch option for when you want to take a moment to relax. You can obviously sit and enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant, or you can keep that busy Disney day going and catch a show without walking too far!

Here’s what you need to know about dining at this restaurant.

Atmosphere

So let’s talk atmosphere! As we mentioned before, this is a quick service stop. So, it is designed to get your food quickly and get back to your Disney day. That being said, there’s a lot of seating here, so take the time to examine the details and enjoy the theme!

You just know it’s going to be good when the slogan is “Warehouse of Good Eating”, which you can see on the sign when you enter.

Once you enter, you’ll start off at the ordering station. There are a lot of spots to order, so you won’t be waiting too long, even if it’s busy. You can also get ahead of the line by mobile ordering before you even get there. Mobile order is available at the Backlot Express through the My Disney Experience App!

The theme of the quick service restaurant is a warehouse for a film studio — storing movie production items from paints, props, sculptures, and more.

You can also see tire props all around this area of the restaurant.

How about this stunt trampoline we spotted!

We spotted this vehicle hanging from the roof as well. It’s like getting a behind the scenes tour of a movie set!

They had a ton of road signs and props.

They had some cool statues and of course paint buckets at the quick service place. If you take the time to walk around, you’ll see statues of different animals and people.

They had some more statues of people’s heads, like those marble statues you’d see in museums!

We were big fans of all the seating options available at this place. We don’t think there’s been a time where we went and haven’t found a place to sit down! They have both indoor seating…

…and outdoor seating. It’s nice that the outdoor tables have umbrellas for the sun.

There’s also seating that’s outside but has a roof covering. As you can see, there are a lot of tables!

But enough about that, what are we eating?!

Food & Drinks

Alright, let’s talk about the eats! First up, we grabbed the Chicken Strips and Fries for $12.99. You can choose your side between fries or apple slices. We ultimately went with the french fries.

We love the chicken strips, they are a go to order as a staple at this place! Our only complaint is that they were a little on the small side, and they were a little on the thinner side than other places. There’s a chance we might’ve just gotten a bad batch.

There were four chicken strips in total and a TON of fries! There were a lot of condiments available with the strips, you could basically have a sauce fest with how many there were. They’re a solid choice, but nothing special. They’re a great option if you need something lighter!

Speaking of sauce, they had our favorite Plastic Cheese Sauce for $1. It’s good, it’s warm, it’s gooey, and we love it. Our only complaint is they really only give you half a container, we don’t know why they can’t fill it up. Especially since you pay extra!

Next, we got the Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork Burger for $15.99. It comes with pulled pork, a beef patty, cheese, coleslaw, crispy onions, and BBQ sauce — with a side of fries.

We weren’t fans of having the burger with the pulled pork. The pulled pork on its own was good. If this was a pulled pork sandwich, we would’ve loved it more. The BBQ mayo was good as well. However, we weren’t a fan of the coleslaw that was in the burger.

Honestly, it’s like having a BBQ picnic all in one bite! Yeah, it was a lot! You are literally eating the pulled pork, the burger, and the coleslaw all in ONE bite. This is going to be for some people absolutely, but it’ll be a lot for others! We would have preferred something a bit more simple this time around.

For dessert we had the Wookie Cookie for $6.99. It’s two oatmeal cookies with vanilla cream filling, topped off with a milk chocolate Chewbacca sash. This thing is SO delicious!

You can definitely taste the oatmeal cookie, the icing is good and fluffy (it’s buttercream). It’s not very thick and lard like, it won’t leave that coating on the roof of your mouth, which is nice. It’s different than the icing you’d get on a Disney cupcake for example!

We appreciate the chocolate strip on top, but we’re happy it’s not that thick. It’s honestly just a solid choice for dessert! Only thing to note is that it is a big treat, so maybe something to consider sharing with someone.

To drink, we picked up the Blue Raspberry Slush for $5.49. We hate to say that this thing is a little mid to us, it’s kind of just there. We would rather go for a fountain drink, or a coffee, or a tea — just something else.

You can really find this anywhere around Disney World, so it’s nothing special to the Backlot Express. We feel like there are more special drinks at Disney World to try!

Magic or Tragic?

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• You want something quick and easy! Hollywood Studios has many quick service restaurants for you to grab food and go. This way you aren’t wasting too much of your busy Disney day. Backlot Express is a good option to keep you moving.
• If you like the usual quick service foods! This place has chicken strips, fries, burgers, pulled pork — it’s got your “usual” fast food options. They also come in a good portion.
• You’re a movie fan! The theme is cool with the “backlot” idea, so there might be some stuff in there you’ll want to check out.

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• You want something more Disney! What we mean by this is there are other options that are more unique and Disney-themed, like Andy’s Lunchbox or Ronto Roasters. They’re just a little more special to Hollywood Studios.
• You’re worried your food might not come out exactly how you want! Like we mentioned, Backlot can be a tad inconsistent. We barely got any cheese sauce, and the chicken strips were weirdly small and thin — making them both not totally worth the price. Obviously, this is a risk for any eating place, but just something to note.

Overall, it’s a place you should try out at some point. It’s a popular spot and we enjoy it. We will just say it just isn’t over the moon or anything!

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disney World and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney eats!

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Have you eaten at this Disney World restaurant before? Tell us in the comments.

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