REVIEW: Could These NEW Menu Items Save This Disney’s Hollywood Studios Restaurant?

When we get an alert that new menu items are coming to one of our Disney World restaurants, we sound an alarm all throughout AllEars, and it’s basically all we can talk about until we get our hands on the new dishes.

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater in Hollywood Studios added a few new menu items, so we knew we had to book a reservation and try them for ourselves. This restaurant is decked out like a real drive-in movie theater where you get to sit in cars (with tables, of course) and watch old sci-fi movie clips while munching on American classics. Grab your car keys and let’s try the new menu!

Now, admittedly, this restaurant isn’t usually at the top of our list. While it has fun burgers, milkshakes, and a super unique dining experience, it doesn’t always have the best food, and we tend to prefer other places in Hollywood Studios. Could these new menu items change everything?

First up, we tried the Cheese Ravioli for $26. It’s served with a sautéed brown-butter sauce, topped with house-made sausage, squash, roasted mushrooms, and lemon ricotta.

Let us turn you on to lemon ricotta — it’s incredible. The ravioli were large and soft, with a great filling-to-pasta ratio, and the inside was super cheesy. The brown butter sauce on top wasn’t too strong, but it added a light buttery flavor throughout. The star was that lemon ricotta. It was separated into chinks across the plate, so once we spread it out, the lemon flavor complemented the different cheeses. The squash had a subtle flavor that paired well with everything else on the plate, and the sausage reminded us of breakfast sausage, with a strong, peppery flavor that was more savory than spicy. The mushrooms were grilled, but light on seasoning, and once you take a bite of everything on the plate, you get a perfect balance of earthy, savory, and creamy flavors, with a variety of textures.

Then we had the Grilled Pork Chop for $32, which comes with creamy cheesy polenta, grilled asparagus, and a savory peach chutney.

The pork chop was nice and juicy, with a balance between tender and slightly chewy, but no dry pork chops here! It had a strong, smoky flavor, and the peach chutney was more savory than sweet, with a strong peppery taste. The asparagus was grilled with an even smokier flavor that overpowered its natural taste. The exterior was crispy but firm on the inside, and it was even a bit buttery, but the strongest flavor was smoky. The polenta was thick and dense, complementing the pork perfectly, especially once the pork chop’s juices dripped into it. It was a solid dish and was super filling, too.

We ended with the Feature Finale for $10, a vanilla sponge roll with raspberry-vanilla custard, cassis panna cotta, strawberry sauce, fresh fruit, and whipped cream.

While this wasn’t the most unique dessert we’ve ever had, and it was a hard choice between these and the restaurant’s iconic milkshakes, it was a good option for those who don’t love super-sweet desserts. The jelly on top was smooth and thick, with a good raspberry flavor, and sat on the shortbread cookie. The cake itself was light and fluffy but not overly sweet, with a strong tart flavor throughout. The layers tended to slide off, and it was a little difficult to eat, but a nice choice if you’re looking for something beyond milkshakes.

Overall, these are great additions to the menu! They aren’t wildly unique or adventurous, but solid choices we think the family will really enjoy. It didn’t completely blow us away, but we’re always enamored with the restaurant’s atmosphere, and the air conditioning is usually blasting on those hot summer days.

In the meantime, make sure you keep following AllEars for more food reviews you need to know before heading to Disney World on your next trip.

REVIEW: THIS NEW SNACK IN HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS IS A HUGE HIT!

Have you eaten at Sci-Fi Dine-In? Tell us about your experience in the comments. 

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