Hollywood & Vine: Minnie’s Silver Screen Dine Review

Raise your hand if you love meeting Disney characters? (My hand is up!)

Raise your hand again if you’re totally bummed that traditional character meets aren’t happening right now in Walt Disney World? (You better believe I got both my hands up high!)

Raise your hand again if you’ve thought about attending a character meal during this weird pandemic time and didn’t know what it would be like or if you’d even get your money’s worth? (Ok, I know we’ve run out of hands…sorry! The teacher side of me just can’t help it!)

You’re not alone, pal! All of those thoughts and concerns are TOTALLY legit, especially since our world and Disney are SO very different right now!

That’s where I come in! Insert a crazy Disney-obsessed redhead and her family who visit Walt Disney World on the weekly. (I’d make it daily, but I guess I gotta do other things like, ya know, adult responsibilities and stuff.) Nonetheless, we recently had the opportunity to eat dinner at Disney’s Hollywood & Vine restaurant and I’m so excited to share all the details with you!

In this post, I’ll be sharing the Hollywood & Vine location and atmosphere, health and safety protocols, food menu, quality, pricing, and of course, THE CHARACTERS! I’ll also share helpful tips and additional information that will help with your planning.

Are you hungry?! Not to spoil this post already, but make sure you head to Hollywood & Vine on an empty stomach…You will need room, ya’ll!

Now, let’s get to grubbin’!!

Hollywood & Vine Location and Atmosphere

Hollywood & Vine is located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. More specifically, you’ll find it in the Echo Lake section of the park. Its neighbor is the ever-popular, 50’s Prime Time Café. Look out for the giant dinosaur in Echo Lake. She is facing the direction of Hollywood & Vine. (Her name is Gertie, by the way!)

And just look at this super friendly cast member waving us in! Ya’ll, I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again…Disney Cast Members really are THE magic!

This dining location is a character meal, meaning that you’ll be able to “meet” and interact with Disney characters as you are dining. And yes, I put the word meet in quotations because with COVID you aren’t able to hug or get close to the characters like you would have been able to do in the past. But keep reading! I share all the details and my thoughts on the character interactions below.

Currently, there are only five character meals available at Walt Disney World right now. And Hollywood & Vine is the only character meal that you’ll find at Hollywood Studios.

Hollywood & Vine offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just recently, Hollywood & Vine opened up a new character breakfast. It’s called the Play ‘n Dine and features the Disney Junior Characters. If you’ve got a little one that loves Doc McStuffins, Vamperina, Fancy Nancy, or Roadster Goofy, then you’ll definitely want to check out that meal!

Lunch and dinner are the seasonal dining experiences. This really just means that the character’s outfits, decor, and music change to fit with the different seasons.

Minnie Mouse is the host, A.K.A., the star of the show and just look at how her outfits change with the seasons!! I mean, it doesn’t get more adorable than that!! Look at her summer outfit!! I honestly can’t handle the cuteness.

During our visit, we were able to experience Minnie’s Silver Screen Dine. We got all the red carpet vibes while we were here. The characters were dressed liked they were ready for a night out at the Academy Awards! Another spoiler alert…we loved it!

Arrival & Check-in

Hollywood & Vine is a highly sought-after dining location. We made sure to make our reservations well in advance. We did this on the My Disney Experience Mobile app. But you could also make a reservation by visiting the Walt Disney World website here, or by calling this number, (407) 939-3463.

Once we arrived, we used the My Disney Experience app to check-in on our cell phones. So easy! There was a little bit of a wait as they prepared our table. I’d say we waited for about fifteen minutes, but there was plenty of seating and space to spread out on the front terrace of the restaurant.

Once it was our turn to be seated, we were greeted by friendly Cast Members and this adorable photo op. It’s funny because the boys are holding their magnetic Disney Shoulder Plushies, which they had just purchased. It almost looks like they holding their own Oscars alongside Minnie!

Atmosphere & Health and Safety Protocols

Hollywood & Vine is themed to look like a classic 1950’s style dinner, but with a little bit of class! It’s also got that Hollywood-Cali vibe that makes it feel oh-so-cool! You’ll notice bench seating as well as separate tables. The accents are a black and white tiled floor and chrome finishes. On the far back wall by the bathrooms, there’s a giant wall mural with California scenes from old Hollywood!

The restaurant is currently operating at a much lower capacity. Tables are spread out and, in my opinion, guests are seated quite a good distance from one another. There wasn’t anyone seated closer than 15-20 feet from our table.

We noticed several hand sanitizing stations posted around the restaurant. Also, we witnessed frequent cleaning and wiping down of areas by the Cast Members. Cast Members were wearing masks and clear visors, and all guests were also required to wear their masks until being seated and physically distanced from others.

Our server reminded us that if we were to get up to use the bathroom or to take pictures that we would need to put our mask back on. That was simple enough! Everyone in the restaurant appeared to be complying with these policies and it really wasn’t too big of a deal.

As far as safety, we felt as safe as we could (enforced mask policy, enhanced cleaning, physical distancing, reduced capacity) especially in a restaurant around others. (While no public place is safe from COVID, Disney has taken a lot of care and precaution to keep their Cast Members and guests as safe as possible given the circumstance.)

You can view a very sparse restaurant with lots of physical distance between guests and Cast Members.

Food Menu and Service

Hollywood & Vine serves classic American cuisine. In the past, this was offered as a buffet-style that only received mediocre reviews. Since the reopening of Walt Disney World in July 2020, however, Hollywood & Vine has switched things up with a menu that includes family-style starters with a la cart entrées and desserts. Separate children’s entrées are also available. Cocktails, wine, and craft beer are on the menu as well.

Many Disney fans seem to agree that Hollywood & Vine has really upped their game since the reopening and with the change to the a la cart entrées. The new menu and service style has breathed new life into the joint, and we’d have to agree. Overall, our experience was pleasant, our food was tasty, servings were generous, and the character interactions were a lot of fun!

My only complaint would be about the desserts. I just didn’t love mine, and I thought they lacked that decadent experience you’re expecting when paying top dollar for a meal, or expecting that Disney magic we all love so much. More details on everything we ordered below…

Hollywood & Vine lunch and dinner menus are the same, as well as the pricing.

Pricing:

Per adult – $59

Per child (ages 3-9) – $36

This price includes the family-style appetizers of salad and bread, an entrée, and dessert. Alcoholic beverages, taxes, and tips are additional charges that you’d need to take into account.

To see the Hollywood & Vine menu in its entirety, click here.

As we were getting settled at our table, we were informed that the menu would be available in a digital format. This card was already on the table, so we were able to get a look at the menu right away.

If you’d like a quick peek at the menu, you can scan the QR code right from this picture. I tried it and it totally works!

Our server promptly took our drink order. After a long day in Hollywood Studios, everyone settled on a couple of sodas and some WATER! This came out very quickly along with a basket full of fresh silverware rolled in black cloth napkins.

Appetizers

Following our drinks, we were served the two appetizers that come with each entrée.

The appetizers include a Farmhouse Tossed Salad and warm rolls with creamy butter!! The salad is made with mixed greens, tomato, cucumbers, red onion, cornbread croutons, and a homemade Smokehouse Ranch dressing. Both of these are served family stye, and if you’d like more all you have to do is ask!

We asked for more of those cornbread croutons, because ya’ll, those were YUMMY!!

Being the carb lovers in this family, my boys also got down on the rolls and we asked for an additional serving of those as well.

The salad came as a super pleasant surprise! It was very refreshing after a long hot day in Hollywood Studios! I can be picky when it comes to dressing, and I ended up really liking this one.

Entrées

As I mentioned before, Hollywood & Vine offers traditional American cuisine. Their lunch and dinner menu includes hearty and rich offerings such as beef tenderloin, seared salmon, Pork Osso Bucco, roasted turkey, and macaroni and cheese with shrimp.

My husband ordered the Beef Tenderloin. Just look at this beauty! I don’t know if you can tell from this photo, but this was also a massive portion! My husband is a foodie and eats everything, but he couldn’t finish this one!

I tried a few bites and I thought it was very delicious. The beef was very tender and juicy, but very rich! So just be prepared for that.

The beef is herb-crusted and comes with sour cream and chive whipped potatoes, sautéed brussels sprouts, and onions.

I decided on the Carved Herb Roasted Turkey Breast. This was comfort food to the max! The carved turkey came with garlic redskin mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing (my favorite!), sautéed green beans, turkey gravy, and cranberry orange relish.

Everything was so tasty! The cranberry orange relish was very tart, so I only had a couple of bites. But it was nice and bright, which complimented the turkey and carb-heavy sides.

Both of the boys ordered the same thing, which was the Roasted Beef. This came with two additional sides. No surprise here, but they both added the macaroni and cheese and fresh fruit.

Our server was quick to point out that unless noted, the beef would be served with the gravy on the top. I’m so glad he said something! Our boys can be weird about food and I’m pretty sure the gravy on the top would have been a no-go. Thankfully, we were able to order it on the side and the crisis had been diverted!!

But let me just tell you, this was my favorite thing out of everything we ordered! This beef was fantastic! So tender and the flavor was DELICIOUS!

The boys liked it well enough, but my husband and I thought it was AMAZING! Their macaroni and cheese was also very good, and you can’t go wrong with fresh fruit. It was a nice change to offer the kids salad and fruit even while dining at a theme park. And my two typically picky eaters were more apt to try new things, because well,l they were at Minnie Mouse’s restaurant!

Desserts

And finally, we have the desserts! I don’t know about you, but I get super excited for a yummy dessert.

The dessert options included an Apple Bluberry Pie, Chocolate S’mores Pie, Plant-based Cherry Lemon Pie, Banana Cream Pie, and a Vanilla Crème Brûlée.

I ordered the Apple Blueberry Pie and as you can see, it’s not your traditional pie. Now, this dessert is very beautiful and totally photo-worthy, buy ya’ll…it was such a disappointment. I didn’t like it at all.

The filling was VERY sour, which I think would have been fine, but the “pie crust” was two hard wafer-like triangles that broke into tiny dry bits and offered zero sweetness to balance out the tartness of the berries. The whip cream and streusel wasn’t very sweet either. But overall, the texture was just off and I felt a little sad about this one.

Now, my husband got the Chocolate S’mores Pie. He said he really liked it, and I can see how this one might be a lot sweeter with all the chocolate and that giant toasted marshmallow up on the top. I didn’t get a chance to try this one. He had it done before I even had the chance!

This dessert also had the “pie crust” triangles, but maybe these were better because they were chocolate? Still not my favorite way to have dessert.

My kids kept their desserts classic with a pair of ice cream sundaes. You can never go wrong with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and mickey sprinkles! Oh, and a cherry on top!

They loved these and I kinda wish I would have asked for that too! Ha!

Character Interactions

Now for the really exciting part of this meal…THE CHARACTERS!! At Hollywood & Vine, you’ll get the chance to interact with Minnie and her friends; which include Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto!

Character meets and greets are very different right now due to health and safety precautions. The characters still make their way around the restaurant and make a stop at each table, but you are asked to stay in your seat as they come to visit. You’ll even hear an overhead announcement that explains which character is coming around and a reminder to stay in your seat.

Mickey was the first character that stopped over. Doesn’t he just look so handsome in his fancy navy tuxedo! He greeted us with a big ‘ol wave, open arms, and lots of interaction with the boys. He made sure to pose for pictures and I was able to get him in the background with the boys upfront.

Minnie shortly followed Mickey. She also was generous with the waves, but made sure to blow lots of kisses as only Minnie Mouse can do! She even gave us a little curtsey in her adorable pink dress and gave the boys a giant air hug. But I mean, her shoes….just look at her shoes!! AWWW!

Throughout the course of our meal, we were able to visit with Mickey and Minnie twice.

My favorite was Goofy! He’s always so silly and fun to pal around with! I don’t know if you can get a good look, but his shoes were AWESOME!! I made sure to let him know! He loved my compliment and made sure to stop and pose for some really fun photos!

Oh and Pluto! He was the last character that we met and he only stayed for a short time. He gave some fun waves and when we complimented his sparkly blue top hat, he gave a full spin and a big “oh shucks!” gesture with his arm.

Prior to COVID, characters would stop at your table and offers hugs, photos, and sign autograph books. They are not able to do that right now, so a signed photo card is given instead. The boys each received their own card.

While it’s not the same, this is a sweet little moment to tuck into a scrapbook and keep as a way to remember your special meal and trip.

To-Go Boxes

I’m sure you’re not surprised that we had a ton of food leftover! We couldn’t even think about finishing all the food that we ordered! Thankfully, to-go boxes and a tote bag were provided so we could take our goodies home with us.

More Helpful Tips & Tricks

• Reservations for Hollywood & Vine can be hard to get. With only five different character meals available at Walt Disney World right now, these reservation slots can fill up fast. Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance.
• If you aren’t able to get a reservation right away, keep trying! Many times other guests will cancel their reservations at the last minute and you will find availability sometimes the day before or even the morning of your visit.
• Also, try to arrive before the park opens and head over to the check-in desk and ask to be put on the walk-up list. This isn’t a guarantee, but the earlier you arrive, the better chance you have of getting a spot.
• Hollywood & Vine is available for discounts. Annual Passholders and DVC Member can save 10%. Disney Visa Cardmembers are also eligible for a discount.
• Make sure to have your camera or phone ready and fully charged. Disney’s Photopass Photographers are not available at this location.
• In order to have the best experience with the characters, have your kids think of something they’d like to ask or say to them. This will help bust through those shy or awkward moments, and you’ll have plenty of adorable videos and photos of the interaction between your kiddos and the characters.
• Have fun and post your pictures on Instagram. I’d love it if you’d tag me!

Need More Planning Advice?

Don’t forget to follow us over on Instagram. We post daily news and helpful information. We’re also in the parks each week and take you along. You’ll find a ton of tips and tricks for your next Disney vacation!

Looking for more character dining posts?

• Review: Breakfast à la Art at Topolino’s Terrace
• Chef Mickey’s: Why We Love it! Plus a Few Tips to Make it More Affordable