Disney Dining Experiece: Dining at 50’s Prime Time Cafe
Location: Hollywood Studios
Dining Plan:
This is a table service restaurant. You will use 1 table service credit when you dine here. Reservations recommended.
This restaurant starts accepting reservations 180 days in advance. To book your reservation, visit Disney Dining online or call 1-407-WDW-DINE or contact your Disney Travel Agent (I recommend Destinations in Florida).
Meals offered:
Lunch and Dinner; Entrees include grilled pork chop, pot roast, friend chicken and more.
For dessert, you will select your choice by using a viewfinder. How fun is that?
Characters:
none
Special Event:
Your waiter or waitress will scold you if you don’t eat your veggies; tv on the table playing snippets of older shows
My recommended reservation times:
If you are going when it’s hot, try to eat around 2 to avoid being in the Florida heat.
My experiences:
We have eaten here once and it was pretty good. I think we will return on our next trip. I love the home cooking and it’s a nice break from all the fancy food you find around Walt Disney World.Â
Your opinion:
If you have dined at the 50’s Prime Time Cafe please leave your opinion in the comments section!
Learn more about Walt Disney World Dining and get suggestions for where to eat, how to use the Disney Dining Plan and more.
(Thanks for the pictures – Cindy, Christine, Anunag and Susie!)
Jennifer says
Honestly, this is the worst of all the places we have ate on disney property-either ones with ressies or counter service. The food wasn’t horrible, just not fabulous, as it has been for us all other places. The service however was not what I expected. We went around 530pm, with 4 kids ages 9mo, 3, 5 and 9. We knew what to expect and told the kids what it would be like. Honestly, we were seated in a room with a large group of 20 adults and teens. The waitress was mean, she actually yelled at my kids, the 3 yr old mentioned she was hot and tired, yes she whined but we had been at the park since 8am in Aug heat, she literally screamed at her “we don’t whine here, suck it up girlie, put a smile on and apologize to your mama or you can go wait outside until your family is done eating.” This was not done in good spirits-she yelled, all 4 of my kids started to cry and wanted to leave. Yet, she didn’t stop, we had to ask her to leave the table. We complained and they pretty much left us alone the rest of the night, so we didn’t get any more of the “show.” I would love to say this was an isolated incident, but we were not the only ones complaining that night about this waitress, and three of our friends have had similar experiences at this resturant with kids 10 and under. We’ve been to Ed Debevics in Chicago, which is the same type of atmosphere and my kids love it, so its not the teasing. There is a fine line between teasing and fun and humiliation and I think some of the waitstaff cross the line.
Jayne @ Mimi to Tee and Bee says
This is a must-do restaurant for me. It’s actually causing a conflict with the Fantasmic! dinner ressies. I’m not sure which one I want more.
sarah says
we’ve eaten there a few times LOVE IT… and actually they made the portions smaller… believe it or not… def wanna try the scifi dinner though. Good times all around!
Elizabeth says
We love this restaurant. We eat there every time we go. (next chance this August)
Laurie says
We eat at Prime Time Cafe every time we go to Disney. Enjoy the food and love the atmosphere. Playing with the waitstaff is great fun. (If you can’t take a little teasing, this isn’t the place for you).
Clare C. says
This seems to be a love it or hate it kind of place with people. We are one of the latter group. We visited in 2008 for one of our extremely rare table service meals. We were feeding our family of 6 plus my mom and younger brother for his 30th birthday. The food was mostly o.k. but we didn’t like the interaction with the server. My young son thought he was innocently answering a question of “Cousin Mandy” when she turned to him and called him a tattletale. She then got the attention of the entire room and had everyone shake their index fingers at him chanting “Tattletale, Tattletale, shame on you!” My son was mortified, burst into tears, and my husband hustled him out of the restaurant. Fortunately, we were done eating since my hubby said he’d never said foot in there again. I never understood all of the people who enjoy being humiliated and picked on while eating but maybe some of the servers are more playful??? Anyway, we won’t be going back.
Renee says
We never get to go here because the kids want Sci-Fi or Toy Story pizza place.
Last trip they each got to pick a restaurant- youngest one picked Sci-Fi and middle one picked the Italian restaurant @ Epcot. Don’t remember the name but expensive and tasty. Definately will do Prime Time next time we go.
Amy says
We visited the week after thanksgiving (Christmas day parade recording day mind you) & it started off slow and got better! Our “Big Sister” was babysitting our ‘new neighbor’ & had to keep an eye on her.
Since my little girl has a peanut allergy, she got a personal visit from ‘the grocery store man’ (the chef called himself this to keep with the theme) and discussed what she could have & that he would make sure our “sister” took extra care.
Now for some antics! “Big sister” had my 3-year old set the table & when she came back to find my DH had set the table instead, she brought him a second helping of green beans as ‘punishment’. (too bad she didn’t know he LOVES them) I was text message coordinating with the rest of my family while at the table and was caught (I was warned 3 times) & had to call my real little brother so that ‘big sister’ could have a talk with him. It was quite a surprise to him!
Our section had a whole bunch of shenanigans going on, grandmas standing in corners, green bean sundaes, birthday songs, little kids clearing tables, and lots and lots of laughter. As many people have said, it all depends on when you go and who you ends up taking care of you. The Pot Roast was knock-out! And my DH had the steak that’s pictured. Wonderful! We’ll be visiting this and sci-fi again in a heartbeat! :)
Lynne says
We eat here almost every time we go to WDW. It is a great place to go if you get the right server.
Last year my son ordered dinner and it came with greens. He did not eat them because he does not like greens. Our “Uncle” didn’t say much about him not eating them but then brought his dessert…a sundae topped with, you guessed it, the uneaten greens. HA!
It was all in good fun and of course the server brought my son out a dessert that he would actually eat, but the look on his face when the greens dessert came out was priceless.
BekaGAgirl says
I have been there a couple of times. The first time that we visited it was really an awesome experience. The second time we had a waitress that was playing her role a little too well. After that we have not been back it just kind of ruined it. There are better ones to go to!! Love the Sci-fi!
April says
We went there on our last trip in March. We usually go to Sci-fi, but thought we would try something different. I was very worried because this place makes my kids nervous. They’re afraid they’ll have to stand in the corner. We got there and requested a TV table, and got one! That is a must for your first time. Our waiter “Cousin Keith” was great, and took good care of us. It was very tame. No “floor show”, so the parents were disappointed, but the kids were Ok with that! Two thumbs up for the pot roast. DH said the chicken was almost as good as KFC. Seriously, some pieces weren’t even totally cooked. Will go back to Sci-fi next time.
DENISE says
We have been twice and will be going again on our next trip, my kids absolutely love this place, the food is good it’s a lot of home cooking style food. And the waiters and waitresses are good at playing the part.
Amy says
Me, hubby and two sons went just this past December. I loved the atmosphere! The waiters were so neat to watch. Ours, I gather henced a unhappy hubby (tired) and did not “act” for us. But, he was awesome! The food was so good. It was just a fab experience. I would DEFINATELY go back. Loved it.
Tanya in Carolina says
We love Prime Time!!! It is one of our favorites! Although we don’t eat there everytime (it depends on how long our trip is) we make a point of going as often as we can. We went there in December on Christmas Day and it was wonderful. It was my Nanny’s 80th birthday and our “Auntie” made the whole area sing to her. It was the highlight of her day.
sharon says
I’ve been to Prime Time twice and loved it each time. The first time there I was with my family and we found out how huge the portions were. I went there earlier this month with my friends and we split a meal. Love the atmosphere, attitude & food. And yes, we both got yelled at for elbows on the table. Can’t wait to back there again.
Jessica says
My husband was pretty weirded out by the waitress referring to us as cousins and asking us numerous questions about the “family” so keep in mind that if you’re hot & exhausted and just looking to drop this may not be the most relaxing option cause you’re sort of required to socialize.
HOWEVER, I completely loved the Disneyness of it! A large family sat next to us and we struck up a conversation with our “other cousins” prompted by our waitress. We were getting ready to leave and they were trying to decide whether to order dessert. The young girl wanted the s’mores dessert but wasn’t sure she could eat the whole thing. We had ordered the same and not finished it, so I offered to let her have the rest of my dessert (since we were family after all). They looked mildly surprised but gladly accepted and we all played along with the being related thing the whole time we were there and never broke character. What fun!
ChemMom says
We eat at 50’s Prime Time EVERY trip. The pot roast is definitely the best thing on the menu – probably my favorite meal on property (other than ‘Ohana). It has a lumpy mashed potato base with shredded pot roast on top, covered with gravy. The garnish on top of the pot roast is the carrots and celery, but they are very finely shredded. I wish I could post a picture!
During our last visit, a server was bussing a table. He threw all the napkins and straw wrappers on the floor and made my son sweep them up with a broom and dustpan. That was hilarious!
It’s a great place to take kids because they do not have to sit still or stay quiet. Littler kids will get teased about eating their vegetables, but they don’t have to actually eat them – the servers will pretend to withhold their dessert or something similar. So, if you have a shy/nervous kid, you might want to prepare your child in advance. I would not let that deter me from eating there however because it is kind of like a dinner show if the right servers are working.
They WILL make adults eat their veggies ;)
Suzanne says
Loved this restaurant! Good food… We had lunch there, and TIP: get an early res, otherwise, you may wait a long time for a table during busy season. My son ( 4 at the time) did not finish his beans, and the waitress made a big deal about it, and when his ice cream dessert came out, it had the beans sticking out of the ice cream… It’s a toss up b/w this and Sci fi as my fav HS lunch place…
Diane says
We are fans of this place! I will say the food is good comfort style food. Who doesn’t love meatloaf, green beans (UGH!) and a root beer float? Their chicken pot pie is wonderful too! My fave.
I will say that your server either makes or breaks the meal. We’ve had a wonderful server and had a super time. We’ve also had a server who was just overwhelmed and had a not so fun time.
Diana says
My mom and I went back in 91.. and had an excellent experience.. I ordered a Carrot cake for her birthday and she really enjoyed it. We took my kids back in Sept.. and we LOVED it..again!! We had a great waitress, Cathy.. who really dealt with my no-veggie , ketchup only kid..lol… and he even asked to have his pic taken with her.. Great atmosphere, love the food.. and the overall experience.. FUN!!
Manda W. says
we ate there on our first night in WDW last fall. Auntie Claire was the best and our large group (8 adults) were very happy campers by the end of the meal. I was pleased with the pork chop and my father in law loved his fried chicken. You’re paying for the atmosphere here, but the cast members make it worth it (at least ours did). We found it to be a great dining plan meal option.
Inge says
We just ate here last week for the first time. This will for sure be somewhere we always eat at Disney. The food was awesome!!! We were on the dining plan and I got a crabcake, a sampler plate, and a HUGE ice cream sunday. My husband and 2 & 3 year old also love it here. I will say that we didn’t have a good server but we were surrounded by awesome servers. I guess ours just wasn’t into playing the part but it was fun to see the others doing it. I hope next time we get a fun server.
Chris says
We ate here a few years ago and it was a disaster meal! We had the longest wait there for a reservation than any other reservation we’ve had. When we finally got to our table, our server didn’t want to get DS21 two different drinks. We had the dining plan and I told her up front to get them whatever they wanted and I would pay any difference. She argued with him for over 5 minutes about why he didn’t really need two different drinks. Finally, I told her to get him his drinks or send me the manager. She finally brought them. Our food was just ok, but not something I would care to go back again for and we only saw the server one more time other than her bringing our check. It was the most disappointing meal we’ve had at WDW and one I don’t think I care to do again.
April says
LOVED IT!!!! We would definitely go back again. We had a party of 25 and they were great.
Christine says
I love the idea of this place! When I went back in the late 90’s we had a big group and an AWESOME server who made the whole meal so fun…BUT when my daughter and I went last October the waiter was not in character, seemed distracted and really kinda put damper on the whole thing. The food was good. I got the pot roast and it rocked. My daughter had the mac & cheese and it was pretty generic but she ate it. We had malts with lunch and they were great. I guess having a good server is what really makes this stop worth it.
sherry says
We were just there on thursday for the first time. We had a great time. Food was good and it was lots of fun.
Stacey says
We ate here back in December 2008 & we loved it. The food was great, the atmosphere is so much fun, & the staff were very nice. We loved how everybody in the restaurant remained in character from start to finish. We were a party of 9 & everyone in my family had a great time. The best part was when my son (who was 19 months at the time) laughed continuously because my mom (his grandmother) was placed in the corner with a dunce cap on her head for keeping her elbows on the table after being told twice not to do that. We definitely would eat there again.
Tulip40in05 says
LOVE IT! Eat there every time I am at Disney. So, I’ve eaten there a LOT! LOL The food is good and huge portions! The atmosphere is wonderful, you feel like you are in an episode of Ozzie & Harriet. It used to be that your “Mom” (a.k.a. waitress) would call you out for not eating all of your veggies or having bad table manners, etc. but now they are “nicer.”
Kelli says
We just ate here for the first time in January. I had the fried chicken(terrific!). Mom had Pork loin (she said it was very good) and my 14 y/o had a bowl of chicken soup (she was recovering from a cold and wasn’t very hungry). She said the soup was great except too much celery (she’s kinda picky :). The waitress was kind enough to let my dd order off the kids menu, because of her decreased appetite, to get smaller portions. The atmosphere was wonderful my dd had to set the table and then it was inspected to make sure it was right! Mom and I kept getting in “trouble” for having our elbows on the table. :) When dd had drained her soup bowl except for the celery “mom” our waitress whispered to her to “don’t tell dad” and dumped it out under a napkin and then declared her the president of the clean plate club :). Lots of fun, I would definitely go there again!
sarah says
Hands down my favorite restaurant in HS. I agree with the posters that commented about the bar and the atmosphere. What a fun restaurant.
Carol says
Loved this restaurant in 2005 (Disney World honeymoon, where else?) but not so much in 2010. You get a much better atmosphere when seated in a booth (even when there is just two of you, ask for one if it’s quiet) since you feel like you’re sitting in an actual 50’s kitchen. Food is great though and make sure you save space for the chocolate brownie popcorn ice cream desert thing – I can’t remember what it’s called but it is so yummy!! Enjoy!!
Yvonne says
Love love love the pot roast here! So juicy and tender. And the S’mores dessert is awesome! The fried chicken is great and they bring you a huge portion. I think when hubby gets it we bring home leftovers. Dh loves the brownie. If your looking for a good place for an alcoholic drink, I love the electric lemonade. I looked up how to make it so i could make them at home. They have a nice little bar area where you can pop in and grab a drink to either drink there or take to go. We always have a great time when we eat there and usually eat there every trip.
lisa m says
we ate here last trip! it was wonderful! the food was excellent and the atmosphere was great! i liked sci fi because of the atmosphere but the food here is so much better! defentely give this place a try if you have never been here.
Cheryl says
I just ate there with six friends earlier this month. I echo the comments that the portions are huge. All of us shared meals and still had leftovers–I had the fried chicken with a friend and it was great.
I also loved our server–one of our friends had her elbows on the table TWICE and she had to go stand in the corner. Then we were egging her on to do it a third time to see what the server would do–and she told the server! He then said to her “oh, that’s tattling!” So he made her sing “I’m a Little Teapot” to another table complete with hand/arm movements! It was SO funny! Well, we all thought it was funny . . . . he also made a teenager at the next table serve water to everyone in the room. Love Prime Time!
Amy says
We have eaten here several times and we love it. The wait staff is very interactive (they do scold!) and fun. The portions are huge and the food is delicious. I would definitely eat at the Prime Time Cafe again.
Angie says
We did this back in September 2008 for the very first time and it was such an awesome experience! Absolutely everyone is in character, even the hostess- it was just such a hoot! They (jokingly) wouldn’t offer my daughter her desert until she finished everything on her plate (of course they caved when we pointed out it just wasn’t going to happen…). They had onion rings that were GREAT! They have awesome deserts- including their milk shakes and rootbeer floats- YUM! We were stuffed to the gills when we walked out. Awesome food, totally cool decor and the overall environment (including hassling from the wait staff) was just great- one of my absolute favorite dining spots in WDW!
Susannah says
We ate here last July and really LOVED it! I had the fried chicken and it was very good! The atmosphere was really cool with true 50’s memorabilia.
Ana says
This is one of my favorite places to eat! Definitely my favorite in Hollywood Studios. I’ve been quite a few times and everyone always loves their food. Normally, I don’t care for pot roast…BUT at 50’s Prime Time Cafe I always order the pot roast because it is ridiculously delicious! I crave it when I’m back home! Their shakes are divine and the desserts are even better. The brownies with everything on top (m&ms, caramel, whipped cream, caramel popcorn, etc) are amazing and so huge you have to share. You can’t go wrong with a single thing on the menu!
Shannon says
Ate there last year to celebrate my fathers birthday and had a great time. Plan to eat there next year also! The waitress made my Mom finish the ocra on her plate and everyone who cleared their plate got a sticker. The waitresses yell and tease you but it is fun!
JANICE says
LOVE THIS RESTAURANT!!! IT IS SO MUCH FUN AND THE FOOD IS GOOD. WHAT I LIKE MOST IS THE DECOR IT TAKES ME BACK TO MY CHILDHOOD. ALSO I LOVE DISNEY BUT I KIND OF GIVES YOU A BREAK FROM ALL THE CHARACTERS FOR A LITTLE WHILE. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT TO FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN OF ALL AGES. THERE IS FUN FOR EVERYONE HERE.
Becky says
Love it! The peanut butter and jelly shake was amazing! We eat there every time we go to HS.
Becky says
My family loved the atmosphere at the 50’s Prime Time Cafe, and the food was good too! But for goodness sake, do NOT put your elbows on the table! … there will be embarassing consequences. :)
Tessa says
We have eaten here numerous times! We love it. My boys were scolded for putting their elbows on the table. LOL The waitress yelled at them saying “You do not put elbows on the dinner table at mothers house! Mother someone has their elbows on your table” We laughed so hard. The service, the food, the enviroment, the amount of food make sit one of our favorite places to dine!! I ordered the fried chicken and I swear they bring out enough chicken for 4 people!! I would highly recommend eating here.
Tessa says
oops should say *makes it not make sit! LOL Sorry should have proof read before hitting submit
Erica says
I have only been here one time a long time ago. When my brother and I where little we ate there. I got something off the kids menu and my brother ordered from the adult menu (its the first time he had ever ordered from the adult menu). He didn’t finish his veggies and the waitress embarrassed him by announcing to the whole restaurant that he didn’t eat them. She then scooped up the veggies on a spoon and did the air plane ( the thing parents due to little kids …. making plane noises and pretending the spoon is an airplane). We all found it extremely funny except my brother who to this day (he is now 24) will not step foot in the Prime Time Cafe. XD
jodie cleaver says
when we went which was several years ago we stayed at the riverside and we had purchased the meal package which i would do everytime we went. that meal package was awesome. and we ate at the 50s cafe one nite and the waitress was like a mom, saying no dessert till you clean your plate. and the kids loved it and i thought was one of the best places we ate.
Ashley says
We ate there in ’05 and at the time the portion sizes were huge. There were 9 people in our party and every one was happy with there food. The s’mores for dessert were a hit! My husband even got a drink at the little bar before we ate. The atmosphere was great and our server was memorable. I would recommend eating here.
Amanda says
Ate at 50’s for the first time last year. The meatloaf was awesome! Make sure you leave room for dessert though. They have this brownie thing with ice cream and all types of toppings that is wonderful and big enough for several people to share. The staff treat you like family and if you don’t follow the rules aunt Bee might have you wear a dunce hat lol. We would definatly eat here again.
Julie says
I ate here a long time ago, and I found it to be okay but nothing spectacular. The food was okay (nothing to write home about), we waited quite a bit for our table (we had ADR) but were in a pretty big group. I felt like it was very cramped, both fitting at our table and in terms of proximity with other tables. The servers were good, though, and we celebrated my grandparents’ anniversary at that meal. They were so great when they brought out the cake and sang to them. :) Haven’t had a desire to go back since though.
Christina says
Loved it! Great to beat the heat, food was exactly what I was looking for, and the kids misbehaving at the table adds to the fun. But the best part, (for those that have the older teenagers that can relieve you for a little bit) is the bar attached to the waiting area! :-)