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A nice spot for a AC quick service. This area can get extremely busy. They do offer mobile options as well. I tried the new buffalo fries. They use thin fries and sauce it the with buffalo and light blue cheese. I not a fan of blue cheese but it uses a light blue cheese flavor dressing. It cost about the same as fries at McDonald's
Backlot express gas really stepped their game since the last time I ate there. The decor is still fantastic and does feel like you are on the back lot of a movie set. There are lots of shady spots to sit and enjoy your meal. The food... really good. You can definitely still get traditional park fare... but they gave added some great and super tasty more healthy options. We had the southwest chicken salad and the chicken teriyaki bowl and they were outstanding. Definitely recommend!
Backlot Express is always a must do based on their healthy options (actual vegetables in the park) and their portion sizes (legitimately... get the kids portion... I swear it is still a portion bigger than what you need) BUT... we were here for Jollywood Nights.. and the food was even better. Best food for the holiday celebration. Burnt end Mac & Cheese with Fried Onions, Brussel Sprouts that were delightful crisped and coated, a holiday meatloaf hamburger that had a fun onion jam... AND the holiday bread pudding with dark chocolate and cherries. The staff was so accommodating. We were in, ordered, served, and seated within a few minutes. Plus the theming is next level. Like you are legitimately at a backlot of a studio and Indiana Jones has his equipment everywhere for the next stunt. Ample tables too!!
My daughter's favorite chicken tenders in all of Central Florida. In Hollywood Studios next to Star Tours. I had the chicken bowl, very tasty, but not very filling. The blueberry slushie was yummy and for dessert we had the Star Wars cupcake. They have surprise fillings inside. Ours was red icing. Hard to find a set and slower service, place a mobile order to speed things up!
I really quick place in Disney to get a snack or light snack or meal. Self-serve drink dispensers and the fries are really good. Has indoor and outdoor seating as well. Not too terribly expensive.
Awful dining experience. Yes! This tasted as bad as it looks. The southwest chicken salad is absolutely disgusting. It had no cucumbers, avocados, or cheddar toppings, and the meat was strange- definitely not crispy chicken strips. I can't believe they serve this soggy mess. We just threw it away. The bacon cheeseburger was missing the bacon. Very disappointing meal. This location has both indoor and outdoor seating. The cashier that took our order was very sweet.
Backlot Express is located outside Indiana Jones. With an interesting array of food items, online ordering, plenty of seating, and bathrooms right around the corner, it is always a fabulous one stop shop for us. The Southwest salad with chicken really elevated a typical entree. The meat was a nice combination of dark and light pieces. It as flavorful and moist. The bed of lettuce was topped with roasted corn, tomatoes, pickled onion, and roasted pumpkin seeds. The cherry on top was the creamy and tangy jalapeño lime ranch dressing. It was really well balanced with lots of great texture. The star of the show however was the gingerbread cheesecake on a vanilla cookie with milk chocolate ganache, dulce de leche whipped cream, a gingerbread chocolate man, with a sprinkle of crispy pearls. Not only was it beautiful to behold, but the cheesecake filling was smooth and had just the right ratio of warm spices. The crust was nice and buttery with a good crunch. And I really enjoyed the contrast of the pearls for some texture. But as with all cheesecakes, it is best to share because they can get heavy on the palette after a few bites. Overall, with quick service, a unique variety of items to order from, and an idealistic location, this is one of my preferred quick stop shops at Hollywood Studios.
Due to technical difficulties, our reservation at Sci-Fi Drive In restaurant was canceled. So we came here, since the food never disappoints. Neither does the service. We ordered on the app, and our food was ready when we checked in. The two ladies who helped us were friendly. Husband had the bacon cheeseburger and fries. He was happy with his meal. No complaints. I had the Cuban again, and this time I got the plantains. I thoroughly enjoyed both. The restaurant is like a Hollywood back lot area, functional and comfortable. The seats are padded and the wooden tables are cleaned by efficient staff. There is also outside seating, at plastic looking tables and chairs. It's too hot to eat outside - 85° on 9/25/24. This is our go to lunch or dinner place for its good staff & food and reasonable prices.
If you want to spend your money on a plate of white rice, terrible customer service and unhappy employees. $28 for two of these rice bowls with barely anything tofu in them and no way to order a side of tofu either
I thought that the backlot express was great! I had a tofu bowl that was very flavorful and hit the spot for dinner. My family and I also split the Wookie cookie. The cookie portion of it was tasty, but I didn't love the middle cream filling as much, but I tend to not like cream desserts. There was plenty of seating in our food came out quickly after doing mobile order. My kids had some chicken strips and they also enjoyed them as well. My husband had the chicken version of the bowl that I had and he thought it was really good. I think this is a solid option while spending a day in Hollywood Studios.
Well, usually when we are in a hurry we stop here. Today took so long, as a cast food, took about 35 min between pay and wait to pick up. Fries were good, one of the burguers we ordered with pulled pork, but it was too much, to sweet too.
Backlot Express serves up exactly what you'd expect from theme-park fare--nothing fancy, but it hits the spot when you need some reliable chicken tenders. The themed warehouse-style setting, complete with movie props and covered seating, adds a neat nostalgic touch for classic Hollywood Studios. It's reliable and efficient--especially useful when you've got kids or need to use mobile ordering during a busy park day. The indoor dining area with air conditioning and shaded outdoor tables makes it a convenient refuge when the Florida heat gets intense. That said, while the food is consistently okay, it's unremarkable. It doesn't feel like a culinary destination so much as a solid fallback when you're hungry and options are limited. Overall, Backlot Express is average theme-park fare--not bad, not mind-blowing--but dependable enough when you just need a quick, familiar meal without the frills.
Food was sooo good and fresh and totally hit the spot! Very needed after a great day at Disney. We ordered ahead which was totally the move and it was super fast service! The vibe was great and we loved it!
Reminded me of school lunch cheese burgers, ya know, the cheese burgers that you say, "these ain't bad for being a school lunch" The only difference is this isn't a school cafeteria where you pay $2.25 for lunch. But, I can't complain because it was on par with amusement park food and they have all you can drink fountain soda, lemonade (sugar free) and Powerade. The burger wasn't dry and it tasted good(again this is amusement park standards) The service was fast and friendly. My one daughter got 4 Chicken Tenders, they were also not dry and they were big enough to fill her up with just 3, so Dad saved the day, and finished off the 4th one. Only thing I would have liked is if the fries would have been hot, always find it a little odd, that as busy as these places are and everything comes with fries, that the fries wouldn't be hotter and fresher. read more
5 years ago
You would think that looking for a place to eat at Disney Hollywood Studios would be easy when they limited park capacity...you'd be wrong. All of the sit down themed restaurants were totally booked ... for lunch and dinner!!! You have to settle for what amounts to unmemorable theme park food: burgers, sandwiches and fries. Backlot express is one of the few places that don't need reservations. Ambience: like most Disney attractions, there is a theme. In this case, it seems to be inner city industrial ghetto. I wondered did they intentionally wear down and scratch up the soda machines to get that ghetto look? The tables are mismatched and the theme "decorations" look like they were pulled out of the salvage yard. Food: typical theme park fare: Cheeseburger - dry 3/5 Cuban Sandwich - cheese, Turkey and slice of ham 3/5 Chicken Tenders - dry and bland 2/5 Paint Can Cake - the highlight of the meal 5/5 TL/DR: make reservations EARLY for a sit down restaurant while at Hollywood Studios or pay top dollar for carnival quality food at Backlot Express. read more
Backlot express is great because it's got regular "theme park" food and some alternate options as well. It's one of the few quick service restaurants that has their soda machine for public use which means it's one of the few places where you can get free refills on your soft drinks. Cast members are enforcing mobile ordering, so be sure to have your order placed in advance. It's incredibly simple. I visited in early October 2021 and got to try their spooky Halloween cupcake. It was delicious, but very very rich. I highly recommend ordering a milk to help with all that fudge. read more
5 years ago
Now that Disney has implemented mobile service order, I highly recommend that you get in on this as this restaurant gets crowded during lunch/dinner services. We ordered the Tattooine two suns hummus (red pepper hummus was my personal fave and came with other assortments with the best pita), Wookie cookie (soooo good! but could be overly sweet) and chicken strips. I applaud this restaurant's customer service since our order of chicken strips only came with 3 (menu says it comes with 4), so my sister came back to the counter to get this corrected. Instead, they threw a new order of chicken strips with 4 strips this time and a cookie. Such great service! read more
4 years ago
As I mentioned prior about Docking Bay 7 changing up the theme park food scene, Backlot express is for those who just want the standard burgers, fries, and pizza. I came here for two of their dessert items the Wookiee cookie and for the 50th anniversary celebration a coconut and toffee cookie. The coconut and toffee was dry and lacked any sweet aftertaste and it had a bitter frosting on the middle. The Wookiee cookie was a little better but for once I felt it was too big of a cookie. The oatmeal cookies sandwich with frosting in the middle were descent, but I have better cookies. read more
6 years ago
On our visit to Disney World, we decided to book one day at Disney Hollywood Studios. We originally tried to get into the Prime 50's Hollywood restaurant, but they were booked up with reservations. Instead we made our way to Backlot Express. Backlot Express is located next to StarTours. It has indoor and outdoor seating. We placed our mobile order and waited about 15 minutes for the order. [1] Kids meal (Smuckers uncrustable) [1] Hummus [1] Cuban Sandwich My daughter enjoyed her kids meal. It was pre-prepared. The Hummus was interesting. There was two different dips. One that consisted more of a egg/mayo mixture with chickpeas. The other sauce tasted like a spin on a "cheeseburger" flavor. The hummus came with pita and iceberg lettuce. The Cuban sandwich was relatively plain and lacked flavor. It was deli lunch meat pressed with cheese. The French Fries were good though. Not too overcooked and seasoned appropriately. I thought the meal was overpriced though. Approximately $50.00 for the entire order. read more
5 years ago
4 years ago
Not our fav meal from the parks. The French fries were very good! They have a good variety of options if you don't want just plain theme park food. read more
3 years ago
2 years ago
5 years ago
7 years ago
We ate at Backlot Express more out of necessity than desire. We wanted something quick and simple so we could wade back into the insane crowds at Hollywood Studios. Backlot Express has a basic burger and salad menu with a few Star Wars items thrown in for extra measure. They are located in between the Indiana Jones live show and the Star Tours ride. Theming is nothing special, picture yourself in your grandpas garage and you are about 75% there - paint cans, rusted metal parts of various sizes, and junk. Yep, sums it up quite well I would say. The menu is about the same - picture a Fuddruckers that is past it's prime and you get the picture. It fills your belly but it isn't the best food at Disney. I chose this location over the ABC Commissary because they served an Ultimate Margarita here which on the phone app shows on the rocks but when we went they only served it as a slushy. Great, watered down margarita mix with a hint of Tequila, yeah! My wife enjoyed her Santa Fe Salad for the most part but there was no special dressing to go with it. She had a choice between the two choices they had on hand, processed plasticy tasting packets of ranch or blue cheese dressing that you typically would see at a low rate salad bar. All this salad needed was a side of homemade southwestern dressing to make this one a winner on their menu. My burger was utterly forgettable and not really that good. Basically a very basic cafeteria cheeseburger with pulled pork on top. In most cases that would be awesome but once again there was no homemade BBQ sauce our anything to top it off with except for Heinz BBQ which I absolutely hate and the burger and pork were nearly tasteless. This would be a two star review if it wasn't for the Wookie Cookie. It is an oatmeal cookie and cream sandwich that was the size of my whole hand. It was everything a Little Debbie cookie sandwich should be and more. Luckily, this cookie helps boost this review for them. Not my first choice at Hollywood Studios especially when there are some really good quick service locations in the Star Wars land but if you are pressed for time or just hangry this place will suffice in a pinch. read more
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the food here! For some reason I was expecting low end food but the Cuban sandwich we ordered was delicious! The bread was on-point for a Cuban sandwich, the meat inside was flavorful and not dry and the sandwich was the perfect size to pair with a dessert. I got the wookie cookie and that thing was huge! Way bigger than I expected it to be. It was filled with the most tasty frosting and the cookie was so soft, I highly recommend it. read more
In the heart of Hollywood Studios, Backlot Express has good greasy spoon lunch fare with lots of allergy-friendly offerings! Pros: Lots of seating - your party shouldn't have a problem finding a table inside Inside and patio seating - get out of the rain or the heat! Mobile ordering - order right from your table on your smartphone, or schedule ahead Allergy-friendly options - lots of gluten-free meals! Bathroom inside past checkout Tasted delicious, loved the ability to choose apples as a side instead of fries Refill your soda Cons: Mobile app ordering did not work on my smartphone but did on my fiancé's google pixel Not too many healthy options Honestly I don't have anything bad to say about this place, and the mobile ordering snafu was a park-wide issue on my smartphone. Definitely give this place a try! read more
Great simple food like chicken fingers and French fries that hit the spot for an easy lunch, but be prepared to wait a little. They're not the quickest, but maybe they were just having a bad day. Bonus: There's a nice view of the Star Wars Jedi Training shows which are really cute! read more
5 years ago
7 years ago
Our first day at Disney and we decided to grab some lunch at Backlot Express. We noticed there was a HUGE line up for food, so we opted to go with a mobile order through the MyDisney App. It was truly the smartest thing we could've done! We were able to skip the line, find a good spot, & wait at our table until our food was ready. We Ordered: 2 orders of Chicken Strips & a mac & cheese kids meal In total, it came out to be $40 CAD, which was ok for Disney. I was genuinely really pleasantly surprised at how tasty the Chicken Strip were! They were fresh and super filling. Condiments & Drinks are self serve Overall it was a pretty good experience, the portion sizes were good, the staff were friendly & the restaurant itself was kept pretty clean. It gets pretty busy here around lunch time so definitely grab a spot right away if you can! There is both indoor (air conditioned ) & outdoor seating here. read more
7 years ago
6 years ago
They are offering mobile ordering and have indoor and outdoor seating. I only ordered the wookie cookie. It was huge and can definitely be shared. It is basically an oatmeal cream pie. read more
My favvvv place at Disney Hollywood Studios! This place has delicious food with reasonable portions & prices. Also doesn't hurt that theres ample seating and is also FULLY air-conditioned, hehe. The restaurant has such a cute "Old Hollywood Movie's" style theme. Also love that they have an open topping bar with a plethora of different sauces (BBQ, ketchup, honey mustard, mustard, mayo, relish) and lettuce/tomatoes/etc. Also have one of the BEST dessert selections! They have Star Wars themed cupcakes/parfaits/etc! They also accept the Disney App Mobile Order feature here which (I tried it) was SOO convenient, I just ordered & it let me know when to pick up. There is a designated pick up area to the left of the ordering station. We ordered: -Dark Side Chicken & Waffles: YUMMMYYY! Chicken tenders were nice and crispy on the outside, moist & juicy on the inside. The waffles were also delicious and has a cute Darth Vader imprint on it! They serve it with waffle/pancake syrup for dipping. -California Chicken Club w/ Fries: Chicken breast was moist and well-seasoned. Perfectly complimented with the brioche bun. Came with an ample serving of fries. This place is located to the left of Star Tours so you can also sit outside for a PERFECT view of the Jedi Training Academy show that goes on every 30 minutes :D read more
Skip the actual meal food and stick to the desserts and you'll be a happy BB8. Backlot Express has some of the cutest cupcakes in all the land - Star Wars cupcakes! My friend and I stopped in for the infamous Star Wars cupcakes and a couple of coffees (aka fuel to make it through the day). Backlot Express is decorated with some random movie memorabilia in a warehouse type of looking building. There is a ton of outdoor seating, as well as a good amount of indoor seating. Being right next to Star Tours explains the cupcakes that go along with the ride. Who knows how things will change once the new Star Wars section opens but for now, this is the spot for some movie goodies. $2.79 for a coffee but they also have Star Wars themed beverages if that tickles your fancy! They also have Darth Vader waffles n Chicken if you want to go all Star Wars. The BB8 Cupcake is $5.99 and a lemon cupcake with vanilla buttercream icing and topped with colorful pop rocks. The Kylo Ren Cupcake is $5.99 with all chocolate everything! Chocolate cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter frosting, sprinkles and little bad dude on top. :) I'm a chocoholic so preferred the dark side. Incredibly expensive cupcakes but totally worth it for the cute pix I got and delicious tastes. read more
5 years ago
Very long line so opted for mobile ordering. The Cuban sandwich was huge and definitely enough for two people. Definitely one of the better quick service food choices at Hollywood that I have found! read more
6 years ago
It was quiet, clean, and I really enjoyed the mobile ordering process. Not having to wait in a long line was so nice! I ordered the Cuban sandwich which was okay. The cheese was kind of cold and not so great, so I peeled (yes I could peel it lol) it all off. The fries were decent although soggier than they should have been. For a quick service spot it was a pretty good price and they offer plenty of seating. read more
3 years ago
5 years ago
7 years ago
I have always said that Disney does nearly everything well. Everything except fast food. I've tried giving these places a try several times but this was the last straw. Add in a margarita and a beer and what you see pictured costed almost 70 bucks. SEVENTY. THe burger was so overcooked I could barely chew it, and the Cuban sandwich was no better. Id give it one star but I'll say two since it was sort of edible. Not good. read more
2 years ago
More info about Backlot Express
351 S Studio Dr
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Disney World, Horizons West / West Orlando
Directions
(407) 939-5277
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https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hollywood-studios/backlot-express/
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