50’s Prime Time Cafe Review
50’s Prime Time Cafe is a table service restaurant in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World that specializes in American comfort food the way mom would have made it in the 1950s. The menu isn’t the only part of the restaurant themed to the 1950s–the restaurant itself looks like a 1950s home, and “mom” and your other relatives are actually on hand to serve your meal to you. The kitschy ambiance of the restaurant and the “show” put on by the Cast Members at 50’s Prime Time Cafe are truly the stars here, and they make 50s Prime Time Cafe one of Walt Disney World’s best unique dining experiences.
When you walk into the restaurant, you find yourself transported to a 1950s living room. Right down to the black & white television, “wood” paneling, and gaudy animal knick-knacks. You go through Mom’s Kitchen to get to the seating areas, which look like time capsules from kitchens of the 1950s.
Although I wasn’t alive in the 1950s, for decades my great grandma’s kitchen was also a time capsule of a 1950s kitchen, so I know the look. The level of theming in 50’s Prime Time Cafe is very impressive, and this nostalgia trip alone would make for great ambiance even without Mom around to make you mind your manners (don’t rest those elbows on the table or leave food on your plate!).
50’s Prime Time Cafe has always been a special place for me. Growing up, 50’s Prime Time Cafe was my parents’ favorite restaurant (my mom dealt antiques so she appreciated the decor and design) and we visited the place every year on our annual trip.
Once I finally understood that the Cast Members were putting on an act and I didn’t really have long lost relatives in Florida, I loved our annual visits there, too. It became my mission during each of these meals to eat everything on my plate so I could join the “Clean Plate Club” and receive a sticker for my accomplishment. It was always a highlight of our trips for me, so my view of this restaurant is undoubtedly a bit biased.
Let’s take a look at what makes this such a fun place…
When Sarah and I started going to Walt Disney World together, we went to 50’s Prime Time Cafe on our very first trip. Unfortunately, the food was disappointing and the whole experience left something to be desired. We have made periodic stops at the Tune-In Lounge for milkshakes and Dad’s drinks since then, but didn’t head back to the restaurant until 2013. We are both incredibly glad that we did, as it was one of our best experiences at Walt Disney World on the trip.
Drinks at 50’s Prime Time Cafe might be the star of the show, and by drinks, I mean milkshakes. The mixed drinks are okay, but they’re pricey and the ones we’ve tried are glorified sugar water with alcohol splashed in. You’re mostly paying for “Dad’s Experimental Electric Ice Cube,” which is cool looking, and has proven a great gimmick to convince guests to buy drinks. I know I have ordered these drinks on more than one occasion because I have seen one illuminating another table. Perhaps I’m part raccoon, but the shiny drink is too much of a temptation for me to resist. If you are not part raccoon, I recommend resisting, as the mixed drinks are nothing special.
However, the milkshakes are the stuff of legends, with the chocolate being my favorite prior to our most recent visit. Although the milkshakes can be ordered at the Tune-In Lounge, in our experience it takes a long time to get one at the bar (which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as the Tune-In Lounge is in the same building as the restaurant and they clearly share a kitchen–maybe we’ve just had bad luck). When we discovered the PB&J milkshake, I knew I had to have one, and figured a return to the restaurant would be a good plan.
When I ordered the PB&J milkshake, our server asked if I wanted a Chocolate PB&J milkshake, which she described as tasting like a Reese’s cup. This seemed like a silly question to me–sort of liking asking if you’d like a free $100 bill or a free robot dinosaur. Uh…OF COURSE I’D LIKE CHOCOLATE ADDED. Who wouldn’t?! Perhaps a communist who doesn’t like awesome things, but I can’t imagine our server mistaking me for a communist. I don’t have that look or odor.
In any case, the Chocolate PB&J milkshake was as awesome as she described it, and definitely tasted like a Reese’s cup (but with jelly). The best milkshake I’ve ever had. Even Sarah, who thought the idea of a PB&J milkshake sounded disgusting, loved it. Although I tried to get Sarah to order her own, I was “reminded” by Mom about the importance of sharing, so I let Sarah have my blender cup full of extra shake. I would strongly discourage anyone else from making this mistake. That milkshake is so good that everyone should order their own. No joke.
For appetizers, we started out with Uncle Gary’s Blue Crab Salad and Fried Herb and Garlic Cheese. Sarah really liked the Blue Crab Salad, although I thought it was a little sparse (it did taste good). At around half the price of an average entree, it didn’t offer a whole lot of value for money.
I far preferred my appetizer, which was also a bit expensive in comparison to the entree menu, but was a unique combination of flavors and more typical of the “comfort food” style of the restaurant. The fried cheese tasted amazing, and the raspberry sauce was a surprisingly good compliment. The bread also made it a more substantial appetizer than the Blue Crab Salad. If you’re going to order an appetizer, this should probably be it. It was really good. 50’s Prime Time Cafe could be an inexpensive meal if you skip the appetizers, and with the milkshakes, you don’t really need appetizers, anyway.
Sarah ordered the 50’s Prime Time Cafe Blue Plate Special, which was Mahi Mahi. Billed as a “healthy seasonal alternative,” it wasn’t what you’d expect from 50’s. Sarah was very pleasantly surprised by this entree. I don’t think her expectations were too high since fish clearly is not this restaurant’s specialty, but the Mahi Mahi was excellent. Flavorful, tender, and cooked to perfection. I was impressed with it, too. Her entree was definitely the surprise hit of the meal.
I stuck with a more traditional entree: Aunt Liz’s Golden Fried Chicken. 50’s Prime Time Cafe is “renowned” amongst Disney fans for its fried chicken, and although mine was definitely good, I still don’t think it beats The Plaza Inn fried chicken at Disneyland. It was still pretty good, though.
The chicken is served with mashed potatoes and greens with bacon. I’m a fiend for mashed potatoes, but these didn’t do a whole lot for me. I think that’s pretty typical of their mashed potatoes. Since I didn’t want to be admonished my Mom (and who doesn’t want to be in the Clean Plate Club?!), I ate everything on my plate.
Sarah was not so successful in her quest to finish all of her food. So Mom came over to help her out. The interactions with the Cast Members and the general environment of the restaurant, with the televisions on and little touches (like ViewMasters!) all around are truly what make 50’s Prime Time Cafe a winner for us. However, this is not for everyone. Our sets of “cousins” (the people seated at the tables on either side of us) were stark contrasts. On one side was a couple of older locals who got in on the fun, asking us how their cousins were, and telling us that they come to the restaurant once a month.
It was easy to see that they “got it” and loved the restaurant. On the other side was a family of 4 on (I’m guessing) their first visit to 50’s Prime Time Cafe. At first they seemed puzzled by why their waitress was their aunt and why we were their cousins. When it finally did click, they seemed to ignore the schtick, and always got down to brass tacks with ordering. Nothing against them, my point is that 50’s Prime Time Cafe clearly is not for everyone.
If that part of the experience of the restaurant is not for you, it’s probably a much better idea to just drop in the Tune-In Lounge at some point for milkshakes and forgo the restaurant itself. While we had an excellent meal at 50’s Prime Time Cafe, it still is mostly just comfort food, and there are plenty of places with much better menus at Walt Disney World if all you care about is food. If reviewed from only the perspective of the menu, it’s a decidedly average restaurant. Of course, that should only be done if you’re introverted or feel you won’t enjoy the experience of the restaurant. For everyone else, reducing 50’s Prime Time Cafe to only the menu makes absolutely no sense, as whole package is heavily enhanced by the ambiance and experience, both of which I’d say are arguably more important to the experience than the food.
Overall, 50’s Prime Time Cafe is incredible fun, and one of the most enjoyable dining experiences most guests will have at Walt Disney World. Themed dining is where Disney excels, and there are few better options than 50’s Prime Time Cafe (the only restaurant I’d rank above it in this regard is Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater). The milkshakes are incredible, and the menu has some pretty good comfort food, too. 50’s Prime Time Cafe can become very crowded in the lobby during prime dining times, so we recommend an early lunch for the least waiting and best experience.
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Your Thoughts…
What do you think of 50’s Prime Time Cafe? Which dishes are your favorites? Planning on going? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Just went to Disney for the first time this last June and ate at the 50s cafe. Great atmosphere, loved the decor. At first my daughter was puzzled by the “mom” request to set the table but after I explained it she got it. The food was ok, the best part was dessert. I had s’mores simple but great! I will say my first choice of dessert was all gone.
We’ve eaten at 50s Prime Time twice. Our first experience was in Feb. of 2012 and while our waitress “mom” experience was great, the food wasn’t especially memorable. Our second visit was in Dec. 2012 and to be honest I wasn’t really excited to be eating there again but my parents were traveling with us and them being children of the 50s, I knew they would get a kick out of the whole thing. I’m so glad we decided to give it another go. The food had been improved by leaps and bounds and my parents had fun reminiscing about growing up in the 50s and telling my kids how things used to be “way back in the day”. The only downside for that particular trip was that our waitress wasn’t into playing her roll. Basically she just came across as a normal waitress. A little disappointing since the other tables around us were having a great time hamming it up w/their “moms”. That being said, I would definitely recommend 50s Prime Time to anyone who hasn’t tried it. And my boys LOVED the milkshakes, too.
We LOVE Prime Time! We usually sit at Tune In. You can order off the full menu. You lose a lot of the ambiance, but its a good alternatives if you’re unable to get ADRs.
Great tip! Have you ever noticed slow service at Tune-In Lounge? One time it took forever for them to get our milkshakes there. I’m assuming it was an anomaly, though.
We were excited to eat here on our WDW trip a few years ago, but overall this restaurant left us disappointed. Being West Coasters and going to Disneyland often, we sadly somehow never went to the ABC Soap Opera Bistro in California Adventure when it was open. So we decided to try 50’s Prime Time Cafe, skipping our usual restaurant Mamma Melrose with the Fantasmic Dining package. Maybe it was because we all developed the flu from this trip, or the service, but this restaurant didn’t excite. We had late night ressies, and they were able to get us in earlier, but it still was later at night than we are used to. Our “mom” didn’t seem to be very enthusiastic with her role, and the food was lack luster.
On our last WDW trip last year (a Coast to Coast three week extravaganza by the way…thanks for the idea Tom), we ate at the Sci-Fi Drive Inn and loved it. This will now become our go to restaurant at MGM (still can’t call it Hollywood Studios) since we started skipping the far inferior Fantasmic years ago.
Sorry to hear that 50’s Prime Time Cafe disappointed! For what it’s worth, I think it is far superior to Mama Melrose and pretty comparable to Sci-Fi. Maybe you had an “off” meal?
I remember dining at 50’s Prime Time back in 1990 with my family and we all strongly disliked our meal and experience. It took awhile for my husband to convince me to try it again since he had never been there. I am glad he did.
I think my first experience was bad due to the fact my family just did not enjoy the whole interaction element. I remember being very uncomfortable since I was a very shy 13 yr old at the time.
Thankfully now, I really love this type of experience now. We had a great ‘mom’ who made our dining experience so much fun and memorable. We also had a great family sitting next to us and we would join in the fun together.
We are looking forward to returning next month. However, I was disappointed to see a change in the menu. I had amazing scallop potatoes (they called it something else but cannot remember what exactly) with my meal last time and now there are no scallop potatoes on the menu!
I know what you mean. When I was a little kid, I loved the place. During my “too cool” teen years…not so much. Glad you went back!
As for the new menu, a lot has changed for the better, so don’t be discouraged!
I have never eaten there, but I just wanted to say that my boyfriend and I stopped in to the Tune in lounge a couple times last trip for mixed drinks and it was one of the best places we found for drinks in all of the parks (we were there 15 days and had a couple drinks each per day, so that’s saying something!).
I’ve been going to prime time since I was a kid too and now my fiancé and I go every time we visit too, I absolutely love it! We always have fun, if you play it up with the servers it can get pretty hilarious. Try
Sissy’s Vegetarian Favorite. I think it’s delicious, and I’m not a vegetarian!
I have a strict policy against consuming anything with “vegetarian” in the name. Ordering those dishes is distinctly unpatriotic. 😉
Prime Time Cafe has been a must do lunch along with Sci-Fi since the Studios opened. I agree – the Milkshakes are wonderful – I always get Chocolate – and the food is good – I wish they didn’t take away the grilled chicken sandwich with a salad – but their staples – Pot pie, Fried Chicken & Pot roast are just fine. But you don’t go there for the food – it’s the interaction with your cousins that we come back for! Cousin Mikey, Jason & Nicole have been great over the years! Of course our group of 12 enjoyed every minute! You definitely have to play along! Loved the vegetable dessert with Whipped cream! (Someone hid their uneaten vegetables!) And last year Cousin Jeff out front with the camera was a big hit with everyone. It’s a fun time – if you get a great server – but you have to play along – to get the most wonderful memories out of it.
Totally agree–the experience is VERY dependent on YOUR attitude!
Love the food but we are those people who don’t want to play along. We sit at the bar. BTW if you order a regular drink like a ,screwdriver or rum coke. They make a pretty good drink. Plus for a little more you can make it a double/ tall. Not that I would know. 😉
Late at night when the waiting area clears out a bit, you can sit in the living room (adjacent to the bar) and watch TV while ordering drinks from the bar. Not that we’ve ever sat there and done that for an hour or so… 😉
Good Lord, man, one should own one’s drinking prowess, with pride. Don’t make me use my drunk-fu to get you banned from all the classy joints.
Better still is when the lounge first opens at 11:00AM. Uncrowded, bartenders aren’t rushed (nor have they been ground down yet from a full day of dealing with lowlifes unfamiliar with drinking etiquette), and you’ll be among fellow devoted drinkers. Nothing like a few belts before Tower of Terror.
Assuming no traffic delays, it approaches metaphysical certitude that this is just where I’ll be 24 hours hence, ending, with extreme prejudice, my self-imposed month on the wagon.
We LOVE 50’s Prime Time but our 14 year old son, not so much! Don’t get me wrong, he loves the food but he hates the interaction with “mom” and the possibility of embarrassment so what we do is sit him in the farthest corner and joke around with the waitress so that he doesn’t have to. Great review! Thanks! Can’t wait to go back in July on our next trip.
If you tell your server beforehand that he isn’t interested in participating in the interaction, they’ll leave him alone.
All of the shakes are great. I would highly recommend the onion rings as well.
I’ve heard that the onion rings are pretty good. Perhaps we’ll give those a try next time!
Thanks for the review and great photos! We tried 50s on our last trip as really wanted to try the peanut butter and jelly milkshake. It def lived up to it’s hype! Will def stop back here for the shake next time!
I’m a big fan of the Prime Time Cafe as well. I too, experienced it many times as a child, as it was a favorite of my parents, and now as an adult I still come here frequently. With TiW, most of the entrees are a great deal. I was sad when they changed the menu to an all day menu and took away the sandwiches at lunch. I hope they keep the chicken caesar salad on the menu, as it’s a great option on a hot day when you might not feel like eating pot roast or chicken pot pie.
I have an ADR for dinner here in June when I’ll be traveling with my 5 and 7 year old nephews. I haven’t decided whether or not to keep it yet – I’m wondering if the young boys will “get it” and still have a good time. I figure at least their parents will enjoy the antics and theme.
Great review!
We ate here last week for the first time and I, too, ordered the market special. That mahi was the highlight of the trip. What I can’t remember is what the waiter told me was the starch on the plate. Does Sarah remember? It was a name I had never heard. But it was gooooood!
I’ll have to ask her. I thought it was some variety of sweet potatoes, but I’m not entirely sure.
would love to see a picture of this famed pbj milkshake. i’ve heard about it, never have tasted it. usually when i dine at DHS- its the brown derby- possibly one of their top 3 in theme park restaurants on either coast (i only rate chefs de france and carthy circle higher)
It’s pictured in the post. Brown Derby is an excellent choice, and definitely is better in terms of cuisine. 50’s is cheaper and more fun, though!
Ate here for the first time about a year ago and loved it. Then again in October and still loved it. The chicken pot pie is fantastic. I had the fried chicken but the pot pie is better. Also had the PB&J shake, next time I’ll try the chocolate. Can’t imagine it can get better than it already was.
“Can’t imagine it can get better than it already was.”
FACT: Adding chocolate to anything makes it no less than 155% better. This works on literally everything (fruit, ice cream, salad, hummus, laptops, etc.)–give it a try!
I agree that the chicken pot pie is amazing. I’ve eaten here twice and had the chicken pot pie both times because it is so good!
It’s worth mentioning from a “value” perspective that if you are on the dining plan the milkshakes count as a drink.
Of course, the dining plan also comes with dessert. Our server was kind enough to box my dessert so I could take it with me and it was still the most full I’ve ever been after a meal!
Excellent point! Even if you aren’t on the Dining Plan, don’t be dissuaded by that $5.29 price. They are huge and DELICIOUS. Well worth the money.
We ate here for the first time last week! It was hard to decide to go to 50’s instead of sci-fi but I am all about trying new things on our annual trip (which may start to become semi-annual… since we have never been during Christmas season).
Anyhow, we had a blast at 50’s prime time. Our server was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed the random 50’s sitcoms on the tv, and the viewfinder dessert menu was nifty. I had the chicken cesar salad and it was nothing special, but it was tasty. My wife had the fried chicken and mashed potatoes but it was a little too greasy for her, but that might be because we have been eating really healthy prior to our trip. MIssed out on the PB&J milkshake because I was “too full” – sad mistake indeed.
Yeah, if you’re used to eating healthy foods, the meals at 50’s can be a bit of a shock to your system, but the food is the same way at Sci-Fi, so she probably would have had the same reaction there.
If I had to choose, I’d probably pick Sci-Fi over 50’s, but I agree about the importance of trying new things. That’s why we like when they build new attractions!
I had the Mahi Entree on our January trip. I didn’t have super high hopes, but I wanted something lighter than my traditional order of Mom’s Sampler. I ended up LOVING the Mahi.
Oh wow, it’s been around that long? I was under the impression that it changed on an almost weekly basis. I guess not!
Good review! As for the appetizers, next time I’d recommend getting the lettuce wedge. It’s got ranch and bacon bits on it. My mom got it last time we were there in January, and while it sounds really basic, it was great!