The 50's Prime Time Cafe is located in the Echo Lake section, within Disney's Hollywood Studios Theme Park. As you may be able to discern from the name and the mid-century modern sign, it is a kitschy throwback to a romanticized 1950's dinner time; something you might find in your grandmother's house, or perhaps a parent's wood-paneled basement. I really love the theme of this restaurant because I love anything mid-century modern, and they certainly take the theme of restaurant seriously. Pale blues and pinks adorn formica tabletops, built-in shelves overflow with tchotchkes, while copper jello molds hang from the wallpapered walls.
The lobby/waiting area looks more like a swinging loungy den, with low-slung sofas, wood paneling, and sleek coffee tables. This is exactly what I would want my basement to look like if I had the resources to accomplish such a feat. There is just something about the mid-century modern aesthetic that just makes me feel at home. There is such warmth, despite some of the hard lines and futuristic designs.
I've eaten the 50's Prime Time Cafe several times, and the food is always consistently good. It's not a culinary triumph, but nor does it purport to be. It's supposed to taste like home-made classics that your mom would produce in her own kitchen. It's also always busy. They seem to be always turning someone away at the door without a reservation, so I highly recommend them. And it's pretty easy to book a reservation in advance. The service here can be rushed, which is partly to be expected in a theme park restaurant. The servers aren't really pushing you out the door, but the food arrives so fast, it can seem a bit that way. Some servers really get into the characters of "Aunt" or "Uncle," and really will make you set the table and finish your vegetable before you can get dessert, but some just kind of gloss over it. And depending on your tastes, you may prefer a server that goes light on the acting. They seem to be pretty good at reading the guests' mood, and will tend to play it up if they see the table getting into the festivities. I've had anywhere from just a hurried drink and food order scribbled on a pad, to servers blowing straw wrappers at us. And if that's not enough fanfare to entertain you while you wait for your dinner, classic TV show clips play on classic televisions throughout the restaurant.
On our visit around Christmas-time, they had the coolest silver Christmas tree, trimmed with classic ornaments and big red ribbons dressing the entryway.
I usually order the same items from the menu each time I visit. It's so hard to decide between a chocolate malt in a big, frosty tin cup or a creamy root beer float, so I usually don't and just order one of each, and my husband, my daughter and I share them. Plus I like eating dessert first. I'm on vacation!
I also really like the fat, fluffy crunchy onion rings with horseradish dipping sauce. They're actually one of my favorite onion rings I've ever had anywhere. We also get the fried Boursin cheese, because, fried cheese... But you don't have to feel guilty because it comes with fruit! That I usually try to pawn off on my daughter, but even she is too slick for that, so my husband ends up eating the grapes and apple slices.
I always gets the Chicken Pot Pie entree, which is very rich, but loaded with big chunks of carrots, mushrooms, and celery. It's dotted with little bursts of green peas, and moist chicken breast. It's then topped with a golden puff pasty square. I've actually recreated this dish at home several times, and not to toot my own horn, but I've mastered this recipe to the point where I've exceeded the original. It's so good its been used as currency! My husband usually gets the Mom's Favorites Sampler Plate which is meatloaf, fried chicken and pot roast served over mashed potatoes and gravy and mixed vegetables. Each portion is good, but my favorite part is probably the mashed potatoes. They are served piping hot and the gravy is really tasty and flavorful.
I don't always get dessert at the 50's Prime Time Cafe because I'm usually still working on a chocolate malt and root beer float, but I do like to indulge a few bites of dessert if someone wants to share. My favorites are Apple Crisp a la mode or the toasted S'mores.
This is a fun, quirky spot to grab a sit-down meal at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It's definitely a retro throw-back to a childhood of my father's generation. But I think anyone with a touch of nostalgia can appreciate the 50's Prime Time Cafe.
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