Happy #tastytuesdsy friends! This week, as promised, I am reviewing my experience at Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As this is one of 4 character dining experiences available in Walt Disney World right now (Chef Mickey’s will have characters starting tomorrow, 12/16/20!), this spot is a hot commodity amongst Disney fans.
I had recently eaten here for the Halloween Dine, so I’m familiar with the menu already. I was honestly mostly here to see the characters and to see if the entertainment differed from my last visit. We were lucky and got a last minute reservation here for dinner 2 days before we were looking to go.
As I had anticipated, the allergy friendly meal here was exactly the same as it was when I dined at Hollywood & Vine in October. I decided to give the plant based salad and Prime Rib of Beef a second go around since I enjoyed them both the last time I was here. Currently, the menu is prix-fixed, so each member in your party can get an appetizer, entree, and dessert.
As usual, the meal started off with allergy friendly bread (dairy/gluten/egg free) and non dairy butter. I’ve really been enjoying the allergy friendly bred and butter, so I was pleased with my bread option. And I love that it came out warmed up!
I actually really enjoyed the plant based salad much more this time than I did last time. This salad comes with croutons, so I ordered it without croutons to make the dish gluten, dairy, and egg free. The salad dressing was also the perfect amount this time! And I love me some plant based ranch dressing in general. Salad was a 10/10 for me, so much so that I went back for seconds!
I also really enjoyed the prime rib again. It was cooked a little more medium than before, but the saltiness and the sauce on top were still absolutely on point. The brussel sprouts were cooked perfectly, and the chef was able to substitute the mashed potatoes (which had dairy) with a smashed potato, and they even added a surprise of chopped up chives to the smashed potatoes! 9/10 for me, just because I would have preferred the prime rib to be a little more rare.
I decided to skip out on dessert this time because the only dairy/gluten/egg free option was sorbet, which is the same as most Walt Disney World restaurants.
And for the moment you all have been waiting for…the character interactions! I think the characters did a great job interacting with all of the tables, even though they were socially distanced. Pluto was such a cutie in his holiday antlers!
I also think Santa Goofy was one of the best characters were interacted with. He danced, he goofed around, and was just generally a good time.
Mickey looked all dapper in his holiday attire, but was a little more reserved than the other characters. I liked that he posed behind me, instead of behind the plastic barrier that was next to our table as a safety precaution. Overall, the plastic barrier actually wasn’t all that bad, as we could still see and interact with the characters.
And of course, there’s my girl Minnie!! I just loved her costume, and she was so cute! Like Mickey, she made sure to come around the plastic barrier to get a good picture.
Overall, I still enjoyed my meal here. The service was also much faster than the last time I ate here, which was another plus in my book. $55 per adult and $36 for child may be a lot of money, but you do get a lot of food and several character interactions for what you’re paying for. I would still say that this restaurant ranks in the top 2 for character dining currently, but we’ll see once the characters return to chef Mickey’s!
Here’s to living our best and most delicious Disney lives! <3
~ Meagan
Meagan has been living with many food allergies and sensitivities since she was 19 years old. She is currently a Personal Vacation Advisor for Magical Vacation Planner, specializing in helping her guests book trips to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. Meagan enjoys researching fitness and nutrition and has taken a special interest in finding allergy friendly options at Walt Disney World.
Interested in having Meagan help you plan your next trip? Send her an email at m.slone@magicalvacationplanner.com or get a free quote at https://magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/meagan-slone/!
