Backlot Express Dinner Review
*This gluten free and dairy free dining experience took place in November 2018.
Dinner at Backlot Express
Backlot Express, located in Disney's Hollywood Studios, is a quick service restaurant that serves burgers, fries, and chicken tenders. Although it's nothing fancy, it's long been one of our go-to spots for a quick and easy dinner at Hollywood Studios. Both Brandon and I love it for their allergy-friendly chicken tenders and fries. On this visit, we decided to stop by for a quick dinner on a weeknight while checking out the Flurry of Fun festivities in the park. We also used it as a test for the mobile ordering which now allows some special dietary needs ordering options.
Atmosphere
Backlot Express has a theming that represents a working studio backlot -- complete with props and other set design elements. Even though the theming isn't immediately that noticeable, if you stop to look around for a bit, you'll see lots of great detail in the restaurant's theme.
Backlot Express Ordering Counter / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
The main ordering area is a little sparse. But, if you keep exploring you'll find lots of cool details.
Backlot Express Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We usually sit on the side of the restaurant where the theming is focused on set-design and studio safety. But, on this visit, we sat on the opposite side, closer to where the backstage of the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular is. In fact, we heard the show going on during in. And, even cooler? We noticed that all of the theming details on this side of the restaurant reflected stunt design. Talk about a nice touch!
The Food
Since Brandon and I were doing mobile order, we took some time to look at the allergy-friendly options in the mobile ordering portion of the My Disney Experience App prior to ordering. The app ordering for special diets is based on dietary need and is formatted similarly to the allergy-friendly menus.
Unfortunately, if you have multiple special dietary needs, you can only order through the mobile ordering with one notation. This is a major limitation of the ordering in our opinion, and I hope they'll work to improve this feature. For instance, on this visit, we only ordered the allergy-friendly chicken tenders under gluten/wheat allergy. If I were dairy free, for instance, I couldn't order it as gluten/wheat allergy AND dairy/milk allergy.
Backlot Express - Mobile Ordering Station / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Once you order and pay, you'll have a spot on your app that lets you "check in" when you are at or near the restaurant, so the restaurant can prepare your food. In our case, we checked in about 2 minutes away from the restaurant. We were notified that we could get an alert when our food was ready. I would say we waited probably another 5 minutes or so before we got that notification. Once we received the alert, we went to the area that was designated for mobile ordering pick-up.
Both a manager and another cast member were waiting for us at the mobile ordering pick-up. They not only had prepared our allergy-friendly order as they normally do, but prior to giving us the food, they confirmed our special dietary needs. Our meal was also served on a different color tray like it usually is for special diets orders.
Backlot Express - Allergy Friendly Chicken Tenders / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
As you can see by the photo, we received a mobile order receipt with our order too. Both of us ordered the allergy-friendly chicken tenders which are both gluten free and dairy free. This is a favorite of ours. And, we both appreciated getting extra fries on this visit and that everything was very fresh and piping hot. They are always a winner in our book!
Overall
The food was delicious, as always. And, the mobile ordering app was easy to use. But, I would definitely give Disney feedback about allowing guests with multiple dietary needs to flag their meals as such. Unfortunately, the mobile ordering only seems to be really good for those who have one special dietary need. Hopefully, as they continue to refine this service, they'll add in more options and flexibility for guests with special dietary needs. If you do need to order with multiple special dietary needs, I would recommend ordering as you normally would and speaking with a manager prior to ordering.
Have you been to Backlot Express or used mobile ordering? What was your experience?
Backlot Express -- Dinner -- Quick Service -- Hollywood Studios
*This dining experience took place in May 2018.
Dinner at Backlot Express
Backlot Express is probably the quick service restaurant in Hollywood Studios that we eat most at. With both burgers and allergy-friendly chicken tenders available, we like the easy options and price point when we're in the park. Plus, it has ample seating that includes indoor seating -- perfect for rainy days or hot summer days too. On this particular occasion, we stopped by Backlot Express for dinner during a random trip to Hollywood Studios one evening.
Atmosphere
At first glance, Backlot Express doesn't seem all that well themed. But, if you take a look around, you'll find that it really represents the "backlot" feel of a working studio shop.
We usually find seats near the far right (if you're looking at the entrance view) nearest Star Tours. We have found the seating in this area to be a bit tucked away and a bit quieter than other areas of the restaurant.
If you have some time, definitely check out the signs and decor in the restaurant seating area. It really does look like a backlot office area -- complete with safety notes too.
My favorite view is this little office area. So many cool touches and nods to all that goes into creating movie and TV sets.
The Food
Backlot Express does carry an allergy-friendly lunch and dinner menu. Typically, we order the allergy-friendly chicken tenders when we eat at Backlot Express. On this occasion, we encountered something new about ordering the chicken tenders. The cast member at the register asked if we wanted 5 or 10 piece chicken tenders, noting that this really meant we'd be getting 3 or 5 chicken tenders versus 5 or 10 chicken nuggets.This was the first time we've ever encountered this at any quick service restaurant ordering allergy-friendly chicken tenders and did double-check to make sure she was marking our chicken tenders as gluten free. She said that they had recently adjusted their ordering system for special diets (typically labeled SDM on the cash register computers) and that this was how the new system worked. We both asked for the larger portion, hoping that this wasn't going to be too much food.
When the manager arrived with our orders of Allergy-Friendly Chicken Tenders and French Fries, which are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, peanut/tree nut free, and fish/shellfish free, we both were glad we ordered the "larger" portion. Both of us were still a bit confused by the whole experience of ordering but glad that the chicken tenders were the ones normally served and that nothing else was out of the ordinary.
Overall
Backlot Express is a solid quick service option for those who prefer classic theme park foods like chicken tenders and burgers. Add in ample seating, and you have an ideal quick service option in Hollywood Studios. Though we both like other options like ABC Commissary, Backlot Express is always a good bet.Have you been to Backlot Express? What do you order when you dine there?
Backlot Express -- Dinner -- Quick Service -- Hollywood Studios
*This dining experience took place in November 2017.
Dinner at Backlot Express
Backlot Express is a quick service restaurant in Hollywood Studios. There's not many great quick service food options in Hollywood Studios these days, with the construction of Star Wars Land. But, Backlot Express is a good go-to spot still if you're looking for a quick bite to eat with special diets friendly options. We recently stopped by Backlot Express for a quick dinner while checking out some of the holiday decorations in the park.
Atmosphere
Backlot Express might not seem like much to look at. But, we actually really love the decor in this quick service restaurant. It's actually supposed to be a working studio lot prop shop. And, you can see these touches when in the seating area of the restaurant.
We always grab a spot in one of the back corners of the restaurant. There, you can see lots of signs, props, and hidden details.
There's even a giant mural that is supposed to be a matte painting in progress for a movie set backdrop.
Overall, the theming is a bit understated. But, if you take the time to look around, there's lots of fun details to check out.
The Food
Of course, the main reason to visit Backlot Express is to get a meal. The restaurant does carry an allergy-friendly lunch and dinner menu. And, if you have questions or concerns, you can always ask to speak with a manager too. On this visit, we did not consult with a manager, as we knew we wanted the allergy-friendly chicken tenders.
The allergy-friendly chicken tenders served at Backlot Express are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, peanut/tree nut free, and fish/shellfish free. They took about 8-10 minutes to make. And,They are also made in a dedicated fryer. The manager brought me my chicken tenders, and typically, your chicken tenders will come on a different color tray than those for regular orders.As always, the allergy-friendly chicken tenders never disappoint. They were nice and crispy. And, the French fries were also pretty good. In fact, on this visit, Brandon ordered regular (non-gluten free) chicken tenders and proclaimed that the allergy-friendly chicken tenders are by far and away better. Pretty high praise from someone who doesn't have to eat gluten free. He actually said he would prefer to order the allergy-friendly chicken tenders from now on since he likes them better.
Overall
Backlot Express is a no frills quick service restaurant, with a pleasant atmosphere, ample seating, and several special diets options. We almost always get allergy-friendly chicken tenders here. But, they do offer burgers and salads too. It's a nice spot to get a quick service meal when you're in Hollywood Studios.Have you been to Backlot Express? What did you think of the options there?
Backlot Express -- Dinner -- Quick Service -- Hollywood Studios
*This dining experience took place in May 2017.
Dinner at Backlot Express
Backlot Express, located at Disney's Hollywood Studios, is a quick service restaurant that serves burgers, sandwiches, chicken tenders, and fries. It's your basic theme park quick service fare and an easy option for lunch or dinner when you're visiting Hollywood Studios and don't want to dine at a table service location.We recently stopped by Backlot Express for dinner. It was a quick option and currently offers 20% off your total bill for Disney annual passholders -- making it a great choice for us for an easy, affordable meal. They also carry an allergy friendly menu with several options for me to order which is great too.
Atmosphere
If you've never been to Backlot Express, I recommend walking around after your meal. It might not seem like much from the outside, or even the inside, but with a bit of careful looking you'll start to see that the restaurant is set to resemble a true backlot of a movie studio.It has a warehouse feel to it, but there are just so many details to look at. Of course, I somehow managed to not get any good photos of the unique decor while we were there, but I definitely recommend going and checking it all out.
The Food
I had planned on ordering the allergy chicken tenders at Backlot Express. These are gluten free, dairy free, and cover many of the top common allergens too. After I received my chicken tenders, I was surprised to see that they were not the AllergyFreeFoods brand which Disney has been carrying for years (and that I love).After some sleuthing, I have a bad feeling that the company is no longer in business as their website is not active anymore, and their social media accounts are severely out of date.A few years ago, Disney had experienced a shortage of the AllergyFreeFoods brand allergy chicken tenders, and they began serving two other brands. You can read more about them on Alexis's Gluten Free Adventures. She shared info about the different allergy chicken tender brands being served last year during part of the brand shortage.
I'm pretty sure the brand I received on my last visit were from Ian's. Overall, I found them to be pretty good. I still miss and prefer the old brand of allergy chicken tenders, but these are still good too. They are definitely more crispy and crunchy. I will say that the Backlot Express was extremely generous with their portions. It was a huge portion of chicken tenders and fries! I definitely left full.
Overall
Backlot Express is a solid place to visit when you need a quick service special diets meal in Hollywood Studios. I usually get the allergy chicken tenders there, but you can also order burgers and salads too. Add in the discount, and you're talking a real winner.Overall, I don't find that there are a ton of options for quick service meals at Hollywood Studios right now either. ABC Commissary turns into a fast casual location at dinner with steaks and more formal dinner plates. We have not found PizzeRizzo to be open on any of our recent visits either. So, Backlot Express really is the best option when we want quick service in the park.If you're curious about the allergy friendly chicken tenders, here's a list of where you can find allergy chicken tenders throughout Disney World.Have you been to Backlot Express? What was your experience dining there?
Rebel Hangar -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Hollywood Studios
*This dining experience took place in June 2015.
Star Wars™ Weekends is one of my favorite times of the year at Hollywood Studios. I'm a huge Star Wars™ fan and love all the special events surrounding Star Wars™ Weekends. Last year, Disney launched several new dining experiences including the Star Wars™ Dine-In Galactic Breakfast which was super fun, and equally fun when I went this year in 2015. I love the character interaction and Star Wars™ theming!Of course, you can imagine how excited I got when they announced this year's newest Star Wars™ Weekends dining experience - the Rebel Hangar. In fact, it was so popular, the initial ADR slots available booked up quickly (I heard around 2 hours!). I was lucky to snag a reservation for the very final weekend of Star Wars™ Weekends.Set in a blocked off section of the Backlot Express, the Rebel Hangar offers drinks and small plates. It is definitely not a full dinner location. Of course, my family and I had enjoyed a very filling meal at Mama Melrose earlier in the day for lunch, so we were totally fine with a few small plates.
It was a very hot June day, and one thing we noticed about the Rebel Hangar is that there is indoor and outdoor seating. Indoor was blissfully air conditioned while outside was pretty muggy (exactly what you expect on a Florida June day). We didn't ask for a particular seating but were glad to be seated indoors.The theming isn't overly flashy, but each table contains some type of Star Wars™ model and there were loads of Star Wars™ touches throughout the dining area. Essentially, they did a bunch of small touches to overlay the existing Backlot Express interior.
In terms of options, there were several available to gluten free diners. Thankfully, Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando had shared her experience at the Rebel Hangar and listed the gluten free options available to guests. Some dishes, like the Pomme Frites (aka French fries) contained dairy (parmesan cheese). After speaking with a chef, I decided to get the Slider Sampler which contained barbecued chicken and barbecued chicken sandwiches along with house-made chips (which were gluten free & dairy free). The sandwiches were modified to be dairy free (removed coleslaw) and served on GNI brand buns.
While we waiting for our food, we got to experience some unique entertainment. As we sat and chatted, we noticed that several characters began to come into the Rebel Hangar. Initially, we thought the characters were going to go around to tables for photographs and autographs (much like the Star Wars™ Galactic Dine-In or the Star Wars™ Character Dinner at Hollywood & Vine; however, we realized they were all sitting at a table playing cards!It was super cool to watch this, and I almost wonder if Disney is testing this kind of experience for new restaurant experiences. It was nothing like I've ever experienced before at Disney. Generally, they were performing a "skit" while several Disney cast members stood by so people didn't engage with them (more than taking photos), and another cast member was recording the scene with an iPhone.
The characters engaged in a card game for about 10-15 minutes and then were interrupted by members of the Empire (aka Stormtroopers!) after a fight broke out and several of the characters were arrested while the card game was broken up. It was pretty neat to watch -- almost like Disney dinner theatre!
Pretty shortly after the characters left the Rebel Hangar, our food came out. My slider sampler looked really good, but I have to say it was a bit hit or miss. I loved the house made potato chips. Those were delicious! The beef brisket slider was very tasty but I found the barbecued chicken slider to be rather bland. In both cases, the buns were horribly heated and very dry and crumbly. Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando also noted this in her experience, so it sounded like they just had some challenges heating the buns. Overall, I wouldn't say I disliked the slider sampler, but I'm not sure I'd order it again if the Rebel Hangar came back next year.
My family ordered the Pomme Frites and really enjoyed them. They liked the presentation, the seasoning (garlic & parmesan) and the garlic aioli. Next time, I would see if they could make the fries dairy free and still offer the aioli.
One final experience at the Rebel Hangar were the Jawas. As you know from my meals at the Sc-Fi Dine-In Galactic Breakfast, I adore these fellas! They were, of course, looking for shiny things to trade with us, though this time we came up empty handed. Still, they were great fun coming through the restaurant interacting with guests.Overall, I really enjoyed the Rebel Hangar Lounge experience. The food wasn't anything special but we had a great time, and we really enjoyed the character atmosphere. If Disney offered this again next year, we'd definitely go back for an affordable and fun way to participate in character dining (note: Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando did not experience any characters when she visited, so this may be subject to availability).Did you get a chance to go to the Rebel Hangar this year? What did you order when you dined there?
Guest Review -- A WDW Vacation Free of Gluten -- Day Three
This series of guest reviews comes from blog reader Jaime. Her enthusiasm, excitement and love for Disney just shine through in her trip report, and I think you'll agree when you read them. Speaking with her before her vacation, I was just so excited to hear her recap when she returned. Jaime provided a thorough trip report, so I have broken it up by days. You'll want to make sure to read them all (I'll link to them in each post)! Thank you again, Jaime, for your awesome reviews!
Thursday, November 28, 2013Happy Thanksgiving!We spent today at Hollywood Studios. We just missed rope drop, so we need breakfast. The only place I know that serves breakfast is Starring Rolls (it was also the only place listed in the Times Guide). We got to the bakery case and I asked about GF. All they had was some kind of strawberry parfait. Not very breakfast-y… so I asked about other places. She told me Fairfax Fare served breakfast also.The manager here tells us they can do the breakfast sandwiches on buns, but she’ll need to run and get them, so it’ll take a few minutes. No problem. I ordered egg, cheese, and sausage. Ethan ordered egg and sausage.
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
I was excited about a breakfast sandwich – it’s been a while! This was a longer wait than we’d been having, but not anything to complain about. We could see the manager making our food when she got back. Ethan was just eating his, I was enjoying mine.Cross section of the egg, cheese, and sausage – anyone know what brand of buns these were? (Sarah's note: These are GNI Brand Buns)
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
Lunch ended up being at Backlot Express.I wanted a hot dog and knew they had Udi’s buns here. Our manager was Dan from WI. He was one of the best! He came out from behind the counter and really talked with us about our choices. He went over the whole menu before asking if we had any thoughts or questions. He brought the cashier into the conversation when it was time to place the order and told us he’d be back – DO NOT TAKE FOOD FROM ANYONE BUT HIM! Wow! We could see him in the back making everything, too.It took a very long time to get the food, but it was totally worth it for the service Dan provided. He handed us the food with the last warning of DON’T EAT THE BAR-B-Q SAUCE FROM THE CONDIMENT MACHINE! Flame Tree should have told me that the other day…
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
You know that hot dog bun has already fallen apart, don’t you? I didn’t care; it was a hot dog ON a bun!Ethan ordered Grilled Turkey & Cheese - multigrain ciabatta with arugula and red peppers served with French fries or carrot sticks. He said it was very good.
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
Thanksgiving Dinner was at the Sci-Fi. I had been thinking about this meal for months now. I wanted the spinach-artichoke dip and chips and a specialty shake.
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
The chef said I couldn’t have the spinach dip and I was so crushed, I didn’t even ask why – I don’t know if it was the dip or the chips! (UPDATE: My daughter asked on her trip – it’s in the dip mix). He was pushing the steak and the ribs. The voice in my head that says things that shouldn’t be spoken out loud was noticing the price tag on the “suggested” items.We both ended up getting the Build-Your-Own Angus Chuck Burger - Flame-broiled Beef Patty with Cheddar or Swiss, crispy Bacon, Lettuce, and Vine-ripened Tomatoes; choice of Cucumber Salad or French Fries. The hamburgers were wrapped in pizza crusts, I believe. It was tasty and I liked the texture of the crust with the burger. But I was really bummed about the spinach dip.
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
I did get a specialty shake, just not the one I planned on – tonight (for the holiday) they had a pumpkin pie shake. It was amazing!
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
And Ethan ordered a glass of wine. (sorry, so not a wine expert here)
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
The movies and clips are always fun to watch. It was a lovely Thanksgiving, but we won’t be back for a while – just not enough variety on the menu to try.
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |
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| Photo copyright Jaime J. |