Hollywood Brown Derby vs Sci-Fi Dine In Theater

Which is better?

  • Total voters
    39
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CaptainJack1971

New Member
Original Poster
Hi everyone,

We are going to disney in March and are looking for opinions on what is the overall better restaurant at Hollywood studios. We love the theming of sci fi and it is usually our go to for dinner at Hollywood studios but we are looking at giving brown derby a try. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!🙂
 
C

CaptainJack1971

New Member
Original Poster
networkpro said:
What sort of food do you like and what's your price point ?

Theme is one thing but if the food or prices are disagreeable to you, neither will compensate enough to supercede either.
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I’m not a picky eater at all. The menus of both restaurants looked good. Price point isn’t an issue. Theming and atmosphere is kind of a big deal to me though
 
Lirael

Lirael

Well-Known Member
Even disregarding price, I'd still pick Scifi over brown derby at any time

Sci Fi is truly unique. From the tables that are cars to the big movie screen playing very old scifi movie shorts and trailers Brown Derby just looks like a regular restaurant.

Personally, I'm not blown away by food from both, but Sci Fi at least blows me away with the interior design while costing less
 
networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
I'm of a contrasting opinion. My wife and I do not like any of the $20+ burger stand entrées in SciFi, but usually can get agreeable choices at the Brown Derby. Seating is another issue if there are more than two in your party (unless you score one of the few picnic tables) as you'll be in separate rows facing forward.
 
S

StarshipDisney

Well-Known Member
We have eaten at all 4 of the major restaurants in Hollywood Studios (Sci-Fi, Brown Derby, Hollywood/Vine, & 50's Prime Time). Unfortunately, I cannot vote for either choice here because I think the other two are better.

Brown Derby: Worst steak I have ever had. I am a steak connoisseur and within my circle I am well known for my steaks. I would describe what I had a Brown Derby as tasteless and "soggy". It was bad and definitely not going back.

Sci-Fi: My how this place has fallen. I have had both steak and rib dinners at Sci-Fi in the past, but the menu has degraded badly and the best you can get now is a burger. We last ate there in Dec 2022 and it was so dark you could hardly see your food. Don't know if it has changed since then.

I know opinions and experiences will vary, but I would not recommend either.
 
C

christine7257

Active Member
They're so different, it's difficult to compare. Sci-Fi is definitely over-the-top and very well done theming and not something you'll find anywhere else. As others have said, you're likely to be sat two by two in rows in the cars - so depending on your party size that can be awkward (there are some regular tables available). It's also pretty dark and loud. You probably aren't having a lot of conversation over your meal here. Food is decent but not great - largely burgers, sandwiches and shakes. Brown Derby is considered to be a signature restaurant and definitely more $$$. The theme is old Hollywood and there are caricatures of celebrities of that era on the walls, but the theming is much more subtle. I find it to be a welcome break from the park and have enjoyed all of our meals here. I've found the food and beverage quality (full bar; pretty extensive wine list) as well as service to be much higher at Brown Derby. They do offer their 'famous' cobb salad (which I really enjoy) but otherwise I'd say that most of the entrees are larger/heavier (it's an all day menu) - so we tend to make Brown Derby our main meal of the day. They also offer a complimentary bread service with salted butter and I'm not sure what it is about it but I would go just to have those rolls! 🤣 Brown Derby does switch up some of their menu seasonally - particularly the soup - so if planning to give it a try, definitely recheck the menu closer to your date to ensure it still appeals.
 
Figgy1

Figgy1

Premium Member
The Moles Family said:
We had an awful meal at Sci-Fi… never again
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Same here except it was a few years ago. The place seemed to have ranged over the years between beats going hungry and going hungry isn't so bad(last visit was the worst), not on my return to list until it gets consistently good reviews over an extended period of time
 
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MaryJaneP

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
It seems like there is more and more inverse relationships between quantity of theme-ing and quality of food everywhere in WDW. Sci-Fi is more highly themed (in our opinion) than Brown Derby. The quality of food suffers more accordingly.
 
I

Imhere

Well-Known Member
We have eaten at Brown Derby a half dozen times or more. We have always enjoyed it, love the atmosphere and food. We always ask to sit in the main room and will wait for a table there.

Sci Fi we have eaten at twice and everyone needs to eat there at least once. It's a classic.
 
Indy_UK

Indy_UK

Well-Known Member
Figgy1 said:
Same here except it was a few years ago. The place seemed to have ranged over the years between beats going hungry and going hungry isn't so bad(last visit was the worst), not on my return to list until it gets consistently good reviews over an extended period of time
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Ours was last year. Ordered 3 burgers and took 40 minutes to come. Drinks took 30 minutes too. Food was stone cold when it arrived and server wasn’t interested from the start. It also annoyed me that we were stuck in a car with another 2 behind us but they were sat around 20 minutes after us yet the server took all the orders at the same time.

I knew we shouldn’t have booked to go there and would never even give it another try. I don’t even find the atmosphere that unique.

If you want to spend $20 on a burger, go to Steakhouse 71 and be blown away by the difference
 
L

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
Brown Derby has a small side area of approx 5 tables closer to the Starring Rolls bakery. In this small area away from the main dining room there is even a more private room where a family can dine with a Disney animator. It comes with a fee to eat with an animator along with the price of the meal but I heard the animator tells the family a lot of stories and experiences while dining in this undisclosed room.
 
NelleBelle

NelleBelle

Well-Known Member
I like both but voted for Sci-fi as ambiance/theming wins hands down! If I were going to choose a restaurant in HS, we like Mama Melrose. Never had a wait for the table (not the case with Sci-fi despite having ADRs) and like the food and theming. The car tables are all we’ve ever gotten but it doesn’t bother any of us. We usually go with a party of 5 and get the entire car. We can find more for vegetarians at Sci-fi than Brown Derby, which is why we’ve not been the last few trips.
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Sci Fi is fun to experience especially with people who have never gone to a drive in. As a dining spot we aren’t going for a high priced fancy meal. We always fit a meal in on a trip.
We’ve dined at the Derby a few times and were less than impressed by the faire and the amount of food we received for the price. Brown Derby is a sometimes ADR but certainly not a priority for us.
 
Smiley/OCD

Smiley/OCD

Well-Known Member
It’s been at least 5 years since we ate at sci-fi…last time, I had the Reuben which was good…I learned my lesson years ago…NEVER order a burger or pizza on property. DW & I ate at HBD for the first time last year…we both had the Cobb salad which was great…I LOVED the grapefruit cake…that was the BEST…I agree with the others…you have to eat at Sci-fi at least once for the ambiance, not necessarily the menu…
 
LittleBuford

LittleBuford

Well-Known Member
Sci-Fi Diner is one of my favourite things to do at WDW, up there with any top attraction. The quality of the food (which if fine) is almost irrelevant to me; the immersive experience is enough to keep me going back. There is no competition—stick with Sci-Fi! (Or try to do both.)
 

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