Thursday, January 19, 2012

Dining Review: Toy Story Pizza Planet

Disney's Hollywood Studios, to me, is lacking a bit in their quick service food department.  The full service restaurants are a bit better, with one of my favorite restaurants in all of WDW, with 50s Prime Time Cafe being found there, but the quick service restaurants often leave a lot to be desired to us Disney fans.  But, out of all the Quick Service dining locations that can be found at DHS, my favorite has to be Toy Story Pizza Planet. 

Now I know many who read this blog will be like, really?  Pizza Planet?  That's just Disney pizza, which many believe to be not so good.  For me though, Pizza Planet is one of the few places at the Studios that actually appeals to me when I want a quick meal.

Now, I'll admit, I full well know this is not going to be the top notch pizza you can get in other places around the World.  (I mean, for amazing pizza, you have to make a stop over at Via Napoli), but to be perfectly honest, the Studios quick service restaurants really don't have a lot of variety to them.  (Although, I will admit, in the past year, I do believe that Disney has been trying to add more variety in all the parks, with the Studios seeing a larger bump in variety than it saw previously.)  The majority of the food that can be found on the Studios menus are burgers, chicken, hot dogs, fries, and some sort of salad.


I have made it very clear on the blog previously that I don't particularly care for sandwiches, nor do I like salads, so my choices at the Studios are very limited.  (Although, looking at the menus, it does appear that now Fairfax Fare, which has seen their menu updated this year, does have a few things that do indeed appeal to me.  I must stop there the next trip.)  So for me, Pizza Planet has been the way to go.

And I do like their pizza...knowing what it is.  It's not going to be the high quality stuff you can get over at Epcot, but it certainly does hit the spot.  To me, the pizza is a bit better than what you may find at a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut combo and when I'm in the mood for one of their salads, it's a nice refreshing side other than fries.  The pizza here is just the right size for me and the it tastes pretty good too.  The cheese/sauce ratio is just about perfect for me.  The only thing is, that there's just a tiny bit too much crust...but I'm not really a crust eater.  (Unless I have some garlic sauce to dip it in, ala Papa Johns.  Healthy...I know.  ;)  )

Toy Story Pizza Planet has a few different options on their menu.  You can get individual Pepperoni, Cheese, or Vegetable Pizzas or you can get those same pizzas as a combo with a salad.  This is just a regular mixed green salad...nothing extremely fancy.  They do have some specialty salads on the menu here as well, including a chicken salad and a caprese salad. For kids meals, the choice is limited to a cheese pizza only. 

The restaurant, perhaps is one I enjoy because of the nostalgia I feel for Pizza Planet.  I was a young kid when Toy Story came out and I really thought Pizza Planet looked cool in the movie.  Of course, this isn't exactly the same version, but they do have video games that can be played here.  This is good to know for parents because it is inevitable that your child will want to play something when they visit. 

Seating here is kind of minimal...at least it would appear at first glance.  They do have quite a few tables outside, which are often taken up because that's what people initially see.  Inside, the downstairs area features all the game options, so if you are a first timer and looking for a place to sit, it would appear that tables at this restaurant are quite limited.  However, there are some stairs inside.  If you take them, you will find a plethora of seating on the second level, which is often quite empty. 

Toy Story Pizza Planet is a good restaurant to go to if you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle a bit.  The food here is decent and while it is all pizza and salads, it at least isn't a sandwich, which for me, is a huge plus.

What is your take about Toy Story Pizza Planet?  Do you like it or do you think there's another counter service place that I need to try on my next visit?  And what should I order?  Let me know in the comments section. 

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1 comment:

Kelly said...

I have to agree we love it there and make it on our list of must visit QS locations for every trip! We are from Chicago so we are used to real pizza but this is a fun version of pizza that I loved as a kid. Great review!