If you love good food and Star Wars this is the restaurant you are looking for you! Located at Echo Lake in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Backlot Express is an out of this world experience for all Star Wars fans and movie buffs. The food is not only extremely delicious but is also Star Wars themed.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of the Backlot Express is best described through its motto of being “a warehouse of good eating” as it is literally a warehouse filled with props from famous movies. The Backlot Express With its rustic prop warehouse appearance, it fits right in with the theme of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and it’s a hit with Star Wars fans due to the themed menu items. It can even provide some fun photo ops with all of the memorabilia, which is not something you usually find in a quick service restaurant.
Location
The Backlot Express is conveniently located right next to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. This is the perfect spot to enjoy those Star Wars-themed entrees and even catch the Jedi Training Academy from some of the seating areas.
I recommend sitting by a window or outside if the tables are set up so you can watch the show as you eat. This makes your Star Wars themed meal even more fun!
Characters
The Backlot Express is the only quick service restaurant on the Walt Disney World Resort where you may see characters occasionally stopping by. If you get lucky, like I did the first time I went to the Backlot Express, you will be able to see Stormtroopers walking through the restaurant.
While this is not a character meal and the chance of you seeing some of the characters is really pure luck, it’s a fun twist on what could otherwise be an average quick service experience. Just remember that if the Stormtroopers do happen to walk through you can take photos of them but they will not be stopping and spending time at each table like they would at a table service character experience.
Having Stormtroopers sometimes stop by the Backlot Express (and other areas of the park) makes your Star Wars theming that’s popping up all around Star Tours even more immersive. It would be cool to have even more characters pop up in this area, but maybe we’ll start seeing some more of this once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens!
Menu
Entrees include the traditional Disney quick service items such as cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and sandwiches. Since the Backlot Express menu is Star Wars-themed though, the food is named after Star Wars characters. For example, the “Dark Side Chicken and Waffles” comes with Darth Vader waffles (similar in style to Mickey waffles but with Darth Vader of course). There is also a
“Royal Guard Burger” available on the menu which features a black bun.
For dessert, chocolate and lemon cupcakes or chocolate mousse are available. The chocolate cupcake is referred to as “Darth Vader Chocolate Cupcake”. The lemon cupcake is referred to as “BB-8 Lemon Cupcake”. I thought that this was a very creative way of representing the dark side, chocolate cupcake, and the light side, lemon cupcake, of the Star Wars universe.
The children’s menu is also standard Disney quick service-style with favorites like chicken nuggets (Dark Side Chicken and Waffles) and peanut butter and jelly sandwich served with two sides. (Don’t forget that adults can order off the children’s menu at quick service restaurants, so if you are looking to save some money or eat a smaller portion this isn’t a bad idea– especially when there are similar menu items offered like the Dark Side Chicken and Waffles).
Even the drinks are named and themed after Star Wars characters and items. For example, “Padawan Limeade” is one of the options available on the menu, which is served with your choice of Millennium Falcon or Death Star Glow Cube. There are also fun items available to make your drink even more Star Wars-themed, like a BB-8 souvenir stein and Chewbacca souvenir stein.
Rating
I rate the Backlot Express a 4 out of 5-star rating. This is due to the fact that while this restaurant is fun and somewhat Star Wars-themed, I think it should be even more Star Wars themed. I think that this could be accomplished by having a Star Wars music loop inside the restaurant rather than the generic Disney’s Hollywood Studios music loop that plays throughout the park In addition, more characters should visit this area in addition to the Stormtroopers.
Other than these two changes, I think that this classic movie restaurant is the ultimate pick for all Star Wars fans visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Backlot Express is a really entertaining quick service restaurant to eat and I’d recommend it next time you visit the park!