For me going out to eat is one of my favorite parts of vacationing. I am not a fan of cooking for 5 people with 5 different opinions. When I go out I want to be able to enjoy myself and not worry about anything and a decent drink menu is a definite bonus. On October 17th 2022 my family and I went to Mama Melrose's Ristorante in Hollywood Studios fora special birthday dinner for my youngest chid, Oli.
First Impression
We were warmly greeted by the staff as we arrived for our reservation and had a total wait time of about 10-15 minutes. It looks like a classic, red brick Italian restaurant, with some star light fairy lights. We were seated, and our server was with us promptly to introduce himself and take drink orders. The drink menu was pretty impressive. There were a lot of cocktails, ciders, beers & Wines to choose from. The dinner menu had less options than I am used to. They did have some Italian staples, like Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Chicken Parmigiana. The dessert menu, however, has a lot to choose from. If I were going as an adult without a family (who I am supposed to be setting examples for) - I would definitely come here for apps, drinks and dessert.
Dining Experience
The servers were extremely knowledgeable, and helpful. Not to mention extremely attentive. I never needed to order another drink or ask for napkins. I'd be about to request them and found that the server had already brought them. Orders came out fairly quickly, and portion sizes were generous. I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana and sangria, and they were both quite tasty. The cost was decent for Disney dining prices. We ordered a Mickey Birthday cake in advance, to be brought to our table. The Server was discreet, as he didn't know if it was a surprise or not, and he brought out the micky cake placing it in front of the birthday girl, making her night,
Pros and Cons
Pros: Familiar Italian foods (kid friendly), Great Staff, Large drink menu, Large dessert menu
Cons: A little Pricey, Need reservations (walk up not guaranteed to be seated)
Overall Restaurant Rating
Let me be clear on my rating scale here, because I don’t want it to seem harsh. I rate 1-5 stars. If you ever have reviews at your job on their 1-5 scale, its kind of like that.
1 star = falls below standards
2 stars= needs improvement, falls short of expectations
3 stars = meets expectations
4 stars = exceeds expectations
5 stars = entirely another category of awesome – way above target.
So essentially 3 stars is good, rather than mediocre.
Category | Score |
Wait Time | Wait time with reservations was about 10 minutes, which is about what is expected - 3 |
Staff Friendliness/ Helpfulness | Staff was amazing, very understanding, and accommodating - did not even have to ask for anything - far above expectations - 5 |
Comfort - Seating | Seating was booths, or wooden chairs - about what is expected - 3 |
View/Appearance | Very clean, appealing, nice lighting, about what is expected - 3 |
Menu Diversity | I was actually a little surprised that the menu wasn't more extensive, but there was something for everyone - 3 |
food appearance | Average appearance -3 |
Taste and Temperature | Everything came out warm and delicious - that cake was amazing though - so I'm pushing this to a 4 |
Portion Size | Portion sizes were generous - 4 |
Kid Friendly Options | Kids have their own separate menu with Pizza, and pasta - definitely kid friendly 4 |
Drink Options | I was impressed with drink options - 5 |
Dessert Options | Dessert options were ample, and all sounded delectable 5 |
Price | Price was reasonable for Disney, upscale for normal Italian dining, -3 about what was expected |
Overall Rating | 3.75 |
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