Someone help sell me on Mama Melrose.....

[Chrisy76334]

We have tried Hollywood and Vine in the past and it was ok, it wasn't on our "we need to go again list" Also the recent reviews have been disappointing. So we shot for Mama Melrose this time, we've never tried it before. DH can always be won over with Italian food, and my sister and I don't really have a preference. We've done the drive in, more then once and always loved it. I've always wanted to try 50's prime time, but the menu to me isn't all that appealing. And Brown Derby requires 2 TS credits, so not worth it to me.

So is Mama Melrose delicious? Any planning suggestions would be helpful. Even leaving the park a bit for an early dinner.

 

[DisTXMom]

We did MM last fall to get the F! Package. This is not gourmet Italian, so if you go, you need to have realistic expectations. However, we really enjoyed our meal. It was a very nice break from the heat/park and our food was good. Service was excellent. We found that this was just a great time to really relax over a good meal before heading back out for the evening in the park.

 

[Chrisy76334]

Thank you, if it's on the level of olive garden Italian or better DH will love it...lol!

 

[pumba]

I didnt get the italian part for my meal, my husband, our son and myself got the steak and mac and cheese, and the appetizer was delicious...my daughter in law, got the seafood..with fetticini...the two grandkids got kids meals ...for dessert the adults had the sampler pastries and the two kids got the spaghetti and meatball cupcake ..which were adorable...we loved our meals...we did this for the fantasmic pkg.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Thank you, if it's on the level of olive garden Italian or better DH will love it...lol!

It's on the order of OLive Garden and Macaroni Grill.

 

[KarmaCat]

My food there was fine (not amazing, but nothing to complain about either), and my husband found his meal to be sufficient as well. We liked the feel of the restaurant--very homey, comfortable, and pleasant. I will say that their tomato-based sauces were spicier than what you would find at a place like Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill, even in the kids' meals. My kids got the kids' cheese pizza and (embarrassingly) cried because it was too spicy. I thought they were being ridiculous and tasted a bit myself, and... yep, it was fairly spicy sauce. I pulled the cheese off the pizza and started wiping off as much of the sauce as I could and told them they could just get some extra water to offset the spiciness, and they should try to eat as much of it as they could.

The waitress noticed the mayhem at my table (sigh) and asked what the problem was. I told her the food was a little too spicy for them and then assured her that it was no big deal, but within a few minutes she brought them a pizza crust with cheese baked onto it but no sauce to share. I was completely surprised and thanked her profusely. I have not asked for any accommodations at all. And then when the bill came, she had actually taken BOTH kids' meals off the check. Keep in mind that I had NOT ONCE complained about anything; it wasn't the restaurant's fault that my kids didn't like the food--and they actually prepared THREE dishes for the kids, not just two. I have truly never received such exceptional service in my life. I ended up paying the same total I would have paid for the meal including the kids' meals, but just leaving the added amount to the waitress as a larger tip. She had even brought the kids cupcakes after their meals were over!

So... We probably won't eat there again, but I have nothing but positive feelings about MM in general, thanks to that experience.

 

[Sparrow624]

Not bad to get the fantastic package. A lot like Olive Garden in terms of food quality.

 

[lovndisney12]

This is one of our favorites. First time was DH and our two elementary aged sons and the BIL and SIL. All six of us really enjoyed it. Some of us got pasta and the rest the steak. Steak was very good. Then on our last trip (just the 4 of us - no BIL / SIL) the steak was different but again pleasantly surprised as we were worried we wouldn't like it as much. Replaced dessert with an excellent cup of cappuccino! We did the F! which is a good deal because I believe you get the appetizer plus your F! passes - for the same price as a regular TS. We also like the atmosphere of the restaurant and a great break from the parks.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

We've done it a couple times for the Fantasmic package and it was good. Not the best meal I've ever had, but far from the worst!

I would suggest trying to get the F! package, even if you're up in the air about going to the show, especially on the Dining Plan. With the package, you get your choice of appetizer, choice of entree, and then a dessert sampler to share. For us (family of 4) they brought out two plates, each with 4 mini desserts. But the appetizer is a nice perk that you don't usually get with the regular Dining Plan. Then you'll have your tickets for the show. If you use them, you use them. If something comes up and you don't make the show, not a big deal.

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

We really enjoyed Mama Melrose and plan on going back. I had the chicken parm dinner and really enjoyed it.

 

[Chrisy76334]

Thanks for all the helpful responses! It was never one of those "talked about, must eat" restaurants. So it never stood out in my mind as something we had to try. So when making the ADR I was having second thoughts on it. But now I'm actually pretty excited, and the steak is going to be a must try!

 

[kandb]

We have never eaten here but are trying it for the first time on our next trip in 17 days. Since the weather is so hot I have gotten the majority of our adr's in the parks, so we don't have to leave to travel back and forth. We are looking forward to it, we actually "like" Olive Garden.

 

[Chrisy76334]

We have never eaten here but are trying it for the first time on our next trip in 17 days. Since the weather is so hot I have gotten the majority of our adr's in the parks, so we don't have to leave to travel back and forth. We are looking forward to it, we actually "like" Olive Garden.

Both my husband and I having grown up in Italian households, we enjoy all versions of Italian food. And that most certainly includes Olive Garden...lol

 

[craigkerstiens]

We actually are often excited about it. I'd say it's a step above olive garden, though there's still plenty of room well above that for better restaurants, but overall it's good Italian.

I will chime in on the others too though, we love 50's prime time for the experience. On our last trip we were really pleasantly with the food quality there, it used to be large portions of okay quality. The quality has now gone up a step and portions not a ridiculous size.

Hollywood brown derby is not worth the two credits for sure. It's nice enough, but among all of the signature restaurants I'd put it at the bottom, so you're not missing to much there.

 

[Mikka]

I did a review on the Fantasmic Post in my latest thread in the dining reviews section. Not that I'm badgering you to go look or anything...

To summarize, I didn't think it was the greatest Italian ever, and I do enjoy Tutto Italia/Via Nipoli (and certainly Il Malino (did I spell that wrong?)) more. But it's much better then Tony's, and I think it's better then Olive Garden (which I personally don't like- it's all frozen!- although I don't mind Macaroni Grill, which isn't too different (AKA, it's all frozen everywhere)). Talking to the waitress, they could make more substitutions then they usually could at Olive Garden, and I believe they at least make their sauces their on property rather then reheating them frozen. Pasta is a bit overcooked, so I recommend ordering one with a lot of toppings/'stuff happening' (so just not pasta in marina sauce, in other words; I'd suggest looking for ones where they're mixing a few things together here, to make the fact that the pasta is a bit mushy less obvious; sometimes the least complicated just shows off flaws!).

On the other hand, I think Brown Derby's grouper in particular is excellent, and one of the best fish dishes on property. Everyone has their own preference, blah de blue.

 

[jillt2ph]

We've done it a couple times for the Fantasmic package and it was good. Not the best meal I've ever had, but far from the worst!

I would suggest trying to get the F! package, even if you're up in the air about going to the show, especially on the Dining Plan. With the package, you get your choice of appetizer, choice of entree, and then a dessert sampler to share. For us (family of 4) they brought out two plates, each with 4 mini desserts. But the appetizer is a nice perk that you don't usually get with the regular Dining Plan. Then you'll have your tickets for the show. If you use them, you use them. If something comes up and you don't make the show, not a big deal.

Does that mean you do not have a choice of dessert when booking the F! package? I will be paying OOP, not using a DDP credit.

Thanks!

 

[Mikka]

Does that mean you do not have a choice of dessert when booking the F! package? I will be paying OOP, not using a DDP credit.

Thanks!

Sadly, you don't get a choice of dessert in the Fantasmic package (unless you're a kid, in which you have generic ice cream versus generic cupcake as a choice). Everyone now gets their own platter, a little trio of desserts, instead of the whole table sharing at least. They aren't really that great, but they aren't horrible.

 

[CamColt]

Mama Melrose has been one of our favorites for the past 20 years. We just ate there a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it very much as always. Love the penne vodka!

 

[BTDTGB]

We have tried Hollywood and Vine in the past and it was ok, it wasn't on our "we need to go again list" Also the recent reviews have been disappointing. So we shot for Mama Melrose this time, we've never tried it before. DH can always be won over with Italian food, and my sister and I don't really have a preference. We've done the drive in, more then once and always loved it. I've always wanted to try 50's prime time, but the menu to me isn't all that appealing. And Brown Derby requires 2 TS credits, so not worth it to me.

So is Mama Melrose delicious? Any planning suggestions would be helpful. Even leaving the park a bit for an early dinner.

We tried Mama Melrose for the first time during our last trip and we really enjoyed our experience. We got the Fantasmic Package, a half app each, two entrees, and a desert trio to share. The food is better than Olive Garden, but not as good a true Italian restaurant. My wife got the steak and I got the seafood arrabbiatta and we both enjoyed our meals. The atmosphere and service is what we really enjoyed. It felt like a family owned Italian restaurant you would find in New York or Chicago. The service was outstanding, our server explained our options, made sure we our drinks never ran out, and timed the food delivery perfectly. This has been added to our list of restaurants to visit on any trip.

 

[TeriofTerror]

I was so excited to try 50s, but was underwhelmed. I think the experience really sells the place, and our server wasn't overly engaged. I've eaten at MMs several times and preferred it significantly.
That said, Brown Derby is hands down my choice for DHS dining.