This one is not as fun as talking about Artist Point. Much more utilitarian But… Mama Melrose or H&V? I’m after the F! FP, and want to spend one credit, so these are my choices. They look equally fine. I’m thinking MM will be quieter and a better respite, but the food more boring/less variety? And no characters obviously, but that’s not a deciding factor for us.
DS8 is unimpressed there’s no pepperoni pizza at MM. What kind of Italian restaurant only has cheese pizza, he’d like to know. And H&V has unlimited soft serve, so that’s a win as far as both kids are concerned. Is it really noisy & crazy in there? Is the food OK? I’m so leery of buffets.
Our go-to is MM, but we did H&V once. MM is cheaper (if not on DP), and allows you to sit down and be served instead of deal with a buffet. Food is ok to good. When we last went they had a really cool spaghetti cupcake for kids. H&V’s food is not as good/fresh but you have the variety of a buffet. And of course the characters. It was crowded when we went and a pain to deal with buffet and character greetings amongst a crowd. Both are worth doing once, but depends what you are looking for. I would never pay out of pocket for H&V Fantasmic package when you can do the BD package for $1 more.
Another nod for MM … I was there in October and was pleased to see some improved menu items since my last visit, and the service was way above the average that I typically experience at an “in-the-park” restaurant.
I had breakfast at H&V and thought it was perfectly acceptable. Lots of tasty options, really good server, good character interactions. I would go again, but they stop serving so “early”.
I’ve never heard a single good thing about the food at H&V. It reportedly stands out as a prime example where parents have to suffer horrible food to give their kids a character experience.
Mama Melrose is not reported to be gourmet Italian by a long shot but will satisfy most palates as a good meal and something for everyone.
It’s pretty hard to screw up breakfast (though not impossible). So it’s probably okay for that purpose. OP is looking for dinner though, and that gets nothing but pans from the majority.
Tom Bricker reviewed H&V recently and was very positive, saying it’s much improved, which made me consider it. Santa Goofy! Unlimited salad! (DD and I both suffer sorely for lack of vegetation when we travel.) Until I read that, I had completely dismissed it.
But on reflection, I think the sit down scene and the quieter surroundings will suit us better. I can pay OOP for some salad. We’ll be eating right at noon so the character buffet will probably be crawling with overstimulated preschoolers who missed their morning naps. I’ve put in my time, and leveled up. I am the mother of Big Kids and I like it that way.
I personally think you need to be much more careful at MM. There are some really great choices, but some really bad ones. H & V has some great characters and some safe food choices. My son has always loved their chicken and potatoes. He will never return to MM (I will- great steak).
We’ve eaten at both but usually do MM when we want the F! package. Unless you want the characters specifically, why do a buffet? --besides Boma which is really good IMO. MM is a good relaxing meal. We have really enjoyed it all 3-4 times we’ve eaten there. Not a meal to shout from the rafters about but definitely good
The food at H&V was very good when we were there. We ate there twice on Nov.11. I was seriously worried because of so many reviews on here saying it was not good. I decided to try it anyway, and was so glad I did. We had some really good food. I will definitely go there again. I went in expecting my picky mom and dad to not want to go back. Even they found plenty of food they liked. Maybe we hit a good day. It is a buffet. It is characters. It is all the noise and activity that go with it. We were on the dining plan, so it was the same price as any regular TS for us. Will there be things you don’t like on the buffet? Sure. But there is a lot to choose from. I offer up that anyone who was not happy with the food on the day I was there went in expecting something that you are not going to get at a buffet, or is a pickier eater than they think think they are.
It was a few years ago, but we thought Hollywood & Vine was the best Disney buffet we hit out of H&V, Tusker House and Crystal Palace. These were for lunch and dinner.