With the new opening of Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, everyone seems to be focused on the new rides, especially Slinky Dog Dash. Having been the only ride that I experienced on opening day, it’s certainly something I can recommend. However, from the initial reveal of the food items that were to be sold at Woody’s Lunch Box, I was excited. The pictures released by the Disney Parks Blog looked excellent, and I was in high hopes that Hollywood Studios would finally have a good choice for quick service food.
I’m glad to say that Woody’s Lunchbox lived up to my expectations. Indeed, if this particular quick service place continues with the quality experienced on opening day, I anticipate that it could easily become one of the top 5 quick service locations in the Walt Disney World parks. I will go over each item that I tried, but first, let me make note of some negatives:
- The line was ridiculously long. That is to be expected on opening day of Toy Story Land, but I anticipate this being a long-term issue. There’s no shade, and obviously it can be brutally hot in the summer. The line stretched out to Alien Swirling Saucers and it took about 45 minutes to order. For a place that I anticipate to be really popular, not just because it is new but because it is good, I find it strange that Disney only built 2 registers to order from.
- In an attempt to immerse you into the land, cast members often referred to you as “toys.” When ordering, I was requested to give my name so that they could put it on my “lunchbox.” (My receipt you mean? A bit of a stretch…) This vocabulary, found throughout the land, comes off as out of place and awkward. When ordering, I can see how it would confuse some and I can’t imagine it’ll stay around for long.
Unfortunately, I had to miss breakfast because of my long wait to get onto Slinky Dog Dash. (The line started at the Chinese Theater at 7:20 in the morning when I got there.) However, I tried three different items from the lunch and dinner menu.
First, we have the BBQ Brisket Melt. Walt Disney World Dining lists the ingredients: Sliced Smoked Brisket, Pickles and tangy BBQ Sauce between melted Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheeses on Grilled Sourdough. For $12.99 and including a side (I chose the tomato soup), this is an entree well worth its quick service price. The tomato soup itself was just okay, and I would only recommend it if you were craving that particular flavor. The soup itself was hot, and I happened to find the only table without an umbrella in the sun. (Can you guess why no one was there?) I don’t really need to explain why eating hot soup under the sun isn’t the most pleasant experience, but I struggled through for the sake of the review, trying not to taint the food quality with the summer sun. The brisket sandwich though, was excellent. The ingredients-used all blended together really well, with nothing overpowering any other flavor. The BBQ sauce was sweet and enjoyable, and the hot pickles added a nice crunch with the bread. The brisket itself was plentiful and delicious. This is a definite recommendation.
The next menu item I tried was the “Totchos.” Again, Walt Disney World Dining lists the ingredients as: Potato Barrels coated with Beef and Bean Chili, Shredded Cheese and signature Queso with Tomatoes and Corn Chips finished with Sour Cream and a sprinkle of Green Onion. For $8.99, the totchos were my favorite food item that I tried, hitting the perfect blend of flavor with all ingredients. I had expected to like the BBQ Brisket Melt better, but the Totchos were the only food item that I completely finished because they were so good. On the initial picture, I thought that the Totchos would include tortilla chips because they were a take on nachos. However, the corn chips in the description turned out to be Fritos, making this a much more manageable meal with a fork than chips would have been. I really like that the base of this dish is tater tots, and it’s just a fun western-themed dish for Woody. You really can’t go wrong with this if you’re looking for a Southwest flavor.
The last food item tried was the Chocolate-Hazelnut Lunch Box Tart. I was skeptical about this one because it was often dismissed by others and myself as just a Disney Pop-Tart. I have to say that it was really good though. At $3.29, the description is: Chocolate-Hazelnut stuffed Pastry coated in Maple Fondant and Candied Bacon. This food item itself was very warm and fresh. I’m concerned that this is only because of the popularity of this location, meaning that any pastry will be fresh because demand exceeds how quickly it can be made. If Disney can maintain the freshness of this particular item, I can see it becoming a popular staple snack for the park. As for flavor, it reminded me quite a bit of the Maple-Bacon doughnut over at Voodoo Doughnut in Universal CityWalk. The pastry wasn’t quite as good as the doughnut, but good enough to make a positive comparison in quality. I’m not sure what breading the pastry it made from, but I would recommend a drink with it. It’s a strange description, but the breading was both dry and moist at the same time, leading to it sticking to the inside of your mouth like peanut butter. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I had to have a drink of water between every few bites.
I definitely recommend Woody’s Lunchbox. Finally, Hollywood Studios has a quick service location that you should go out of your way for. I’m excited to try other menu items in the future. (A cast member really recommended the Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich.) Despite some capacity and efficiency issues, the food is good enough to overlook the long lines.
