by Beth Keating
Review
DisneyBizJournal.com
December 31, 2023
It had been ages since the last time we’d dined at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano in Disney’s Hollywood Studios… waaay pre-pandemic, in fact. The last time we’d eaten there was for a Fantasmic! dining package, and it was so long ago that none of us remembered what we’d eaten, or whether the food had even been any good. So, with Christmas crowds descending on the park, and dining reservations around Hollywood Studios in short supply, we decided to give Mama another try.
And we’re here to tell you, it really is a tale of two restaurants. Our appetizers and desserts were very good, but the entrées in the middle? Only so-so. It was as if we’d eaten in two different restaurants during our meal.
Mama Melrose’s harkens back to the days when Disney Imagineers gave everything a backstory. Disney says Mama Melrose’s is “where Italy meets California in the heart of the Backlot,” and the restaurant is a mash-up of Old World Italian and Hollywood celebrities.
The restaurant itself reminds us of the old-style Italian eateries (real Italian restaurants, not the pizza joints that happen to throw a few Formica tables up and call themselves a “restaurant”) that we’d been to growing up in New York. The checkered curtains, the photos and memorabilia on the walls, and the strings of lights hanging from the ceilings all brought a sense of nostalgia to the room.
In this case, Mama is said to have been from a small village in Italy. As a young girl, she moved to Hollywood with dreams of becoming a star. The stardom never happened for her (at least not in the “actress” sense), but she soon became famous for her cooking, serving up her papa’s secret recipes for the local actors who happened by.
Reaching a certain level of success, she eventually opened a restaurant in a vacant backlot warehouse, and the film industry insiders began calling her “Mama Melrose” for the nearby Los Angeles street. Now that you know her backstory, it’s on to today’s version of Mama’s establishment.
Like in any good Italian restaurant back home, a basket of warm rolls landed on our table first. It was accompanied by a bowl of herbed dipping oil, also served warm. We were off to a good start!
Our evening continued with a set of appetizers, both of which were excellent and gave us hope for a great meal. We began with the Fried Fresh Mozzarella with Marinara, Ricotta Salata, and Lemon Oil ($12.00), and the lemon oil was a really nice touch that we wouldn’t have thought of. The dish came with two small squares of mozzarella, with a crispy (and not at all oily) outer coating and a thin, but smooth and melty, cheesy inside. The crunch of the breading let us know that these tasty bites were fresh out of the deep fryer. A small sprinkle of fresh parmesan completed the look. We should have doubled our order on these!
Our second appetizer was the House-made Italian Meatball with Marinara, Fresh Ricotta, and Basil ($14.00). No, that wasn’t a typo. It is a single, albeit very large, homemade meatball. It was perfectly shareable for two of us, since we were also splitting the mozzarella, but don’t expect to split this dish with the whole family. That being said, it was delicious, and we especially enjoyed the scoop of fresh ricotta served alongside. One of our diners “isn’t a big fan of meatballs,” but they were impressed by this offering. The meatball was firm, but very flavorful. Lightly garlicky, it had a touch of saltiness to it, but felt like it came right out of grandma’s Sunday kitchen. The marinara itself was also bright and fresh (and was a perfect topper for the extra bread on the table.)
Both of our appetizers were delicious, and we would order each of them again. Also available on the menu are a Minestrone Soup ($10.00); Mama’s Caesar Salad ($12.00); Crispy Calamari ($16.00); Vine-ripened Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella ($13.00); and a Margherita Flatbread ($17.00).
But as much as we enjoyed the appetizers, our entrées were just… meh. We’d ordered the Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana ($28.00), which came with spaghetti. Honestly, it was more along the lines of something you’d get at a fast-casual eatery in your local mall (Yes, you know the chain I’m thinking of.) While it was acceptable, it wasn’t stellar. And it seemed like a big departure from the higher quality of the appetizers. The spaghetti accompanying the dish was just there as filler, really, and while the chicken was crispy beneath the sauce, it didn’t seem like the chicken and sauce had been baked together to give the flavors time to meld. There are much better chicken parmesans to be had on Disney property. (Try Trattoria al Forno on the BoardWalk!)
Both of our diners agreed that in the future, they’d order a different entrée. Other menu options include a Charred Strip Steak ($36.00); Shrimp Campanelle ($31.00); a fettuccini based Mama’s Italian Pasta ($24.00) with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic, Artichokes, Butter, and White Wine Sauce (you can add shrimp to bring it to $31.00); Grilled Pork Chop ($30.00); and traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs ($27.00). The plant-based option is a Polenta Cake, Mushroom, and Herbed Cauliflower ($24.00), and the evening’s sustainable fish was a Salmon with Spinach-Basil Pappardelle Pasta (market price).
After that, it was on to dessert, and things improved again. We opted for the Tiramisú ($8.50), a creamy square with several layers of mascarpone and espresso-soaked Lady Fingers. The dessert was soft and light, and a nice sweet treat to end the meal. The chocolate flavor came through first, with the coffee lingering a little more delicately in the background. The biscotti was crunchy without being “stale,” as some biscotti can be, and the chocolate-dip on the end of the cookie was a yummy embellishment. The top of the tiramisú was sprinkled with a dusting of cocoa powder.
Other dessert items include a very tempting Mini Cannoli Trio ($11.00) with Orange Cream, Caramel-Butterscotch, and traditional Cannoli; the Colors of Italy Cheesecake ($8.50), a Lemon Cheesecake layered with a raspberry marmalade and olive oil cake topped with a whipped raspberry panna cotta and finished with a raspberry-basil sauce; a Blueberry-Frangipane Tart ($10.00); Lemon Sorbet ($6.75); Cherry-Chocolate Cake ($9.00); and vanilla or chocolate Gelato ($6.75).
A pretty full complement of the usual cast of beers, wines, wine flights, and cocktails is available, but if you are leaning toward some of the more typical Italian-restaurant liqueurs, there are 2 ounce pours of Limoncello ($14.50), and Sambuca Romano, Disaronno Originale and Frangelico ($15.50 each).
All in all, we liked the theming of Mama Melrose’s. The open kitchen was hopping, and interesting to watch while waiting for your meal. The photos on the walls kept us entertained as well, trying to figure out who some of the celebrities were in the pictures and reminiscing about some of the record albums and memorabilia on the walls. (We spotted photos of Bob Denver- Gilligan of Gilligan’s Island - and a smattering of Star Trek stars in the front foyer, among dozens of others.)
Would we come back? Yes, but we might opt for other entrées next time. In a park that has great themed restaurants (Sci-Fi Dine-In, 50’s Prime Time Café, and the pricier Hollywood Brown Derby, just to mention a few), fun theming isn’t enough to keep the crowds returning. Next time, we’ll give a different set of dishes a shot, while still enjoying Mama Melrose’s backlot warehouse digs.
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
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