Disney Day: Sci-Fi Dine-In Special Diet Review

A favorite of everyone in this Disney family, Sci-Fi Dine-In is very unique dining. Your entire family will enjoy their meal here. Though it has received mixed reviews in the past, we’ve eaten at the restaurant three times and never been disappointed.

Here are the basics:

I, unfortunately, don’t have any great pictures of Sci-Fi because, well, it’s dark in there. It makes the atmosphere though! You’re “parked” by your host in a booth styled like a classic car. Some are tables with chairs and others are “car seats” that seat two people. There’s a small shelf with a light over it so you can at least see your food. All the cars face the theatre screen, where there’s a reel that runs for about an hour and a half of classic cartoons, commercials for products, and movie trailers. The mix was recently changed just a bit with a few different commercials and movie trailers, which was really fun to find out about in January.

Photo property of Walt Disney Company: borrowed from here

On to the food. Oh yes the food. Everything I’ve had here is delicious! The menu got a makeover last year, so one item I’ve had is no longer on the menu. Here’s a link to the best menu I found here. Everything we tried this past January for lunch was top notch. My hubs chose the All American Picnic Burger.

Photo property of Walt Disney Company

That’s it. In all it’s glory. Yes that is a hot dog on there with a hamburger patty and sauerkraut. He said it was quite a bit of meat, but very good. My sister got the Buffalo Popcorn Chicken, which is listed as an appetizer, but the portion was plenty for a full meal (maybe with a few fries stolen from another plate.) I got the build your own angus burger. Both hamburgers were well cooked and tasted like a hand crafted burger, not a box burger. Much improved over the previous times. The smoked turkey sandwich was also very hearty. Toasty bread. Lots of flavor. Even the cucumber salad has a good balance of flavor and compliments the turkey sandwich. Just like other Disney fries, these are perfect. They’re not quite steak fries, but they’re not the shoestring kind either. Though we loved the restaurant before, we were even more impressed with the revamp of the menu.

As far as special diets are concerned, there are a wide variety of options for all allergies. For the sandwich and for the burger, the bread has always been substituted so that it’s safe for my nut allergies. There are nuts in one dessert and one dessert is made with peanut butter. So there is a very small chance of cross contamination in the restaurant, but most of the desserts are prepared and brought in to the restaurants. I’m not 100% about that at Sci-Fi, but every entree I’ve ordered here comes out with the allergy marker that alerts kitchen staff to be extra careful. I don’t typically eat dessert any where out except Disney World, but this is one place where I’m just too stuffed to continue. They have a no sugar added dessert and a great fresh fruit salad for an egg and milk free option. Shrimp is served in one entree. Both of the entrees I have ordered were safe for shellfish. Wheat and soy are probably not the easiest to avoid at this restaurant. There is a salad option on the appetizer menu. and, as at every Disney restaurant, the chef will bend over backwards to make sure you have what you want to eat and that it is safe for you.

Overall, the chefs have been very attentive to my needs at Sci-Fi. The options I’ve ordered have been safe for my shellfish, tree nut, and peanut allergies. I highly recommend this restaurant if you’re in Hollywood Studios for lunch or dinner. My family has never been disappointed! If you go, ask for Christian or Tony for that extra magic.

Have you eaten at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater before? What did you think? Let me know if you have any special diet questions in the comments below or with the “contact” form.