Planet Hollywood Observatory Review- Disney Springs

We recently visited the newly renovated Planet Hollywood at Disney Springs, now known as Planet Hollywood Observatory.  Overall, we had a good experience, but with the food being just average, it wouldn’t be on the top of our list to return to when visiting Disney Springs.

Decor: The inside of the new facility has been renovated, but they still have their signature movie props scattered throughout.  They also have a huge screen showing music video clips and other animations throughout your dining experience.  Overall, the inside looks good after the renovation.  It still, however, feels like the old Planet Hollywood.

Food: We had the opportunity to sample a variety of items from the menu.  Overall, the food was just average at best.

We started off with a Speciality Drink called Rocket Fuel - a mix of Vodka, Cointreau, Chambord, cranberry juice, and sprite.  We were surprised that it’s signature look with the dry ice was not included in our version of the drink.  The drink was very sweet, but satisfying.

We then sampled the High Roller Platter, an appetizer sampler dish served in a large “ferris wheel” type serving platter.  It featured their famous Chicken Crunch, Texas Tostados, Buffalo Wings, Five Cheese Dip, and Peri-Peri shrimp.  It was quite a large serving platter for the table and was very difficult to share.  I wish the ferris wheel type unit actually spun around to make it more convenient for selecting items at the table.  Overall, the appetizers were average.  Although the presentation looked great, the flavors of the items were rather dull.  My favorite were the Texas Tostados.  I found the Peri-Peri shrimp to be way too spicy for my liking, the Chicken Crunch and Buffalo Wings were rather plain, and the Cheese Dip lacked flavor.  A side of chips/pita type bread is served for the dipping.  Overall, for the price point, it’s not worth it.

Next up we sampled Guy Fieri’s “award winning” burger, the Bacon Mac-N-Cheese Burger.  Although, presentation-wise it looks great, I have had much better burgers.  I just felt there was way too much lettuce on the burger and it had only a small patty of actual meat.  The burger itself though, had good seasoning and flavor, topped with bacon and mac-n-cheese.  This was my favorite part of the meal.

I also want to note that the fries were delicious.  They have a very flavorful BBQ type seasoning.  The fries also came in all shapes and sizes, which I thought was unique too.

We also sampled the Turkey Pic-A-Nic Sandwich.  Although I did not personally try the sandwich, my friend noted that he wished the turkey was actually warm instead of cold, and regularly sliced instead of shredded.

Moving on to dessert, we started with the signature Planet Meltdown, a chocolate sphere melted by table side hot chocolate sauce to reveal a double chocolate fudge cake.  It is served with a side of fresh strawberries and ice/whipped cream.  The presentation of the dish is fantastic, as showed in the video below.

Once the chocolate sphere is melted though, you find yourself with a rather small piece of chocolate fudge cake.  The cake was good, but again, you are paying for the presentation.  The value vs. price is not worth it, and although it is marketed as a table dish, it’s too small.

To end our food adventure, we tried the Chocolate Comet, one of their Supernova shakes.  Having tried Toothsome’s speciality shakes over at Universal Orlando Resort, I was eager to compare this one with the Chocolate X5 shake (which is an equivalent type shake at Toothsome).

Presentation is very similar to it’s rival at Universal Orlando, but I found both shakes taste almost identical. The actual milkshake was watered down, much like the competition’s shake.  When I have a milkshake, I want a thick, ice cream type shake.  It was just not to my liking.

Overall, the food had a lot of flair, but little substance.  It didn’t impress me, and overall I found it rather average compared to some of the great food venues at Disney Springs.

Service - Service, for the whole dining experience, was wonderful.  Our server was very attentive and we had a manager stop by during our visit.  Granted, we were part of a media pass, so they may have given us preferred treatment.  I’m curious how service would be to the average guest.  Comment below if you have dined here and could provide input on that.

Final Thoughts - As a frequent visitor to Disney Springs, there are a ton of dining experiences to choose from.  I would not put this on the top of my list when visiting.  Although you are paying for the “presentation and flair” of the dishes, I feel there are much better options elsewhere that  provide a better value and taste for your money.  Check out our review of Homecoming Kitchen, for example (link below).

Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming Kitchen Review - Disney Springs

Disclaimer: Park Pass did receive complimentary food/drinks for this review.  This did not influence any of the above ratings for this establishment.