If there’s anything we’ve learned here at Disney Food Blog over the last 15 years, we LOVE to talk about two very different things — food and abandoned Disney World places. We consider it a true treat when we can talk at length about one particular thing that is able to combine the two.
Hollywood Studios
While it’s true that Disney World restaurants are rolling out all the time, it’s always sad to see them close their doors for a final bow. It stings even more when one of those beloved restaurants helped launch our food reviews here at DFB, AND unknowingly at the time, helped us lay the foundation of what you know and trust about us today.
So allow us to take you back a few years (about 15 or so) in time to visit one of Disney’s Hollywood Studios finest restaurants — Starring Rolls Cafe. In its prime, this restaurant was one of the most sought after locations for quick options for both breakfast and lunch.
Starring Rolls Cafe on Sunset Boulevard
This resturant served up a variety of baked goods and pastries however, even with it’s quick “grab and go” style, seating was limited AND solely outdoors which meant your dining table was a patio table and chair covered by canvas cafe umbrellas. This restaurant used to sit right on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard and right beside today’s Beverly Hill Sunset store.
Lots of seating here!
This was OUR pick for breakfast in the park! During breakfast hours, we could choose from buttery soft croissants, bagels, fresh pastries, rolls, muffins, and a variety of coffee specialties. If we were arriving to the parks a little later (or just wanted to visit again for lunch), the menu expanded to include sushi and sandwiches served with your choice of chips or fresh fruit. Wine, several liquors, soft drinks, cappuccino, espresso, iced coffee, tea, cocoa, and several fruit juices were also offered on the menu!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake at Starring Rolls
We frequently would encourage chocolate lovers to pick up the chocolate croissant, chocolate peanut butter cupcake, or the Butterfinger cupcake (maybe even all three if you were feeling really adventurous)!
Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Rolls Cafe
But like we said, that was back then. As our love and adoration for this spot grew, so did its menu! By 2016 we were seeing new menu items introduced to the lineup (hello, soup) and they seemed to be a hit with practically everyone! Now we felt like this place was really on a roll (no pun intended).
Tomato Bisque Soup
And we never could quite call it a full meal here without our beloved Napoleon to bring it all together! If you weren’t ever blessed enough to try the Napoleon at Starring Rolls, let us paint a picture for you! The Napoleon found here was made of layers of flaky, buttery pastry are interspersed with a thick, rich vanilla custard cream that’s just “set” enough to not spill out the sides until you stick your fork down into it. And unlike some other goodies that seem to be all crust and no filling, the proportions of custard to pastry here in this treat truly were perfection.
Napoleon at Starring Rolls Cafe
You just had to be there we guess. But, like most good things, sometimes they see an end. We learned that Starring Rolls Cafe’s days were numbered as they anticipated closing its doors permanently in early February 2017. When we first learned of its closure we were told that Cast Members working there would be moved to other locations. We had a very hard time reconciling that we might not ever get to taste our beloved treats, extravagant cupcakes, and ginormous sandwiches we’d come to love over the years.
Pastrami Sandwich
And that’s apparently where most of our story about Starring Rolls Cafe still sits today. It’s sat mostly in its current state for years since its closure with little movement. While the tables and chairs stuck around for a while afterwards, the most recent change to the restaurant was when we noticed the restaurant’s sign (which was covered), had been removed.
Starring Rolls Cafe sign is down
Maybe Disney World will give us some kind of update soon (but, we’re not going to hold our breath).
But you can bet we’ll still keep a watchful eye over this spot for any other updates and you KNOW we’ll be the first to tell you all about its latest happenings. Be sure to stay tuned with us at Disney Food Blog for all the latest Disney World updates, changes, and everything in between!
The Awkward Reason I Will Never Ride Journey Into Imagination With Figment in Disney World Again
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Do you have any memories of Starring Rolls at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Tell us all about them in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
I am so sorry for your loss! I imagine most WDW fans know the pain of seeing a spot they love close up and sit idle for YEARS. It is one of my biggest pet peeves with how change happens at WDW. If they’re not definitely going to use the space for something new, WHY TAKE AWAY THE OLD THING???? For YEARS???? I get that there are budget issues, personnel issues, supply issues, even environmental remediation issues. But too much of the time, something closes down and the space just sits for many, many years. This is why I am very skeptical about the expansion plans. Between the shuttered spaces that sit for eons, and the missed targets on so many of their more recent efforts, it feels like you can count on disappointment just to be hit with another one after waiting way too long for the ‘update.’
Our family loved Starring Rolls ! It was a breakfast tradition! I loved their fruit tarts! We would sit and visit and often talk with other guests enjoying this amazing place. We were there the day it closed and we cried with some of their friendly cast members . Still so sad its closed.
It was always our first stop for fresh food best one there., miss it.
RIP Starring Rolls 🙁
My family used to have breakfast there every single visit to Hollywood Studios and we still miss it.
It is so sad to hear of long family traditions being torn from the guest without regard. This was not what Walt would have condoned. He was all about change and innovation, but not at the expense of the guest experience. These are the memories we all look back upon with great regard nd solice..
Starring Rolls was a great spot…with a clever name. It was a can’t miss spot for something tasty in the morning. It is missed as are all the places that sold baked goods. It seems like once Starbucks surfaced in the parks, the bakeries as we knew them were killed. Magic Kingdom is the same situation as the bakery that functioned prior to Starbucks was much better. I don’t necessarily mind having Starbucks locations in the parks, but they destroyed the bake shops that we loved.
Wdw is now for the rich. Took away smoking in the parks the rich dont smoke. Took away free fastpass the rich can aford genie. Raised the price of food the rich dont care. Never going back im not rich. Bring back Michael Eisner please
We loved Starring Rolls. It was our “must-do” lunch spot when at MGM / Studios. Can we start a petition to being it back?
Congratulations on 15 years, AJ!!
Remember it, but I don’t ever remember eating or even stopping in there.
I’m a current cast member in this park. Sadly the building is now used for storage for Trolley Car and there is no plan to bring anything back there yet. That doesn’t mean that it won’t ever happen but it’s likely not anytime soon. I have said for years that we NEED a fresh sandwich spot in the park. We have frequent request for that type of lunch. Not everyone wants a hot and heavy lunch and I think a sandwich place would do so so well.
Starring Rolls was our go-to for our Hollywood Studio Days. We loved being able to get something there even if we didn’t get a table. It was always busy and had great pastries. I loved that I could get a cup of tea and something light on those mornings.
Sad that it closed.
I remember stumbling upon DFB guide for the first time because of Starring Rolls! I was planning for a major trip to WDW in 2013 and at the time, I hadn’t visited the park in years. I took you guys advice on saving my snack credits from my Dining Plan (free with my hotel stay in fall), and chose a tray of these delicious cupcakes for the road! The Butterfinger Cupcake was so delicious! I immediately convinced my boyfriend for us to get WDW AP, and have been a loyal DFB Guide fan ever since! I miss so much of those good old days. So much more fun to plan for a trip, Fastpass, Magic Bands were just starting to come out, it was just a magical time. I still love Disney and moved to Orlando just to be near the parks. Now my daughter has caught the bug and we all watch DFB together.
This was our favorite lunch spot! We would split a sandwich, chips and a cupcake because everything was so huge! It’s the one place I haven’t forgiven Disney for closing, we talk about it every time we’re there!
My wife always stopped here for the grapefruit cake from the adjacent Hollywood Brown Derby. This was a very large and sad loss!
Starring Rolls was our very favorite place to go every time we came on our annual trip. It was a loss that has never been recovered. I don’t believe there is anywhere in the parks that come close to it. Over time I met the head pastry chef there in its later years. He came over from The Boardwalk Bakery. He too has long since retired and will always be missed!
Writers Stop was our favourite. We migrated to Starring Rolls when that closed down. At least the Trolley Car Cafe carries some of those sweet treats despite being a Starbucks.
Loved the Starring Rolls!
One of my fondest memories was eating the butterfinger cupcake, enjoying the morning when a gentleman in a Hawaiian shirt came up and joined us at the table. After some small talk he started asking about if we had seen who was sitting next to us and if we noticed the bag sitting on the chair. Nope all my attention was on the cupcake, sorry. He was asking us if we could move along when a dad came back looking for the lost bag. He said enjoy your day and disappeared down Sunset Blvd.