AMC's Dine-In Theatre at Downtown Disney
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The food was great! I expected it to be a bit better than typical movie theater food, but it was actually a lot better. The quality of the food was the biggest surprise of all. In my trips there I’ve had mozzarella sticks, parmesan fries, fire-roasted veggie quesadilla (spicy!), macaroni and cheese, onion rings and several desserts. Both the macaroni and cheese and onion rings are some of the best I’ve had anywhere. But every single thing I’ve tried has ranged from very good to awesome. The seats are awesome! I love stadium seating but these are even better. The seats are individual but placed closely together. The arm rests go up and the seats recline. There’s also a railing under the table that can be used as a foot rest. The seats are placed in groups of 4 with lots of space on either side of that group (the aisle) and in front and behind. The only downside is groups larger than 4 will probably want to sit in front/back of each other. The seats even have cup holders. I’m not sure why since you have a table right in front of you, but the more options the better. Discuss It -- Posted June 30, 2011
It’s not annoying! I expected the servers going in and out through the film to be annoying. It wasn’t at all. The aisles are wide enough and the server conscientious enough that it really wasn’t an issue. The theater is kept a little bit lighter than a standard theater but other than that but that's about it. At one film I arrived after the movie started so had to do the entire order during the film but the server made sure to get out everyone else’s way and I never felt self-conscious talk to her.
Due to its design, the Dine-In Theater is also Downtown Disney’s newest restaurant. The movie tickets are taken in the hallways near the theaters. That means guests at Downtown Disney can go there for food and no movie and eat at one of the inside or outside tables or at the bar. On two occasions I’ve had a long wait for a movie at the regular theater so I had a bite and a drink in the Dine-In lobby before heading over.
The concerns I have are few and mainly speculative. Given the relatively low price and reduced capacity, will it be hard to get a seat? (So far, no). The menu, while great, is not too extensive. Will they change it up or have regular specials? The biggest downside I’ve experienced is the service. They’re very friendly and quick to correct mistakes, but on more than one occasion I didn’t get my food and even though they’ve been open a while, sometimes it seems they’re not completely familiar with the menu which can be a pain when you’re trying to order in the dark while a movie is playing. The other very minor problem I have is that even though they are housed in the same building, the main theater and Dine-In Theatre are not accessible from each other. That means I can’t go over to the Concession Stand of the Future to get one of those 100+ drinks I mentioned above.
The biggest tip I have - don’t be afraid to use the red button. The servers are busy with your and other theaters all at the same time and they don’t want to interrupt the movies more than they have to, so you might not see them as often as you do in a regular restaurant. So if you need something - don’t wait, just press the button and all will be taken care of.
As mentioned, I anticipated the Dine-In Theatre for months. But deep down I had my doubts that something like this could work logistically and that the food at a movie theater could compare to a regular restaurant. Happily I was very wrong on both accounts. The Dine-In Theatre is simply awesome. It’s a great addition to Downtown Disney and continues the great work AMC is doing there. Now if they could only turn the old Virgin Megastore into an IMAX....
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-- Text by Doobie Moseley
-- Pictures Courtesy MouseSteps.com