Starring Rolls Cafe: Lunch Review

Abby Earl discovers a true blockbuster: Turkey Focaccia

- Abby Earl, January 23, 2011

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One day, I woke up early and decided to drive down to Disney World from north Florida. I wanted to spend the afternoon at Hollywood Studios. I checked in to my hotel around 11 AM and was in the park by noon!

After a morning of driving, the first thing on my mind was food. I know everyone says that Hollywood Studios lacks counter service options, but I didn't want to spend the time on a table service when I only had that afternoon to spend in the park.

I settled on the Starring Rolls Cafe mostly because I wasn't in the mood for fried food and I knew they had sandwiches.

A word of warning about Starring Rolls: 97% of the items on the menu are baked goods, so unless you'll be happy with a sandwich or sushi for lunch, don't eat here. Unless, of course, you skip straight to the desserts, which look amazing!

This review is from a lunch I had at Starring Rolls last year. They still didn't have sushi on the menu, and so my choices were a ham or a turkey sandwich. I picked the Turkey Focaccia with chips (your other choice is fruit) and I also ordered a Coke. Cost: $9.19.

click an image to expand and read notes:

The Cafe...

The Tray...

The Sandwich...

Even by theme park standards, I thought $9.19 was pretty ridiculous for a sandwich and some chips, even though the chips are Mrs. Vickie's and not the inferior Lay's brand. But once I saw just how HUGE the sandwich is the price didn't seem so bad. There is seriously about a pound of turkey on that sandwich! You'd need a really large mouth to take a bite since it's about six inches tall!

The only toppings were shredded lettuce and some pesto mayonnaise. I would have liked some more veggies, but it was a tasty sandwich on good focaccia bread. I opened it and split the turkey between the two halves and then ate it as two open-faced sandwiches so I could take a bite. This is a LOT of food for one person, but I was really hungry and managed to finish it.

I've read about people buying a croissant with this sandwich and then splitting the turkey between the croissant and the focaccia. Instant lunch for two! It's a fantastic idea and great for your budget. If you're with someone and you're both just moderately hungry, I suggest doing that.

Another note about Starring Rolls: all the seating is outdoors. The tables have umbrellas so you can sit in the shade, but if it's raining, really hot, or really cold, this isn't the best place for a meal.

I got my food shortly after noon and Starring Rolls was packed. People were waiting for tables. I was eating at a four-seat table by myself, so I offered to let a family of three share the table with me.

I was pretty shocked when they declined. They opted to go wait on the side - and then after a while try to eat their food standing up. That just struck me as weird. I mean, come on: I don't have cooties! You would really rather eat standing up than sitting with a stranger for a little while? I was almost finished! Oh, well. Their loss, I suppose.

Starring Rolls was pretty decent. I wouldn't make it a point to return there, but nothing about it scared me away, either. My sandwich was good. But it was still just a sandwich.

Abby Earl is a student living in North Florida. As a child, she took frequent family vacations to Walt Disney World. After snubbing Disney in her teen years, her affection for the Mouse returned and she is now a seasonal pass holder. She writes frequently for Disney Dining Discourse.

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