The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge

If you're looking for a lovely place to lose a couple of hours at Disney's Hollywood Studio, the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge may be just the place for you. Located on a shady patio in front of the signature Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant, this shady nook offers cocktails and tapas with a prime view for people watching.


Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge Entry


The Brown Derby lounge opened a couple of years ago, giving guests a refined spot to relax and enjoy drinks and a nosh without needing an advanced reservation. My son and I decided to make a quick stop in on a sunny afternoon just to try the Star Wars themed cocktails, and we ended up with so much more. Speed isn't the goal when you stop into the Brown Derby, it's more about the experience. However, Guests that want to keep moving, are able to order drinks at the bar to grab-and-go.


Star Wars dark Side Red Cocktail and Grapefruit Cake Martini


We were seated on the patio at the far end of the space closest to the restaurant's front door. The spot turned out to be the perfect location to watch the storm troopers being marched back and forth across the courtyard of the Chinese Theater. The bar at the Brown Derby Lounge is always serving up some special seasonal cocktails, and high on our list were the Star Wars themed Dark Side Red (Grey Goose Vodka, Chambord, Sweet and Sour, and Grenadine) and Blue Harvest (Makers Mark Bourbon, Cointreau, Blue Curacao, Sweet and Sour, and Sprite) cocktails with collectible glow cubes.


Star Wars Blue Harvest Cocktail


The cocktails were extremely drinkable (especially the light and fruity Dark Side Red) and it wasn't long before we were ordering another round. Realizing that we would need some food to balance out the booze, we asked our friendly server to brig us a tapas menu. Feeling adventurous, we ordered the Derby Sliders and the Artisanal Cheeses and Charcuterie Board.


Elegant Artisanal Bites To Eat


The Derby Sliders were incredibly interesting and made wit the highest quality ingredients. The first was Wagyu Beef with Cognac-Mustard Aioli, Smoked Gouda Cheese, Bacon, and Avocado. This was my first time having Waygu Beef and honestly I wasn't overly impressed. The second slider was a Duck Confit, with Taleggio Cheese, Chipotle Vegetable Slaw, Sweet Onion-Orange Conserve, and crispy Leeks. While both little burgers were delicious and complex, we felt like we would have been better served with simpler sliders.


Brown Derby Slidders


Next we had the Artisanal Cheeses and Charcuterie Board. This was an elegant board that really showcased some wonderful house made delicacies. The large board took up most of the room on our cocktail table and contained two types of imported cheese, salami, prosciutto, pate, raisins on the vine, house made pickles, dried olives, whole mustard, fruit jellies, potted pork, and buttery garlic crostini.

Even though we just ordered two things, there was a lot of food and before we knew it we had spent more than two hours chilling out on the patio sipping cocktails, nibbling the upscale food, and watching the people walk by.


Artisanal Cheese and Charcuterie Board


Looking back on our trip, both my son and I consider this somewhat unexpected stop one of the best experiences of our vacation. The food was delicious, the drinks were fantastic, and the atmosphere enjoyable. The price tag is a little higher here than at other Disney bars, but this is a signature dining establishment and the quality reflects it. The Brown Derby Lounge has absolutely earned a best of rank in my Disney Bar lexicon.

Want to learn more about the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge? Head on over to our friends over at the Disney Food Blog and see what they're saying.