INTRODUCTION
Fairfax Fare is a small restaurant inside the Sunset Boulevard area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This small eatery is one of few Quick Service options at DHS. I have to be honest and get this out of the way at the beginning, I liked Fairfax Fare more before it had a drastic menu change in 2017. When we visited in October 2016, Fairfax Fare was a barbecue restaurant serving chicken, ribs, and stuffed baked potatoes. These foods happen to be some of our favorites.
Even though Sarah and I were both disappointed, we ate here during our June and July 2017 trips (this may also be because DHS seriously lacks good Quick Service options). When we gave it a chance, we discovered decent Southern California-inspired Mexican food. Being that SoCal Mexican food happens to be the greatest gift to God’s Earth, at least to Sarah and I, “decent” is a huge win for Fairfax Fare.
ATMOSPHERE
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. Due to the large seating area in the area, we have never had an issue finding seating. The seating area, though outside, is shaded and lovely. It is a great place to rest and relax while waiting for a show to start or for a loved one to ride Rockin’ Roller Coaster (Sarah uses it for the latter). The view is also not the worst! The only issue my family has ever experienced here was my dad throwing his phone in the trash and not being able to recover it during our trip in October 2016.
FOOD
The WDW website classifies this restaurant as “American”. Like I said previously, Fairfax Fare is Southern California-inspired Mexican food. There are very few options, but they are a fusion between American and Mexican food. There are several good options and several strange ones. Sarah and I are not fans of chili dogs and did not want to use our dining credits on salad. I ordered the Fajita Combo Platter and Sarah ordered the Empanada Platter.
We thought the empanada shells were really crunchy and delicious, my chicken was juicy and well seasoned, fajita veggies were not overcooked, and the rice and beans made Sarah, who loves good rice and beans, a believer. Another advantage of this restaurant is that they did not bury us in a mound of food. Oftentimes with Disney meals, we feel sick because we eat an entire meal each. This was not the case with Fairfax Fare. The only thing we would have liked to see would be the option of corn tortillas.
COST
According to the Disney World website, Fairfax Fare is classified with “$” which means adults should expect to pay roughly $14.99 and under, per person. For the Disney Dining Plan users, this restaurant requires one Quick Service credit per person. This is not a great use of a dining plan credit. I really don’t think many of the Quick Service restaurants in DHS are great dining plan credit. If you are looking to maximize credit, go to ABC Commissary and get chicken and ribs. For the Tables in Wonderland users, Fairfax Fare is not applicable.
WHO SHOULD EAT HERE?
Due to the lack of other options, this eatery can still be a popular option for those guests needing to use a Quick Service credit at DHS. I think guests who do not want to eat traditional theme park food (hot dogs, nachos, hamburgers, etc.) would be attracted to the diverse options at Fairfax Fare. I also think guests waiting for Fantasmic!/ Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage/ The Music of Pixar Live would be encouraged to eat here.
