The Brown Derby’s Iconic Dishes

The Brown Derby in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios is a “re-pop” of a famous restaurant from the golden age of Hollywood. A famous hang out in the 1930’s for the stars, the first and most famous of the restaurants has been recreated to go with the “golden age” feel of Hollywood Studios. Shaped like a derby hat to attract the attention of motorist, hence the name The Brown Derby, an instant icon was born. The Brown Derby was known to have a number of excellent dishes, but some were archetypal. We tried the most well-known dishes of The Brown Derby and have brought them to you as a review! Before we get started here is an official link to The Brown Derby menu at Disney. It is always best to visit the official website as menu options sometimes change.

The Cobb Salad

The Cobb Salad

The most famous dish and my personal favorite. The Cobb salad was born in the late 30s. The year varies by report but we can safely say around 1937-1938. A series of specific and random events all came together to create one of the world’s tastiest salads. It was a late night and owner Bob Cobb was rummaging through the fridge to throw together a late night meal from leftovers to serve it to a friend or Hollywood star. There are varying accounts of this fateful night but enough of the story is out there to confirm something happened along those lines. The Cobb Salad’s origin is fun, and to some degree the mystery that has become a legend, just like the salad itself.

I give this salad a 10/10. It is my all time favorite. My family however, would not rate this so high. The blue cheese is prominent in the flavor, but I think it compliments the other ingredients perfectly. If you dislike blue cheese, you might want to sample this before you go all in. Let me remind you though that there is a reason this dish has endured and created a new category of salad that you can find in almost any grocery store. That reason is people like it.

Roasted Squash & Apple Soup

When The Brown Derby took away my beloved lobster bisque I almost melted down internally. That may seem a little extra, but I assure you, not if you have ever tried that soup. Menus rotate and the soup choice along with them follow suit. My fears were put to ease after I tried the Roasted Squash & Apple Soup. You won’t have to be adventurous to like this if you like soup. It has only recently have I started taking a liking to soup, and The Brown Derby is the biggest reason why. Though the dish offered may change, it always rotates to a unique and wonderfully delicious option put together by a chef. This leads me to change how I present this particular entry to people. Instead of saying, “The Brown Derby is famous for _____ kind of soup” it is better to understand that this place is simply iconic for soup itself. Though limited to usually one kind, it will be the best kind. The presentation is always superb too. Watching the servers pour your soup into an artisan bowl at your table adds a delightful flair that gives you a sense that you are about to try something phenomenal.

Grapefruit Cake

If iconic had a picture in the dictionary, this is it. It tastes like grape fruit. So, keep that in mind when you order it. All the tart is there, but so is the sweet side. This will be one of the more unique desserts you try in the way of flavor variety. Sometimes you need something different, while still being delicious, and this is it. As is the case with many great foods, they live on the edge of being loved or hated because of their uniqueness. So likely, it will be one of the two for you. I like grapefruit OK, it’s not the best, but I tried this treat years ago and have never forgotten it. I’m also not a cake person. It’s not worth the calories to me, and cake is usually dry and etc, etc. So, I’m not a cake fan, not necessarily a grapefruit guy, but I LOVE this. 8/10 is what I personally rate this for me. Though the shape of how this sweet treat is delivered to your table has changed over the years, the taste itself, has been quite consistent.

Chocolate Layer Cake

What do we say about this? It is moist, rich and exploding with chocolate flavor. My whole family actually chose this as the “best dessert” of the day. There are no suprises here except for how big this piece of cake actually is. It’s totally sharable and perfectly balanced in cake density and moisture. Too moist, it feels soggy, too dry and you can’t swallow. Too dense and the cake sponge is heavy, too fluffy and it is unsatisfying. This is the “goldilocks” of chocolate cake…. just right in every way.

Ranking

Adults 9/10

Kids 6/10

Adults will love the blast to the past with premium dishes and atmosphere. Kids will be amused by the character drawings of famous actors on the wall (all of whom are from decades past - so they won’t likely be recognized), kids meal selections and desserts that are sure to satisfy. A must try!