Review: Jalapeno Poppers and Sides at ABC Commissary in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney4me · June 20, 2017

Today, we’re in search of a few supporting actor dishes at ABC Commissary in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney World Restaurants

This spot is pretty easy to overlook if you’re just wandering through DHS. It’s located along a walkway that appears to house buildings for the studio backlot.

In other words, it looks like a bunch of offices and a cafeteria. Except it’s not. But it kinda is, since it was themed after…a bunch of offices and a cafeteria. And besides, with not much of a backlot left these days, this area really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense anymore.

While I’ve never been all that excited about the food here, you can find some solid choices for lunch and dinner. Also, it’s worth noting that, while lunch is your garden variety Disney counter service concept, dinner switches over to a fast casual service model.

That means for the midday meal, you order your food and collect it at the kitchen counter. But for dinner, you order, take a pager, find a seat, and your meal finds you.

It’s dinner that we’re taking a closer look at today, as we explore some of your options for sides and appetizers — and Disney Dining Plan snack credits! — when you dine at ABC Commissary for Dinner. Let’s take a look.

Dinner Appetizers and Sides

While the lunch menu at ABC Commissary offers fairly straight forward fast food (think burgers, sandwiches, nuggets, and salads), dinner is a slightly more refined experience — at least in terms of some of the menu offerings.

Ordering stations at ABC Commissary

There is some overlap. You’ll find the barbecued chicken and ribs combo platter on both the lunch and dinner menu as well as the Mediterranean salad. But dishes like the Chimichurri sirloin steak and the seared lemon pepper salmon are solely the domain of the evening meal. And it’s a few of the sides that are offered with these dishes that we want to explore.

Menu — Click to Enlarge

We also noticed on our most recent visit that the spot is offering a few appetizers.

Appetizers — Click to Enlarge

While I figured the hummus and pita would be standard, the cheddar jalapeño poppers appealed to me, so I went for them.

We received five poppers in our order, and they were served with a side of pre-packaged buttermilk ranch dressing for dipping.

Cheddar Jalapeño Poppers

The light batter looks a little like what you might see on a chile relleno, with the pepper peeking through.

Cheddar Jalapeño Poppers — Up Close

Inside, we found plenty of cheddar cheese to tame the heat of the jalapeño. The ranch dressing helped, too.

Cheddar Jalapeño Poppers — Inside

I thought these were awesome. I would definitely grab them again as a snack, even if I weren’t planning to sit down for dinner. And — they’re Disney Dining Plan Snack Credit eligible! So snack away.

We also decided to make a little meal of some of the sides that you can get at ABC Commissary! Why? For a few reasons, actually. I think it’s pretty cool that you can get a few better-for-you sides, and there are some interesting alternatives to fries. (Yes, we got fries, too. More in a moment about how they’re different fries.)

But then, these sides are also available as a Disney Dining Plan snack credit. So if you’re looking for a bite between meals, or you have a hungry toddler to feed, it’s good to know that these options are out there.

ABC Commissary Sides — Steak Fries, Green Beans, and Couscous

We’ll take a look at each side, up close and personal-like. First up: couscous.

The couscous here is the larger grain, Israeli or pearl couscous, rather than the tiny grained couscous that you see in North African fare and elsewhere. The portion was fairly large as a side; it was bigger than the side dishes you normally see at Disney counter service locations. You can also enjoy the dish as one of the default sides with the seared lemon pepper salmon and as part of the kids’ salmon entree.

Cous Cous

While it wasn’t over-the-moon spectacular, it wasn’t as boring as it might have been. How’s that for a ringing endorsement?

But I still think the real value here is that you’ve got a side that’s not deep fried. It’s a nice, slightly healthier change of pace.

Cous Cous — Up Close

Next, we tried the sautéed green beans.

If you’ve been here at DFB for a while, you might know that I have a thing for green beans – specifically, Cosmic Ray’s green beans, which are somehow magically delicious.

These are not those.

These are not as crisp or snappy as I like, but they still had decent flavor, owing to the fresh garlic, seasonings, and oil they were prepared with.

Side of Sautéed Green Beans — Up Close

Like the couscous, they are the default side for the salmon entree on the adult menu, and on pretty much all of the kids’ meals. They’re also available for a snack credit — so have some green beans instead of a funnel cake! C’mon. You know you wanna.

Finally, we come to the most decadent side option, the steak fries. You’ll find these alongside three of the adult entrees and two of the kids’ options. Like our other sides, they’re available for a DDP snack credit as well.

Side of Steak Fries

I was excited to try these, because they’re noticeably thicker than the standard quick service fries. And the good news is that the texture was spot on. Unfortunately, they were super bland. Like, no salt was dispensed in the making of these fries.

Side of Steak Fries — Up Close

Now, that could 100% be due to the cast member working the fry station during my visit. Let’s hope so. Because thicker fries certainly have a place at the Disney counter service table.

To wrap up, I know that you probably don’t think this post is quite as riveting as, say, the next gorgeous Disney cupcake, or some chocolate peanut butter wonderfulness. But knowing your options — and especially where you can score healthy snacks and sides — is a great tool to have in your toolbox, especially if you plan to try to eat a somewhat balanced diet in the ‘World.

And you can never underestimate the potential horror of a hungry toddler! So hopefully these come in handy for the parents out there, too.

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So, what do you think? We’ll you be swapping snack credits for green beans during your next visit or did they have you at jalapeño poppers? Leave a comment and let us know!

Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com! Also, come on over and:

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Review: Jalapeno Poppers and Sides at ABC Commissary in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

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