BaseLine Tap House is a bar/lounge in Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios. Located in Grand Avenue, the bar offers a variety of craft beers on tap while also acting for all intents and purposes as a counter-service restaurant. While the menu is limited, the bar offers a few items for lunch and dinner to go along with their large drink menu. In this post, we’ll review the BaseLine Tap House’s atmosphere, cuisine and value.
Earlier this month we covered another solid addition to Hollywood Studios somewhat surprising dining scene. Over the last few years, the park has added some quality additions to what used to be the worst park for counter-service food. BaseLine Tap House isn’t a traditional counter-service option and doesn’t take part in the Disney Dining Plan when that is active but the food served here ups the quality of the whole park.
Lounges and bars have long been hidden gems in Walt Disney World when it comes to food. In fact, one of the best dining locations in Hollywood Studios is the excellent Brown Derby Lounge. While counter-service options can offer the same food over and over again, lounges typically have a slightly different fare that seems to be of higher quality. That isn’t always the case but has mostly matched our experience.
BaseLine Tap House is a little different than the usual WDW lounge in that it isn’t connected to another restaurant and essentially operates like a bar. Guests will go up to the counter, make an order and then look for a table. Most lounges offer more of a sit down dining experience. The seating at BaseLine Tap House is mostly outside, with very limited space inside especially during a pandemic. Fortunately, much of the outside is shaded with umbrellas and trees. It’s a lively area, reminiscent of a local brewery. There isn’t much of a theme to speak of but it’s a nice place to sit assuming the heat isn’t suffocating.
The inside of BaseLine has a little more character with props on shelves above a brick wall. The props pay homage to the Figueroa Print Company, a fictional mom and pop shop that used to work with the Disney company. It’s a fine backstory, if perhaps a cheesy coverup for embracing the cheap repurposed warehouse aesthetic. All of this is supposed to invoke industrial Los Angeles and it works well enough. If I wasn’t a sucker for the brick wall I might be a little more harsh.
While there’s no transportive theme, BaseLine Tap House does have that factor where it just seems like a cool place to sit and have a drink or bite to eat. With most counter-service options in Hollywood Studios lacking an impressive atmosphere (save Docking Bay 7), relaxing here is a decent option.
Let’s move on to the food and drinks! Here’s a look at the menu. I don’t typically review drinks on the blog because tastes differ so much. I don’t drink many alcoholic beverages mostly due to not loving the taste. That said, I did try the Exotic Margarita here and found it to be average. It came out of the tap and wasn’t much like a typical margarita. I guess that’s because it’s so exotic! The Yuzu was a little powerful and I would have enjoyed more of the lime taste coming through.
I also tried the Blue Sky Black Cherry Soda and enjoyed this. The soda was refreshing and crisp. I generally think that cherry syrup or flavoring tends to taste like the cough syrup that my parents used to keep in their medicine cabinet about ten years past the expiration date. That wasn’t the case here, as the syrup wasn’t overpowering. If you’re going for a drink at BaseLine, I’d recommend getting one of the beers or ciders on tap. Most of them come from California breweries and that is what this place is known for, it’s just not really my thing.
As for food, we tried the California Cheese and Charcuterie Plate. This consisted of Toma Farmstead Cheese, Point Reyes Original Blue Cheese, Laura Chenel’s Sonoma Goat Cheese, Chorizo and Calabrese Salami, Cornichons, Grapes and Toasted Baguettes. All of the ingredients were fresh and delicious. I especially liked the Chorizo and Toma Farmstead Cheese while Melissa was partial to the Goat Cheese. This is perfect to share and we cleared the plate pretty easily, enjoying everything. At just $10, this is one of the best values in Walt Disney World. My advice is simple on this one, if you’re going to BaseLine Tap House then get this.
The Bavarian Pretzel isn’t quite the steal that the Charcuterie Plate is but it was delicious. Served with Beer-Cheese Fondue and Spicy Mustard, the pretzel was fresh and large. Unfortunately, it comes in at $9. While this is certainly better than the typical Mickey Pretzel, it’s also a couple of dollars more and I don’t know if it’s that much better. I should probably do more pretzel research in the future! Anyway, this is a really good soft pretzel.
Unfortunately, the Coffee-rubbed Rib-Eye Beef Puff wasn’t available when we were there but it looks amazing from the photos and I’ve only heard/read good things about it.
Overall, BaseLine Tap House is a lovely place to relax and have a surprisingly good meal. The food options were excellent and the drink listings are more interesting (and a better value) than most WDW bars. It’s an odd feeling to be writing so many positive things about Hollywood Studios food lately but here we are! BaseLine Tap House is another winner for the park.
Overall Rating – 9/10
Have you tried BaseLine Tap House? Let us know your thoughts or any questions you might have in the comments below. Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!
Categories: Restaurant Reviews
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