Food and Shopping at Star Wars: Galactic Nights

Last Saturday, Disney’s Hollywood Studios hosted Star Wars: Galactic Nights and it was an amazing event that brought out all the Star Wars fans to celebrate their favorite movie franchise. I’ve already discussed all the amazing entertainment and attractions but let’s talk about another thing that Disney is good about in their parks; the merchandise and the food!

Since Galactic Nights was a special event Disney had a special menu available and limited edition merchandise available for guests. So let’s talk about one of my favorite subjects at Disney first and that’s the food. Disney had a full Star Wars themed menu that was inspired by the films and their legendary characters and it was available at all of Hollywood Studios’ dining locations. I was happy to see that all the dining locations stayed open because some special events that I’ve attended have only had a few dining option available. Galactic Nights had 15 different tasting-sized bites available throughout the park and included a wide range of options including vegetarian and gluten-friendly options. I decided to go to my new favorite spot at Hollywood Studios (and a favorite among my fellow Disney Nerds), Baseline Tap House, to try some of the Star Wars eats. Now Baseline did not have all 15 items available and the guide guests were given when they entered did list what food selections were available at each location. I decided I wanted to sit outside because the weather was nice and I love Baseline’s outdoor seating area so I knew that’s where I was going to go. The line was very long to make my food and drink purchases but that was the longest line I experienced all night so I can’t complain. Baseline had 5 of food selections available and 3 specialty cocktails available (in addition to their regular selection).

I got 4 of the 5 tasting bites and 1 cocktail. The cocktails were the most expensive item starting at $13.35 for the Swamp Juice (Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Blue Curacao, and Pineapple Juice), $14.25 for the Galactic Punch (Svedka Vodka, Chambord, Peach Schnapps, Odwalla Lemonade, and Pineapple Juice, and $16 for the Lightspeed Margarita (Patron Silver Tequila, Blue Curacao, and Sweet and Sour). I got the Swamp Juice which was delicious but I would not purchase a second one just because of the price but that’s to be expected when it comes to alcoholic beverages. The drinks did come with a lighted glow cube but I would’ve loved to receive a lighted Death Star or other Star Wars ship with my drink like I did at the Star Wars Weekends.

The food was amazing though and the prices were right on par for a typical Disney tasting plate, starting at $5 or more a plate. I got the Root Leaf Stew with Lamb Chop, the Ribeye Steak Puff, the C-3PO Charcuterie, and the Mini Eclair Trio. I have no complaints about the food besides the size and that’s only because they were so good I wanted more! The C-3PO Charcuterie was a perfect appetizer, it consisted of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries with 2 skewers of sausage and cheese, a piece of salami shaped like Yoda’s head and a cheddar cheer cracker in the shape of C-3PO’s head. I thought the Yoda salami and C-3PO cheese cracker were a cute way to incorporate Star Wars. The Roof Leaf Stew with Lamp Chop was a good size lamp chop and the stew didn’t seem like stew at all. It was a nice side to the lamb chop in my opinion and consisted of potatoes, roasted beets, mushrooms, carrots, spinach, and lentils. I love lamb and it’s easy to cook lamb wrong and Disney did not disappoint and cooked the lamp chop perfectly. The Ribeye Steak Puff was my favorite of the 3 plates. It consisted of coffee-rubbed shaved ribeye, toma cheese, caramelized onions and horseradish on a pastry puff. It was delicious and I would describe as almost an elevated version of a French dip sandwich (with horseradish).

But we saved dessert for last and there’s a reason for that because it was the best way to end the sampling! I got the Star Wars themed Mini Éclair Trio and I really need Disney to make these in full size and sell them all year round because they were amazing! Each éclair was a different flavor and little different theme. There was a coffee (decorated with sugar “rocks” from Tatooine), chocolate (with a chocolate lightsaber) and a vanilla (with a BB-8 design on top). The chocolate and vanilla were my personal favorites and I could have eaten 10 more! I would love to see if this is the level of food that we might expect at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. I mean, aliens eat eclairs too, right?

With my stomach filled with galactic eats, I then decided it was time to do a little shopping. Disney had some limited edition merchandise out for Galactic Nights and I wanted to see what the selection was. There were two T-shirts available, one a dark grey shirt with the logo of the Galactic Nights event complete with the date and the second shirt was a black shirt covered with Star Wars themed constellations. I thought the grey shirt is Disney’s standard and loved the constellations shirt as something new and different. I think the big hit for the merchandise with the logo was the red metal insulated travel mug. There was also a poster which had a vintage travel posted vibe to it and of course there was a pin which was Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s movie poster with Star Wars: Galactic Nights on the bottom. I loved the mug and I could see this flying off the shelves, insulated mugs a very popular right now and what better souvenir from the night than something you’ll use all the time.

But besides the merchandise that was available for purchase, I think the amount of free merchandise was great! First off, our ticket was large and laminated which could easily displayed (or even put in a small frame) and it came on a nice lanyard which could be used to display your pin collection while in the parks. Next, if you showed proof of ticket purchase to Star Wars: The Last Jedi (even if you had not seen the movie yet), you could redeem a small metal ornament commemorating the opening weekend of the film. Lastly, when the guests exited the park after such a fun filled night, we all received a button with the Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie poster, a mini poster for Star Wars: Galactic Nights, and the first pack of trading cards that will be available for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge when the land opens in 2019! I think that’s a good amount of free merchandise to commemorate such a great event!

So there you have it, the food and the merchandise from last Saturday’s Star Wars: Galactic Nights. I think that anyone that attended the event would agree with me when I say the food selection was amazing and the merchandise had something there for everyone (including the freebies!). I know that I’m still dreaming about those eclairs and I love my merchandise selections to remember the night.

If you wish to be a part of the Force and all the fun at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, don’t forget we have our official travel agent. Contact Once Upon A Time Travel for help plan your next trip!