Catalina Eddie’s at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has several new menu items, including some pasta and a cannoli for dessert, so we stopped by to give all of them a review.
Catalina Eddie’s is located on Sunset Boulevard, near Rosie’s All-American Cafe and Fairfax Fare. The quick-service location is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (or sometimes 10 p.m. depending on the park’s operating hours). The menu includes several Italian-inspired dishes including pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and desserts.
The three new menu items include an Alfredo Basil Chicken Pasta, Chicken Parmesan with Marinara Pasta, and a Cannoli. All three new items have already been added to the posted menu by the ordering window as well as the digital menus.
Alfredo Basil Chicken Pasta – $13.29
Served with a slice of Garlic Bread
First, we consider the alfredo pasta one of the tamer options on the menu at Catalina Eddie’s, or possibly an alternative for someone not wanting too much marinara sauce. That being said, even for an alfredo dish, this was a little bland. The sauce has no real flavor and the basil is barely present.
Overall, we thought the most flavorful aspect of this dish was the chicken, which was helped by a bit of marinara over the top. Though as a side note, the marinara on this tasted almost like pure tomato sauce. Not bad, just again lacking a bit of extra seasoning. The chicken was not too chewy and paired well with the pasta.
Rating out of 7: 4
Chicken Parmesan with Marinara Pasta – $13.29
Served with a slice of Garlic Bread
This version of the pasta has a lot of the same accompaniments as the alfredo, with the same chicken and garlic bread. Regarding the bread, we thought it was a very basic garlic flavor that tastes identical to most other quick-service locations around Walt Disney World. It has a crispy outside and was smothered in butter.
We liked this version of the pasta with the marinara better than the alfredo version, just because it had a bit more flavor on the pasta. There was just enough sauce to have the tomato in every bite, but not so much that it feels like you are eating pure tomato with a side of pasta. The chicken on both items is premade, so it is basically the same regardless of what you order.
Rating out of 7: 5
Cannoli – $5.29
Our opinions were a little divided on the cannoli at Catalina Eddie’s, and a lot of it has to do with personal preference. Our reporter likes to have a cannoli in a crispier shell, but this one was extremely soft. Despite its appearance in pictures, the exterior did not crunch and had a texture almost like a thin cookie.
While described on the menu as a basic cannoli, we thought the interior cream had a slight hint of cinnamon or coffee. It did not taste like basic vanilla cream. That being said, it still paired well with the chocolate chips on the sides. Not our favorite cannoli on property, but still a solid option.
Rating out of 7: 5
Overall, we thought the new menu items at Catalina Eddie’s were somewhere in the middle. The pasta options were both cooked well and would be a perfect lunch dish, but also lacked a little seasoning. We would recommend them for pickier eaters. The cannoli was also good, despite the somewhat odd texture. However, we wouldn’t call either of them our to-go snack options. We also found the addition of two hearty pasta items a bit odd in the middle of summer, because they make you feel very heavy as you walk through the park.
If you want to read some more recent food reviews, we have also tried the Poison Apple Cake Pop at Disney Springs, the returning S’mores Bar at EPCOT, and several new summer treats at the Walt Disney World water parks.
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