On the night of May 10, 2025, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano closed its doors for the final time. This comes as the area is getting rethemed and rebuilt to house a new area themed to the world introduced by Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. The closing of Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano comes almost a month before Muppet*Vision 3D will be shown for the final time on June 7, 2025.
Here is a look at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano and the official description of this restaurant:
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Mangia in the backlot of Disney’s Hollywood Studios at this casual but colorful Italian eatery with a California twist.
Benvenuti a Mama’s
The vivacious Mama Melrose serves up home-style Italian fare with flavors as bold as she is.
Checked curtains, overhead string lights, hanging foodstuffs, and walls crowded with Mama’s eclectic mementos transform this former backlot warehouse into a cozy and inviting dining space. The same scrumptious menu is served for lunch and dinner.
Buon Appetito!
Start with one of Mama’s appealing appetizers—like crispy calamari or a margarita flatbread, fresh from the oven.Then, select from a host of enticing entrees that include authentic pastas, savory chicken and seafood preparations, or even the charred strip steak.
For dessert, enjoy a taste of la dolce vita with Mama’s tiramisù or Ghirardelli chocolate and cherry tort.
Naturally, we offer a selection of Italian and Californian wines, draft beers and specialty cocktails for Guests 21 years of age and up. And, of course, Mama always invites you to top off your Italian dining experience with an authentic cappuccino, espresso, caffé latte or caffé mocha.
Advance reservations are highly recommended. Learn when advance reservations can be made.
The Mama Melrose Story
Once upon a time, a young girl from a small Sicilian village moved to Hollywood to become a star. However, she soon found that cooking was her true calling as she re-created her papa’s secret recipes for her starving actor friends.
At their urging, she opened a restaurant in a vacant backlot warehouse once used to store film equipment. Mama’s culinary talents soon attracted the patronage of film industry insiders, who dubbed her Mama Melrose, after the lively Los Angeles thoroughfare. Her establishment became known as the place “where Italy meets California in the heart of the Backlot,” and the rest, as they say, is history.
While this restaurant is disappearing for good from Walt Disney World Resort, The Muppets will still have a home at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They will be taking over the space that is currently inhabited by Aerosmith. This will be the first Disney ride ever to feature The Muppets. For those who are sad about the closure of Muppet*Vision 3D and the nearby PizzeRizzo, Disney says that it is “having creative conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future.”
What do you think about all of the changes happening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? What are you most excited about? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
