When it comes to dance parties, there’s more than one way to skin a rat at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you’ve got kids, you may already be familiar with the 10-minute show, Disney Junior Play and Dance! It’s a Lightning Lane attraction (read our Lightning Lane guide for more details), and there’s a big sign for it in the Animation Courtyard. The grapevine on TikTok and Disney message boards, however, tells of another dance party that’s off the map at Hollywood Studios. We’re talking about the lesser-known, upstairs gathering at PizzeRizzo. This is the Muppets-themed restaurant that advertises itself as “The City’s Top Rated Pizza” (except when the letters in its neon sign are burnt out so that the illuminated ones read, “It’s Rat Pizza.”)
Don’t fret thinking you weren’t invited because it’s a very informal dance party. At PizzeRizzo, we’re a long way from the exclusive Club 33. There’s a disco ball and music playing over the loudspeakers, but appearances by characters like Mickey Mouse, Vampirina, and Timon from “The Lion King” aren’t scheduled.
What it really amounts to is just an open space where energetic kids can cut loose in the second-floor dance hall while their parents enjoy a much-needed break at the dinner table. If Mom or Dad is feeling game, they can also join the impromptu dance party. Who knows, maybe it will make you a YouTube star. Otherwise, this could just be the perfect place to take a break from the crowds at Hollywood Studios.
Where to find the PizzeRizzo dance floor
Matt Stroshane / Disney
Its fictional owner may not be as famous as the titular chef in Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at Epcot, but PizzeRizzo continues the proud Disney movie tradition of setting rats loose in kitchens. It’s named after the Muppet, Rizzo, who has 94,000 followers on X, formerly known as Twitter. On the guide map for Hollywood Studios, you’ll find PizzeRizzo in the Grand Avenue area. The only attraction in this area is the long-running Muppet*Vision 3D, but it’s right on the way back to Star Wars: Galaxy Edge. Before Toy Story Land opened at Hollywood Studios, the PizzeRizzo building was occupied by Toy Story Pizza Planet.
Suffice it to say, the popularity of their rides has made it so that Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land are now two of the park’s busiest areas. Overcrowding in these places may have contributed to Hollywood Studios being the worst-rated Disney park. If you’ve just escaped the madness of Galaxy’s Edge and need somewhere to decompress, PizzeRizzo could be the place to do it while your kids occupy themselves with dancing to the music.
The restaurant’s spacious second floor has been likened to a wedding reception hall. Its low-key dance party isn’t mentioned on the map because it’s a loosely organized event that relies on the whims of young visitors. Rest assured, though, you or your kids can get the party started if you head upstairs and no one’s taking advantage of the disco ball and dance floor.
Food versus atmosphere
Disney Parks / Facebook
As an actual restaurant, PizzeRizzo tends to inspire lukewarm reviews. Though it scores a 4.0 out of 5 on Tripadvisor, it’s currently the 99th most popular option for quick bites in Orlando. Disney Tourist Blog likens the menu offerings to frozen pizza and calls it “the second best New York in Los Angeles-themed restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.”
Back-handed compliments aside, some Redditors defend PizzeRizzo as a no-frills alternative to the overpriced food at other Disney restaurants. For parents, its appeal may lie more in its affordability and its chill atmosphere than its food. Disney World is usually teeming with crowds, and it’s something of a rarity to find a quieter place tucked away upstairs, where you can sit down and let your kids run free for a while. PizzeRizzo also has some fun little background touches like a corkboard with an award declaring it the runner-up for “classiest banquet room” of 1989. This room (now less cluttered than above) is where you’ll be sitting while your kids dance.
The Magic Kingdom previously had a 35-minute, dance-along parade called Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party. As of this writing, it’s listed as “temporarily unavailable.” If your kids enjoyed that parade or the Disney Junior Play and Dance! show, PizzeRizzo could be the ideal venue for them to get any excess moves out of their system. Use it as a way station before your family heads to its next Hollywood Studios attraction together.
