Dinner and a Movie in Orlando? Don't miss the new AMC Dine-In Theatres at Downtown Disney

Mannequins, Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club, Adventurers Club, Neon Armadillo, 8TRAX, and AMC Theatres: All names synonymous with Orlando nightlife in the ‘90s. I remember well donning my finest frayed corduroy shirt, baggy jeans and Doc Martens like any other grunge-worthy club-goer in the Clinton Era and heading out for dinner at Planet Hollywood, a movie at AMC, and a night on the town at Pleasure Island. Those were the days, and AMC Pleasure Island was the biggest and best movie theater in Central Florida.

But those days are over. Pleasure Island is no more, and soon to become Hyperion Wharf. The revolving dance floor is sadly still at Mannequins, the adventure is over at the Adventures Club, and the hoedown is done at the Neon Armadillo.

Yes, the nifty nineties are over, but AMC Theatres are still in business and still relevant and still evolving. 

The theater expanded to 24 screens in 1997, and the megaplex is now known as AMC Downtown Disney 24. Beginning May 16th, the complex will evolve once more with the original theatres on the “East Side” becoming dine-in theaters featuring seat-side, table-top dining with a personal call button that discreetly alerts a server to bring you a Coke, a cocktail, Raisinets, popcorn, or even a complete meal and dessert. 

AMC Dine-In Theatres offer meal and a movie options with a bar and lounge area named “McGuffins” serving a wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty drinks, beer and wine. The menu includes entrees such as a selection of quesadillas, burgers, flatbread pizzas, chicken fingers and grilled sandwiches. The menu includes appetizers and desserts. 

At a pre-opening press event, I was able to sample several complementary items from the menu and I found everything we ordered top-notch. Service was fantastic, and the seats were amazingly comfortable. This is the way to see a movie! 

To start the meal, I tried the Loaded Potato Skins ($7.99) with crab Rangoon dip ($2.99). The crispy potato skins covered in melted Cheddar and Jack cheese, topped with hickory bacon, sour cream and green onions were fantastic. I can’t remember an order of potato skins I enjoyed more. The crab Rangoon was an amazing addition. 

My guest sampled the Sweet Onion Loops ($6.99). They were onion rings, plain and simple. Not bad, but once he took a bite of my potato skins, he seemed to forget he’d ordered rings. 

For my entree, I chose the Thai Coconut Chicken Tenders ($11.99). The chicken tenders were fried golden and served with a Thai coconut red chili glaze for dipping. The fries were served with a sweet ponzu sauce. They were on par with something you might find at Applebee’s or Chili’s, but I didn’t complain. 

My guest tried the Lime Chicken Griller ($8.99). He liked the soft Kaiser bun but thought the lime-marinated chicken portion was a little smaller than expected. He thought for a lighter appetite, it would be perfect. 

I loved the ability to summon a server at the press of a button, whether a drink refill was needed or the popcorn needed a little more butter topping. Can we please get this button installed table-side at every restaurant please?

I loved the whole experience and I will make it a point to combine dinner and a movie more often. View the complete Menu.

AMC Dine-In Theatres at AMC Downtown Disney 24 pricing: 

Ticket prices range from $6-13, depending on day of week and show time, for the Dine-in Theatre experience. Menu items start at $6.59-8.99 for appetizers and adult entrees range from $8.59-11.99. Specific pricing information, including value pricing and senior/student pricing, for the Dine-In Theatres at AMC Downtown Disney 24 can be found at www.amctheatres.com/dinein  (click on the Downtown Disney 24 link). 

AMC Downtown Disney 24 also offers 18 traditional auditoriums featuring stadium seating, the innovative Marketplace concession area and an ETX auditorium. ETX includes a 20-percent larger screen, 3D technology, digital projection and an upgraded sound system. Specifically, the digital projection system produces images at a higher resolution than HD and there are nearly twice as many audio channels compared to typical auditoriums. 

In addition to AMC Downtown Disney, AMC features seven existing AMC Dine-In Theatre locations:  

• AMC Buckhead – Atlanta, Georgia

• AMC Studio 30 – Olathe, Kansas

• AMC Mainstreet 6 – Kansas City, Missouri

• AMC Bridgewater Commons 7 - Bridgewater, New Jersey

• AMC Menlo Park 12 - Edison, New Jersey

• AMC Essex Green 9 – Menlo Park, New Jersey

• AMC Grapevine Mills 30 - Grapevine, Texas  

For complete pricing information and show times, visit: www.amctheatres.com/dinein.

4 1/2 Silver Screens out of 5

If you have an experience at AMC Theatres or Pleasure Island (especially in the '90s) we'd love to hear about it. Please tell us all about it in the comment section below.