Universal Studios Florida · Hollywood
A 1950s diner on the Hollywood boulevard with classic cars parked outside, a jukebox, and the latest kitchen hours in the park.
Last verified July 2026
Mel's Drive-In is a full recreation of a 1950s American diner, with chrome, red vinyl booths, a jukebox and classic cars parked outside on the boulevard. It is a counter-service operation despite the diner styling.
The menu is burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries and thick milkshakes. It is unremarkable food executed reliably, and the shakes are the best thing on the board by a clear margin.
It matters practically because it stays open later than most of the park's kitchens and has a large air-conditioned room at the end of the park where the lagoon show empties out. On a night when everything else has closed its windows, this is where you eat.
Ordinary diner food in a very good-looking room with the longest hours in the park. Come for a shake and the late opening rather than the burger.
The dishes this kitchen is actually known for. Menus change seasonally, so treat this as what to look for rather than a guaranteed list.
Prices we have checked ourselves, with the month we checked them. Mark anything here and it saves to your device.
A thick hand-spun milkshake in vanilla, chocolate or strawberry, served in the 1950s diner on the Hollywood boulevard.
Our take: The best thing at Mel's by a distance and one of the better desserts in the park. Thick enough that the straw is decorative, which is the correct standard for a milkshake.
A standard diner cheeseburger with fries, ordered at the counter and eaten in a red vinyl booth.
Our take: Unremarkable, and the room is doing all of the work. Come here for the booths, the jukebox and the late opening, and order the milkshake rather than the burger.
No, despite the diner styling. You order at a counter and carry the food to a booth. The room is dressed as a full 1950s diner and the service model is standard quick-service.
Later than most kitchens in this park, which makes it the reliable option after the nighttime lagoon show. Times move with the park's operating hours, so check the app on the day.