We’ve reached our last Mirror Image Post Day with our good friend, Ryan from Main Street Gazette. Just in case you haven’t been following our Wednesday posts, our two blogs have been showcasing “mirror-image” food topics in Disneyland and Disney World throughout the month of May (if you’ve missed ’em, check out the last paragraph of this blog to see all the links!). Today, we’re exploring two of our favorite character breakfasts — Chef Mickey’s and Goofy’s Kitchen!
Disneyland Hotel
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present — Disneyland’s premier (IMHO) character breakfast — Goofy’s Kitchen! For those of you who love Chef Mickey’s, Crystal Palace, and Disney World’s other character breakfasts, you’ll feel right at home at Goofy’s Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel. While the setting might not be quite as dramatic, the characters are an incredible mish-mosh of rarely-seen folks and the food is an amazing spread.
Atmosphere
Goofy’s Kitchen seems like a bit of an afterthought in the Disneyland Hotel, but once you finally find your way there, you’ll see they’ve incorporated a lot of the decor standard at Chef Mickey’s. The restaurant is broken up into several rooms with big, block-y, colorful wall designs; textured and patterned fabrics; light woods; and geometric shapes scattered throughout the restaurant.
Goofy's Kitchen Table
While it’s not as bright and light as Chef Mickey’s, there are still plenty of window tables to snag.
One Room of Goofy's Kitchen Restaurant
And there are even some coveted (when it’s not too cold or too warm, of course) outdoor patio tables.
Outdoor Dining
Characters
I have no idea if Baloo, Aladdin and Jasmine, Pluto (who stays at the front and takes photos), Goofy, and Chip are the regulars here in Goofy’s Kitchen, but I was ecstatic when I realized who I’d get to share my breakfast with on my morning here.
Baloo and Goofy Dance with a Little Cinderella
Hugging Baloo in the morning is just about the best way to start a morning, and listening to Aladdin and Jasmine chat about their camels is a great bit of banter in the background! Loved the idea of a completely random collection of characters that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. (Incidentally, this was also the case in Minnie’s Plaza Breakfast later in the week — awesome.)
Pluto
The Chef Himself
Aladdin and Jasmine
Chip (no Dale...?)
Baloo
Eats
The best word to describe the brunch buffet is: extensive. It took me about 25 minutes just to photograph everything. There’s nothing repeated here, either — every available surface is covered with unique dishes ranging from customized omelets to peanut butter pizza to oatmeal to and entire island full of desserts. There’s just no way you can try everything, so be sure to look around first — prioritize your stomach space!
My favorite item? The Louisiana Scramble. A mix of eggs, sausage, peppers, onions, and other deliciousness — almost like an egg-y gumbo! Stunning. Try it. Try a LOT of it.
Egg White Fritatta and Louisiana Scramble
But, of course, there were plenty of other options…
Fruit
Yogurt
Ice Cream Machine
Ice Cream Toppings, Including Butterfinger, Trail Mix, Coconut, and More
Cereal
Made to Order Omelets
Worms in Dirt Desserts
Cinnamon rolls
Breakfast Breads
Muffins
Apple Turnovers
Croissants
Marble Cake
Bananas Foster Crepes
No Sugar Added Cupcakes
Chocolate Dipped Cocoa Rice Krispie Treats
Caramel Bread Pudding
Peach and Blueberry Cobbler
Lemon Tarts and Jello
French Toast and Mickey Pancakes
Chicken Tenders and Mickey Waffles
Pepperoni Pizza
Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza
Cheese Pizza
Cold Cuts and Cheese
Bagels and Potato Salad
Chopped Egg, Chopped Egg White, Sour Cream
Salmon
Citrus Jicama Salad
Cold Veggies
Oatmeal
Scrambled Eggs
Breakfast Potatoes and Eggs Benedict
Biscuits and Gravy
Corned Beef Hash and Fried Plantains
Veggie of the Day and Glazed Ham
Bacon and Sausage
Whew. You still with me?
Overall
My first impression of Goofy’s Kitchen was that it was about 50 times better than Chef Mickey’s. The buffet (which, to its credit, was brunch instead of just breakfast) was far more extensive, with a wide range of options you won’t find at Chef Mickey’s. The characters were impressive and interesting (Baloo, Chip, and Jasmine at the same breakfast?! It’s like a free-for-all!). The service was great.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the basic setting at Chef Mickey’s — all vaulted ceilings and open space — trumped its Disneyland counterpart’s awkward architectural feeling of being jammed into too small a space.
I’d choose Goofy’s Kitchen if I had to choose between the two, but the pros and cons are a compelling and balanced set, to be sure!
Thanks for visiting Goofy’s Kitchen with me today! Be sure to check out Main Street Gazette for Ryan’s take on Chef Mickey’s in Disney World! And to check out the previous “mirror-image” posts in the series, see WDW’s Confectionery vs. Disneyland’s Candy Palace, Pizza Planet vs. Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port, and Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival vs. the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival!
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Ohhh I’m so hungry now, grr! 😉
That all looks amazing, especially the Crepes and the Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza!
Ok – that’s convinced me – that is the one ADR I definitely need on our honeymoon!!
The thing that really swayed me away from choosing Goofy’s kitchen was the price! Ack! It was wayyyy more expensive than Chef Mickey’s.
We did our character breakfast over at Storyteller’s at the Grand Californian, absolutely loved it!
Jen — I’m hungry, too! The food really was delicious. I could have eaten a whole plate of that Louisiana Scramble!
Becca — It’s such fun! I hope you have Aladdin and Jasmine at your meal!
Any breakfast/brunch buffet with chicken tenders on it has GOT to be awesome!
Oh goodie! Earlier this week, the kids chose this as their one and only character breakfast spot for our September trip. Did you have to buy a new memory card for your camera when you were done? That’s a whole lotta pictures you had to take!
Sarah — My thoughts exactly. If I can have peanut butter pizza, chicken tenders, and worms and dirt, it’s a good morning.
Shayne — You guys are going to have so much fun! (Yeah…I was up until 2am uploading pics…you can only imagine…) 😉
I read (I wasnt sure if it was here or somewhere else) that at Chef Mickey’s they did away with the Peanut Butter Pizza—which was one of my favorite things on their buffet! I see it wasn’t the same with Goofy’s Kitchen—I can’t wait until I can go visit Disneyland—I will definitely have to try it out. The food looked AMAZING!
Dana — Yep! It was there in all of it’s peanut buttery goodness! I had a piece, too — very good. 🙂 Hope it’s still there for ya!
oh i adored going to Goofy’s Kitchen for my first character meal as an adult on my Disneyland trip back in september!! there really is such a wide myriad of characters. I met Pluto, Chip, Dale, Goofy, Princess Aurora (who decided to give me bunny ears in one shot – that sneak!), Alice and Baloo. And as I was leaving, I saw even more characters that were just coming in! They really have such an amazing rotation and I had such a fun time! Also, I adore their eggs benedict. Alice was so cute and asked if I had tried her french toast, which she said she made herself before she came to have breakfast with me 🙂
Oh, we did Goofy’s Kitchen for Christmas day breakfast this past Christmas. It was fun and the food was good. Saw Pluto, Goofy, Mulan, Snow White, Baloo Chip & Dale. My nephew didn’t want to say hi to Mulan and Snow white. He was avoiding them like the plague. So funny….
Rachel — Isn’t it a fun, wacky place? It’s like a giant dumping ground for random characters! I love it!
Lillian — Little boys are so funny with the princesses… You never know how they’re going to react!
Hello,
I have special dietary needs and was so happy to find no sugar added cupcakes at Goofy’s Kitchen. I’ve visited the kitchen and called several times to speak with Chef James (?) to get the recipe. Sadly enough he never called me back. Please email me the recipe. It’s a rare day when I get to eat any goodies.
Thank you
What is the price difference between Goofy’s Kitchen and the Plaza inn inside Disneyland?