Who doesn’t love a Mickey Waffle? We’ve dedicated lots of posts to this beloved treat here on the blog. In fact, it’s probably one of the only universal Mickey shaped foods that can be found throughout all Disney parks.

 

We’ve got them here in the states at the Disneyland Resort and they’re aplenty in Walt Disney World.  I’ve also had one at Aulani.  I saw them at Disneyland Paris, and I’ve seen photos of them from Hong Kong.

But Tokyo Disneyland? They have an entire restaurant dedicated to Mickey Waffles!  I give you The Great American Waffle Co.

The Great American Waffle Co. is located in Tokyo Disneyland’s World Bazaar area.  I fell in love with this spot the minute I saw this Mickey waffle sign hanging outside.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if this sign hung above every place in the world that sells Mickey Waffles??? It really should be the universal sign for Mickey waffles.

The menu here is small, but I guarantee it will make you happy.  You can have

ICE CREAM with your WAFFLES!

We stopped at the Great American Waffle Co. for breakfast before a full day in the parks.  There was a pretty long line.  Apparently lots of other people had the same idea.  Warm Mickey waffles make a great start to a rainy day!  Not to worry though, the line moves really fast here.  And there’s a reason it moves so quickly. Here is the reason:

I’ve seriously never seen a more efficient waffle making kitchen. And with the waffle boss lady at the reigns, this place runs like a well oiled machine.  The small room, with a giant glass window for spectators in line, is filled with approximately 12 Mickey waffle presses and one amazing cast member.  Timers line the wall behind her and the system is flawless. It really made waiting in line pretty awesome.

The Mickey waffle irons are super heavy duty and the cast member takes extra care when pouring the batter, I didn’t see her mess up once!

Here’s the line up empty and ready for a fresh batch of Mickey Waffles.

After each batch of waffles is cooked, they are stacked up high onto a plate.

After stacking the waffles, the waffle boss lady uses the tongs to pick off any excess batter that would make Mickey imperfect.  Never does an imperfect Mickey make its way through the waffle portal.

Once the decision has been made that a perfect stack of fresh Mickey waffles has been created, they are placed in the waffle portal.  Really it’s just a sliding door that gives the waffle preppers on the other side access to fresh waffles.

Once the waffles are safe on the other side, the waffle boss lady starts over from the beginning and repeats herself over and over!  This makes waffle connoisseurs very happy because fresh waffles are being made all day long.

Now, let’s head on over to the other side! What you see below is the opposite side of the waffle portal.  This is where the cast members who prepare the waffles for guests grab them to be “dressed.”

To the right of the waffle portal there is a preparation counter.  Here, your waffles are topped to your liking.

The menu on the inside of the restaurant has a few more items on it, really the only difference from the outside menu is the beverage list.  Isn’t the “American” Christmas decor cute?

Indoors, there are plastic display waffles out so you can see what each item looks like. If you are familiar with Japan, you’ll know that nearly every restaurant has plastic versions of the food they serve on display.  Most of the Tokyo Disney eateries have plastic display food too!

Since the menu is so small, ordering is very easy. Just don’t try and customize too much unless you speak Japanese, because it confuses everyone involved!  We did a pretty good job and stuck to mostly to the menu.  We did need help from a friend to order a “plain” waffle.  Here are our waffles being prepared.

After preparation, your waffles are placed in these super efficient “towers” for easy transporting to your table.  It’s really quite simple, but so ingenious.  A circular piece of thin cardboard is placed over your waffle so that another plate can be stacked on top.  Your waffle stays neat and pretty and one person can carry multiple orders.

We ordered 4 different types of waffles.  My youngest went for the Plain Mickey Waffle. Boring, but he was happy, so that’s all that matters!  The plain waffle is 410 Yen which is approximately $3.48 US.  All of the waffles here come with the plain Mickey Waffle as their “base.”

My oldest and my husband both ordered the Chocolate Sauce Waffle with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  This seemed to be the most popular waffle at our table.  Both were delicious and devoured.  Look how perfect that scoop of ice cream is! The chocolate sauce is like a work of art, and the dollop of whipped cream with the perfectly placed chocolate crunchies on it? Come on. Looks like we need to step up our waffle game over here in the good ‘ol US of A.

The Chocolate Sauce Waffle is 410 Yen which is approximately $3.48 US.   I can’t recall the extra cost of the ice cream, but it wasn’t much at all.  Maybe only 100 Yen, which is less than a dollar.

I had the Strawberry & Custard Sauce Waffle.  Also a work of art.  It came topped with perfect stripes of strawberry & vanilla custard sauces.  It was served with a scoop of fresh strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream.  I truly enjoyed my waffle, but it was really, really sweet making it impossible for me to finish it off. I gave it a good go though!

The Strawberry & Custard waffle is 450 Yen which is approximately $3.82 US.

Two of our friends ordered the Seasonal Waffle, which was Apple with Caramel Ice Cream.  I was able to try this one too and it was probably my favorite of them all!  This waffle comes topped with caramel drizzle and served perfect scoop of ice cream, this time caramel, with a side of apples, a dollop of whipped cream and a swirl of vanilla custard.  Perfection.  The Seasonal Waffle is 700 Yen which is approximately $5.95 US.

We did not try the Maple Sauce Waffle. It looked like a regular maple syrup topping, so we went with the more unique items that we couldn’t get at home.  The Great American Waffle Co. also served Mini Mickey Waffles in a cup.  We didn’t order them, but they sure were cute.  They look a little smaller than the ones we have in the US parks.  I didn’t see the mini waffle iron, so I’m not sure if these ones are made on site or not.

The Great Waffle Co. is a small but bustling stop. It’s got plenty of seating and because the turnover is so quick, it’s pretty easy to find yourself a table.  Here are a few interior shots so you can get the general idea of the seating.  You can see it’s crowded!

The restaurant says that there’s seating for 120 inside, but I honestly think that’s way too generous. It didn’t seem like that many people were in there and it was pretty packed!

Overall, this was one of my favorite stops at Tokyo Disneyland. The waffles were fabulous, but the ambiance and being able to watch the waffle making in progress was really a fun experience.  The efficiency & perfection was just mind blowing.

Do you think they’re doing a superior job on the Mickey Waffles in Tokyo Disneyland? I sure do! 

Heather Sievers is the Disney Food Blog’s Dining in Disneyland columnist. See more of her columns here!