Can you feel that Mediterranean breeze blowing our way?

We’re taking a trip to the brand new Disney World DVC property, Disney’s Riviera Resort, to experience dinner at Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera.

Opening nightly at 5:00 PM, this rooftop restaurant features signature dining complete with fireworks views, so advance dining reservations are strongly recommended. Topolino’s Terrace is inspired by cliffside restaurants in France and Italy, and cuisine features regional mediterranean favorites.

Head to the Mediterranean coast with us as we explore this brand new dining option.

Atmosphere

This restaurant is located on the rooftop of Disney’s Riviera Resort and features an outside terrace complete with amazing views of the Fireworks at Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

The outdoor patio is for dinner guests only, so unfortunately you can’t just come up and visit for a drink.

The patio is complete with its own separate bar. Looks like the perfect setting to kick back and enjoy some libations while taking in the jaw dropping sunset.

It also offers stunning views of the resort.

You can see in the distance the Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

String lights adorn the patio and add a touch of romance.

The indoor bar operates in similar fashion to the California Grill lounge. It is first-come, first served and guests must check in at the podium. You can return for fireworks viewing with your receipt.

Inside the restaurant, you’ll find sleek tables and booths, with large windows that’ll allow you to enjoy the beautiful view while dining on Mediterranean delights! The table settings are very simple and classic.

While the tables and seating tend to lean towards a minimalist approach, the beauty is in the details, like the stunning ceiling light fixtures. Is that a Hidden Mickey we see?

Some of the tables even have their own sweeping chandeliers above them. Looks a bit like pasta, right?

On display, you’ll find fresh pastas, cheese, and wine (ready to indulge?)!

You can first-hand see the hustle and bustle of the restaurant yourself with the open-air expo kitchen.

It’s a clear contender for date night for sure! But let’s see what’s on the menu!

Eats

Dinner at Topolino’s Terrace offers seafood and meat dishes, handmade pasta, and desserts “infused with French and Italian flavors” in a rooftop signature dining experience. Every dish is prepared in their exclusive expo kitchen or wood-burning grill.

The menu is broken down into several sections: Antipasto, Starters, Hand-crafted Pastas, Seafood and Meats, and Endings.

There is an Allergy-Friendly menu available upon request.

For the little ones, they also offer a kids’ menu that features a Create-Your-Own-Meal offering.

The beverage menus feature Specialty Drinks and Cocktails, Wines, and Featured Beers. Non-Alcoholic beverages feature a selection of Mocktails in addition to a variety of Caffeinated beverages.

Specialty Cocktails include the Pomegranate Paradiso with Figenza Vodka and the Modern Fashioned featuring Knob Creek Rye Whiskey. The extensive wine list features selections from all over the world, including Napa Valley and Tuscany, available by both bottle and glass.

We started things off with several beverages from their Specialty Cocktails menu.

First up, The Modern Fashioned. This drink features Knob Creek Rye Whiskey, Appleton Estate Reserve Blend Rum, Vanilla Bean, and Bitters. It is priced at $17.00.

The coolest thing about this cocktail is the resort branded ice cube. It’s also basically straight booze, so watch out with this one!

The Pomo d’Oro Cocktail features Elijah Craig 12 yr Small Batch Bourbon, Busnel VSOP Pays d’aude Calvados, Lillet Blanc, Brown Butter Tincture, and Demerara Sugar. It is priced at $18.00.

This option was refreshing for a Bourbon drink and we enjoyed the light apple flavor. This is also a lighter cocktail.

The French Rose is a refreshing cocktail featuring Grey Goose Le Citron Vodka, Combier Creme de Pamplemousse Rose Liqueur, Raspberry, Agave, Lemon and Soda Water. It is priced at $14.00.

This one is very light and dangerously easy to drink. No particular flavor stood out, but overall it’s a refreshing option, perfect for an Orlando summer evening.

If you’re feeling fancy, the Champagne Cocktail features Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut, Aperol, and Carpana Antica Formula Vermouth. This is the most expensive of the bunch and priced at $21.00.

This is a lovely drink, but it’s got legs, too. The strongest taste is still the champagne, but the bitterness from the aperol balances out the sweetness.

Dinner started with complimentary bread service. The bread is the same you’ll get at breakfast, and made in house from a classic French recipe.

It’s intended to be served communal style, so tear a piece and pass it on.

It is served with two olive oils, one French and one Italian, which add nice flavor and depth to the fresh bread.

For an Antipasto, we started with the Burrata con Panna. This dish features Burrata cheese, Black Winter Truffle, Italian olive oil, seed lavosh, and sea salt. It is priced at $18.00.

This was delicious and enjoyed by our entire table. What’s not to love about a giant ball of cheese? 😉 But in all seriousness, it was excellently done and we loved the Black Winter Truffle shaved on top.

We also chose the Gnocchi from the Antipasto menu. This dish features duck confit (YUM), pesto bianco, garden kale, and pine nuts. It is priced at $16.00.

We went NUTS over this dish. The duck confit is ridiculously wonderful and full of flavor, obvi.

Next up? The Ricotta from the Antipasto menu, of course — and on our server’s recommendation. The dish features tomato, aged balsamic, cracked pepper, basil, and Epi (the special in-house bread). It is priced at $14.00.

The highlight of this dish was emulsified tomato in the form of a chutney. The whole dish was enjoyable, but unless your table is very hungry, we’d suggest sticking with the gnocchi and one cheese option.

For the Starters course, we went with the Escargot en Coquilles and the Winter Pumpkin Ravioli.

The Escargot en Coquilles is classic baked escargot with butter, garlic, lemon, and parsley. It is priced at $17.00.

This is your classic presentation of the dish. Straightforward and swimming in garlicky deliciousness with the snails prepared to a perfect texture.

Those of us who are escargot fans devoured these! But note that if you don’t have escargot devotees in your party, there’s nothing here to hide the truth of this dish. They’re even served in snail shells. So…maybe not the best option for a first-time escargot newbie.

The Winter Pumpkin Ravioli has wild mushroom conserva, brodo, and pumpkin seed oil. It is priced at $16.00…and it’s BEAUTIFUL. Don’t you just want to dive into that?

The broth in this dish was absolutely divine. It was full of a rich flavor and we even dipped some of our leftover bread in it.

Note that this one is very similar in presentation to the Goat Cheese Ravioli at California Grill, so if you’re eating as a duo, they may be able to split one into two different plates for you!

Of the Hand-crafted Pastas, we went for all four dishes, of course!

The Bucatini is served with Pomodoraccio tomatoes, basil, Calabrian chiles (yessss), and Pecorino Toscano. It is priced at $30.00.

This was the lightest of the pasta options. It was very fresh with the basil and tomatoes, but we noticed the tiniest bit of spice thanks to those chiles.

The Rigatoni is served with a braised chicken sugo, dandelion greens, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. It is priced at $32.00.

This was a big ol’ bowl of comfort food! The chicken tasted like dark meat to us — REALLY flavorful. The sauce was thick, creamy, and tasted great — and the cheese on top really set this off.

The Linguine Scampi is served with shrimp, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, lemon, Italian olive oil, verbena, and bottarga. It is priced at $36.00.

The shrimp were cooked peeeeerfectly here. The sauce was deceptively rich with a lingering spice! We really loved this dish.

The Herb Fettuccine is served with cockles, mussels, squid, vino blanco, lemon, and pesto Genovese. It is the most expensive of the bunch at $40.00.

This was a HUGE portion! Our shellfish were perfectly cooked. The squid was well cooked but a tad chewy (it IS squid and all!). The sauce tasted so fresh and fantastic.

This was one of our table’s favorites!

Now here’s an interesting diversion. Before our next course we were brought little hand towelettes, which kind of DIY ;-D.

Simply pick it up and drop it into one of the little water-filled wells in this fancy contraption…

…and then your towel plumps up with water to clean your fingers before your main course! Fancy.

For the Seafood and Meats course, we first ordered the Tomahawk Veal Chop with Potato-Torpedo Onion Gratin and Lemon-Veal Jus, because it’s the law to order any Tomahawk cut that exists on a menu (IMHO). This one was $52.

This was truly delicious. Perfectly cooked and excellent flavor. And the potatoes were NEXT LEVEL with all that cheesy-oniony goodness. This is comfort food at its finest.

Now the price tag is significant, but the cut — a Tomahawk — is substantial. This was worth the price in our “Disney steakhouse context” opinion.

We also ordered the Bouillabaisse with Red Snapper, Branzino, Cockles, Mussels, Fennel, and Epi with Saffron Rouille. Cost on this was $48.

Here’s a close-up of that gorgeous Saffron Rouille that came with the bread for dipping.

This one is another lighter dish that would be perfect for an Orlando summer date night. The Saffron Rouille was the bomb here when it came to flavor, and the fish and seafood were tender and tasty.

This was the favorite of the night for one of our taste-testers. (Minus the squid. Our table was NOT in the mood for chewy squid tonight.)

Now, this one was pricey as well, but for a seafood fan it’s a no-brainer.

Moving on to DESSERT! The menu wasn’t too compelling — lots of standard Disney signature restaurant-type desserts here…

…but FORGET WE SAID THAT. Because WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE!

First, let’s DISCUSS the House Fromage Board with Artisanal Cheeses, Mostarda, Preserves, and Seed Lavosh for $18.

OK wow. This one is served table-side and LOOK at the size of those portions!

Our cheeses were Montegrappa from Italy, Pecorino Camomilla from Italy, Brunet from Italy, Saint Andre from France, and Roquefort from France.

This was a great mixture of savory and sweet to end the meal, and we loved the gooseberries!

And the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Caramel Center, Chantilly, and Raspberries for $14 was a thing of beauty. This reminds us a little of the Chocolate Souffle on Disney Cruise Line…except with CARAMEL!

This one is crazy rich, and — in Disney signature meal parlance — a nod to the volcanoes of Italy. This is definitely a sharing dessert — it would be tough to eat alone after a rich meal.

Finally, the Profiteroles — Chocolate, Caramel, and Pistachio Gelato for $13. Hello there, little bundles of yum that don’t at all look like the sad little weak profiteroles we were expecting!!! These bbs are ROBUST!

Salted caramel was our winner, flavor-wise; and the pistachio is the lightest — yummy because it’s not quite as rich. The Gelato is from Muse — a local Orlando company.

We ended the meal with a lovely — and very necessary — Espresso!

Fireworks Viewing

OK, let’s talk entertainment. Throughout the evening, we were able to see fireworks shows happening at Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Stunning, but a little far away, they did offer a little diversion — though not nearly as substantial or destination-worthy as California Grill’s close-up Magic Kingdom show.

Unfortunately, no fireworks soundtrack was piped in during our evening. But the best show view was definitely at Epcot.

Just like at California Grill, you can return to the restaurant with your receipt to see the fireworks in the evening if you dined earlier.

Overall

If you’re looking for a top notch dining experience with an inviting atmosphere and jaw dropping views, Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera, is the spot for you. The menu is inventive yet approachable with safe options for even the pickiest of eaters. Service was impeccable and what we’ve come to expect from Disney’s Signature Dining locations.

Now, as for timeframe, our meal was LONG, but we ordered a ton of food. Our wonderful server said that most tables are turning in 90 minutes or so. So know that you can have an experience if that’s what you’re looking for — if you’re in for a leisurely date night or celebratory meal. But if you have little ones who need to get to bed, you can move through a meal here quickly.

But I know your REAL question is: Where does this fall on the signature dining rankings in Disney World? Our reviewers are adamant that this is a recommended fancy-dinner-opportunity. One reviewer noted that Jiko will always be her ride-or-die, but that this trumps California Grill for her. Another noted that Topolino’s is recommended, and that the resort as a whole is destination-worthy to check out. The cocktails were excellent, the food was fresh and innovative, and, again, we have to compliment the service.

Discounts include Annual Passholder, Disney Vacation Club member, Club 33 member, and Golden Oak residents. There are no cast member discounts as of now. For those on the Disney Dining Plan, dinner here requires 2 table service credits. Note that, on the Disney Dining Plan, guests will get to choose one option from Pasta or Entrees, plus Dessert, plus Drink. The Deluxe Dining Plan guests also get to choose between one Starter or one Antipasti.

Advanced Dining Reservations are now open on the Walt Disney World Website and by calling (407) WDW-DINE.

Do you plan on dining at Topolino’s Terrace on your next Walt Disney World vacation? Let us know!