Since Disney World has reopened, character experiences have looked a bit different than before. This not only includes meet-and-greets in the parks but character dining experiences too!
Chef Mickey’s
That’s why as soon as we heard Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (one of the most iconic character dining locations in all of Disney World) would be bringing its characters back, we knew we had to check it out! While there were some issues originally trying to grab a reservation, we were lucky enough to snag one. This meal has been updated when it reopened in July, serving breakfast to your table as an all-you-care-to-eat meal, rather than the usual buffet.
On our last visit, we decided that with the new price of $25, this meal was well worth the food and service we received, even without the characters. Now that the price has gone up with the characters’ return, we’re here to see if Chef Mickey’s is still a must-do.
Good morning! Look where we are dining today! pic.twitter.com/LaArifZDX3
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 16, 2020
Atmosphere
Chef Mickey’s is quite literally in the heart of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. You can’t miss it if you arrive by Monorail and look down into the open middle of the Contemporary’s signature A-frame building. There are beautiful views of the inside of the resort from the restaurant.
Chef Mickey’s
Check Mickey’s, as we mentioned, was previously a very popular buffet meal served for every meal — breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner! Right now, only breakfast is being served and that big buffet is out of commission for guests. Chefs and servers are still working the buffet to prepare plates that are brought to your table, but guests never approach the buffet themselves.
Chef Mickey’s Empty Buffet
Compared to last time when it was almost eerily calm in here, seeing the characters hopping around the restaurant really brought some energy to the place (but more on that in a bit!).
Tables and chairs are still socially distanced or marked off so that parties are not within 6 feet of each other. Still a very welcome change from the notoriously cram-packed table placement this spot was known for before the closures!
Chef Mickey’s
We noticed Cast Members continually and thoroughly cleaning the tables and surfaces throughout the restaurant while we were there.
Chef Mickey’s
Even though there are many changes from before the reopening, a constant we can always count on is the early 2000s Disney decor in this place! That carpet and wall decor (which we kinda love) are adorable and cement this place as a classic Disney restaurant.
Chef Mickey’s
Don’t worry, you’ll see more of the kitschy primary-colored theme on all the CHARACTERS we’ll meet soon!
Characters
Now onto the big reason that we’re here…characters! As of today, characters are officially back at Chef Mickey’s and we couldn’t be more excited! The character interactions are slightly different than before because they can’t actually come up to your table and get close to every guest, however, their presence just makes the meal so much more fun!
Chef Minnie
We spotted the namesake of the restaurant, Chef Mickey himself! Notice the primary colored sah-weet duds? Lookin sharp, Mick.
Chef Mickey came out to see us again! pic.twitter.com/jrmQlV2szs
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 16, 2020
Chef Mickey
Can’t wait to see how well Mickey’s cooking skills stand up when we chow down!
The Chef is coming out to say hi! pic.twitter.com/YLbbHaoe7U
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 16, 2020
Chef Minnie
Notice her cupcake on her apron. We wonder if she’s the pastry chef on duty? We’ve missed you Minnie!
Minnie is out too saying hi! pic.twitter.com/YmFYEupmKY
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 16, 2020
Chef Donald
Our pal Goofy is looking dapper in his chef outfit as well!
Chef Goofy
Although we’d say Goofy is acting less dapper and more, well, GOOFY!
Goofy acting Goofy! pic.twitter.com/2KF5c9fMcO
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 16, 2020
Pluto!!
While we’ve seen distanced character dining before at spots like Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom and Garden Grill in EPCOT, there’s something about having the Fab Five here that makes it even more magical. The layout of Chef Mickey’s currently is well-suited to the distanced characters circling around. We felt like we got a better view of the gang here than we did at our other character meals! We may be here to see the characters, but there have also been some menu changes we’re on a mission to scope out, so let’s eat!
Eats
So the biggest change on the menu we need to talk about is the price. When Chef Mickey’s opened without characters, adults cost $25 and kids cost $14 for kids — the prices were downright reasonable! Now the price has increased significantly. Adults are now $42 and kids are $27. You read that right — $17 and $13 more just for characters, respectively. To really hit that home — that’s a 68% increase for adults and a 98% increase for kids! Double the price for your kids to see Mickey!
Chef Mickey’s Spread
Sure, the menu has changed a little bit since it first reopened, so that could possibly contribute to a bit of the price bump (but it’s totes cause of the characters, right?). And yep, you can bet we’re trying those NEW menu items too!
Our breakfast from Chef Mickey’s – including new dishes! pic.twitter.com/cqp73UWak2
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 16, 2020
©Disney
For the main part of the meal, there is traditional selections and Chef Mickey’s Signature Selections.
©Disney
Along with your regular soft drinks, juice, and water, guests can order non-alcoholic specialty drinks.
©Disney
And adults can choose to select a Magical Morning Cocktail from a variety of options. Remember that the specialty drinks, either non-alcoholic or alcoholic, come with an extra charge.
©Disney
To start, we decided to grab the Mickey Mouse Smoothie to drink.
We’re starting our morning off with the Mickey Mouse Smoothie! pic.twitter.com/hpcYFAikb9
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 16, 2020
Mickey Mouse Smoothie
This smoothie tasted exactly like what it is (strawberry and mango from a carton if we had to bet!), so it wasn’t anything too exciting. But, it IS adorable! We tend to love smoothies so we were pretty big fans of this simple morning treat. With its fun colors, we’re betting these are a hit with kiddos!
Mickey Mouse Smoothie
For the grown-ups, we tried the limited-time Holiday Mimosa for $14. This yummy mix of Freixenet Blanc de Blancs Cava Brut, Cointreau, and Cranberry Juice comes topped with an Orange Twist and Sugar-dusted Rosemary.
Holiday Mimosa
This mimosa was good! The cranberry juice brought a nice tartness that you don’t find in a traditional mimosa and it was a great juice to Brut ratio. The Cointreau gave it that orange flavor we come to expect from a classic mimosa. Plus, it’s SO cute. This is one classy looking drink!
Here’s the Holiday Mimosa from Chef Mickey’s! pic.twitter.com/0cMwbFtDsT
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 16, 2020
Fruit of the Season
The Mini Yogurt Parfaits were layers of Yogurt topped with Granola and Fruit. Ours included vanilla and strawberry layers of yogurt.
Mini Yogurt Parfait
We love this super light way to start out our otherwise pretty hefty meal!
Mini Yogurt Parfait
Our bread selection included Harvest Sweet Rolls with Honey Butter, Sea Salt, and Cream Cheese Icing. We were also given Fresh Fried Sweet Fritters with Vanilla-Cinnamon Sugar.
Breakfast Bread Selections
We poured the icing over everything because, DUH. Seriously though, if you give us our own little vessel of warm cream cheese icing do you expect us to NOT pour it all over everything? Sweet rolls? Better with icing. Sweet fritters? BETTER WITH ICING. We’re not monsters!
Breakfast Bread Selections
As a note, our sweet rolls this morning were actually PUMPKIN! What a great surprise! They were super sweet and tasty.
Pumpkin Harvest Sweet Roll
And you can’t beat a warm ball of fried dough. We could definitely taste the vanilla flavoring. These were like a cross between a donut hole and a churro. Super yummy and, if we had room by the end of our meal, we would have asked for more! Remember, you can ask for seconds (or thirds, fourths, etc) of anything you like — just tell your server.
Sweet Fritter
After we noshed on the first part of the meal, our server brought out the main course! This includes Scrambled Eggs, Chicken Sausage, Slow-roasted Beef Brisket, Mickey Waffles (yes please), Pork Sausage Links, and Smoked Bacon. This was served family-style on a big ol’ platter.
Traditional Selections
All of the traditional selections were very good, but nothing was overly exciting. Still, as far as breakfast food goes, it was cooked well! The eggs were really, really (surprisingly) good. Mass-produced scrambled eggs at spots like this aren’t always the tastiest but these were right on the money.
Traditional Selections
The brisket was a nice addition to the plate. It’s not the best brisket we’ve ever had, but for a platter loaded with four types of meat, it held it’s own. The bacon we were served was very crispy — just how we like it! If you’ve had Disney buffet bacon before you might think of soggy limp bacon since it’s being produced so quickly, but this was quite good!
Traditional Selections
As a note, there are TWO kinds of sausage, pork and chicken! We liked having the options!
Traditional Selections
We also got Chef Mickey’s Signature Selections which included Loaded Potato-Cheese Casserole, Banana Bread French Toast, and a “Celebration” Mickey Pancake. And we GOTTA talk about that Loaded Potato-Cheese Casserole. LOOK at how cute it is now!
Loaded Potato-Cheese Casserole
This option has been on the menu at Chef Mickey’s forever, even after reopening, but it is a MAJOR favorite at this spot — and with good reason. Hands down we think it’s the best thing we ate this morning. It’s super SUPER cheesy and has lots of bacon. What more could we ask for? That Mickey hashbrown crisp was adorable and great to munch on too.
Loaded Cheese-Potato Casserole
The “Celebration” Mickey Pancake was very adorable and yes, that is whipped butter on top (not saying we scooped a ton up thinking it was whipped cream or anything…). It’s just a plain ol’ pancake but it’s got bonus points for presentation. Kids will love this option!
“Celebration” Mickey Pancake
The Banana Bread French Toast was our reporter’s least favorite, but only because of the sweetness so if you love sweet breakfast, this might be your favorite part! It basically tastes like warm banana bread with cinnamon whipped topping and little dots of chocolate. It’s VERY rich, but banana bread fans would love it!
Banana Bread French Toast
At the end of our meal, we were given autograph cards with all the characters’ signatures. This is a nice touch character meals have done since reopening since characters are unable to sign autographs at this time!
Autograph Card
So, now that we’re TOTALLY stuffed, we’re gonna bring you our final verdict. Is Chef Mickey’s still worth it with that big ol’ price increase?
Nosh or Not
You might want to dine at Chef Mickey’s if:
- You want a character meal! There are not very many character meals available at Disney World right now, so if that is on your Disney bucket-list, you might want to check it out.
- You are staying at the Contemporary Resort. This is super convenient if you are staying here, and, with limited park hours, it might be nice to have a chill breakfast before hitting the parks.
- You want to eat at an iconic Disney World Bucket list restaurant. Chef Mickey’s is one of the most well-known Disney World restaurants and for a reason! It was downright HARD to score reservations for breakfast here pre-closure, so if you dreamed of eating here, now’s your chance!
You might not want to dine at Chef Mickey’s if:
- You are on a budget. With characters comes high prices and it has gone up significantly.
- You’d rather avoid the in-your-face “Disney!” vibes this place is putting off. This is place is practically screaming at you “Hey, did you know you’re in Disney World?!”. You can find a similar character breakfast with more refined decor and food options over at Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort.
- You are in a hurry. This meal isn’t the longest meal in Disney World, but it is a table service experience and will take much longer than a quick service meal.
Overall
Chef Mickey’s did a very nice job at this second stage of reopening. The food isn’t super exciting but it was all executed well, and considering the target audience is kids, they totally nailed it. Our favorite parts of the meal were the Loaded Potato-Cheese Casserole (because cheese and bacon have our heart 4EVA), the GIANT Mickey Pancakes, and that adorable smoothie. There wasn’t a single part of the meal that we could say was really that bad either, which is nice.
The characters came by several times and, while some seats are a little better than others, it’s not like Cinderella’s Royal Table where you’re either really close and see everything or super far and craning your neck to spot the characters. The character interaction reminded us a lot of the distanced character experience at Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They did a good job of slowing down and posing as the meal went on too.
The meal we’d most closely compare this one to is the Breakfast a la Art at Disney’s Riviera Resort’s Topolino’s Terrace. Though we’d consider the food much better at Topolino’s Terrace, you can’t beat the location at Chef Mickey’s. Plus, it’s all you can eat AND the FULL Fab Five, whereas you don’t get to see Goofy and Pluto and it’s a smaller single plated meal per person.
We actually prefer the family-style service over the buffet since you don’t miss any characters when you’re getting up to grab your food. We’ve had a lot of experiences in the past of making a plate at the buffet only to look back and see Mickey shuffling past our (empty!) table. Not anymore! Overall, even with that price tag, we DEFINITELY think this spot is worth it if you’ve got kids — or if you’re a kid at heart. Yes, it’s a massive price increase to spot a few characters, but with so few opportunities to eat with the characters right now, especially for breakfast, we’re happy to pay a bit extra for the experience right now. What a nice morning! Welcome back to Chef Mickey’s, gang!
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One thought about Chef Mickey’s – it’s as ventilated as you can get with inside dining!
You can try to spin and hype this all you want but no character interaction at the table, no hugs, no closeups, etc., is a significantly reduced experience in quality and until the pandemic is behind us, no thx on these prices and experiences
I love the review, so informative! We were there one of the last days before characters returned and the meal was much lower in price. We don’t mind the price for character meals being that we have two little girls with us, but I was very disappointed to see the menu change. Previously you would get a yummy cheese danish, croissant, and cinnamon roll. The yummy cheesy potatoes were included in the spread with the eggs, bacon, and kielbasa. We’re not fans of chicken sausage and while we love brisket) it seems out of place at breakfast. The pancake platter we were served had several party pancakes, French toast, and Mickey waffles. We LOVED the salmon tray and would always ask for seconds. We loved it all so much we ate there twice for breakfast during this visit last week Dec. 10-13. We were disappointed in these menu changes. Because of them I don’t feel as compelled to eat there during our May trip even with the characters. 🙁
You mentioned the tables were being thoroughly cleaned. Were the chairs/booths also being disinfected?
No way is the price increase worth it !! Keep going Disney you’re running yourself bankrupt
My family and I ate at Chef Mickeys for the first time on dec 9. Even though the food was good we were not impressed at all with the atmosphere. They sat us at a table beside a window that looked like it not been cleaned in forever. (Not exaggerating) our waiter was not very friendly. Don’t know if we would ever go back there again. First impression was not good. Other than this restaurant our trio to Disney was very memorable.
What is going on in California?? They have become so money hungry it’s ridiculous. I don’t know who’s making these financial decisions but they are way off base. There comes a time when families have to say enough is enough.
Not worth the money. Disney has jumped the shark. The good old days are over.
Hi, Nadia. Our on-site reporter notes that she didn’t specifically see booths and chairs being wiped down, but she says she has seen that at all the other places she’s dined.
Nadia, I did see a server wiping down a booth when I was there. It did make me feel better. They had sanitizer with them. As to the service, our meal on Friday, the service was magical and engaging, they did everything to make you feel like a special guest. For example, when we walked up we didn’t know about the QR check in, and were never asked to do so. The wait staff was extremely friendly and accommodating to any needs (like whipped cream for pancakes for a child and any seconds on items). On Saturday, though, from the check in through the meal, everything was not as much fun. It felt like this was their job, and we were being tolerated. The wait staff was more friendly than check in, but definitely not to Disney’s usual standards. I felt like we didn’t matter. Had the two experiences been reversed on the two days, we wouldn’t have come back for a second meal, so I totally understand your perspective, Barbie. The excellent food and service on Friday made us very excited when we were able to snag a last minute (night before) reservation before going to Animal Kingdom the next morning. This made us sad about the service, it is very rare that this happens at Disney. The food was excellent (since it hadn’t changed) and with the lower price we were still very satisfied, but with the whole experience changing, it isn’t really enticing our family to return, and we have loved Chef Mickey’s and visited every year. It makes me really hope that there are more character dining opportunities when we return. While we will tolerate the $200 price tag that comes with a family of four, we do draw the line when it comes to food. The food has to be pretty good for us to be willing to drop that price on a character meal. At this point, we feel that they have removed too many of our traditional favorites. The kielbasa they removed for the chicken sausage tasted just like the Portuguese sausage we would get for breakfast in Hawaii! We loved it and the salmon tray, and don’t really care for the changes they made to the bread basket either. Considering you used to get cheese danishes, croissants, and cinnamon rolls and now you just get harvest rolls and fried cinnamon dough (though it does look interesting with the icing) I feel like you are getting less and that this meal has been economized instead of enhanced. Wow, Tusker House, we MISS you!!! We really hope more character dining spots return by our May visit.
Disney needs to work on food quality, I’m paying for a 5 star meal, and getting less then chain restaurant quality
At the original Chef Mickey’s He only came out and walked thru and waved. Not buffet al carte menu.
Still living in fear of Disney?
This isn’t worth it. The food is quick service food. No real interaction with the characters. BUT as long as people are willing to pay these ridiculous prices for what amounts to quick service food and a “drive by” with the characters, Disney will keep raising prices! Wake up!
We like thr new qay of managing the food as family style. We hope that is kept in future. However, a huge price increase just to see the characters is a joke. I wish there was a choice of character or no character options. Either by day or splitting the rooms or times. We would go again forbthr food but not pay for the increase just to see the same characters you can see all over.
Disney is a one eyed Jack. Fortunately, more and more people are getting to see the other side of it’s REAL face!
We don’t like it!
No moderation forthcoming.
Family of 5 experienced Chef Mickey’s and won’t be going back anytime soon. The price was absurd! To say the least! I use to love and enjoy this character breakfast…no interaction with the characters now is fine, but they don’t position themselves to get a half decent picture with your kids now. It seemed rushed! Moms and dads trying to position their kids with a character in the background was not easy. One child was off to the left and was cutoff every picture because of where they stood. Hated it! The food was fair! The server Tammy was phenomenal and was concerned of one of our kids with a peanut allergy. Just not worth the price!
Any photos or feedback of the tofu scramble? You have lots of veg-based fans — don’t forget us! We love you too!
Veggie McNoms, thanks for the love. We, unfortunately, did not try the tofu scramble. I let the team know we’d love more veggie reviews.