We’re here to tell you that you’ve been doing character dining WRONG in Disney World.

Chef Mickey’s is a classic, and Tusker House has some super unique (and tasty) dishes. Crystal Palace can be cute with all the Winnie the Pooh characters, and Storybook Dining at Artist Point has a villain AND a forest. But we personally feel like none of those places can top the restaurant we’re visiting today. Have we got your attention?

If you’re a pretty hard-core Disney food fan, you might already have discovered Topolino’s Terrace, which is a rooftop restaurant located at Disney’s Riviera Resort. (Fun fact: “Topolino” is actually how you say “Mickey Mouse” in Italian!)

This restaurant is a signature dining location by night, but when the sun rises it becomes a character breakfast spot! It only opened in December of 2019 (with the rest of the Riviera Resort), so many people still don’t know about this hidden gem.

Topolino’s Terrace has a light Italian theme with elegant decor and impressive chandeliers. The breakfast character dining experience is called “Breakfast à la Art,” and it honors the artistic nature of the Riviera region in France and Italy. The food is also inspired by French and Italian cuisine.

Breakfast here is served from 7:30AM to 12:15PM, and the prix fixe menu costs $42 for adults and $27 for kids.

We’ve enjoyed character breakfasts at a variety of restaurants around Disney World, but we think this one takes the cake. Reservations can be hard to come by, so make sure you book 60 days out if you want to dine here for breakfast. Let’s dive into the restaurant atmosphere and eats so that you can see why we love this spot so much!

Atmosphere

Head to the top floor of Disney’s Riviera Resort to find Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera. Don’t forget to glance up to see the subtle hidden Mickey on the restaurant’s sign!

You will need a reservation to dine at this restaurant (for breakfast or dinner). We checked in online and received a text message confirming our arrival. We received another text when it was time to go inside. A host greeted us and took us to our table.

This restaurant has standard tables and chairs along with booths. The dining room is one big room rather than smaller, separate rooms.

The tables are pretty spaced out, and the booths have dividers on the top to separate them from other areas.

We were in awe of the gorgeous lighting fixtures!

But for truly breathtaking views, head out onto the restaurant’s terrace. There’s some outdoor patio seating with string lights over the area…

…and when you look out over the fence, there are stunning views of Disney’s Caribbean Resort, a 45-acre lake called Barefoot Bay, and the Disney Skyliner.

On another side, you can see more of the Riviera Resort, including the hotel’s pool area.

Honestly, we could stay out here all day and take in the views. But then you’d never get to check out the delicious eats! So we better get a move on with our tour of this restaurant.

Characters

Before we move on to the food, we need to talk about a very important part of this dining experience — the characters!

During breakfast (but not during dinner) you can visit with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and Donald Duck. These familiar characters are not like you’ve seen them before — they got brand NEW outfits just for this restaurant!

In line with the restaurant’s artistic theme, each character is dressed as a different kind of artist. Mickey is a painter (apparently a messy one!)…

…Minnie is a poet (can you see the feather pen in her cap?)…

…Daisy is a dancer (with a fabulous bow)…

…and Donald is a sculptor!

These outfits are unique to Topolino’s, so you won’t see them anywhere else.

During our meal, the characters each came around about 3 times and interacted with the guests.

They took their time at each table and had lots of fun with the people there! Note that the character dining at this location has returned to “normal,” which means you can get closer to the characters, hug them, ask for autographs, and take pictures with them.

Even though you can now ask characters to sign autographs, when we were there each guest still got a free autograph card at the end of the meal with all of the characters’ signatures on one side…

…and pictures of the characters on the other!

Kids also received an activity book as part of the Breakfast à la Art experience, which has a cute cover…

…some activities inside to help you embrace your inner artist…

…and more games on the back.

Now we’re ready to check out the food!

Eats

Menu

Guests are given a QR code menu, which you can scan with your phone to see the full menu.

You can also request a paper menu if you’d prefer that.

Topolino’s Terrace has a prix fixe menu, meaning you’ll pay a set price no matter which entrée you choose. For adults, it costs $42, and for kids, it’s $27. There are several entrée options, including the popular Quiche Gruyère.

Kids choose from their own entrée menu…

…and also select 2 sides.

There are a few options for breakfast drinks, like cocktails without alcohol…

…or a few that do contain alcohol.

In addition, we were given a menu with some seasonal cocktails.

Does anyone else have their eye on that coffee cocktail?

Drinks

We went with the Café D’louvre, which is Frangelico, Baileys, Stoli Vanilla Vodka, Kahlua Espresso, and Honey Almond Cream. It costs $14.

There are three little coffee beans on top as the garnish, which might be a very subtle hidden Mickey (maybe it’s a stretch, but we’ll take it)! This drink has a strong espresso flavor, but we could also taste the Baileys in it. It’s sort of like an espresso martini.

If you want to start your day off with a buzz but not tons of sugar, this is a great option. It’s sweeter than black coffee, but nowhere near as sweet as most breakfast cocktails. If you don’t love coffee, stay away from this drink!

We had a fresh pot of coffee as well, which came with cream on the side.

We also asked for the Florida Sunshine juice, which is the same as POG (passion-orange-guava juice), which you’ll also find at Tusker House in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

They used to bring this drink out automatically, but we had to request it this time. Check with your server when you come to see if it’s available!

Eats

Breakfast starts out with some fresh pastries and bread. The pastry basket is designed to look like a paint bucket!

Inside the bucket, you’ll find croissants, chocolate chip muffins, and maple pastries.

There are also a few dips and toppings, including a chocolate-hazelnut spread (like Nutella), strawberry jam, and butter.

We thought these offerings were all tasty! We love the different options and how they are light and airy. You can eat them and still have plenty of room for the rest of the goodies that will be heading to your table after.

For our entrée, we ordered the Wood-fired Butcher’s Steak, which has Polenta, Pomodoraccio Tomatoes, Roasted Onions, Wild Mushroom Conserva, and Watercress. The steak was excellent! It was very high-quality meat, and it was perfectly cooked to our request of medium-rare.

The creamy polenta and earthy mushrooms complemented the meat very well, and we enjoyed both flavors on their own as well. If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck (since all the entrées cost the same) this is definitely the dish you should choose.

The bacon that came on the side was also delicious. It was smokey and crispy, which is just how we like it. Note that the bacon was actually the side for the waffles dish.

We also asked if we could get the Sour Cream Waffles as a side dish, which is a great hack to getting 2 entrées here without paying full price for each one. The only difference is that the side dish of waffles comes with 2 waffle squares instead of 3 (which is the portion for a full entrée).

The Sour Cream Waffles have a Roasted Apple, Chantilly, and Orange-Maple Syrup, and they’re served with your choice of Smoked Bacon, Ham, Sausage, or Plant-based Sausage. (We ordered the bacon, and it was served on the side of the steak.)

The waffles were less sweet than the classic Mickey waffles, probably because they’re made with sour cream. The maple syrup was *chef’s kiss* perfection, and it added a beautiful citrus flavor to the dish. The cream was definitely house-made, and it was light, fluffy, and very tasty.

Our reporter usually prefers savory dishes for breakfast, so they wouldn’t personally choose the waffles as their only entrée. It was great as a side, however, and if you like sweet breakfasts, we think you’ll be happy with this one. Although we really enjoyed both of our entrées, we still think our favorite is that Quiche Gruyère! (You can see our review of that dish here.)

Click here to see our review of the Quiche Gruyére.

Nosh or Not

Indulge in flavors of the Riviera if you:

• Are looking for a DELICIOUS character dining experience. This is probably our favorite character breakfast in all of Disney World! We love the atmosphere and the fact that different breakfast options are offered here. Many places around Disney World tend to serve copy and paste type breakfasts.
• Want a break from the theme parks to sit down and relax. Since EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are both only a Skyliner ride away, you could head to this restaurant for a satisfying brunch during the day.
• Want to see the Disney characters in unique and adorable outfits. The characters’ outfits here are unique to this restaurant, so you won’t see them anywhere else.

Hop on the Skyliner and sail away if you:

• Don’t want to pay a lot for breakfast. $42 is pretty expensive for breakfast, although it’s about on par for most character dining. Consider grabbing some tasty breakfast to go in the parks instead of having a sit-down meal if you’re on a budget.
• Have older kids or teens that aren’t interested in the characters. The food here is delicious as well, but the extra cost for characters might not be worth it if your group isn’t interested in meeting Mickey. Consider coming back to Topolino’s for dinner instead, which is also one of our favorite meals in Disney World. Then you will still have the amazing views but without the character interactions.
• Are on a tight schedule. As a sit-down restaurant and character dining experience, this meal will likely take you at least an hour and a half. If you don’t have that kind of time, opt for a counter-service meal instead, which you can grab and go!

Overall

In general, we had a great experience at Topolino’s Terrace. Our server was very attentive and kind, and she made great recommendations and consistently checked on our coffee and water. The characters were adorable and made sure to visit all of the tables in the restaurant. They had fun interactions with the guests, and we love to see those cute outfits!

One thing that really sets this character breakfast apart is the quality of the food. Food isn’t always a focus when the characters take center stage, but we have consistently had great meals at this spot. Also, this spot doesn’t tend to be as loud and overwhelming as some other character dining locations. It feels a bit more upscale and relaxed.

If you’re looking for fabulous food and fun character interactions, we can’t recommend Topolino’s Terrace enough. Keep following DFB for more reviews of all the food in Disney World!

Click here to see how character dining has CHANGED in Disney World.

Have you been to Topolino’s Terrace in Disney World? Tell us what you thought in the comments.