Disney World has some stellar character dining options. A meal where you can eat in the AC AND meet your favorite Disney characters? That sounds pretty tempting.
There are a good number of character meals to choose from when you’re in the Most Magical Place on Earth and we want to help make that choice easier. So, we’re RANKING every character meal in Disney World right now!
Although character dining was modified after Disney World reopened in 2020, the traditional character dining experience has returned to many Disney World character dining restaurants.
7. Ravello
Our lowest ranking is a character meal you might not even know exists! Ravello is a fancier restaurant at the Four Seasons Orlando located on Disney World property. So, even though it’s not a Disney restaurant it IS in Disney World and DOES offer character dining!
On Thursdays, Saturdays, and select Tuesdays (from 7AM to 11AM), Ravello offers the Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy and His Pals. The experience features a tasty buffet breakfast priced at $48 for adults and $28 for children 12 and under and you’ll typically meet Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie.
Though we enjoyed our most recent character breakfast at Ravello, it’s landed in the lowest ranking for a reason. The two biggest knocks against this one are that it’s only offered on select days of the week and you need to arrange transportation to get there from a Disney World hotel.
Plus, with a near-$50 price tag and only three characters, there are certainly better options. Still, if you’re staying at the Four Seasons or just HAVE to see this classic trio in fun vacation outfits, it could be worth the stop.
Click here for our REVIEW of this character breakfast!
6. Chef Mickey’s
Wow, Chef Mickey’s is at second to the LAST spot on the list? Yep! This spot, though popular, is outranked by a number of other character meal options.
Chef Mickey’s features the Family Feast for breakfast for $42 per adult and $27 per child, and dinner for $55 per adult and $36 per child. The fare is pretty standard breakfast (MICKEY WAFFLES) and dinner staples and you’ll find yourself meeting Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald in cute chefs outfits.
Again, Chef Mickey’s is very popular which makes it somewhat difficult to get a reservation. Its big pros are that it’s fairly iconic AND it features ALL FIVE of the Fab Five! Oh, and the chef outfits are ADORABLE.
On the other hand, though, the atmosphere can be loud and chaotic and the food is typically only okay. Is it a great way to meet fan-favorite characters? Yes. Are there character meals we tend to enjoy more? Also yes.
Want to see our review of the breakfast at Chef Mickey’s? Click here!
5. Hollywood and Vine
In fifth place, we’re headed to Hollywood Studios where Hollywood and Vine features TWO variations on the character meal depending on the time of day. Breakfast is the Disney Junior Play ‘n Dine Breakfast for $42 per adult and $27 per child featuring Fancy Nancy, Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, and Roadster Goofy.
For lunch and dinner, this spot transforms into Minnie’s Seasonal Dine, a rotational offering that changes depending on the time of year. There’s the Silver Screen Dine, the Springtime Dine, the Summertime Dine, a Halloween Dine, and a Holiday Dine. During these meals, you’re joined by Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and sometimes Pluto. Expect to pay $55 per adult and $36 per child.
This restaurant used to be very lackluster when it comes to the eats, but it’s actually improved a LOT recently and we’ve had some seriously tasty meals! It’s still nothing too special in the food department, but the fact that you get TWO character dining options is a bit of a game-changer.
Still, the atmosphere isn’t our favorite and this is a LOUDER meal, so even with its improvements and an impressive roster of characters, it still sits in the middle of the pack. Hey, there are some REALLY good character meals!
To see our latest review of the Seasonal Dine, click here!
4. Tusker House Restaurant
Alright, our middle-of-the-pack choice can be found in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. That’s right, it’s Tusker House where you’ll find a FULL DAY of character meal fun.
Tusker House features Donald’s Dining Safari with Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Mickey, AND Minnie — all in very sweet safari outfits. This meal is available at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is $42 per adult and $27 per child, and lunch and dinner are $55 per adult and $36 per child.
This spot lands in the middle of our list for a few reasons. On the cons side of things, it’s a trickier option for picky eaters and it doesn’t quite compete with our top three.
Still, Tusker House definitely deserves some cred! It’s got a very cool atmosphere and the numerous characters are in sweet outfits to match. Plus the food has a focus on African cuisine and it is downright delicious! We tend to love just about everything we try from the buffet!
Click here for a review of BOTH versions of the buffet at Tusker House!
3. Artist Point — Story Book Dining with Snow White
We’ve made it to the top three! If you’ve got princess fans, you might want to head over to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort to Artist Point where you’ll find Story Book Dining with Snow White.
Story Book Dining with Snow White is a dinner-only character meal served prix-fixe for $60 per adult and $39 per child. Over a meal of more upscale plates, you’ll see Snow White, Dopey, and Grumpy; and have a chance to take a photo with The Evil Queen!
As you can tell, this is a VERY unique character meal with very unique characters. It’s not often you get to interact with The Evil Queen in Disney World. The food here is also more upscale with awesome flavors and we tend to really enjoy the eats.
On the other hand, though, Snow White and the dwarves might not be your kiddos’ favorite characters and this is the MOST EXPENSIVE character meal currently available. Still, we think this one deserves its third-place ranking!
Want to see more of Artist Point? Click here!
2. Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera
Aaaaaand second place goes to…Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera at Disney’s Riviera Resort! This spot might not always be a character meal, but when it is, it’s a winner!
In the mornings, Topolino’s Terrace offers Breakfast a la Art with Mickey & Friends. This meal is prix-fixe and offers Italian-inspired, high-end dishes. The meal is $42 per adult and $27 per child and features Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy.
This restaurant has a lot of wins. It’s got a gorgeous atmosphere, the food is amazing, AND the character outfits might be some of our favorites. You’ve got Painter Mickey, Poet Minnie, Sculptor Donald, and Dancer Daisy. The food also feels a lot fairer for the price than some other spots!
In fact, we had a hard time deciding between this one and our first-place winner. They’re practically interchangeable! Pretty much the only con with this one is that you have to make your way over to Riviera Resort — which is easy since this spot is on the Skyliner.
To see our REVIEW of this breakfast, click here!
1. Garden Grill
Garden Grill Restaurant in EPCOT’s The Land Pavilion is our number one character meal in Disney World right now — and it’s not the first time it’s earned this title! Garden Grill is a longtime favorite of ours!
Offering Chip ‘n Dale’s Harvest Feast as an all-you-can-eat lunch or dinner, this spot serves up some stellar platters of classic flavors while you ACTUALLY ROTATE through scenes from the Living with the Land attraction below. Add that Mickey, Pluto, and Chip ‘n Dale visit your table and this is a pretty fun spot. Meals are $55 for adults and $36 for kids.
This spot has a lot going for it. You’ve got classic characters, of course, and they come to your table a LOT. This is a relatively small restaurant, so we’ve found that you can expect more character interactions than a typical meal. Plus, the pals are in fun farmer outfits to go with the fresh and delicious eats you have on your plate.
And the atmosphere is extremely cool. The restaurant slowly turns as you eat so your view changes over the course of your meal. It’s also one of the easier character dining reservations to find because it’s pretty significantly underrated. Garden Grill TOTALLY deserves to keep its top spot.
Want to see more of Garden Grill? Click here!
Honorable Mentions
Cinderella’s Royal Table
We’ve got to give an honorable mention to two spots that technically also have characters, even if they aren’t full character meals. Cinderella’s Royal Table used to be a full princess meal, but you can still dine in the castle and see Cinderella right now!
This restaurant is a POPULAR one (so, warning, reservations go FAST). If/when the full character offering returns, guests should be able to meet with MANY princesses!
To see more of Cinderella’s Royal Table, click here!
Be Our Guest Restaurant
Just across Fantasyland, Be Our Guest Restaurant has occasional surprising appearances from The Beast himself!
Hey, it is his castle. These spots don’t quite fit the bill for full character dining, but it is nice to see some favorite faces during a meal there.
Click here to see more of Be Our Guest!
The Crystal Palace
Beyond those, there are a few spots that USED to have character meals but are character-less for now. One example is The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom.
We used to LOVE meeting Winnie the Pooh and other Hundred Acre Wood pals at this beautiful restaurant, but for now, we’ll have to settle for seeing them on Main Street after we finish our buffet.
To see a recent review of Crystal Palace, click here!
Cape May Cafe
Over at Disney’s Beach Club Resort is a fun spot called Cape May Cafe. Prior to the park closures, Cape May offered Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast in the morning.
When available, you could dine on a whole buffet of beachy breakfast and see Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy!
Click here for a recent REVIEW of Cape May Cafe!
‘Ohana
Another spot that used to feature a character breakfast (though it’s currently on hold) is ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort! Yep, everyone’s favorite island-inspired all-you-care-to-enjoy spot had characters!
Prior to the closures, you could find Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, and sometimes MORE dressed in their Hawaiian finest for the Best Friends Breakfast.
To see more of ‘Ohana, click here!
Aaaaand another character breakfast that has yet to return took place at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn Resort’s Trattoria al Forno. This spot used to have the Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast!
Who wouldn’t want to have an Italian meal to start the day while mingling with Disney couples like Ariel and Eric and Rapunzel and Flynn Rider?
Click here to see more about this fun breakfast!
Aaaaand there are two spots that still haven’t reopened at all but used to have very fun character meals. We had to give them a mention! The first one is 1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.
Buffet dining had two different character meals throughout the day. The Supercalifragilistic Breakfast featured characters like Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, and The Mad Hatter. You could also head to Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner featured Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, and Cinderella’s stepsisters!
Want to see our review of the dinner offering? Click here!
Another royal meal has yet to reopen at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in EPCOT’s Norway. Like Cinderella’s Royal Table, this spot used to offer princess dining — but this time with a buffet of Norwegian-inspired cuisine.
Princesses appear at this spot and it rotates who you might see. You could spot Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Mulan, Cinderella, and/or Mary Poppins!
To see more about the Akershus experience, click here!
Hopefully, our ranking helps you determine what character meal is best for YOU! And we will be sure to update and change our ranking as things change in the parks! As always, keep an eye on DFB for all the Disney tips!
Click here for everything you need to know about character meals!
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What’s your favorite character meal? Tell us in the comments!
Yvonne says
Are there any updates as to the reopening of 1900 Park Fare @ the Grand Floridian with there Supercalifragilistic Buffet Breakfast and Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner.
DFB Gigi says
Hi Yvonne! Disney has not yet released a date for the reopening of 1900 Park Fare, but we are keeping an eye on it every day and will post an update as soon as we know more. 🙂
Shelly Taylor says
Any update on characters at Crystal Palace or Ohana??
Shelly
DFB Gigi says
Hi Shelly! We haven’t received any updates from Disney on when character dining will return to Crystal Palace or ‘Ohana, but we’re keeping a close eye on it and will update as soon as we have that information. 🙂
Renata says
Hello 🙂 thanks for the great post.
May I ask if we can see Stich anywhere in the parks? My daughter is a huge fan and now that Ohana doesn’t offer that blast anywhere I’m trying to find out where she’d be able to see him.
Would love to see more characters meal back.
Thank you
DFB Gigi says
Hi Renata! Sometimes Stitch appears with Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland!
Ronni Davis says
FINALLY someone ranks Garden Grill #1!! It’s my FAVORITE character meal ever !!!
DFB Gigi says
Garden Grill is also my favorite character meal, Ronni!