Chef Mickey's | the disney food blog

DIY Disney Recipe: Breakfast Pizza from Disney World’s Chef Mickey’s Restaurant

Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World serves up a breakfast buffet with “character” each morning. Welcome back guest chef Carol E. with a Do It Yourself Recipe for Chef Mickey’s Breakfast Pizza!

One of my favorite Disney pictures ever taken took place at a meal we had at Chef Mickey’s Restaurant inside the Contemporary Resort.

In our pictures, Pluto literally was eating my husband and Dale was fluffing up my hair…the looks on our faces were priceless. (Editor’s Note: Chip ‘n Dale are no longer appearing at Chef Mickey’s.)

This meal was definitely worth the price of admission thanks to all of our wonderful pictures and time that we got to spend with our favorite Disney friends! It’s also one of the rare places that you can actually get your picture taken with Mickey and Minnie together!

Kids love this place, because not only are Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald Duck there to hang out with you, but the buffet is filled with a ton of kid friendly favorites!

Pluto!

Dale!

Mickey and Minnie!

Breakfast is also a fun time to enjoy this unique restaurant! If you’ve been, you know one of the famous dishes on the buffet during breakfast with Mickey and friends is the classic Chef Mickey’s Breakfast Pizza! The creaminess of the eggs and the blend of cheeses make you feel like you are eating cheese fondue on a pizza. While kids love this dish, it also can be an adult favorite, too.

Well, I’m excited to tell you that Disney [Read more…]

Review: Chef Mickey’s Dinner at Disney World’s Contemporary Resort

By AJ 34 Comments

It has been too long since I’ve taken a trip to Chef Mickey’s in Disney World’s Contemporary Resort!

Learn About:Chef Mickey’s

Disney World Restaurants

We’ve shared with you our review of their breakfast buffet. But today, we’re heading there to see what’s new for dinner!

When many people think about a “Disney character dining experience”, they immediately think of Chef Mickey’s. This one has it all — the Fab Five, a sprawling buffet of family-friendly foods, regular raucous celebrations, and monorails whizzing by.

But in the past, the food has had a reputation for being a little lackluster. Time to see how things are looking these days… . We have a lot to cover, so let’s get started!

Atmosphere

One of the coolest things about Chef Mickey’s is its location. You’ll find this well-known character meal at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Chef Mickey's Sign

This place is a stone’s throw from the Magic Kingdom in Disney World, which makes it a great place to stop and eat before heading into the park, or after a long day of rides and attractions.

Once you enter the hotel’s main floor lobby, take the elevator to the fourth floor. Chef Mickey’s is located on the south end of the concourse, right below where the Disney World monorail enters the building. (You can also arrive at the Contemporary via said monorail, of course — in which case you’d take an escalator down to the 4th floor).

The Grand Canyon Concourse at the Contemporary

Head to the central desk to let the hostess know that your party has arrived. You can’t miss it — Mickey is smiling down with his fork and spoon, ready to greet you!

Central Desk Check-In

If your table isn’t quite ready, you can wait until your party is paged in this comfortable seating area. This spot features a view of Bay Lake and the resort’s pool patio — and offers plenty of room for running off excess energy.

Waiting Area

Before you’re seated, your party will [Read more…]

The Most Popular Disney World Restaurants (and Alternatives When They’re Full)

By AJ 29 Comments

Many Disney guests agree that the most important Disney Dining Tips lists include one specific piece of advice:

Making Advance Dining Reservations is an absolute must when it comes to planning.

While many seasoned Disney travelers are aware of this, there are lots of folks who visit the parks and are stunned to find no tables available at their top restaurant choices. Don’t worry, it happens to all of us at one time or another…and we’ve got solutions for you!

Today, we’ve updated our list of the most popular Disney restaurants and terrific alternatives if you can’t score a table at your coveted spot!

Let’s take a look at the most elusive restaurants to book these days…

Dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant

Scoring an Advanced Dining Reservation at Be Our Guest Restaurant for their table service dinner can be a daunting task.

Be Our Guest Restaurant Ballroom Dining Room

From the time that they first announced the restaurant’s soft opening until now, we have heard from many readers who haven’t been able to secure a spot at Magic Kingdom’s other castle restaurant (the first being Cinderella’s Royal Table, of course!). Here are a couple of reasons why:

Newness: The biggest reason for this remains the relative novelty of the place. Be Our Guest and all of New Fantasyland are still a hot ticket in Walt Disney World since the expanded land’s grand opening in December 2012.

Incredible, Immersive Themeing: The impeccable themeing means that stepping into Beast’s Castle is truly like climbing through a portal into Beauty and the Beast (the original or the live-action version!). You almost expect to look down and find your plate come to life!

The Grey Stuff — It’s Delicious!

Novelty: The French-inspired cuisine that’s served at Be Our Guest is unlike anything else available in all of Magic Kingdom. In addition, Be Our Guest was the first place in formerly-dry Magic Kingdom to order beer and wine, and that added to the location’s novelty.

So, what to do if you can’t get a reservation at Be Our Guest? [Read more…]

Best Disney World Restaurants for First Time Disney Visitors

By AJ 212 Comments

UPDATED May 23, 2024

Everyday we receive lots of messages from you, our awesome DFB readers, asking for restaurant suggestions and recommendations. And while we certainly have our favorites, we know that you do, too!

So when a Disney first-time visitor asked what restaurants we would recommend for their upcoming trip, we couldn’t think of a better panel of experts to ask than YOU!

When I originally put the question out on the Disney Food Blog Facebook page, I was overwhelmed by the huge and immediate response that I got! (P.S. And we update this post regularly to make sure we’re still giving you the BEST and most up-to-date recommendations!)

Let’s take a look at your recommendations for the restaurants first timers must experience on that inaugural Walt Disney World trip!

If you have other thoughts or ideas — or, better yet, stories of your favorite restaurants during a first-time visit — please share them with all of us in the comments section! More suggestions are always better!

[Read more…]

Tips from the DFB Guide: Should I Book a Disney Character Meal?

By AJ 13 Comments

Dining at Walt Disney World is very often an experience rather than just a meal. It’s become a rite of passage to dine with characters during a visit to Disney — and there’s stiff competition to secure Advance Dining Reservations at some of these table-service restaurants.

Mickey strikes a pose!

Meeting Cinderella, rubbing Pooh’s tummy, hugging Mickey Mouse, and posing with Chip and Dale are some of the memorable moments that can be discovered while dining at Character Meals.

Tigger Lounges and Signs an Autograph Book at the Plaza Inn

But is a character meal right for your group? On one hand, adults and kids alike enjoy meeting characters from Winnie the Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood, Cinderella’s Castle, and more! Yet on the other, character meals can be costly — both in time and money!

We’ve been to countless meals in which Disney characters hobnob with guests, and now we can help you determine if a character meal fits well into your next Disney vacation!

Chef Mickey serves up fun and food at the Contemporary Resort!

In our The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2013 e-Book, we have an informative section on character meals. Pick up your copy here for an extra $4 off using code 2013 for a limited time! Your vacation is an investment and we want you to have the best trip possible!

So let’s take a look at whether a character meal makes sense for YOUR family…

Should I book a character meal?

Let’s get right to some important dining considerations that we’ve included in the DFB Guide to help you plan your meals.

Meet the princesses at a character meal!

1. Do you have kids who may be afraid of characters?

Character meals can be a good place for children to get to know the Disney characters. However if one (or more) of your children are not fond of the characters then consider dining at a restaurant with a fun theme instead.

Not sure if your kiddo hates characters? Here’s how to find out without too much trauma: [Read more…]

DFB Podcast Episode 10: Chef Mickey’s and Goofy’s Kitchen

By AJ 7 Comments

Howdy, Disney food lovers!

Great news today for all you hungry commuters, walkers, runners, gym-goers, stair-monster-climbers, and other assorted podcast listeners!

Just wanted to drop a line to let you know that the 10th episode of our DFB Podcast is now posted and ready for downloading!

In this episode we cover the latest Disney Food News and have a “telekinetic” discussion about the ever-popular Goofy’s Kitchen buffet at Disneyland and Chef Mickey’s buffet at Walt Disney World.

We also answer a couple listener questions, and reveal the answer to our Episode 9 trivia question (and debut a new trivia question)!

Here’s the Podcast page for Episode 10. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via RSS or on iTunes!

Take a listen and as always, let us know what you think!

Disney Food for Families: Great Disney World Restaurants for Boys

By Erin 27 Comments

Much fuss is made about the ballyhooed princess dining experiences at Disney World. So much fuss, that parents of young boys sometimes find themselves wondering, “What does Disney have that’s special for me?”

The down and dirty dino loving boy will be right at home at the T-Rex Cafe.

Well, never fear sports fans; I’m here to tell you that while, yes, the girly girls are pretty visible in the parks (it’s hard to miss the Florida sun glinting off a tiara), there are plenty of Disney dining experiences where the men in your family will feel right at home.

Let’s break it down …

Character Meals

There are 10 different character dining venues at Walt Disney World proper. Of these, only three and a half of them have princess themeing. The rest are totally gender-neutral.

Boys are certainly welcome at any of the princess meals, and many boys love them just as much as the other character meals (PLUS they’re given a neato plastic sword at the Royal Table); but honestly, they do skew more heavily toward girl interests.

All of the other character dining restaurants appeal equally to boys and girls. Your best options for boys in the character dining department are the following (characters are always subject to change): [Read more…]

Tips from the DFB Guide: Disney Dining on Your Arrival and Departure Days

By AJ 25 Comments

The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2017

— offers tremendous insight into dining at Walt Disney World, and I’d like to share one more of the valuable Disney Dining Tips found in the DFB Guide!

Chef Mickey is a good place to start your vacation (or say farewell until next year)!

Dining on Your Arrival and Departure Days in Disney World

Arrival and Departure days at Disney

can be a lot more tiring than you imagine. For many of us, these are half-days that require creative planning.

Annual passholders can easily hop into a park for a half-day, but if you hold a regular Magic Your Way ticket, you probably want to reserve it for a full days of Disney touring!

We recommend using these half-days to explore the wonderful dining opportunities outside the theme parks.

Disney Springs has some dynamite new restaurants and the chance to stock up on a few souvenirs in stores like World of Disney.
Visiting the Boardwalk resort is a fun adventure with dining available on the waterfront or at nearby resorts (Yacht and Beach Club; Swan and Dolphin).
Inexpensive and hearty food can be found at [Read more…]

Disney Restaurant Photo Packages Now Part Of PhotoPass+. Is It Worth It?

By AJ 9 Comments

We can’t wait to share some of the great new dining info that you’ll find in our updated e-Book — The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2012! In honor of the grand launch, let’s dig in!

New PhotoPass+ Option

For starters, we’ll take a look at the recently released PhotoPass+ option! It’s a new way to get all of your PhotoPass, Disney Attraction, and Dining photos in one handy package. But is it worth it just because it gives you access to your dining photos?

A Photo Package at Cinderella's Royal Table. Add Your Family Here.

Of course we analyzed this for you! The $199.95 package can be a good option for guests that hail down lots of PhotoPass photographers or tend to really want to show folks back home what they looked like on Test Track, however it’s not [Read more…]

2011 DFB Choice Award Winners!

By AJ Leave a Comment

It’s time to announce the winners of the second annual DFB Choice Awards!!

The awards are 100% based on Disney Food Blog reader choices. Nominations and final winners are selected by DFB readers who participate in the process. Everyone is welcome to participate! If your favorites didn’t win this year, be sure to nominate and vote for them next year! 🙂

Thanks to those of you who took the time to nominate your favorites, and to vote for the winners!

Without further ado, here are this year’s DFB Choice Award winners!

[Read more…]

Looking for something?

STAY CONNECTED

DIY Disney Recipe: Breakfast Pizza from Disney World’s Chef Mickey’s Restaurant