Chef Mickey’s Breakfast: An Honest Review

On Christmas Eve, my family and I had the awesome opportunity to have breakfast at Chef Mickey’s in Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We were a bit nervous after hearing some less-than-stellar reviews of the place, especially since so much has changed since the reopening. Fortunately, we were pleasantly surprised.

If you’ve been considering a meal at Chef Mickey’s, and you’re still undecided, you’ve come to the right place. Below I will outline what happened during our breakfast at this classic Walt Disney World Resort character meal, so you can decide for yourself whether it’s something you’d enjoy.

Related: Dining at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Reservation

We were able to snag a reservation for Chef Mickey’s Disney character dining two days before Christmas Eve. We tried to get one 60 days out with no luck and ended up keeping an eye on the app until something did eventually pop up.

We were surprised at how many Disney dining reservations became available within the two days before we went. If you can’t get an advance dining reservation to go at 60 days out, we highly recommend trying over and over in the days leading up to your visit. Be persistent!

Related: How to Get the Walt Disney World Dining Reservations You Want

The Arrival

We arrived at the restaurant about 10 minutes before our reservation time. There was nobody waiting to go in when we got there. We checked in at the podium and were told we would receive a text message when a table became available. Surprisingly, that text message came through just a couple of minutes later, before our official reservation time even rolled around!

When the text message came in, we returned to the podium and were led to a table by a hostess. The hostess was very welcoming and even went so far as to chat with us about our trip as we walked to the back of the restaurant, where we were seated near a window with a fantastic view of the Castle. I recommend requesting a window table if you can.

The Service

I’ve heard a lot of complaints about the service at Disney World lately. I’ve heard about grumpy Cast Members and staff members who were straight up rude. We did not experience this at all during our meal at Chef Mickey’s. In fact, the staff went above and beyond to make sure we were happy and gave a truly magical Disney experience.

Our waitress was quick to get our drink orders and made sure our toddler had a cup with a lid. Pastries were brought out almost immediately, and we had just enough time with those before the platter of bacon, eggs, waffles, and more came out. The server was quick to ask if we wanted more of anything when it looked like we were nearing the end of our food, and brought out more than enough when we asked for another Mickey pancake and more brisket.

I’d give the service a 10 out of 10 rating.

Related: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Dining in Disney World With a Toddler

The Food

Most of the complaints I hear about Chef Mickey’s involve the food, so I was a little leery going in. To my surprise, we quite enjoyed the meal.

As mentioned before, they start the meal by bringing out pastries. These included a sweet icing-covered bun and cinnamon sugar donut holes. Both were good (kudos to the pastry chef) and we ate them all but didn’t ask for more.

Along with the pastries, we received a bowl of fruit, which was very much appreciated by my fruit-loving kids. Yogurt parfaits came out as well, but nobody really liked those.

The main course included scrambled eggs, a ton of bacon, sausage links, Mickey Waffles, brisket, Mickey celebration pancakes with sprinkles and whipped cream, banana bread French toast, and cheesy potatoes.

We ate some of everything and enjoyed it all. That said, we especially loved the brisket, banana bread French toast, and cheesy potatoes. My son also really loved the Mickey pancake, which is no surprise as he is a pancake guy. The waffles did seem a bit limp, as if they had been sitting under a lamp for a bit, and the first serving of brisket was a tiny bit dry. (We were there at the tail end of the breakfast period for the day, for what it’s worth.)

Overall, I think the food deserves a 7.5 out of 10. It isn’t a gourmet meal by any stretch, but it is solid, enjoyable, filling, and on par with most other Disney food we’ve tried.

The Characters

Of course, the characters are what everyone actually books character meals for, and they were definitely a highlight of the experience. Characters were making rounds when we arrived, which meant we were greeted by Mickey Mouse almost immediately. He kept six feet of distance, but the kids were allowed to stand up to wave, interact, and pose for pictures with him as long as they stayed near the table. No hugs or autographs were allowed.

Other characters included the rest of the Fab Five: Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto, and all did a great job of engaging our two-year-old and making her feel special. She especially loved Minnie Mouse, who blew her kisses, and Goofy, who played silly games with his ears for a few moments before moving on.

About halfway through our meal, the characters made a second round to a fun version of the song “Biscuits in the Oven”. Most characters stopped in front of our table for a portion of the song, doing fun dance moves, which the kids in the restaurant loved doing along with them. This was fantastic for little ones.

As we were leaving, the characters made one more round without music, so in total, we were in the restaurant for about 45 minutes and saw all of the characters two or three times.

Yes, we did miss hugs and autographs, but considering the circumstances, I’d say the characters get an 8 out of 10. There were some characters that spent a bit more time interacting than others, and I wish they all would have made a point of playing with the toddlers and preschoolers in the room, but a couple did do that and it was great.

Was It Worth it?

In the end, we spent around $127 on Chef Mickey’s breakfast for two adults, a Disney kid, and a free toddler. This includes our Passholder discount as well as taxes and a tip. Was it worth it? Yes, it absolutely was!

Character dining is not something we do on a super regular basis, but it definitely is a fun thing to do for a special celebration or holiday. In this case, Chef Mickey’s was a Christmas treat, and we absolutely do not regret it.

Related: Plan the Ultimate Day at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

I would recommend Chef Mickey’s to Disney World Guests with young children who like Mickey Mouse. Don’t go in looking for a fantastic fare, but know you will get a good, filling meal out of the deal.

Ask to be seated near the windows for a view of Magic Kingdom theme park and Cinderella Castle, and have fun watching the monorail run by above you while waiting for your table. Toddlers, preschoolers, and young elementary-aged kids will adore it, and their parents are sure to love watching them have a great time, making this an excellent addition to a Disney vacation with little ones.