Chef Mickey’s Character Dining at the Contemporary Resort – Meet Your Favorite Characters in Style
There are plenty of places to get the character dining experience around Walt Disney World, and each character dining location is a unique chance to make memories. If you’re staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World or just want to try character dining at every possible opportunity, Chef Mickey’s is certainly worthy of a spot on your itinerary. Here’s what you can expect from a meal there.
Theming and Atmosphere
The décor at Chef Mickey’s strikes a sleek balance between retro and futuristic. Take in expansive views of Bay Lake as the Contemporary Resort‘s monorail whizzes right by your table. And make sure you admire the stunning 90-foot-tall mural designed by Disney Legend Mary Blair. If you didn’t know, Mary Blair was the concept artist behind Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Cinderella. She also created the character designs for the iconic It’s a Small World ride at Walt Disney World. The mural at Chef Mickey’s celebrates the Grand Canyon and classic American Southwest imagery.
Chef Mickey’s is usually a buffet-style all-you-can-eat meal, but as part of the restaurant’s COVID-19 precautions, the experience has been switched to family-style dining. One benefit is that you can enjoy delicious food and meet all your favorite characters without leaving your table!
Mickey’s Menus
Chef Mickey’s serves breakfast and dinner, so the first thing you’ll want to decide when planning your trip is whether you want a classic character breakfast or a more luxurious, leisurely dinner. Either way, you can’t really go wrong here!
Brilliant Breakfast Selections
To start, your waiter will bring seasonal fruit and yogurt parfaits to your table. You’ll also get to enjoy unique breads like harvest sweet rolls with honey butter, sea salt, and cream cheese icing poured tableside. (Yum!) But try not to fill up on bread alone. . .
Because next, you need to dig into fresh fried sweet fritters with vanilla-cinnamon sugar! Not to mention the breakfast classics like scrambled eggs, chicken and chicken sausage, Mickey waffles (of course!), smoked bacon, and slow-roasted beef brisket with mushroom ragout and roasted onions. If a member of your group is on a plant-based diet, just ask your waiter for a plant-based tofu scramble and plant-based Mickey waffles.
In addition to breakfast classics, you’ll also get to try signature dishes like a loaded potato-cheese casserole, celebration Mickey pancakes, and banana bread French toast – complete with espresso mascarpone cream toasted bananas and chocolate crumbles!
Breakfast Drinks
There are plenty of non-alcoholic specialty drinks like smoothies, peppermint mocha hot cocoa, and salted caramel cold brew. In the mood for a cocktail? Their expansive cocktail menu includes riffs on classics like cranberry-orange mimosas, peach bellinis, and cold brew with coffee liqueur. Or dive in with both feet and order a Gingerbread Indulgence with vodka, Kahlua, spices, and a house-made gingerbread cookie to top it all off.
Decadent Dinners
If you swing by Chef Mickey’s for dinner, you’ll find more savory, heartier fare. Start by choosing from Caesar salad, the pastry chef’s bread selection for the day, seasonal salad, and citrus-poached baby shrimp over greens.
Proteins for the main course include prime rib with mushroom ragout and roasted onions, roasted turkey breast with summer succotash and gravy, and roasted salmon in sweet mustard glaze with kale. You’ll also get indulgent sides like roasted garlic gratin potatoes, potato gnocchi with roasted mushroom cream, baby carrots in Dijon-tarragon butter, and asparagus with gremolata.
Make sure you save room for dessert! These are served family-style as well, so there’s no need to pick just one. You can sample bites of each since there’s plenty to go around. Selections include apple crumble tart, strawberry cream cake, raspberry tart, and adorable Mickey Mousse Domes (topped with little mouse ears!). They’re a sweet way to end a delicious meal.
Dinner Drinks
The drinks menu boasts a selection of fruity mocktails and extensive beer and wine lists. But their cocktail menu really shines as it’s full of tropical options. Try the watermelon or blood orange margarita or the rum swizzle.
If you’re anything like us, you know half the Disney magic is about finding souvenirs wherever you look. Order the Blue “Glow-Tini” or Magical Star Cocktail, and you’ll find a souvenir Glow Cube in your drink. When you’re finished with your meal, grab the Glow Cube out of your glass and take it home to enjoy again and again.
Meeting Your Favorite Mouse
When you take your seat, the first thing you’ll notice is a special autographed card from Mickey and his pals welcoming you to the restaurant. Make sure to take this keepsake with you at the end of your meal! Mickey Mouse and his friends Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and loyal Pluto make surprise appearances in each dining room as guests enjoy their meal.
It’ll come as no surprise that everyone wants the character dining experience, which means tables book up fast. Plan as far ahead as you can and book a reservation to ensure you can snag a table and shorten your wait time.
Like most Disney dining destinations, there are plenty of allergy-friendly menu options for breakfast and dinner. Not sure what’s safe for you to eat with dietary restrictions? Just ask your server or check the allergy-friendly menus.
COVID-19 Safe, and Still Magical
The atmosphere at Chef Mickey’s has been changed to allow for safe social distancing throughout the experience. Guests can no longer touch or hug the characters, and the dining has been switched to family-style. But you can still get pictures with your favorite characters from a distance as they move from table to table.
The meal is definitely a bit of a splurge; breakfast is $42 per adult and $27 per child. Dinner is $55 per adult and $36 per child. Since it’s all-you-can-eat and the portions are huge, make sure you come hungry to get your money’s worth.
But remember, you’re paying for the experience and getting to meet your favorite characters. Think of it as an activity and a meal. And be sure to take plenty of pictures to capture the magic of the moment! It’s an unforgettable experience that you won’t want to forget, especially if you’re bringing children.
What kind of character dining experience do you prefer? Do you like to start your day off with a character breakfast, or would you rather sip a cocktail and enjoy a leisurely dinner while saying hi to Mickey and his friends?
Cover Image
Photo: Loren Javier via Flickr
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