REVIEW: If You Think This Disney World Character Breakfast Is Just for Kids, Think Again

When you’re in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it’s hard to resist a character dining experience at a place called Hollywood & Vine, right? That name alone makes you think of glitz and glamour.

This restaurant’s character experience changes depending on the time of day. For lunch and dinner, you get Minnie’s Seasonal Dining with Minnie, Mickey, and some of their friends, but breakfast is the Disney Junior Play n’ Dine where you can have breakfast with some of Disney Junior’s most popular characters.

Background

You’ll find Hollywood & Vine just off Echo Lake in  Hollywood Studios.   The idea of the restaurant is that you’re visiting a classic Hollywood diner from the golden age of Hollywood. It’s very old Hollywood.

Be sure to look up before you head inside: you’ll see a window into Eddie Valiant’s Private Eye office from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. You’ll know the window because it looks like Roger Rabbit busted through it.

Atmosphere

You’ll see which character experience you’re getting just before you head inside. Yes, we’re going to party with some Disney Junior friends! You can check in for your meal at a podium outside.

Inside, you’ll find a restaurant set up like a classic Hollywood Diner with black and white flooring as well as booths plus tables with chairs. There’s a light art deco theme running throughout this space. There’s also a lot of light so you can get some great photos with characters.

There’s even a mural in the back marking notable Hollywood landmarks.

Like we said, everything is very old Hollywood.

Characters

For the Disney Junior Play n’ Dine breakfast experience, you’ll get to see a few familiar faces, like Goofy.

You’ll also have a chance to see characters from Disney Junior shows. Doc McStuffins is here and present for house calls.

You’ll also get a chance to say hi to Vampirina.

Fancy Nancy will even drop by for a chat!

We had so much fun meeting the characters. This is a light experience with really sweet character interactions.

Food & Drinks

The character experience may be targeted more toward little ones, but the adults in the party can still enjoy a variety of breakfast cocktails, like a mimosa, a Bloody Mary, and a glass of wine. Of course, non-alcoholic beverages, like juice, coffee, and sodas are also available.

The food here is served buffet-style and includes pastries, an omelet station, classic breakfast foods, Mickey waffles, and more. You can grab things like doughnut holes and assorted breads.

The pastries we had were just your normal Disney pastries. They’re good, but we wouldn’t go out of our way for them. There’s a good selection, though, including sticky buns, croissants, bagels, and more.

If you want oatmeal, it’s available with several mix-in options like raisins and brown sugar. Plus you can get granola and grits.

Other breakfast items include cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs, Jicama slaw, a muesli bowl, fresh fruit, and more.

Want a classic breakfast? Grab sausage, scrambled eggs, and cheesy potatoes.

You can also get chicken patties, bacon, and an egg white frittata.  A thing we noticed about this buffet is that there are healthier options, like the egg white frittata and chicken patties.

There’s cornbread pudding and even a plant-based frittata.

You’ll certainly want to try the brioche French toast with bananas foster sauce.

Or how about spicy chicken and doughnut, salmon and bagel casserole, or eggs benedict?

There’s smoked sausage with peppers and onions, as well as biscuits and gravy.

Need condiments? Ketchup, strawberry sauce, and pancake syrup are available.

You’ve got baked oatmeal, but also classic Mickey waffles, potato barrels, and pancakes.

You can even make yourself a bowl of cereal.

Soft-serve ice cream for breakfast? You bet! This is just a super fun option. It’s your traditional Disney soft-serve, but it’s also all you can eat.

You can grab some fruit and yogurt, too.

We also approve of dessert for breakfast that includes apple crisp and bread pudding.

Okay, let’s eat! We filled up a plate or two or three and dug in. We’ll admit we might have had low expectations with this being a buffet, but a lot of the food here surprised us.

Our favorite things were the spicy chicken and doughnuts and the bananas foster French toast. The spicy chicken and doughnuts had a nice sweet and soft donut, but the chicken is what elevated this for us. It was fresh and juicy and was even a little spicier than what we consider “Disney spicey.” We went back for seconds.

The bananas foster French toast was way better than what we would have ever expected on a buffet. The brioche French toast was soft and had a delicious flavor of cinnamon and powdered sugar. The sauce on top made us think of an ooey, gooey, and sweet cinnamon roll. We only wish the edges of the French toast were cooked a bit more, but overall, this impressed us.

The omelet bar is also still here — we didn’t try it this time, but it’s a nice option if you want to customize part of your meal and have omelets made to order.

Should You Go?

Overall, we really loved this experience. It’s great for last-minute reservations, kids who love Disney Junior or anyone who needs to get out of the heat. Now, this isn’t a higher quality breakfast like you might find at something like Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort, but it’s a solid option in Hollywood Studios. This could also be a great spot for parents wanting an easy and healthy breakfast that kids will also enjoy.

AllEars readers ranked Hollywood and Vine a 7.25 out of 10, with 73% recommending this restaurant. The breakfast experience is different from the lunch and dinner experience, so keep that in mind when making those reservations.

Although the Disney Junior characters are more recognizable for the kiddos, even adults have said they enjoyed breakfast here. AllEars readers also noted that characters come around often, so you’re sure to have some one-on-one time with all of them.

Have you ever had breakfast at Hollywood & Vine? What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments!

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