REVIEW: This Small Upgrade Completely Changed This Disney World Restaurant, and We’re Here for It

There are some restaurants in Disney World that make us inwardly cringe when we know we need to visit them for a review. Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort often falls into that category because it’s often been a miss for us, although there are those rare occasions where it’s also been a hit.

There’s no denying that Chef Mickey’s is VERY popular with Disney World guests, though, so we recently revisited the restaurant to see how it’s faring lately. Our visit actually surprised us…in a good way.

Background

Chef Mickey’s is a character dining experience open for breakfast and dinner at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. It’s on the fourth floor, and the Monorail actually goes right through it.

Here’s what you need to know about dining at this restaurant.

Atmosphere

The restaurant is fun and vibrant, and during the day, it gets a lot of natural light from all the windows.

There’s plenty of seating, but as it is highly popular, you’ll still want to make reservations to visit it.

The restaurant is a buffet, so there’s a wide variety of food available. You can also order from a special drinks menu to get special cocktails and mocktails for an additional charge.

Dinner at Chef Mickey’s is $69 per adult and $44 per child (ages 3-9) plus tax and gratuity.

Food & Drinks

As previously stated, you can grab a variety of food at this buffet. There’s a salad bar…

…foods for picky eaters like chicken tenders and pizza…

…a carving station with roast beef…

…hot classic entrees and vegetables…

…pasta dishes…

…and loads of desserts like cupcakes, cookies, and more.

First up, we grabbed a plate and filled it up with Mini Corn Dogs. We’re happy to report these are the same Mini Corn Dogs you can get at Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom. However, there’s no cheese sauce to dip them in, so you’ll have to choose from honey mustard and ketchup. These are on the kids’ part of the buffet, but kids and adults will appreciate them.

The Watermelon Salad really blew us away. It was so fresh, and the sweet watermelon with tangy red onions provided a great combination of flavors. It also had cucumber that added some crunch, along with some creamy feta.

The Pork Dumplings were drenched in a nice soy sauce, so we didn’t even have to dip them in anything. The pork inside was tender and delicious, although we wished there was more of it. The cabbage added some nice crunch, though.

The shrimp in the Shrimp Cocktail were firm and fresh, the way they’re supposed to be. Seafood at a buffet is generally a gamble, but this time, it paid off. We got a classic cocktail sauce to dip those shrimp in.

We also got the Roast Beef from the carving station. This is classic carved roast beef as you might find at any buffet. It might be simple, but it’s satisfying, tender, and well-seasoned.

We were shocked at just how good the Shrimp Scampi is. It had a lot of great flavor from the seasoning, and it even had a hint of heat, which we appreciated. This shrimp was just a little overdone, but the flavor made up for it.

The Italian Pasta Salad had a beautiful combination of cured meats like pepperoni, which had a nice, slightly spicy flavor that worked well with the pasta. The salad’s dressing had some nice herbiness to it.

We grabbed a Cheeseburger Slider from the kids’ buffet, but it was mostly disappointing. It didn’t have a lot of flavor, and it needed more cheese. We also thought it was on the dry side.

The Mac and Cheese from the kids’ buffet, though, was a winner. It was perfectly cheesy and creamy, and the pasta had a nice bite. It’s sure to please kids and picky eaters.

We also liked the Barbecue Chicken, which had a tasty, sweet barbecue sauce covering a tender and juicy piece of chicken. The chicken itself also had some nice seasoning to it.

Now, there are some new dessert options at Chef Mickey’s, and they’re all based on characters. The first thing we tried was the Mickey Mouse Tart. It’s a chocolate mousse coated in a chocolate ganache with a chocolate cookie crust topped with sprinkles and a chocolate medallion. This is a chocolate-lover’s dream. It’s decadent and rich, and we loved that about it.

We also grabbed the Minnie Mouse Cheesecake, a raspberry cheesecake with a chocolate crust. This light dessert has a wonderful, fresh raspberry flavor that we really loved.

The Pluto Tart has a filling of coconut haupia and DOLE Whip Pineapple, so we were already excited to try it. It’s another light dessert with a lovely tartness that goes well with the tart crust.

We also loved the Donald Duck Cream Puff, which is filled with lemon cream. It’s a perfectly baked cream puff with a tart lemon filling, and the two flavors perfectly complement each other.

The Goofy Cupcake, though, disappointed us. First, it’s so basic compared to the other three desserts we’d already tried. It’s just a regular chocolate cupcake with a buttercream frosting. There’s nothing too exciting about it.

Finally, the Daisy Cookies and Cream Mousse also failed to impress us. Again, the dessert was boring compared to the first three we tried. It is plant-based, so it’s an option for those on a plant-based diet, but there’s nothing special about it at all. The flavors are very simple, but sometimes you need a simple dessert at the end of a big meal.

So that’s all the food we ate, but here’s why people really come to this restaurant…the characters.

Characters

We saw some of our favorite Disney characters during our meal, including Chef Mickey himself.

We also got to say hello to Pluto…

…Goofy…

…Minnie…

…and Donald.

This is probably the best thing about Chef Mickey’s. You’re guaranteed to meet these iconic characters.

Magic or Tragic?

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• You want to meet characters. The highlight of a meal at Chef Mickey’s is meeting the characters, and you’re guaranteed to meet them here, where you can get lots of photos.
• You’ve got picky eaters in your group. Chef Mickey’s is also a good option for picky eaters because there’s a little bit of everything on the buffet, including typical picky eater foods like chicken tenders, mac and cheese, pizza, and more.
• You’re close to the Monorail. Whether you’re visiting Magic Kingdom or staying at another Monorail resort, it’s easy to get to Chef Mickey’s just by jumping on what many feel is Disney World’s best transportation option. No buses required.

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• You want a quiet dinner. Things are anything but quiet at Chef Mickey’s. This place attracts kids and families like flies, and characters just make everything that much more chaotic. It can get noisy in here.
• You’re on a budget. Dinner is pricey here, especially if you have a large group, so if you’re on a budget, you’d end up spending a lot of $$$.
• You don’t have a reservation. Chef Mickey’s is probably one of the most popular character dining experiences in Disney World, and if you don’t have a reservation, you could find yourself waiting a while to be seated, if seating is available at all.

The thing about Chef Mickey’s is that you don’t really go for the food, which is generally inconsistent. We’ve had meals we’ve liked, like this one, but we’ve also had plenty of meals we haven’t liked. You come here for the characters, and that much is guaranteed, so if that’s a priority, you might still want to make that reservation.

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disney World and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news and more!

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Have you eaten at this Disney World restaurant before? Tell us in the comments.

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