A Review of Chef Mickey’s with the Return of Characters
Wanting to dine at Chef Mickey’s is nothing new. This is usually a box people are told to check on their Disney vacation. But, since the reopening of Disney World it has been without the beloved characters…until now! They’re back! Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto have returned to Chef Mickey’s. With their return, Chef Mickey’s has also brought new menu items and a new way to dine.
I had the pleasure of being one of the very first guests to dine at Chef Mickey’s the morning of the big change. Chef Mickey’s opened at 7:30AM. We checked in promptly at opening time. You can now check in via the My Disney Experience app, or by scanning a QR code upon arrival. Very quickly we were welcomed and escorted to our table with a lovely view of the Castle, the monorail, and the Christmas tree on Main Street.
Our tables were very socially distanced. We were in an area where only two tables were available. The area would normally accommodate six tables. Between our area and the lower level there was a plexiglass barrier. With Chef Mickey’s being in a very open-air area in the Contemporary, with extra social distancing, we felt very safe. We were still extra cautious and courteous of our wait staff and kept our mask on while ordering, or when interacting with them later in the meal.
There are Magical Morning Cocktails, such as a cranberry-orange mimosa, a peach bellini, the chef’s bloody mary, and the cold brew XO available at an additional cost. There were also very cute non-alcoholic specialty smoothies for purchase for the kiddos. You could get a Mickey or Minnie Mouse version. A souvenir sipper was also available.
Chef Mickey’s is now served family style. It is no longer a buffet. I also appreciated this safety precaution, and much preferred it this way. Every menu item was offered to us including the new signature dishes that have been added to the menu. You did not have to pick just one. Any time we wanted more of something, including the newest dishes, all we had to do was ask. Our wait staff were very quick in bringing seconds and always kept our drinks filled.
We started off with some very cute mini yogurt and granola parfaits served in little mason jars as well as a selection of fresh fruit. Next came the large skillet full of eggs, bacon, brisket, chicken sausage, pork sausage, and of course the ever-popular Mickey waffles! Everything was wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the brisket. There were definitely seconds on those waffles.
Before we could finish this course, Chef Mickey’s signature selections started to arrive. There is a “Celebration” Mickey pancake, banana bread French toast, and a loaded potato-cheese casserole. I personally am very much a savory person and the casserole was my favorite! I ate more of this than I am willing to admit. The banana bread French toast was also amazing. The espresso-mascarpone cream with the bananas and chocolate crumbles really made this one a winner! The cream was light and did not have an overwhelming coffee flavor. It was a perfect pairing with this dish. The Mickey pancake was the surprising favorite of my girls. One said it was the best pancake she had ever had. Once this showed up that was all that she was eating, and we had to get seconds to even try it ourselves. She was not giving it up. We ended our meal with some sweet rolls and sweet fritters that were rolled in vanilla cinnamon sugar. These little doughnut hole type bites were a great “dessert” to this meal.
While we were enjoying our meal, the characters made 4 rounds through the restaurant. You are asked to stay seated while the characters make their way through. The characters danced to a new song called “Let’s make some biscuits.” There was hand clapping, but the napkin twirling has gone by the wayside. The characters posed for pictures from a distance. We switched seats at one point with our girls once we figured out where each character would always stand so that we could get pics of our kiddos with the characters in the shot. This is something to keep in mind when picking your seating. They would also pose in the background for selfies. They took their time interacting and playing that fun game of conversation charades that you get at Disney with the characters.
At the end of the meal, we were given a souvenir card with a picture of all the Chef Mickey’s characters in their Chef Mickey attire in the monorail going through the Contemporary. On the other side was each character’s autograph. This was a wonderful keepsake from our breakfast. I think Disney has done a great job in bringing the magic back to Chef Mickey’s!
