The name may appear to be a query that solutions itself. In any case, if it’s essentially the most iconic persona eating revel in at Walt Disney Global, doesn’t it stand to explanation why that it’s a great meal? How would an terrible eating place even get so standard?!
Beats me. However I additionally know that Tomorrowland Speedway and Pinocchio Village Haus are moderately standard regardless of being moderately dangerous. Perhaps other people simply have deficient style? This one is extra of an open query despite the fact that, as we revisit breakfast at Chef Mickey’s for the primary time shortly to decide whether or not this Walt Disney Global establishment and rite-of-passage eating place is price your time, cash, and abdomen area.
It’s no secret that we’re, traditionally, no longer the largest fanatics of this established order. For years, Chef Mickey’s made our checklist of the Issues We’ll By no means Do Once more at Walt Disney Global. We got rid of it closing yr after having a daughter and knowing we’d virtually without a doubt be doing extra foods (plural) at Chef Mickey’s within the years yet to come. Even sooner than that, we famous that it used to be dinner at Chef Mickey’s that used to be uniquely dangerous. It’s no longer that we cherished breakfast, however we without a doubt most popular it to dinner…
Let’s get started with the fundamentals for the ones studying this evaluation chilly (…identical to one of the crucial ‘sizzling’ dishes at the dinner unfold on the buffet). Chef Mickey’s is a personality meal at Disney’s Fresh Hotel, which is positioned close to Magic Kingdom. The eating place is within the open-air Grand Canyon Concourse, with visitor rooms and the monorail overhead. It’s a groovy surroundings.
Chef Mickey’s participates within the Disney Eating Plan as a 1-credit desk provider meal. Dinner is without doubt one of the easiest choices in the event you’re looking to maximize your price at the Disney Eating Plan, however breakfast continues to be an excellent price–particularly in the event you order a distinctiveness drink. We had been paying out of pocket for our breakfast at Chef Mickey’s, so we’ll be judging it on a money foundation.
Chef Mickey’s is essentially the most iconic persona eating revel in partially as it’s been round goodbye. I’ve footage from this meal when I used to be a child, again when it used to be hosted at what’s now Rainforest Cafe in what’s now Disney Springs. It’s been a staple of Disney’s Fresh Hotel for the reason that mid-Nineteen Nineties, and there at the moment are different Chef Mickey’s outposts on the global parks. Goofy even will get in at the motion at Disneyland, the place Goofy’s Kitchen is the same idea.
It’s additionally iconic as it options Mickey Mouse and pals in culinary costumes. There are a large number of memorable and inventive persona outfits, nevertheless it’s tricky to best the attempted and true enchantment of Chef Mickey’s. It simply works. About the one different persona meal that comes on the subject of having the ‘legacy’ of Chef Mickey’s is Cinderella’s Royal Desk, however being a princess meal, I don’t suppose that has the similar enchantment.
With this lengthy legacy, it’s price noting that Chef Mickey’s may be very a lot an “oldschool” persona eating revel in from a distinct generation. There are more recent and extra trendy persona eating reviews, maximum of which we choose. If you wish to minimize to the chase and examine our best selections for breakfast and dinner, learn the next:
The ones are our 3 favourite persona foods at Walt Disney Global at the moment and, spoiler alert, breakfast at Chef Mickey’s does no longer surpass any of them. This isn’t to mention we don’t counsel it–or that Chef Mickey’s received’t be higher suited on your circle of relatives. We’ll duvet professionals & cons on this evaluation.
Amongst longtime Walt Disney Global fanatics or even informal visitors, Chef Mickey’s has advanced ‘ceremony of passage’ standing. Many visitors shape nice reminiscences eating at Chef Mickey’s and wish to go back with long term generations in consequence. All of us wish to return to the puts the place we made nice reminiscences.
This fairly describes us! As discussed, I dined right here as a child (albeit at Disney Village) and now I wish to convey my daughter right here. Truthfully, I don’t take into account consuming at Chef Mickey’s when I used to be a child, however my oldsters have photographic proof and so they don’t understand how to make use of the ones new-fangled AI symbol turbines, so I’m going to suppose it in truth took place.
And there’s a reason Chef Mickey’s has turn into a ceremony of passage persona eating revel in. There’s one thing to be mentioned for consuming within the Grand Canyon Concourse of the Fresh with monorails passing overhead. All of the whilst, you have got Chef Mickey Mouse and different Fab 5 in cool costumes. It assessments a number of containers for being a quintessential Walt Disney Global revel in, sooner than even speaking in regards to the meals.
Let’s take a snappy take a look at the decor of Chef Mickey’s. Many of the surroundings is courtesy of the monorail overhead, and the open-air nature of the atrium. The eating place’s inside simply is composed of colourful designs, persona pop-art, and a Mickey head motif.
As with the remainder of the Grand Canyon Concourse, Chef Mickey’s is loud and chaotic. If anything else, the remainder of the atrium has this vibe on account of Chef Mickey’s, no longer the opposite direction round. It’s a colossal persona venue that attracts households with small children. You do the mathematics on that.
Truthfully, I’m going backward and forward at the inside design on Chef Mickey’s. It’s unabashedly Nineteen Nineties, however I believe there’s additionally a undeniable enchantment to it. That is particularly the case at evening, when there are colourful lighting fixtures and also you don’t realize the outdated carpet, tile, or ceilings moderately as a lot.
All the way through breakfast, all of these items stands out much more–making for a a long way much less favorable affect. Chef Mickey’s felt extra drained than it ever has, and this wasn’t merely an issue of the passage of time.
Listed below are a couple of extra pictures to come up with a really feel for the different seating spaces at Chef Mickey’s:
As a normal subject, the Grand Canyon Concourse is an absolute visible hodgepodge and Chef Mickey’s is not any other. There are just about a half-dozen other types of carpet and four various kinds of tiles. This isn’t useful, and those don’t seem to be a part of a coherent aesthetic.
They’re the results of Disney’s Fresh Hotel having visible muddle added over the process a number of years, with increasingly more stuff (PG time period) added over time with none cohesive imaginative and prescient. It’s been literal a long time for the reason that Fresh has had a best to backside overhaul. As a substitute, junk has been added in a piecemeal means over time.
All of it seems to be garish, dated, and maximum without a doubt no longer Fresh. That is all critique of the Grand Canyon Concourse as a complete and even though Chef Mickey’s takes up a large bite of this area, it’s more than likely the venue the place that is least noticeable. The Nineteen Nineties vibe roughly works. (“Extra” at dinner; “much less” at breakfast.)
One more reason such a lot of Walt Disney Global fanatics love Chef Mickey’s is since the characters are constantly superb.
One of the best ways to explain Chef Mickey’s is arranged chaos. It’s like one of the crucial paint-splatter items of father artwork at the wall–in the event you watched the artist create that, you’d more than likely by no means be expecting it to end up so nice. And but, it does. Identical thought with Chef Mickey’s. The whole lot in regards to the eating place–from check-in to seating to the nature procession–turns out disorganized and dysfunctional.
In spite of all outward appearances, it comes in combination in best solidarity. There will have to be a option to the insanity, as a result of I will be able to’t bring to mind any persona eating revel in this is as a lot of a well-oiled gadget as Chef Mickey’s. It in truth, abruptly purposes virtually flawlessly.
This didn’t utterly sink in till our most up-to-date meal at Chef Mickey’s, once we had been the primary visitors in one of the crucial seating spaces. Inside mins, the entire different tables had been crammed. In a while thereafter, the characters arrived one-by-one with a suitable hole in between. We had simply sufficient time to make a cross of the buffet sooner than they arrived, and numerous time to devour with out interruption afterwards. Our seating space then emptied out, with each and every birthday party completing at kind of the similar time.
Extra importantly, the characters had been responsive to each and every desk and presented fulfilling and distinctive interactions with each and every visitor. It wasn’t only a subject of posing for pictures and transferring alongside. They had been unbelievable with Child Bricker, however that’s par for the route with fur characters. It is helping that our daughter is enamored with them (till she falls asleep), in need of to grasp their noses, play peek-a-boo, and so on.
In fact we adore that they offer her such a lot consideration and be offering rewarding interactions, in conjunction with nice reminiscences and pictures for us. That’s what makes us wish to stay meting out the massive greenbacks and doing extra persona foods. However for the needs of this evaluation, I used to be extra excited by observing how Mickey & Buddies engaged with different visitors in our seating space. They had been unbelievable, all-around.
Extra Chef Mickey’s persona pictures:
Not one of the characters phoned it in, all of them had been playful and just right at “studying” visitors to grasp what sort of interplay would paintings. Households with small youngsters are the most obvious low-hanging fruit; extra telling are how the characters have interaction with {couples}, “Grumpy” dads, and grandparents.
The characters at Chef Mickey’s get excessive marks all-around for this. In truth, it used to be downright a laugh to look at them make their manner across the room, as no two characters did the similar factor, and no two tables were given the similar interplay. It provides a little bit of a ‘display’ part past the little cavalcade.
We additionally liked the presence of persona attendants. There used to be all the time a Forged Member within the normal neighborhood who lets ask to take circle of relatives pictures people all in combination. This isn’t all the time the case at persona foods, so we in point of fact liked it. About the one problem is that it’s tough to get pictures with “blank” backgrounds, however that’s an issue in any respect persona foods. It’s simply exacerbated at the preferred ones, particularly when tables aren’t spaced out (as is the case at Chef Mickey’s).
Now let’s check out the meals at the breakfast buffet:
Chef Mickey’s has one of the crucial greatest breakfast spreads in all of Walt Disney Global, and the one explanation why I’m hedging with “one of the crucial” is as it’s been a little bit since we’ve finished Crystal Palace or Cape Might Cafe (we’ll be rectifying that quickly) and I’m no longer 100% positive Chef Mickey’s has extra choices. I believe it does, however can’t say that with entire self assurance.
After all, I’m no longer going to move dish by means of dish and evaluation each and every unmarried merchandise at Chef Mickey’s. For something, as a result of I didn’t devour all of them. I’d nonetheless be in a meals coma if I had. For every other factor, I doubt any individual is in point of fact sitting on pins and needles looking forward to me to study grapes, pineapple, tomatoes, hash browns, and different stuff. A few of these dishes talk for themselves.
I do need to begin with some normal laws of thumb that we’ve realized from many foods at Chef Mickey’s and different persona buffets over time. The primary is that Chef Mickey’s favourite factor is butter. In a similar fashion, his 2d favourite factor is salt. If a dish is good as a substitute of savory, you’ll be able to be expecting it to be very candy.
Mainly, Mickey’s 3 favourite components are butter, salt, and sugar–and that cocktail of components (coupled with the considered necessary overindulgence) approach you’ll most likely go away eating place feeling bloated and icky. Suffice to mention, Mickey isn’t a lot of a chef. Excellent factor it’s solely his facet hustle.
Any other factor to take into account of is that, like all buffet, how just right or dangerous a specific dish is can in large part depend on how contemporary it’s. Did you catch a brand spanking new batch, or has what you’re about to scoop up been slow-cooking underneath a warmth lamp for hours.
This isn’t generally an issue at Chef Mickey’s because the eating place is massive and turnover is fast. But it surely does occur. One robust piece of recommendation is prioritizing no matter is contemporary and keeping off the ‘stale’ taking a look trays till they’re changed. Should you see one thing that appears just right, don’t cross it up. Chef Mickey’s is so busy that what’s there on one cross might be long gone the following, which could be a just right or dangerous factor. And it’s most commonly pre-prepared, so there’s not anything to mention a brand new batch will in truth be contemporary.
A major instance of this from our most up-to-date meal used to be the Carved Pit Ham. This is without doubt one of the purported highlights of the breakfast unfold, nevertheless it appeared extra like slow-aged ham jerky than carved ham. (The photograph above doesn’t do complete justice to how dangerous one batch used to be–scroll as much as the buffet unfold pictures and take a 2d take a look at that.) This used to be an unforced error on my section, as I handed over an previous batch of ham that did glance higher.
After all, high quality is a matter at Chef Mickey’s. The Giant Rodent foyer would love you to consider that any individual can prepare dinner, however Mickey has been at this for many years and nonetheless hasn’t gotten any higher. Those dishes are in large part convenience delicacies, or even those that aren’t don’t seem to be on par with what you’d in finding at a desk provider eating place.
A couple of years again, Walt Disney Global’s CFO mentioned chopping prices by means of converting providers and substituting components. Chef Mickey’s is mainly the poster kid for that. Some dishes are just right; maximum are related to what you want to get at counter provider eating places. One high instance of cost-cutting is the elimination of the carving station–you’ll be able to not get pork brisket, and the ham is a shadow of its former self even if it hasn’t been slow-cooked underneath the warmth lamp.
Our “answer” to that is going for the attempted and true ‘high-value’ pieces. You’ll realize near to each and every photograph of our plates has smoked salmon on it. We devour a large number of smoked salmon at Walt Disney Global buffets. It’s expensive (relative to different pieces), and no longer sugary or buttery like a large number of different dishes at the buffet. For me particularly, it provides great steadiness to the entire candy stuff I ate at Chef Mickey’s. And even if it’s uninteresting, fruit is every other robust choice from buffets.
Talking of chocolates, my favourite pieces from the Chef Mickey’s breakfast buffet had been the Croissant Beignets and Space-made French Toast with Bananas Foster.
The Croissant Beignets defied the common sense of Chef Mickey’s. They had been cushy and crispy at the external, giving solution to a doughy and flaky inside. It felt like those had been willing with care, being a higher-effort dessert accomplished higher than the rest at Chef Mickey’s. Those Croissant Beignets also are buttery and cinnamony–simply flat out scrumptious. There’s sauces to accompany them, however I’d forget about the ones, save for the bananas foster.
The French Toast is much less exceptional, however nonetheless unbelievable. This could also be best on its own, however the bananas foster provides so much and takes it to the following degree. Normally, I used to be extra inspired with the cakes than the entrees at Chef Mickey’s. Even easy pleasures like Mickey Waffles and pancakes had been shockingly just right.
With that mentioned, there have been in truth some entrees that I in point of fact loved. The Corned Pork Hash wasn’t as ‘fascinating’ because the now-gone Pork Brisket (although that used to be frequently too fatty or tricky), nevertheless it’s in point of fact just right. In truth, for what each and every dish is (which means judging this in opposition to different corned pork hash and that in opposition to different brisket), that is the objectively higher dish. I’d nonetheless moderately than have carving station with subpar pork brisket, however to each and every their very own.
I additionally in point of fact favored the Andouille with Peppers and Onions. This used to be a pointy distinction to the hybrid rubber and paper bacon or the subpar sausages at the buffet unfold. The Andouille is high quality meat with nice taste, and the peppers supply a pleasing little bit of punch. Now not wonderful, but additionally above the abnormal meats at Chef Mickey’s.
And perhaps I benefit from the easy pleasures a little bit an excessive amount of, however I used to be very pleasantly stunned by means of the potatoes and beer cheese sauce. Absolute best execution of an easy dish, with cheese that used to be addictively just right and noticeably higher than standard ‘plastic cheese’ served at Walt Disney Global. The hashed browns had been likewise just right sufficient, as had been the premade omelets.
All issues regarded as, the breakfast buffet unfold at Chef Mickey’s used to be in large part mediocre…nevertheless it additionally used to be massive. Because of that, I used to be in a position to search out a few half-dozen or so pieces that had been just right to nice, focusing my abdomen area on the ones and strolling away happy (however with manner an excessive amount of butter, sugar and salt in my machine).
In the end, this isn’t a ringing endorsement for the delicacies caliber or surroundings at Chef Mickey’s, as will have to be glaring. In relation to the meals high quality, Chef Mickey’s is ok at perfect. And that’s provided that you’re strategic, cautious about what you choose, and time the restocks proper. There’s a robust emphasis on amount over high quality. By way of another purpose metric, no case will also be made for Chef Mickey’s being superior.
On paper, it’s within the backside 1/2 of persona foods at Walt Disney Global. Arguably nearer to terrible than superior. That is particularly while you issue value into it, as Chef Mickey’s simply larger in value to $58 in keeping with grownup and $37 in keeping with kid (every other build up is most likely in October 2025, in the event you’re making plans forward). That’s exorbitant for a breakfast regardless of the way you slice it–and that might be true although the meals had been just right. (It makes a compelling case for a past due seating, as we choose, as then breakfast comes brunch or lunch–we left this meal at Chef Mickey’s within the early afternoon.)
Then again, it’s additionally honest to mention that the typical visitor isn’t assessing persona eating reviews in keeping with a tick list of purpose standards. Those foods are, because the identify suggests, reviews. As such, there’s essentially a subjective facet to objects this is arguably a lot more essential. From this viewpoint, it’s exceedingly simple to know the way Chef Mickey’s was a ceremony of passage meal within the first position and a supply of fond reminiscences and nostalgia for such a lot of households.
Our previous opinions of Chef Mickey’s said this, so it’s no longer like we had been oblivious to all of this and had some epiphany the instant our daughter used to be born. Then again, it’s additionally honest to mention that we vastly underestimated the subjective importance of this when doing persona foods as a pair who preferred meals high quality over amount and didn’t put as a lot weight into persona interactions.
As I take a seat right here nowadays penning this Chef Mickey’s evaluation, the reminiscences of the mediocre meals are already fading. As is the edge of that $100+ invoice on the finish of the meal. In every other month or two, they’ll be all however forgotten. Positive, I’ll balk on the charge for only-okay meals the following time I e-book an Advance Eating Reservation for Chef Mickey’s, however I will e-book one.
The ones moments when Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck took the time beyond regulation for significant and a laugh interactions with our daughter are indelibly etched into my thoughts. In every other decade or two, they’ll nonetheless be as contemporary as they had been the day they had been made. And that proper there may be exactly why we’ll be reserving Chef Mickey’s once more (and once more) within the years yet to come, with out regard for what my purpose tick list dictates I write on this evaluation you simply learn.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever finished the breakfast buffet at Chef Mickey’s? What did you bring to mind the meals? What in regards to the persona interactions? Do you compromise or disagree with any of our evaluation? Does this persona meal glance interesting to you? Any questions we will mean you can resolution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas under within the feedback!
