Well, we’re back at Chef Mickey’s again…yeah, yeah, yeah, we always say we may not return, but we pretty much have to because there have been a few times when this character dining experience has surprised us. Plus, the one thing Chef Mickey’s has ALWAYS had going for it is the characters.

So, we’re back, this time for dinner, and we’re not sure what happened…maybe it was because our expectations were relatively low, but Chef Mickey’s has surprised us…again…and this time, in a good way (or pretty good, if we’re being specific). So let’s talk about it.

Atmosphere

We decided to have dinner at Chef Mickey’s for a change because it seems like we’re always checking it out for breakfast. You’ll find the restaurant inside Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

If you’ve ever taken the Monorail to the hotel, it’s the restaurant you’ll see as you ride through the hotel itself.

The restaurant is located on the 4th floor between Contempo Cafe and Outer Rim (which is a bar, and we’ve had some visits at Chef Mickey’s where we needed a drink after, so that’s handy). We’ll tell you now, though: it’s VERY popular, so reservations are highly recommended.

The real appeal at Chef Mickey’s is that you’re guaranteed to meet some of Disney’s most popular characters, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Menu

Chef Mickey’s is a buffet with options that are generally of the “safer” variety, meaning that you’ll find something to please everyone in your party here. The dinner buffet is $69 per adult and $44 per child. So, what can you find on the buffet? In addition to carving stations, you’ll also find things like pizza, chicken tenders…

…grilled asparagus, shrimp scampi…

…carved roast beef, au jus, barbecue chicken…

…cheeseburger sliders, potato barrels, cheese pizza…

…a salad bar with all the fixings to make a salad your way…

…chicken pot pie, ravioli in tomato sauce, carrots, pot roast…

…meatballs in marinara sauce, butternut squash ravioli, baked rigatoni, penne with fire-roasted tomatoes and grilled artichokes…

…and desserts like cookies, cupcakes, and some character-themed desserts (we’ll get to those in a bit).

Although some drinks are included with the price of the buffet, you’ll also find a menu on your table with alcoholic cocktails, mocktails, beer, and wine for an additional price.

Eats

Okay, time to hit the buffet! We filled up our first plate with mini corn dogs (aka corn dog nuggets), watermelon salad, shrimp cocktail, pork dumplings, and roast beef.

We’re happy to report that the Mini Corn Dogs are the same ones you can get at Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom. It’s that classic cornmeal-covered mini dog you know and love. The only downside is there’s no plastic cheese to dip them in, but you have a choice of honey mustard and ketchup. They’re on the kids’ buffet, so don’t skip that part of the restaurant!

Things only got better from there. The Watermelon Salad had a juicy, sweet bite of watermelon with a bit of red onion for tanginess and some cucumber and feta. This was such a refreshing summer salad, and may have been one of our favorite things on the buffet.

The Pork Dumplings have nice, soft wrappers, and the dumplings are marinated in a soy sauce-based sauce, which adds a nice flavor. They don’t really have a lot of filling, but the pork inside is soft, while the cabbage adds a nice texture.

The Shrimp Cocktail has firm, yet tender shrimp that tastes fresh. Then you get a classic cocktail sauce to dip those lovely shrimp in. Wait…are we actually enjoying this meal? Maybe…

Carved Roast Beef is a classic buffet offering, and well, it’s always something you have to try. The beef was tender and well-seasoned. Was it anything unique or special? No. But at the same time, we thought it was tasty.

Okay, it’s time for plate #2! We grabbed the shrimp scampi, the Italian pasta salad, a cheeseburger slider, mac and cheese, and barbecue chicken.

The Shrimp Scampi was also a big surprise. It was well-seasoned to the point of even having a slight kick! Who knew? The shrimp here is well-cooked, although a tad bit overdone. But it didn’t bother us too much, and we loved the hint of spiciness.

The Italian Pasta Salad was also well-seasoned and had some cured meats, including pepperoni. Honestly? It’s a solid pasta salad. There are also some nice herbs in the Italian dressing that make this a great option.

Okay, up until this point, we were mostly shocked at how much we were enjoying our meal. But our biggest disappointment lay before us with the Cheeseburger Slider from the kids’ buffet. Okay, we get it, it’s kids’ food, so there’s hardly any seasoning on the meat, and not enough cheese on the burger. Overall, because the bun is also tiny, this is a very dry bite.

The good news is that the Mac and Cheese made up for the poor slider. The pasta is SO creamy and cheesy and will please both kids and adults alike. This is our top pick for food that will please picky eaters.

The Barbecue Chicken was also done really well. The chicken was juicy and covered in a classic sweet barbecue sauce. It tastes like a backyard grilled piece of chicken, too, so kudos to Disney for achieving that. Even without the barbecue sauce, the chicken itself has a nice seasoned flavor.

Okay, let’s talk about dessert. Now, there are some character-themed desserts on the buffet, which we were really excited to try. Just LOOK at this gorgeous plate.

The Mickey Mouse Tart has a rich chocolate ganache in the middle with a chocolate cookie crust, along with fun sprinkles and a Mickey chocolate medallion. If you love chocolate, this is your DREAM. You’re going to FLIP OUT. What’s so nice is that although it’s a rich dessert for adults, it’s still a great pure chocolate treat for kids, too.

The Minnie Mouse Cheesecake is raspberry cheesecake on top of a chocolate crust…and again, Chef Mickey’s knocked it out of the park (that may be the first time we’ve ever written that). The dessert is light with a pleasant texture. The raspberry flavor also doesn’t have that artificial taste, which we’re never big fans of. It tastes fresh.

The Pluto Tart is filled with coconut haupia and DOLE Whip Pineapple, and it has a classic tart crust. It’s light and delicious, and if you love DOLE Whip, this is the treat for you.

BUT, y’all, Donald was the one who surprised us (the dessert, not the duck…although he’s often full of surprises). The Donald Duck Cream Puff is a cream puff filled with lemon cream, and it tastes so much better than we could have ever imagined. The filling is tart, and there’s enough to perfectly complement the cream puff.

Now for the bad…The Goofy Cupcake was SO boring, especially compared to the other desserts. It was a plain chocolate cupcake with plain buttercream. It just fell flat for us. We would’ve liked to have seen the same creativity put into this dessert as the three we loved.

We felt the same way about the Daisy Cookies and Cream Mousse, which is plant-based. It’s so boring, and the flavors just seem so plain compared to the other desserts.

So, most of the food surprised us, so seeing characters was literally the proverbial cherry on top of our visit to Chef Mickey’s.

Characters

So we saw a variety of classic Disney characters, including Donald…

…Minnie…

…Pluto…

…Goofy…

…and Chef Mickey himself!

We had quite a few opportunities to see the characters during our meal.

Nosh or Not

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• You want to meet the Fab Five without waiting in line. This is the EASIEST way to meet the most classic of Disney characters, and you can get fed while doing so. As far as characters go, this is one of the best locations to meet them.
• You’ve got picky eaters in your group. If you’re dining with kids or picky eaters, this buffet features a lot of basic food that should please just about anyone.
• You’re using the Disney Dining Plan. Chef Mickey’s is a 1-credit table service option on the Dining Plan, so if you’re budgeting your dining credits and want a character meal, it’s a great choice.

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• You’re on a budget. If you’re not using the Disney dining plan, this restaurant can get pretty pricey, especially when you add on the tax and tip.
• You want a quieter experience. We’ll warn you now…it can get very LOUD inside Chef Mickey’s. This spot might be great for kids, but if you want a more intimate dining experience, this ain’t it.
• You want something quick. This isn’t a quick service spot, and you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of time to hit the buffet AND meet all the characters. That could take upwards of an hour or longer.

Overall

So here’s the thing. The food at Chef Mickey’s is inconsistent. We’ve had great dining experiences here, like this one (okay, maybe “great” is a bit much, but it surprised us), but we’ve also had not-so-great dining experiences here. However, most folks don’t actually come here for the food anyway, so if it’s characters you want to meet in an iconic setting like the Contemporary, you’ll probably appreciate Chef Mickey’s just fine.

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