Chef Mickey’s

Located in Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World, Chef Mickey’s is a character dining experience which is a great way to have your little one meet Mickey Mouse and friends while eating! 

(Little known fact – the proper name is Chef Mickey’s but everyone seems to refer to it as Chef Mickey!)

We go to Chef Mickey’s every single time we go to Walt Disney World. It’s truly one of our favorite places and an amazing way to see some classic Disney characters!

Here are some things you should know about Chef Mickey’s Character Dining!

What You Need to Know About Chef Mickey’s

1. Chef Mickey’s Food

Chef Mickey’s character dining is a buffet style restaurant full of tons of different options for the whole family.

It is important to note that this is buffet-style food and buffets are usually known for quantity, not quality. On that note….

Let’s get some of the negatives out of the way first, shall we? Depending on who you ask, most people are not overly thrilled about the food quality at Chef Mickey’s. 

Some of the most common complaints are: the food is overcooked, cold, lacking in flavor and simply low-quality, cheaper ingredients. We would have agreed with those people, however, during our last visit in January of 2024, we were very impressed with the food!

There seemed to be quite a few new offerings and everything was flavorful and delicious. It was a huge change from what we were used to eating at Chef Mickey’s!

We’re assuming this is the new norm for Chef Mickey’s so we’re happy to report that not only is the food great for kids, it’s also great for grownups too!

Chef Mickey’s Menu

The Chef Mickey’s Family Feast offers family friendly food for breakfast or dinner! It features American cuisine and a casual environment which makes it an ideal spot for kids!

Here’s an idea of what’s on the menu! As usual, this changes so be sure to check for an updated menu.

Some of the menu items on the Chef Mickey’s breakfast menu are Mickey waffles, french toast, buttermilk biscuits and gravy, slow-roasted beef brisket, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, and bacon!

Dinner serves items such as prime rib, salmon, turkey, roasted gratin potatoes, potato gnocchi, and a variety of great options for dessert. There’s also an ice cream bar which is a delight for everyone in the family!

Non-alcoholic mocktails, cocktails, and a variety of beer, cider, and seltzer are available for an extra charge.

2. Chef Mickey‘s Atmosphere

We like the energetic, exciting atmosphere that you find at Chef Mickey’s! Obviously, if you are looking for a quiet place with soft music, lit candles and romance, this would not be the place. This is a great spot for kids and families!

The seating is bright and colorful and themed well. There is always extra excitement when you spot a character walking around the restaurant and heading your way. 

There is singing, clapping and dancing at different times of the meal. The characters rotate throughout the dining room – singing and dancing! Oh, did we say there are monorails going in and out overhead? Its so fun! This buffet experience is a great option for young children and families.

3. Chef Mickey’s hours

Chef Mickey’s currently serves breakfast and dinner. They are not serving meals during the lunch hour. We believe they are not serving lunch due to the phased reopening of restaurants.

• Breakfast: 7:30am – 12:30pm
• Dinner: 5:00pm – 9:30pm

4. Chef Mickey’s Breakfast & Dinner Cost

Currently prices are: Breakfast Buffet: Adult $54, Child $34, Dinner: Adult $66, Child $41. There was a small price increase for kids recently but also a slight price decrease for adults.

For what it’s worth, we think it is TOTALLY worth the cost! We promise! There’s a reason we go here every single time we visit Disney World on vacation.

5. Chef Mickey’s Location

Chef Mickey’s is located inside a Walt Disney World Resort – the Contemporary Resort. Its location is the best! We believe the Contemporary is the most iconic Disney Hotel.

The restaurant is just a short walk away from Disney’s Magic Kingdom which makes it a very convenient location. The monorail whizzes above you and creates wonderful memories.  

For our family, it is a magical experience to get off the monorail in the Contemporary and go to Chef Mickey’s for a meal.

6. Chef Mickey’s Characters

Chef Mickey’s is one of the best Disney World Character Meals. You will see the Fab Five at Chef Mickey’s!! Chef Mickey (of course!), Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. This is truly the best way to meet your kids’ favorite Disney characters all in one spot!

The Chef Mickey’s characters make their way throughout all the dining rooms in this restaurant. You WILL see each and every one of the characters during your time!

What If My Child Gets Scared of A Character?

While yes, this may be the best place to meet your favorite characters, just know that Pluto and Goofy are bigger than your kids might think! Dave’s oldest granddaughter hid under the table when she saw Goofy the very first time.

If this happens to you, just let a cast member know! They will be able to tell each character to just wave at your child from a ways away (if they want them to) as to not scare them.

Disney cast members want the character experience to be as pleasant as possible for the whole family.

3 Quick Chef Mickey’s Dining Tips

1. Dine at Chef Mickey’s Strategically 

As you know from our other posts, we try to have a plan for everything and Chef Mickey’s is no different. Here are a couple of ways we have used it in the past. 

Eat at Chef Mickey’s on your arrival day.

We have eaten here the first day we arrive for dinner. This is especially great when you have little ones that only equate Mickey Mouse with Disney World. 

You have been traveling all day, you check into your hotel and you walk into the Contemporary to Chef Mickey’s…it will light up your little one from day one! 

If you are arriving later in the day and do not have a park pass for your arrival day this is a super fun way to jump immediately into the Disney fun.

Eat at Chef Mickey’s on your departure day.

If you have a later flight, get up the last day and have breakfast at Chef Mickey’s for a final good bye. One other way to use Chef Mickey’s is if you have been up early for the rope drop, head over for a brunch late morning.

We did this during our last trip and just a quick note. We had 9:00 reservations but the restaurant was running behind so we didn’t get in for about 40 minutes. By the time we were seated we only had about 40 minutes to eat before our Mears Connect shuttle picked us up. We were able to see every character (we let our server know immediately about our time crunch) but keep in mind they can run behind on their reservations from time to time!

2. Book Early 

Despite what you read on the internet about the mediocre food, Chef Mickey’s restaurant is one of Disney’s most popular restaurants and you really need to book your reservation early – especially if character dining is on your must do list! However, if you are flexible with dates/times to eat here you should be able to get a reservation (which we did on short notice for our most recent trip in 2024).

There are few restaurants in Disney World quite like it: you get character interactions with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, the popular dining location of the Contemporary Hotel, and a relaxed family-style meal.

Be sure to check out our 11 thing you need to know about Disney dining reservations on this post! And don’t forget we have a timeline to help plan your trip post as well!

3. Bring Autograph Books (+ Wear Mickey Ears!)  

If your kids are doing autographs, don’t forget them here! This will save you time from having to wait in line to get autographs from them while in the Disney Parks.

We also suggest wearing fun Mickey gear such as Mickey or Minnie Ears that you bought before your trip to save yourself some money!

Chef Mickey’s FAQ

We’ve been going to Chef Mickey’s for as long as we can remember and it’s always a must do for our Disney Vacations. For other ways to see Disney Characters, check out this post.

If you will be visiting Hollywood Studios during your Disney vacation you might want to consider Roundup Rodeo BBQ. There are no characters to meet, but the Toy Story theming and food are fantastic.