It feels like once or twice during each trip we make to Disney World, we experience what many call a “magical moment.” While that is an excellent description in many instances, there are a few select times when it doesn’t feel like that description truly captures the magic of an experience. This is one of those times, and hopefully, my words in our Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast review can convey why. Formally known as Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends, this character breakfast review will cover our thoughts on the meal and character interactions, complete with pictures of it all.
Breakfast à la Art takes place at Topolino’s Terrace, which is on the 10th floor of Disney’s Riviera Resort. This is a relatively new character breakfast, given the fact that the resort only opened up in mid-December 2019.
Right now, Topolino’s Terrace does not take Tables in Wonderland. However, every cast member we spoke to said they think it will at some point in the future. It’s unclear when that will happen, but given the fact that it is a new and hot destination for dining, it may be a little while.
If you’re on the Disney dining plan the Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast requires one table service credit. Given the meal’s cost, this makes it a great use of a dining plan credit!
The Breakfast à la Art Characters Feature Unique Stylings and Tremendous Interactions
If you’ve read any of our reviews about character breakfasts at Disney World, you’ll know that the experiences with the characters can be a bit hit or miss. There’s the genuinely excellent experience that we had at the Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast and then the very blah (and expensive) character breakfast at Chef Mickey’s (review to come on that). When it comes to character breakfasts, the character experience is usually the differentiator to us because quite often, the food is pretty similar from place to place. More on that in a bit.
The character interactions we as part of our Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast review were fantastic. There was no rushing through the meet and greet and moving on to the next table. And this was on a morning when the restaurant was packed! Each character took their time and made it a memorable interaction. We’ll talk about them individually below, but they were across the board some of the most personalized experiences we have had at Disney World.
In addition to the interactions themselves, the Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast features some very unique outfits that are amazing. They fit the theme unbelievably well and lend to some of the relatable interactions that we had.
Our character rotation started with Donald Duck, who is the sculptor of the group. He was warm and friendly to Anna and Elsa. He claimed to have made all the art at Disney’s Riviera Resort and was quite fond of his sculpting tools. When I asked him to take a picture, he was more than willing to pose up a storm.
Next up, Daisy made her way to the table. This was Anna’s dream as they are both dancers. Daisy is dressed to show off her dance moves in a tutu, leg warmers, and “dance shoes”. When she heard that Anna was a dancer too, they just had to dance together! Daisy and Anna took turns doing pirouettes. Next up, Anna had to showcase her knowledge of the different ballet positions, and on it went. It was the highlight of the trip for Anna!
But Carla wasn’t to be outdone! Oh no, she even had to get up and dance a little with Daisy. I have a video of it but was told if I posted it that I would be sleeping on the couch for the rest of the year. Given that, I’ll keep that gem to myself.
Mickey Mouse, complete in his artist attire, came to the table next. He was quite taken with the girls, as they were with him. They “discussed” the new Riviera Resort and how he did all the paintings for the resort. We talked about Donald and his contributions to the resort as well. He was not amused by Donald claiming to have done all the décor!
Finally, Minnie Mouse, the poet, came by the table. For Elsa, this was a dream come true, as she has always gravitated to the written word at school. Writing and reading are where she has always been pulled, and it was evident here. She held Minnie so tight and wouldn’t let go and then that “something extraordinary” happened.
Elsa leaned in and whispered to Minnie that she was a writer too. Minnie then “asked” our waitress for a pen and took Elsa’s menu and scribed the text below. If it’s hard to read, it says, “Keep on writing. Love and Kisses, Minnie Mouse”.
It was such a powerful and touching message for Elsa that it sent her into tears. She’s not an overly emotional kid, so Carla and I were caught off guard by her reaction. Seeing Elsa so overwhelmed sent Carla into tears also. I was impacted by the onions on the table, at least I think there were onions somewhere…
Minnie just held Elsa and comforted her. It was one of the sweetest moments we’ve had at Disney World and is just part of why the Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast is one of the best character meals you can have. Now Elsa says she wants to be a writer. Maybe someday she will write on the blog. In any case, the character interactions were on another level.
Beyond some of the touching interactions we had individually, we also love it when characters interact with each other. The setting lent itself to this wonderfully. We had the opportunity to witness Minnie and Mickey doting on each other, while Donald fawned for Daisy. During Mickey and Minnie’s little affection display, we saw Donald reacting with exasperation. It was a very in character moment and quite amusing. And these weren’t one-off experiences during our meal; we saw it happen several times.
In addition to the actual character interactions, there is one other unique thing about the characters at the Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast. That would be the fact that you can actually but stuffed toy versions of the characters at the restaurant. They are also available in the resort gift shop. As you can see below, the character toys are clothed in their breakfast’s unique clothing designs.
All in all, the character interactions we saw as part of Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends were unbelievable. It’s amazing to us what characters who can’t actually speak can convey to two little girls and their parents. And that is why this character breakfast succeeds…well that and the food. Let’s talk about that.
Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Food Succeeds Where Others Fail
I mentioned this earlier, but most character breakfasts at Disney World feature some very basic food. Many are buffets, and even ones that aren’t don’t have the most varied menus. The Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast, fortunately, does not fall into that trap. Instead, it builds upon the exquisite characters and takes the experience to the next level.
The meal is table service experience, where you order off of a menu. This is not a buffet. If you look at the Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast menu I think you’ll find that beyond not being a buffet, the menu features several wonderful and unique selections. I think our only regret is that we didn’t try more dishes. Let’s call it a reason for us to go back to the Breakfast à la Art character meal! That said, let’s get to the food section of our Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast review.
The Assorted Pastries
Before your breakfast entrée is served, the table receives an assortment of pastries. However, these pastries aren’t served in some plain breadbasket. Oh no! They come in one of Mickey’s paint pails, with three sides for toppings your pastries. The sides feature a wonderfully blended honey butter, a chocolate-hazelnut spread, and a house-made jam.
Each was wonderful in its own way, but I think the clear winner for the table was the honey butter. Combining that with the buttery goodness of the croissant made for a wonderful taste. I could have eaten three croissants with that honey butter.
The house-made jam was my second favorite. It was clearly not from a bottle, with an excellent texture that showed there were real berries in it. Combining it with the visually attractive Epi Bread was perfection.
Also, there is a chocolate chip muffin and apple-based pastry that were both very good, but I’m not sure I put them on the same level as the first two. That said, the pastries were all worth taking a bite or two!
Entrees
After we finished eating the pastries, we each received our entrée and were blown away. When I was ordering, I was torn between a few items. How many times can you have waffles at Disney World? Let’s be honest; it’s hard to eat at a Disney World breakfast and not be hit in the face with a Mickey waffle. However, I was very intrigued by the Sour Cream Waffles at the Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast. So, it went with my gut and I have to say I was rewarded!
Featuring roasted apples, chantilly, and orange-maple syrup, the Sour Cream Waffles were the best waffles I have had at Disney World. And it’s not even close. The waffles were soft and fluffy and cooked to perfection. However, it was the combination of the chantilly and roasted apples that were over the top good! The Chantilly was whipped to a light perfection and had a light orange flavor to it. When combining it with the apples and waffles, I was in food heaven. The orange-maple syrup was delicious as well, but I didn’t need it.
I honestly didn’t plan on eating all of the waffles when I ordered them, but within a few minutes, I had finished the whole plate. These are waffles that you must eat. They are that good!
Next up, Carla ordered the Wood-fired Butchers Steak. It’s served on a bed of polenta, pomodoraccio tomatoes, and roasted onions, and topped with a wild mushroom conserva. The steak was cooked to a nice medium, although I think Carla would have liked it to be a little rarer.
The steak had a wonderful flavor from the wood-fired grill. It was juicy and blended with the polenta perfectly. And that’s something for me to say because I’m not a huge fan of polenta.
The mushroom conserva was excellent and added another layer of flavor to the steak. If you’re looking for a heartier breakfast, this is an option you must consider.
Anna selected the Mickey Waffle Dippers for her meal. As you can see, it’s a fun little presentation of the waffles on a skewer. It’s served on a plate styled like an artist’s pallet, with the syrups serving as the “paint.” The syrups each had their own distinct flavor; however, Anna really only liked the traditional syrup.
Elsa was looking for a bit more protein and elected to go with the kids scrambled eggs meal. For a kid’s meal, the eggs were fine, but nothing notable. I think Elsa regretted not getting the Mickey Waffle Dippers for her Breakfast à la Art meal, but mostly because of the visual appeal of it. She ate the eggs and said they were fine, but they certainly didn’t have the flair or flavor the rest of us enjoyed.
Overall Thoughts on The Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast
The Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast is now one of our favorite character meals at Walt Disney World. Rarely at a character meal will you find the unique combination of quality character interactions and excellent food.
We won’t think the protracted time we had with each character was a fluke. We saw Mickey and friends take their time with numerous other tables, even though the restaurant was jammed packed. I think that’s part of the problem with some other reviews out there, they get media access and don’t really have an authentic dining experience. We definitely saw the Breakfast à la Art character breakfast at full capacity. If they can deliver this type of experience when things are crazy busy, imagine what it might be when things a bit slower.
Now, when that will be is anybody’s guess. Given that this gem will get lots of exposure, we suggest you make a reservation early.
If you have kids who enjoy character meals, do yourself a favor and book a breakfast here. It’s an easy hop from Hollywood Studios and Epcot on the Skyliner. It’ also easy to get here from the Caribbean Beach Resort or Pop Century and Art of Animation. You can have breakfast at 8:00 and be to the park in time for opening or shortly after that.
Wrapping Up Our Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Review
With that, we’ll wrap up our Topolino’s Terrace character breakfast review. It’s one of the top character meals in all of Disney World and something we think you should absolutely do. While many breakfasts around the World can be a bit blah, this will be a meal you will remember.
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